China is still among the 30 high-burden tuberculosis (TB) countries in the world. Few studies have described the spatial epidemiological characteristics of pulmonary TB (PTB) in Jiangsu Province. The registered incidence data of PTB patients in 95 counties of Jiangsu Province from 2011 to 2021 were collected from the Tuberculosis Management Information System. Three-dimensional spatial trends, spatial autocorrelation, and spatial–temporal scan analysis were conducted to explore the spatial clustering pattern of PTB. From 2011 to 2021, a total of 347,495 newly diagnosed PTB cases were registered. The registered incidence rate of PTB decreased from 49.78/100,000 in 2011 to 26.49/100,000 in 2021, exhibiting a steady downward trend (χ2 = 414.22, P < 0.001). The average annual registered incidence rate of PTB was higher in the central and northern regions. Moran’s I indices of the registered incidence of PTB were all >0 (P< 0.05) except in 2016, indicating a positive spatial correlation overall. Local autocorrelation analysis showed that ‘high–high’ clusters were mainly distributed in northern Jiangsu, and ‘low–low’ clusters were mainly concentrated in southern Jiangsu. The results of this study assist in identifying settings and locations of high TB risk and inform policy-making for PTB control and prevention.

LongYan kaolin has a large Fe content which affects the coloring. Bioleaching treatments to remove Fe impurities were conducted here using indigenous dissimilatory Fe(III)-reducing bacteria. The factors that affect bioleaching efficiency include bioleaching time, carbon source, pH, temperature, pulp density, and inoculum density and these were examined. Environmental scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to examine any textural or mineralogical changes at the surface of the kaolin that may have occurred during the bioleaching. Iron impurities in the kaolin were reduced from 0.88% to 0.48% with an increase in the natural whiteness index from 60.8% to 81.5% after 7 days of bioleaching treatment. A granulometric analysis of dispersed kaolin demonstrated that the bioleaching resulted in a decrease in particle size. The results demonstrated that the bioleaching was very effective at improving the quality of the kaolin, where insoluble Fe(III), either adsorbed to the kaolin surfaces or admixed as amorphous forms, was leached out by micro-organisms as water-soluble Fe(II).

The construction of organic-inorganic hybrid ferroelectric materials with larger, high-polarity guest molecules intercalated in kaolinite (K) faces difficulties in terms of synthesis and uncertainty of structure-property relationships. The purpose of the present study was to optimize the synthesis method and to determine the mechanism of ferroelectric behavior of kaolinite intercalated with p-aminobenzamide (PABA), with an eye to improving the design of intercalation methods and better utilization of clay-based ferroelectric materials. The K-PABA intercalation compound (chemical formula Al2Si2O5(OH)4∙(PABA)0.7) was synthesized in an autoclave and then characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The experimental results showed that PABA expanded the kaolinite interlayer from 7.2 Å to 14.5 Å, and the orientation of the PABA molecule was ~70° from the plane of the kaolinite layers. The amino group of the PABA molecule was close to the Si sheet. The presence of intermolecular hydrogen bonds between kaolinite and PABA and among PABA molecules caused macro polarization of K-PABA and dipole inversion under the external electric field, resulting in K-PABA ferroelectricity. Simulation calculations using the Cambridge Sequential Total Energy Package (CASTEP) and the ferroelectricity test revealed the optimized intercalation model and possible ferroelectric mechanism.

Constraining the timing and extent of Quaternary glaciations in the Tibetan Plateau (TP) is significant for the reconstruction of paleoclimatic environment and understanding the interrelationships among climate, tectonics, and glacial systems. We investigated the late Quaternary glacial history of the Qinggulong and Juequ valleys in the Taniantaweng Mountains, southeastern TP, using cosmogenic 10Be surface exposure dating. Four major glacial events were identified based on 26 10Be ages. The exposure ages of the oldest late Quaternary glaciation correspond to Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage (MIS) 6. The maximum glacial extent was dated to 48.5–41.1 ka (MIS 3), during the last glaciation, and was more advanced than that of the last glacial maximum (LGM). Geochronology and geomorphological evidence indicate that multiple glacial fluctuations occurred in the study area during the Early–Middle Holocene. These glacial fluctuations likely were driven by the North Atlantic climate oscillations, summer solar insolation variability, Asian summer monsoon intensity, and CO2 concentration.

This study assessed the molecular mechanism of EPA or DHA protection against intestinal porcine epithelial cell line 1 (IPEC-1) cell damage induced by deoxynivalenol (DON). The cells were divided into six groups, including the CON group, the EPA group, the DHA group, the DON group, the EPA + DON group and the DHA + DON group. RNA sequencing was used to investigate the potential mechanism, and qRT-PCR was employed to verify the expression of selected genes. Changes in ultrastructure were used to estimate pathological changes and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) injury in IPEC-1 cells. Transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1) was tested by ELISA. Fe2+ and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents were estimated by spectrophotometry, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) was assayed by fluorospectrophotometry. RNA sequencing analysis showed that EPA and DHA had a significant effect on the expression of genes involved in ER stress and iron balance during DON-induced cell injury. The results showed that DON increased ER damage, the content of MDA and ROS, the ratio of X-box binding protein 1s (XBP-1s)/X-box binding protein 1u (XBP-1u), the concentration of Fe2+ and the activity of TFR1. However, the results also showed that EPA and DHA decreased the ratio of XBP-1s/XBP-1u to relieve DON-induced ER damage of IPEC-1 cells. Moreover, EPA and DHA (especially DHA) reversed the factors related to iron balance. It can be concluded that EPA and DHA reversed IPEC-1 cell damage induced by DON. DHA has the potential to protect IPEC-1 cells from DON-induced iron imbalance by inhibiting ER stress.

Astrophysical collisionless shocks are amazing phenomena in space and astrophysical plasmas, where supersonic flows generate electromagnetic fields through instabilities and particles can be accelerated to high energy cosmic rays. Until now, understanding these micro-processes is still a challenge despite rich astrophysical observation data have been obtained. Laboratory astrophysics, a new route to study the astrophysics, allows us to investigate them at similar extreme physical conditions in laboratory. Here we will review the recent progress of the collisionless shock experiments performed at SG-II laser facility in China. The evolution of the electrostatic shocks and Weibel-type/filamentation instabilities are observed. Inspired by the configurations of the counter-streaming plasma flows, we also carry out a novel plasma collider to generate energetic neutrons relevant to the astrophysical nuclear reactions.

(1 − x)Ba(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3–xBa(Co1/3Nb2/3)O3 (BMT–BCN, x = 0.0, 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, 0.40) ceramics were prepared using the traditional solid-state reaction method. X-ray diffraction patterns have shown that the intensities of (001) and (100) super-lattices decrease with the increase in the BCN content. Seven main Raman vibrational modes are observed, assigned, and illustrated, in particular. Raman shifts of Eg(O) modes and the FWHM values of F2g(O)/A1g(O) modes have close relationship with the dielectric properties. The calculated values by the four-parameter semiquantum model based on IR reflectivity match well with the measured data (@3.8 GHz), which means that most of dielectric contribution to the system may be ascribed to the absorption of structural phononic oscillations at the infrared region, and the contribution from the scattering of the defective phonons is small. The contributions of each vibrational mode on the dielectric responses were investigated in detail, indicating that the low-frequency modes (A2u(1) and Eu(1)) have a decisive role to the dielectric properties.

The co-doped ZnB2O4:Eu3+, Tb3+ phosphor was prepared by a thermal conversion method using Zn[B3O3(OH)5]·H2O:Eu3+, Tb3+ as the precursor, which was characterized by energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer, x-ray powder diffraction, infrared, scanning electron microscopy, and photoluminescence. The effects of doped concentration, calcining temperature, and calcining time of precursor on the luminescence property of ZnB2O4: Eu3+, Tb3+ phosphor were investigated. The results showed that the ZnB2O4: Eu3+, Tb3+ phosphor with maximum luminescent intensity was obtained by calcining the precursor at 900 °C for 6 h. It is found that the ZnB2O4: Eu3+, Tb3+ phosphor prepared by this method exhibits much stronger emission intensity than that synthesized by conventional high temperature solid-state method. Meanwhile, ZnB2O4: Eu3+, Tb3+ also has stronger emission intensity and higher red to orange ratio than those of ZnB2O4: Eu3+.

The effect of surface preparation—grinding, polishing, and electrochemical etching—on the duplex stainless steel passive film conductivity was investigated by in situ current sensing atomic force microscopy. The current maps show that the current in the passive film on three prepared surfaces is different, especially for the ferrite and austenite phase surface. The current on the austenite and ferrite is similar on either mechanical ground or polished surfaces, but the current on the austenite surface is much higher than current on the ferrite surface after electrochemical etching. The difference in the passive film conductivity originates from the changes in the chemical composition and thickness of the passive film and the change in topographical properties induced by the preparation procedures. This is confirmed by AFM, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and auger electron spectroscopy measurements.

We evaluated the genetic and environmental contributions to metabolic cardiovascular risk factors and their mutual associations. Eight metabolic factors (body mass index, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, serum triglycerides, and serum uric acid) were measured in 508 twin pairs aged 8–17 years from the Qingdao Twin Registry, China. Linear structural equation models were used to estimate the heritability of these traits, as well as the genetic and environmental correlations between them. Among boys, body mass index and uric acid showed consistently high heritability (0.49–0.81), whereas other traits showed moderate to high common environmental variance (0.37–0.73) in children (8–12 years) and adolescents (13–17 years) except total cholesterol. For girls, moderate to high heritability (0.39–0.75) were obtained for six metabolic traits in children, while only two traits showed high heritability and others mostly medium to large common environmental variance in adolescents. Genetic correlations between the traits were strong in both boys and girls in children (rg = 0.64–0.99 between body mass index and diastolic blood pressure; rg = 0.71–1.00 between body mass index and waist circumference), but decreased for adolescent girls (rg = 0.51 between body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio; rg = 0.55 between body mass index and uric acid; rg = 0.61 between body mass index and systolic blood pressure). The effect of genetic factors on most metabolic traits decreased from childhood to adolescence. Both common genetic and specific environmental factors influence the mutual associations among most of the metabolic traits.

To investigate the missing compact star of Supernova 1987A, we analyzed the cooling and heating processes of a possible compact star based on the upper limit of observational X-ray luminosity. From the cooling process, we found that a solid quark-cluster star (SQS), having a stiffer equation of state than that of a conventional liquid quark star, has a heat capacity much smaller than a neutron star. The SQS can cool down quickly, naturally explaining the non-detection of a point source in X-ray wavelengths. On the other hand, we considered the heating processes due to magnetospheric activity and possible accretion and obtained some constraints on the parameters of a possible pulsar. Therefore, we concluded that a SQS can explain the observational limit in a confident parameter space. As a possible central compact object, the pulsar parameter constraints can be tested for SN1987A with advanced, future facilities.