ABSTRACT The role of curli, amyloid extracellular fibers, in the tolerance of Escherichia coli PHL628 to Hg(II) was examined. Our findings indicate that by sorbing Hg(II) extracellularly, curli protect the cells. To our knowledge, this is the first time a protective role of curli against toxic metals has been demonstrated.
Abstract This study aims to employ numerical simulations to understand the dynamics of wind fields and air pollutant dispersion in the proximity of a nuclear plant, situated within a specified urban environment. By leveraging computational fluid dynamics (CFD) combined with geographical information system (GIS) data, the research comprehensively models atmospheric interactions in terms of wind flow patterns, building-induced pressure variances, and pollutant trajectories. The computational domain extends over an area of $$8.8\,\textrm{km} \times 8.4\,\textrm{km}$$ 8.8km×8.4km , vertically stretching to 0.5 km. The wind and pollutant distribution equations are discretized using the finite volume method, providing detailed insights into fluid interactions with urban topographies. Key findings highlight the profound influences of terrain, urban structures, and wind flow behavior on the dispersion of radioactive aerosols, shedding light on potential risks and safety protocols for nuclear plant environments.
Persisters are a group of special subpopulation of bacteria, only occupying < 0.1% of the whole population but having the characteristics different from the ordinary bacteria and resistant mutants. They have complex formation mechanism, and are difficult to isolate and culture. The persisters can adapt to the adverse environment via dormancy-growth-proliferation to maintain their survival and cell structure stability, and play a vital role in the multi-drug and multi-metal tolerance of microbial biofilm, being of great significance in maintaining the stability of microbial community structure. This paper reviewed the research progress on the characteristics of persisters, their gene regulation mechanisms, and their effects on the multi-drug and multi-metal tolerance of microbial biofilm. The related research directions in the future were also prospected.
Introduction Ixodes ticks are pivotal in transmitting diseases like Lyme disease and human granulocytic anaplasmosis, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum , respectively. These pathogens not only affect humans through single or multiple tick bites but also pose risks to animal hosts, leading to potential coinfections. Despite regional studies indicating significant prevalence, their global coinfection data remain sparse. This study aims to bridge this gap through a systematic review and meta-analysis of B. burgdorferi and A. phagocytophilum coinfections in Ixodes ticks worldwide. Addressing data limitations and study variability, it seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of coinfection patterns, their epidemiological implications and inform targeted prevention strategies. Methods and analysis Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Protocols 2015 guidelines and PROSPERO registration, this study will undertake a thorough database search without constraints on language or publication date, using standardised screening and data extraction protocols. The quality and bias of studies will be evaluated using Joanna Briggs Institute tools. In the statistical analysis phase, conducted in R, we will initially determine the use of fixed or random-effects models based on the assessment of data heterogeneity. This choice will guide the framework for subsequent analyses. Within the selected model’s framework, we will perform subgroup analyses and meta-regression to investigate the effects of various factors, ensuring that each step is tailored to the initial model selection to maintain analytical consistency. Ethics and dissemination As this study does not involve clinical research or data collection from subjects, ethical approval is not required. We will uphold ethical standards in synthesising and reporting data. Study outcomes will be published in peer-reviewed journals, communicating findings to the scientific community and contributing to the understanding of Ixodes tickborne diseases. PROSPERO registration number CRD42023449735.
To boost sustainable regional economic development, China has introduced urban agglomerations enlargement policy in recent years. Based on the panel data of 250 prefecture-level cities in China from 2002 to 2015, we first use Synthetic Control Methods to study the impact and possible mechanism of the enlargement policy of the Yangtze River Delta Economic Zone in 2010 and 2013 on the regional economic development, and then used PSM-DID estimation method and permutation test for the robustness test. The results show that enlargement policies do not always boost regional economic development, and there is significant heterogeneity in the impact of different enlargement policies on regional economic development. The enlargement in 2010 promotes growth speed and quality of economic development, while the further enlargement in 2013 cannot achieve similarly positive effect. The possible mechanisms for enlargement policy to advance economic development are urban economic connections and industrial divisions, while the effect of human capital aggregation is not distinct for the two enlargements in the YRD. These findings indicate that the implement of constant urban agglomeration enlargement policy should be prudent and rational, it also should strengthen economic ties, promote rational division of labor and optimize the free flow of production factors.
Water pipeline condition monitoring, especially that of potable water pipeline, has attracted more research interest due to the increasing public concern in pipeline serviceability. This study focuses on the condition monitoring and temporal-spatial assessment of potable-water-filled composite pipeline by using a network of specially designed fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. In responding to the challenges imposed by the operational environment in the pipeline, the sensory network development is guided by application-specific design with three phases, including suitable sensor development, applicability validation, and implementation. A 200-m-long buried fiber reinforced plastic (FRP) pipeline for conveying potable water is instrumented and the in-service pipeline has been monitored mainly by the properly designed and fixed strain sensors for nearly 2 years, forming a database with its data acquired in different conditions. Furthermore, targeting at the difficulty in the online anomaly identification of longitudinally extended structure, this study proposes a temporal-spatial condition assessment scheme for identifying the anomalous time slots and locations of pipeline. This scheme consists of an offline modeling and validation process taking advantages of random forest (RF) algorithm for serviceability-state classification, an online temporal-spatial assessment process featured by a two-stage assessment strategy which employs the temporal and then the spatial RF offline models for online state identification, and a reporting mechanism based on the analysis of anomaly types. The performance of the proposed state assessment scheme is examined by using the database, and its effectiveness is demonstrated by the high accordance between the identified results and the real conditions of the pipeline.
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