Acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of the most common clinical syndromes. AKI is associated with significant morbidity and subsequent chronic kidney disease (CKD) development. Thus, it is urgent to ...develop a strategy to hinder AKI progression. Renal tubules are responsible for the reabsorption and secretion of various solutes and the damage to this part of the nephron is a key mediator of AKI. As we know, many common renal insults primarily target the highly metabolically active proximal tubular cells (PTCs). PTCs are the most energy-demanding cells in the kidney. The ATP that they use is mostly produced in their mitochondria by fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO). But, when PTCs face various biological stresses, FAO will shut down for a time that outlives injury. Recent studies have suggested that surviving PTCs can adapt to FAO disruption by increasing glycolysis when facing metabolic constraints, although PTCs do not perform glycolysis in a normal physiological state. Enhanced glycolysis in a short period compensates for impaired energy production and exerts partial renal-protective effects, but its long-term effect on renal function and AKI progression is not promising. Deranged FAO and enhanced glycolysis may contribute to the AKI to CKD transition through different molecular biological mechanisms. In this review, we concentrate on the recent pathological findings of AKI with regards to the metabolic reprogramming in PTCs, confirming that targeting metabolic reprogramming represents a potentially effective therapeutic strategy for the progression of AKI.
Sino-American Relations brings together high-quality research articles in order to examine one aspect of the political mechanism of modern China, from empire to the PRC: political initiatives to root ...out corruption.
Biomass and bioenergy potential estimation has been worldwide research highlights in renewable energy field to get comprehensive understand of bioenergy development, especially under the situation of ...energy crisis. This paper reviews the results of previous studies that investigated biomass resources and their bioenergy potential estimation. It is organized from the perspectives of traditional vs. newly-introduced approaches and present vs. future. First, according to the methods used in relative studies, existing studies were divided into two categories: statistical data based and RS-GIS based. Second, concerning about the future of bioenergy, biomass and bioenergy potential estimation under different scenarios in the future were also reviewed and summarized according to the dominant factor considered in simulation. At last, based on the reviews above, questions and the future of bioenergy potential estimation were proposed so as to provide some instructions for bioenergy development.
The current outbreak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) poses unprecedented challenges to global health
. The new coronavirus responsible for this outbreak-severe acute respiratory syndrome ...coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-shares high sequence identity to SARS-CoV and a bat coronavirus, RaTG13
. Although bats may be the reservoir host for a variety of coronaviruses
, it remains unknown whether SARS-CoV-2 has additional host species. Here we show that a coronavirus, which we name pangolin-CoV, isolated from a Malayan pangolin has 100%, 98.6%, 97.8% and 90.7% amino acid identity with SARS-CoV-2 in the E, M, N and S proteins, respectively. In particular, the receptor-binding domain of the S protein of pangolin-CoV is almost identical to that of SARS-CoV-2, with one difference in a noncritical amino acid. Our comparative genomic analysis suggests that SARS-CoV-2 may have originated in the recombination of a virus similar to pangolin-CoV with one similar to RaTG13. Pangolin-CoV was detected in 17 out of the 25 Malayan pangolins that we analysed. Infected pangolins showed clinical signs and histological changes, and circulating antibodies against pangolin-CoV reacted with the S protein of SARS-CoV-2. The isolation of a coronavirus from pangolins that is closely related to SARS-CoV-2 suggests that these animals have the potential to act as an intermediate host of SARS-CoV-2. This newly identified coronavirus from pangolins-the most-trafficked mammal in the illegal wildlife trade-could represent a future threat to public health if wildlife trade is not effectively controlled.
Dairy cows with ketosis are characterized by oxidative stress, hepatic damage, and hyperketonemia. Acetoacetate (AA) is the main component of ketone bodies in ketotic cows, and is associated with the ...above pathological process. However, the potential mechanism was not illuminated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the mechanism of AA‐induced hepatic oxidative damage in ketotic cows. Compared with healthy cows, ketotic cows exhibited severe oxidative stress and hepatic damage. Moreover, the extent of hepatic damage and oxidative stress had a positive relationship with the AA levels. In vitro, AA treatment increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) content and further induced oxidative stress and apoptosis of bovine hepatocytes. In this process, AA treatment increased the phosphorylation levels of JNK and p38MAPK and decreased the phosphorylation level of ERK, which could increase p53 and inhibit nuclear factor E2‐related factor 2 (Nrf2) expression, nuclear localization, and DNA‐binding affinity, thereby inducing the overexpression of pro‐apoptotic molecules Bax, Caspase 3, Caspase 9, PARP and inhibition of anti‐apoptotic molecule Bcl‐2. Antioxidant N‐acetylcysteine (NAC) treatment or interference of MAPKs pathway could attenuate the hepatocytes apoptosis induced by AA. Collectively, these results indicate that AA triggers hepatocytes apoptosis via the ROS‐mediated MAPKs pathway in ketotic cows.
Excess acetoacetate induced imbalance of oxidation and antioxidation, resulting in overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the mitochondria. High concentration of ROS increased the phosphorylation levels of p38MAPK and JNK and decreased the phosphorylation levels of ERK1/2, which could activate p53 and inhibit Nrf2 expression, nuclear localization, and DNA‐binding affinity. Consequently, the expression of pro‐apoptotic molecules Bax, Casepase9, Casepase3, and PARP was significantly upregulated and anti‐apoptotic molecules Bcl‐2 were markedly downregulated, resulting in hepatocytes apoptosis in ketotic cows.
•Three ecosystem services were quantified and mapped on seasonal scales.•The constraint effect of paired ecosystem services was determined by the constraint line method.•The constraint line types of ...the same ecosystem service pairs were unchanged in different seasons and the whole year.•Ecosystem management measures should be tailored to seasonal differences.
A better understanding of ecosystem service relationships and drivers facilitates scientific decision-making and improves ecosystem-based management practices. In contrast to previous studies that analyzed the relationship between ecosystem services associated with a specific time scale (i.e., annual scale), ecosystem services supply and their relationships were quantified in different seasons in the study. Three ecosystem services (NPP, net primary productivity; SLwater, soil water erosion; SLwind, soil wind erosion) were evaluated in the Xilingol grassland of China from 2000 to 2017. We extracted the upper boundary lines of the scatter plots of paired ecosystem services to define the types of constraint effects between them. We identified the constraint effects of ten drivers on ecosystem services. The results showed that the supply of ecosystem services shows substantial seasonal variation. The exponential constraint effects between NPP and SLwind, and the logarithmic constraint effects between SLwater and SLwind both changed inversely and monotonously, which were similar to trade-offs. The direction of the hump-shaped constraint effects between NPP and SLwater was changed. In this case, the trade-offs or synergies may not effectively characterize their relationship. Based on the constraint effects among ecosystem services, the constraint relationship of the drivers on ecosystem services, and the thresholds, optimized management measures can be taken. When vegetation cover was lower than 9%, vegetation did little to reduce SLwind; when vegetation cover was 55% or above, the effect of vegetation on reducing SLwind basically reached the maximum. Thresholds of key factors should be monitored seasonally, which can help us issue an early warning of SLwater. Our study suggests that policy-makers should pay more attention to the intra-annual variations in ecosystem service interactions and take constraint effects among ecosystem services and drivers into consideration when making decisions so as to achieve grassland ecological sustainability with less ecosystem service degradation.
Sino-American Relations brings together high-quality research articles in order to examine one aspect of the political mechanism of modern China, from empire to the PRC: political initiatives to root ...out corruption. Proceeding chronologically, the eleven chapters explore modern political history through a particular focus on the anti-corruption campaigns of early modern and modern China. Our interdisciplinary analysis draws on methodologies from several distinct fields, including political science, civil law, and mass media. Such an analysis reveals the unique characteristics of China’s urbanization, which have transformed not only the country, but also the CCP – from a rural-based totalitarian party to a city-centered authoritarian party, and from a party of the people to a party of powerful interest groups by 2002–2016.
•The most heavily affected carbon process was different under different grazing intensity.•Potentially mineralizable carbon and particulate organic carbon may be early predictors of the response of ...SOC to grazing.•The changes of active SOC fractions were not uniform under different grazing intensities.•Moderate grazing was the most practical grazing intensity for sustainable utilization of the grassland ecosystem.
Overgrazing is a primary cause of grassland degradation, including the loss of soil carbon, but comprehensive analysis of the mechanism by which grazing affects soil organic carbon (SOC) is limited. To investigate this mechanism, we measured the contents of total soil organic carbon (TSOC) and active SOC fractions in grazed and ungrazed soil, and we examined the influence of grazing on soil microenvironments, soil carbon input, transformation and utilization, and soil respiration. The experiment was conducted in typical steppe in Inner Mongolia, China, under light, moderate, and heavy grazing plus a no-grazing control. Grazing changed the contents and stocks of the TSOC and active SOC fractions as well as the composition of the SOC. After three years, light and moderate grazing increased TSOC content by 3.44% and 5.43%, respectively, while heavy grazing decreased it by 4.30%. The changes in active SOC fractions were not uniform under different grazing intensities. All grazing intensities increased the stocks of microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) compared with the control, but their magnitudes did not rise with increased grazing intensity. Moderate grazing increased the stocks of potentially mineralizable carbon (PMC) and particulate organic carbon (POC), whereas light and heavy grazing decreased them; this may indicate likely long-term changes in SOC following changes in grazing intensity. Light grazing resulted in a larger C input to soil and faster transformation, more emission, and less accumulation of SOC. Moderate grazing led to a smaller C input to soil, and its transformation, utilization and emission rates were between those associated with light grazing and heavy grazing, and there was more accumulation. Heavy grazing resulted in the smallest C input, faster transformation and utilization, less change in emission, and less accumulation. Based on these results, moderate grazing is likely the most practical grazing intensity for the sustainable utilization of this grassland ecosystem to feed livestock. However, because this was a short-term study, the results did not reach significance, and long-term studies are needed.
Display omitted
•A novel flotation column was developed to enhance oily wastewater separation.•The flotation column combines a column separator with a cyclonic separator.•An oil removal of 92.19% was ...obtained with feed oil droplet size of 25.01μm.•The flotation column has higher oil removal than DAF column for fine oil droplets.
In order to improve the separation efficiency of oil-in-water emulsion, a novel cyclonic state micro-bubble flotation column was developed to enhance the separation efficiency. The flotation column comprises a column separator and a cyclonic separator provided on the bottom plate of the flotation apparatus. The process parameters, namely the feed volume flow rate, initial oil concentration, aeration rate, and oil droplet size on removal efficiency were investigated. The process efficiencies between the cyclonic state micro-bubble flotation column (FCSMC) and dissolved air flotation column (DAF) were compared. Results show that this FCSMC has higher oil removal efficiency and treated water with lower oil levels than the DAF, especially for the process of fine oil droplets (<10μm). An oil removal efficiency of 92.19% was obtained with the treated wastewater effluent containing a final oil concentration of 37.10mg/L using FCSMC (an oil removal efficiency of 76.65% with a final oil concentration of 110.92mg/L using DAF) under conditions as following: a 18.75min of residence time, a 475.05mg/L of initial oil concentration, a 1.8L/min of aeration rate and a 25.01μm of mean oil droplet size in feed. The mean oil droplet size is 1.84μm with 4.81% of the oil droplets above 5μm in diameter in the treated effluent. It shows that the FCSMC is especially advantageous for the separation of fine oil droplets.
To improve the consolidation of dredged slurry, a combined method of vacuum preloading and electro-osmosis consolidation was applied to a dredged slurry pre-treated with flocculants. In this study, ...the optimal mixing ratio of two conventional inorganic flocculants was determined by conducting a settling column test. A vacuum preloading and electro-osmosis test was then carried out on the dredged soil after flocculating the soil particles. During the test, the drainage mass and surface settlement were monitored. After the test, the soil moisture content, shear strength, and soil particle size were measured. The test results show that the inorganic flocculant FeCl3 has a better flocculation effect than Al2(SO4)3, and its optimum value is 0.75% in terms of the soil dry weight. The addition of flocculants effectively increased the soil particle size, alleviated the clogging of drainage channels and PVDs (plastic vertical drains), and accelerated the drainage rate. Moreover, the electrical conductivity and electro-kinetic dewatering were improved, thereby increasing the shear strength and soil uniformity.
•A new method for vacuum preloading and electro-osmosis consolidation of slurry pre-treated with flocculants was proposed.•FeCl3 have a better flocculation than Al2(SO4)3, and its optimum amount is 0.75% in terms of the soil dry weight.•The flocculants can alleviate the clogging of drainage channels and improve the electrical conductivity of slurry.•After adding a certain proportion of flocculants, the average shear strength of the soil is higher and more uniform.
PDF
