In medieval India, the desire for “the unity of Brahman and Self” was present in the Vedānta tradition of Hinduism. Adi Śaṅkara, the master of Vedānta philosophy, proposed the six-fold sādhana: mind ...control, sense control, mental tranquility, endurance, potential faith, and concentration. These six-fold practices can help Vedānta followers realize unity with Brahman. In medieval Christianity, mysticism was regarded as an important path for Christians to seek a closer relationship with God. Pursuing “the unity of God and man” became the goal and direction of Christians at that time, which could be achieved through spirituality. Bonaventure, known as the Seraphic Doctor, was a representative figure of medieval Christian mysticism. He proposed six stages of spirituality: Sense, Imagination, Reason, Intelligence, Understanding, and Spark of Conscience, through which one can achieve unity with God. This article attempts to compare Bonaventure’s theory of six stages of spirituality with Śaṅkara’s idea of six-fold practice and discover the similarities and differences between Eastern and Western religious spirituality in the Middle Ages. Through this comparison, we can further explore the medieval religious believers’ desire for ultimate reality and try to find the possibility of dialogue between Christianity and Advaita Vedānta.
Human activities have an impact on the structure and function of ecosystems, which in turn affects ecosystem service (ES) supply and demand. Based on the four-quadrant model of human activities and ...ecosystem services, this study evaluated the ecological quality at the county scale on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP). Results showed: (1) Human activity intensity (HAI) showed great spatio-temporal variations across the QTP. The mean HAI was low overall and increased by 4% during 2000–2015. HAI in more than 13% of the area of the QTP showed an increasing trend and high HAI levels were mainly distributed in the eastern and central parts. A low HAI level occupied the majority of the study area and declined during the period. (2) The mean ES balance declined during the period and exhibited great spatial variations, with the higher ES balance mainly distributed in the mid-eastern cities of the QTP. The ES balance in approximately 68% of the cities decreased, indicating the ESs were in degradation, with demand exceeding supply. (3) Approximately 98% of the study area, including 205 counties, was in the first, second and fourth quadrant, and only 2% was in the third quadrant, indicating that ecological quality became better overall on the QTP. During 2000–2015, 87.14% of counties were nearly unchangeable—these were distributed in the most regions of the QTP, and only 9.79% and 3.08% of counties were improving and degrading, respectively, mainly distributed in the mid-eastern regions. The change implied that the ecosystems were basically in a stable state and the environment greatly improved on the QTP from 2000 to 2015. This study contributes to exploring the effect of human activity on ecosystem service, thereby providing credible guidance for regional ecosystem management.
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•Human intensity was low with higher values located in the mid-eastern areas.•Ecosystem service declined with higher values located in the mid-eastern cities.•87.14% counties were unchangeable distributed in most regions of the QTP.•The ecosystem was basically in a stable state and overall better.•The ecological quality greatly improved on the QTP from 2000 to 2015.
In vivo imaging in the second near-infrared window (NIR-II, 1000–1700 nm), which enables us to look deeply into living subjects, is producing marvelous opportunities for biomedical research and ...clinical applications. Very recently, there has been an upsurge of interdisciplinary studies focusing on developing versatile types of inorganic/organic fluorophores that can be used for noninvasive NIR-IIa/IIb imaging (NIR-IIa, 1300–1400 nm; NIR-IIb, 1500–1700 nm) with near-zero tissue autofluorescence and deeper tissue penetration. This review provides an overview of the reports published to date on the design, properties, molecular imaging, and theranostics of inorganic/organic NIR-IIa/IIb fluorophores. First, we summarize the design concepts of the up-to-date functional NIR-IIa/IIb biomaterials, in the order of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs), quantum dots (QDs), rare-earth-doped nanoparticles (RENPs), and organic fluorophores (OFs). Then, these novel imaging modalities and versatile biomedical applications brought by these superior fluorescent properties are reviewed. Finally, challenges and perspectives for future clinical translation, aiming at boosting the clinical application progress of NIR-IIa and NIR-IIb imaging technology are highlighted.
In the digital era, social media is increasingly permeating the fragmented lives of people. While enjoying the convenience and speed of online socializing, people are gradually surrounded by a ...variety of information. Through observations and interviews, we found that young people are plagued by negative comparisons, interaction dysfunction, information overload, social overload, and intergenerational communication in the process of participating in social media. Increasing numbers of young people feel overwhelmed in the process of online socialization and the phenomenon of social media fatigue (SMF) gradually spreads. This study combined the existing relevant theoretical models of the influencing factors of SMF and the real-life empirical materials of youth groups. Furthermore, this study enriched into new research variables and validated the data of relevant variables through a questionnaire survey (
n
= 663) to explore the influencing factors of SMF of youth groups and inductively analyze the inner logic of the emergence of SMF among such groups. It was found that negative comparison, interaction dysregulation, information overload, social overload, self-efficacy, and impression management all had significant positive effects on SMF behaviors, while privacy anxiety and intergenerational communication had no significant positive effects on SMF behaviors.
Exposure to NO2 pollution has a significant adverse effect on residents' health. However, few studies have assessed the health effects associated with NO2 pollution. Compared with PM2.5 pollution, ...the harmfulness of NO2 pollution has not been quantitatively studied or clearly identified. In this study, we assessed the NO2 exposure-related health effects by non-linear and linear methods, taking advantage of online monitoring and survey data. We also assessed the economic cost of NO2 pollution in 338 cities in China. Our results showed that the average annual concentration of NO2 in the top fifteen cities with more than ten million permanent residents (except for Shenzhen, in the Guangdong province) exceeded the annual Grade II standards (40 μg/m3). The estimated national NO2-related all-cause mortality for non-linear and linear methods were 388.5 × 103 (95% CI: 198.1 × 103–748.2 × 103) and 374.1 × 103 (95% CI: 194.3 × 103–695.9 × 103), respectively. The total calculated national economic cost was about 28.8 billion US$ (95% CI: 14.7–55.4) in 2016. In addition, the comparison results showed that the harm caused by PM2.5 pollution was about four times that of NO2 pollution. Our statistics contribute to the limited research on NO2 pollution's effects on health and the economy in China.
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•Total all-cause mortality attributed to NO2 was 388,500 using non-linear method.•The total calculated national economic cost was about 28.8 billion US$ in 2016.•The mortality caused by PM2.5 pollution was about four times that of NO2 pollution.•Megacities were the control focus of NO2 pollution from the view of efficiency.
Inland lakes and rivers are large reservoirs of microplastics. But currently, not too much research was done on microplastics of mountain rivers. The protection of water sources from microplastics is ...extremely significant for the safety of human drinking water. We quantified the distribution and variation of microplastics in the surface water from tributary (upstream water-source regions) to main stream (human settlements) in the Chin Ling-Wei River Plain Rivers, and assessed the pollution risk. Rivers in the Chin Ling-Wei River Plain contained various levels of microplastics (2.30–21.05 items/L), and the main stream of the river contained higher concentrations most commonly of microplastics than tributaries. The microplastics were fragments and films; they constituted 82.3% of the total abundance of microplastics. Microplastics with a particle size < 500 µm accounted for 64.3% of all the samples. As rivers flow from the mountains to the plains, the land-use types along the rivers become more multifunctional. Thus, the risk of river microplastic pollution increases sharply with distance downstream. Our research explored the microplastics pollution in the Chin Ling mountains based on topography and land-use types and thus provides a reference for further studies exploring the spatial distribution characteristics of microplastics in small-scale rivers and for pollution risk assessments.
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•Microplastics in small-scale rivers of mountain-plain transitional area were quantified.•Microplastics pollution in mountainous areas came from agriculture and tourism.•Urbanization increased the risk of microplastics pollution in rivers.•River embankment protection projects led to an increase in microplastics.
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•We studied effect of slope direction and gradient on biocrust and soil physiology.•SEM used to investigate effects of biocrusts on vegetation-soil coupling conditions.•Middle slope ...has least severe soil erosion for continuous slope change.•Biocrust mediates changes in vegetation-soil coupling.
Biocrust is widely distributed on land surfaces worldwide, it is especially important in arid and semi-arid areas with serious soil erosion; however, the impact of biocrust on vegetation soil coupling in complex topography has not been reported. This study revealed the variation of biocrust coverage in different slope direction and gradient, and the fluctuation of vegetation and subsoil physicochemical properties mediated by it. The SEM (Structural equation modeling) further investigated the effects and pathways of biocrusts on soil-vegetation coupling conditions. The results indicated that the degree of coupling of the sunny slope showed a trend of gradual dispersion with a starting point of 1 as the slope decreased, whereas the coupling degree of the shady slope showed an overall process of gradual aggregation towards 1. In addition, the SEM showed that the moss on sunny slopes affected degree by nourishing vegetation (47%) and the effect of soil on coupling degree is more obvious (23%) on shady slopes. As for lichen system, it affected the coupling degree (27%) by itself on sunny slopes, and it further influencing coupling on shady slopes through the mediation of vegetation (54%). Our research results provide a theoretical of the coupling of soil and vegetation in middle slope (45°) is best in two directions, and provide a reference for the segmented management of soil erosion under continuous slope changes.
The content of Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni and As from 250 soil samples was measured in agricultural soil of Ningxia section of the Yellow River. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) was to identify the ...main sources of these heavy metals; Sequential Gaussian Simulation (SGS) was to identify their spatial distribution and high-risk areas; and Human Health risk (HHR) model was to measure the health risk. Results showed that the average content of Cd and As exceeds the risk screening value of "Soil Environmental Quality-Agricultural Land Soil Pollution Risk Control Standard" (GB 15618-2018), which belongs to slight-level pollution. Although the content of other types of HMs (Cu, Pb, Zn, Cr, Ni) is below the risk screening value, they are still included heavily in the soil (except Cr). PMF indicated that mixed sources of agriculture and industry accounted for 27.06%, natural sources accounted for 14.12%, industrial sources accounted for 23.04%, traffic sources accounted for 21.50%, and Yellow River sedimentary sources accounted for 14.28%. PMF-HHR showed that the mixed sources of agriculture and industry are the most important factor causing non-carcinogenic risk (HI) to children (accounting for 55.75%). Industrial sources and traffic sources were the two main factors that cause HI to adults (industrial sources accounted for 25.16%, and traffic sources accounted for 28.78%). Mixed sources of agriculture and industry and natural sources were the two main factors that cause carcinogenic risk (CR) (mixed sources of agriculture and industry account for 35.34%, and natural sources account for 33.23%). SGS indicated that 0.64% and 9.32% of the total areas were posing as higher HI areas to children and adults respectively; in particular, 0.68% and 1.12% of the areas were identified as higher HI of As and Cr areas at a critical probability of 0.9.
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•PMF model was used to obtain the source of soil HMs.•SGS was used to determine the spatial distribution characteristics of soil HMs.•PMF-HHR model was used to calculate health risk of soil HMs.•SGS with uncertainty analysis was used to determine hazardous areas.
Heterogeneous activation of persulfate by Cu-hemin MOFs/BN under visible-light irradiation.
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•Bio-inspired hemin-MOFs supported on 2D boron nitride (BN) were successfully ...fabricated.•The Cu-hemin MOFs/BN composites with both Cu and Fe active sites showed an enhanced catalytic activity for PS activation.•Reaction conditions were optimized considering the effects of initial pH, catalyst concentration and PS dosage.•ESR analysis and quenching experiments revealed the SO4– and OH were responsible for the BPA degradation.
The wide variety applications of Bisphenol A (BPA) have resulted in the world wide concerns because of its toxicity and estrogenic activity. Thus, it is critical to explore efficient method for the degradation of BPA. In this study, biomimetic metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs), composed of hemin as the organic linkage and copper ions as the nodes, supported on two-dimensional boron nitride (BN) have been fabricated via facile one-pot hydrothermal approach. The multifunctional Cu-hemin-MOFs/BN composites were applied to activate persulfate (PS) for the degradation of bisphenol A (BPA). Results showed that over 99% of BPA (40 mg/L) was degraded in 30 min under visible-light irradiation with a fast degradation kinetic (0.10 min−1). As compared with the traditional homogeneous catalysts, these Cu-hemin-MOFs based heterogeneous catalysts hold the advantages of high efficiency, easily separation, recycle and reuse without introducing secondary pollution. The BN not only acted as stabilizer to support the hemin-MOFs but also worked as adsorbents for the pre-concentration of the pollutants. Meanwhile, Cu-hemin-MOFs with dual active sites of the Fe and Cu were responsible for the PS activation, leading to the efficient degradation of BPA. Electron spin resonance (ESR) and radicals quenching experiments revealed the SO4– and OH were the main active radicals for the BPA oxidation. These findings indicated the synergistically combination of the hemin-MOFs with the 2D BN nanoplates endowed the composites with multifunctional properties, leading to the excellent catalytic activity for the oxidation of pollutants. This study provides new insights into the design and fabrication of novel MOF-based heterogeneous catalysts for the application in environmental remediation.
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