Precipitation chemistry and atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition are of great concern worldwide due to their close relationships with air quality and impacts on ecosystems. However, evaluation of the ...chemical composition of precipitation and N deposition flux in rural areas of Beijing has received little attention to date. This paper presents the chemical constituents, possible sources and wet deposition fluxes of water-soluble ions (NH4+, NO3−, SO42−, Cl−, Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+) in precipitation samples collected during 2017–2018 at a rural site located at northwest of Beijing city; meanwhile, dry deposition of reactive N species (gaseous ammonia, nitrogen dioxide, nitric acid, and particulate (p) NH4+ and NO3−) were also quantified. During this 2-year period, the volume-weighted mean (VWM) pH of precipitation was 6.73, and all samples had pH values above 6.0. The VWM electric conductivity of precipitation and the mean sum of all measured ions was 43.8 μS cm−1 and 591.9 μeq L−1, respectively, indicating a significant impact of atmospheric pollution. Ca2+ and NH4+ were the dominant neutralizing species for precipitation acidity. Positive matrix factorization analysis further confirmed five sources for water-soluble ions, including sea salt aging, secondary formation, agriculture, crust, and biomass burning. The annual mean wet N deposition was 4.6, 3.4 and 8.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1 for NH4+, NO3− and total inorganic N, respectively. The total dry N deposition was dominated by gaseous ammonia (11.5 kg N ha−1 yr−1). The total N deposition (wet plus dry) was 27.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1, where dry deposition contributed to 75% and wet deposition 25% of the total. The simulations from the GEOS-Chem model indicate that agricultural (fertilizer use and livestock) and nonagricultural sources (industry, power plant, and transportation) are both important contributors to total N deposition. These results could be useful in evaluating/developing emission control policies to protect the eco-environment in Beijing.
•Precipitation chemistry and nitrogen (N) deposition were investigated in Beijing.•The pH values of precipitation samples were all above 6.0 and averaged 6.7.•Ion source was sea salt, secondary source, agriculture, crust, and biomass burning.•Total N deposition was 27.7 kg N ha−1 yr−1, of which 75% was from dry deposition.•Agricultural and nonagricultural sources contributed equally to total N deposition.
Interdisciplinary collaboration is an emerging imperative in music education, but current understanding of global practices remains limited. Prior studies have focused narrowly on specific programs ...within limited geographic areas. However, there is minimal quantitative mapping of initiatives across institutions and regions. Contextual insights explaining regional variations are also scarce. Hence, this study aims to address these gaps by conducting a comprehensive analysis of interdisciplinary programs, partnerships, events, and publications across leading global music institutions using a mixed methods approach. The analysis reveals significant diversity in models and determinants of productivity across regions. For instance, while Europe leads in formal integration and research output, North America prioritizes technology-enabled innovation through media and emerging tools. Partnerships are ubiquitous but focus areas and curricular integration vary. The findings reveal significant diversity in interdisciplinary education practices and formats worldwide, implying a need for contextualized implementation aligned to institutional strengths rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. Therefore, as music education evolves, tailored interdisciplinary strategies that blend local priorities with global best practices are recommended to creatively nurture multifaceted skills and maximize potential for innovation. Thus, this research contributes an invaluable knowledge base to inform evidence-based, nimble policies and frameworks for cultivating cutting-edge, socially engaged musicians and ventures worldwide.
The emergence of human infection with a novel H7N9 influenza virus in China raises a pandemic concern. Chicken H9N2 viruses provided all six of the novel reassortant’s internal genes. However, it is ...not fully understood how the prevalence and evolution of these H9N2 chicken viruses facilitated the genesis of the novel H7N9 viruses. Here we show that over more than 10 y of cocirculation of multiple H9N2 genotypes, a genotype (G57) emerged that had changed antigenicity and improved adaptability in chickens. It became predominant in vaccinated farm chickens in China, caused widespread outbreaks in 2010–2013 before the H7N9 viruses emerged in humans, and finally provided all of their internal genes to the novel H7N9 viruses. The prevalence and variation of H9N2 influenza virus in farmed poultry could provide an important early warning of the emergence of novel reassortants with pandemic potential.
The effects of annealing temperature and heating rate on the microstructure, magnetic, and mechanical properties of melt-spun Fe
81.7−
x
Si
4
B
13
Cu
1.3
Nb
x
(
x
= 0–4) alloy ribbons have been ...investigated. With increasing the annealing temperature, a ductile–brittle transition occurs during amorphous structure relaxation, the brittleness becomes severe with more α-Fe precipitation, and the hardness rises continuously. After annealing at respective optimum temperatures under the heating rate of 20 K/min, as the Nb content increases from 0 to 4 at.%, average grain size (
D
α-Fe
) and volume fraction (
V
α-Fe
) of the α-Fe in the nanocrystalline alloys decrease gradually from 53.3 nm and 52% to 8.7 nm and 42%, respectively; the strain at fracture (
ε
f
) representing ductile level increases from 1.33 to 1.72%; and the coercivity (
H
c
), saturation magnetic flux densities (
B
s
), and Vickers hardness (
H
v
) all decrease gradually. As the heating rate rises from 10 to 400 K/min, the
D
α-Fe
of the Fe
81.7
Si
4
B
13
Cu
1.3
alloy decreases from 45.7 to 28.4 nm without considerable variation of the
V
α-Fe
; the
H
c
lowers from 235 to 25 A/m, the
ε
f
increases from 1.10 to 1.66%, and the
B
s
and
H
v
change slightly. Enriching of Nb weakens the dependence of nanostructure, magnetic softness, and annealing embrittlement on the heating rate. A correlation of
ε
f
∝
D
α-Fe
n
is found for the nanocrystalline alloys, where the
n
rises from − 1 to − 1/2 with enriching of Nb from 0 to 4 at.%. The mechanisms by which nanostructure affects magnetic and mechanical properties have been discussed.
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a coronavirus that infects chickens, which exhibits a broad tropism for epithelial cells, infecting the tracheal mucosal epithelium, intestinal mucosal ...epithelium, and renal tubular epithelial cells. Utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq), we systematically examined cells in renal, bursal, and tracheal tissues following IBV infection and identified tissue-specific molecular markers expressed in distinct cell types. We evaluated the expression of viral RNA in diverse cellular populations and subsequently ascertained that distal tubules and collecting ducts within the kidney, bursal mucosal epithelial cells, and follicle-associated epithelial cells exhibit susceptibility to IBV infection through immunofluorescence. Furthermore, our findings revealed an upregulation in the transcription of proinflammatory cytokines IL18 and IL1B in renal macrophages as well as increased expression of apoptosis-related gene STAT in distal tubules and collecting duct cells upon IBV infection leading to renal damage. Cell-to-cell communication unveiled potential interactions between diverse cell types, as well as upregulated signaling pathways and key sender-receiver cell populations after IBV infection. Integrating single-cell data from all tissues, we applied weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to identify gene modules that are specifically expressed in different cell populations. Based on the WGCNA results, we identified seven immune-related gene modules and determined the differential expression pattern of module genes, as well as the hub genes within these modules. Our comprehensive data provides valuable insights into the pathogenesis of IBV as well as avian antiviral immunology.
COVID-19 patients exhibit differential disease severity after SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is currently unknown as to the correlation between the magnitude of neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses and ...the disease severity in COVID-19 patients. In a cohort of 59 recovered patients with disease severity including severe, moderate, mild, and asymptomatic, we observed the positive correlation between serum neutralizing capacity and disease severity, in particular, the highest NAb capacity in sera from the patients with severe disease, while a lack of ability of asymptomatic patients to mount competent NAbs. Furthermore, the compositions of NAb subtypes were also different between recovered patients with severe symptoms and with mild-to-moderate symptoms. These results reveal the tremendous heterogeneity of SARS-CoV-2-specific NAb responses and their correlations to disease severity, highlighting the needs of future vaccination in COVID-19 patients recovered from asymptomatic or mild illness.
In this paper, to improve the hardness and wear resistance, AlCoCrFeNiSi HEA coatings were synthesized on AISI 304 stainless steel by laser cladding. The microstructure, chemical composition, ...constituent phases, microhardness, wear resistance and corrosion resistance of the coating were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Vickers microhardness tester, pin-on-disk tribological tester and electrochemical workstation, respectively. The experimental results showed that the coating possessed a single body-centered cubic (BCC) phase structure (Fe-Cr). Si element was dissolved into Fe-Cr solid solution, resulting in severe lattice distortion. The dislocation density of the coating was as high as 1.07 × 10
14
m
−2
. Therefore, the microhardness (630.36 HV
0.3
) of the HEA coating was significantly improved by the effect of solid solution strengthening and dislocation strengthening. The coating exhibited excellent wear resistance, and abrasive wear was effectively avoided. The wear mechanism of the coating involved mainly oxidation wear and slight adhesion wear. The corrosion resistance of the coating was better than that of AISI 304 stainless steel in 3.5% NaCl solution. In conclusion, the AlCoCrFeNiSi HEA coating prepared by laser cladding can provide excellent wear protection to stainless steel at no expense to its own corrosion resistance.
Newcastle disease virus (NDV) is an avian pathogen with an unsegmented negative-strand RNA genome that belongs to the Paramyxoviridae family. While primarily pathogenic in birds, NDV presents no ...threat to human health, rendering it a safe candidate for various biomedical applications. Extensive research has highlighted the potential of NDV as a vector for vaccine development and gene therapy, owing to its transcriptional modularity, low recombination rate, and lack of a DNA phase during replication. Furthermore, NDV exhibits oncolytic capabilities, efficiently eliciting antitumor immune responses, thereby positioning it as a promising therapeutic agent for cancer treatment. This article comprehensively reviews the biological characteristics of NDV, elucidates the molecular mechanisms underlying its oncolytic properties, and discusses its applications in the fields of vaccine vector development and tumor therapy.
Water chestnut is a characteristic aquatic vegetable in China, and its demand for peeling fresh fruit is increasing rapidly. Aiming at the existing problems of high labor intensity and low efficiency ...of manual peeling, a combined water chestnut peeling machine was designed, which used a rotary knife to remove bud and root, and a differential friction belts to remove side peel. The performance of the peeling machine was tested with water chestnut from Xiaogan, Hubei Provence. Under the conditions of 200 g feeding mass and 10 r/min rotation speed, the single factor test was carried out with cutting speed as the influencing factor and the cutting rate of bud and root as the evaluation index. The results showed that the cutting rate of fresh fruit of water chestnut bud and root were 79.04% and 83.77% respectively when the cutting speed of rotary knife was 1.2 m/s. In the differential friction belts, high and low linear velocities were taken as the influencing factors, and the side peel removal rate was used as the evaluation index. The side peel removal rate was 84.93% at the high-speed linear velocity of 2.1 m/s and the low-speed linear velocity of 1.58 m/s. The performance of the whole machine was evaluated, and the results showed that the working loss of the combined water chestnut peeling machine was 43.03% and the comprehensive peeling rate was 77.43%, which reached the design requirements. This study can provide a reference for the research and development of water chestnut peeling device.
Since April 2010, a severe outbreak of duck viral infection, with egg drop, feed uptake decline and ovary-oviduct disease, has spread around the major duck-producing regions in China. A new virus, ...named BYD virus, was isolated in different areas, and a similar disease was reproduced in healthy egg-producing ducks, infecting with the isolated virus. The virus was re-isolated from the affected ducks and replicated well in primary duck embryo fibroblasts and Vero cells, causing the cytopathic effect. The virus was identified as an enveloped positive-stranded RNA virus with a size of approximately 55 nm in diameter. Genomic sequencing of the isolated virus revealed that it is closely related to Tembusu virus (a mosquito-borne Ntaya group flavivirus), with 87-91% nucleotide identity of the partial E (envelope) proteins to that of Tembusu virus and 72% of the entire genome coding sequence with Bagaza virus, the most closely related flavivirus with an entirely sequenced genome. Collectively our systematic studies fulfill Koch's postulates, and therefore, the causative agent of the duck egg drop syndrome occurring in China is a new flavivirus. Flavivirus is an emerging and re-emerging zoonotic pathogen and BYD virus that causes severe egg-drop, could be disastrous for the duck industry. More importantly its public health concerns should also be evaluated, and its epidemiology should be closely watched due to the zoonotic nature of flaviviruses.
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