Changes In Oxygen Concentration Research Articles

Hyperoxic-hypoxic Paradox: Breast Cancer Microenvironment and an Innovative Treatment Strategy.

A small therapeutic range of oxygen is required for effective metabolism. As a result, hypoxia (low oxygen concentration) is one of the most potent inducers of gene expression, metabolic alterations, and regenerative processes, such as angiogenesis, stem cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The cellular response is controlled by sensing the increased oxygen levels (hyperoxia) or hypoxia via specific chemoreceptor cells. Surprisingly, changes in free oxygen concentration instead of absolute oxygen levels may be regarded as a deficiency of oxygen at the cellular level. Recurrent intermittent hyperoxia may trigger many mediators of cellular pathways typically generated during hypoxia. The dilemma of hyperoxic-hypoxic conditions is known as the hyperoxic-hypoxic paradox. According to the latest data, the hypoxic microenvironment, crucial during cancer formation, has been demonstrated to play a key role in regulating breast cancer growth and metastasis. Hypoxic circumstances cause breast cancer cells to respond in a variety of ways. Transcription factors are identified as hypoxia-inducible factors (HIFs) that have been suggested to be a factor in the pathobiology of breast cancer and a possible therapeutic target, driving the cellular response to hypoxia. Breast cancer has a dismal prognosis due to a high level of resistance to practically all well-known cancer management that has been related to hypoxia-based interactions between tumor cells and the stromal milieu. We attempt to review the enigma by exploring the starring roles of HIFs in breast cancer, the HIF paradox, and the hyperoxic-hypoxic enigma.

HIF3A gene disruption causes abnormal alveoli structure and early neonatal death.

Transcriptional response to changes in oxygen concentration is mainly controlled by hypoxia-inducible transcription factors (HIFs). Besides regulation of hypoxia-responsible gene expression, HIF-3α has recently been shown to be involved in lung development and in the metabolic process of fat tissue. However, the precise mechanism for such properties of HIF-3α is still largely unknown. To this end, we generated HIF3A gene-disrupted mice by means of genome editing technology to explore the pleiotropic role of HIF-3α in development and physiology. We obtained adult mice carrying homozygous HIF3A gene mutations with comparable body weight and height to wild-type mice. However, the number of litters and ratio of homozygous mutation carriers born from the mating between homozygous mutant mice was lower than expected due to sporadic deaths on postnatal day 1. HIF3A gene-disrupted mice exhibited abnormal configuration of the lung such as a reduced number of alveoli and thickened alveolar walls. Transcriptome analysis showed, as well as genes associated with lung development, an upregulation of stearoyl-Coenzyme A desaturase 1, a pivotal enzyme for fatty acid metabolism. Analysis of fatty acid composition in the lung employing gas chromatography indicated an elevation in palmitoleic acid and a reduction in oleic acid, suggesting an imbalance in distribution of fatty acid, a constituent of lung surfactant. Accordingly, administration of glucocorticoid injections during pregnancy resulted in a restoration of normal alveolar counts and a decrease in neonatal mortality. In conclusion, these observations provide novel insights into a pivotal role of HIF-3α in the preservation of critically important structure and function of alveoli beyond the regulation of hypoxia-mediated gene expression.

Impact of high-altitude acclimatization and de-acclimatization on the intestinal microbiota of rats in a natural high-altitude environment.

Intestinal microorganisms play an important role in the health of both humans and animals, with their composition being influenced by changes in the host's environment. We evaluated the longitudinal changes in the fecal microbial community of rats at different altitudes across various time points. Rats were airlifted to high altitude (3,650 m) and acclimatized for 42 days (HAC), before being by airlifted back to low altitude (500 m) and de-acclimatized for 28 days (HADA); meanwhile, the control group included rats living at low altitude (500 m; LA). We investigated changes in the gut microbiota at 12 time points during high-altitude acclimatization and de-acclimatization, employing 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology alongside physiological indices, such as weight and daily autonomous activity time. A significant increase in the Chao1 index was observed on day 14 in the HAC and HADA groups compared to that in the LA group, indicating clear differences in species richness. Moreover, the principal coordinate analysis revealed that the bacterial community structures of HAC and HADA differed from those in LA. Long-term high-altitude acclimatization and de- acclimatization resulted in the reduced abundance of the probiotic Lactobacillus. Altitude and age significantly influenced intestinal microbiota composition, with changes in ambient oxygen content and atmospheric partial pressure being considered key causal factors of altitude-dependent alterations in microbiota composition. High-altitude may be linked to an increase in anaerobic bacterial abundance and a decrease in non-anaerobic bacterial abundance. In this study, the hypobaric hypoxic conditions at high-altitude increased the abundance of anaerobes, while reducing the abundance of probiotics; these changes in bacterial community structure may, ultimately, affect host health. Overall, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the intestinal microbiota alterations during high-altitude acclimatization and de-acclimatization is essential for the development of effective prevention and treatment strategies to better protect the health of individuals traveling between high- and low-altitude areas.

High Fat Feeding Blunts Skeletal Muscle Oxygen Mediated Blood Flow Responses in Healthy and Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Hypothesis: High fat diet feeding impairs microvascular blood flow responses to dynamic changes in local oxygen concentration ([O2]) in Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Zucker Diabetic Sprague-Dawley (ZDSD) rats. Methods: Seven-week-old male SD and ZDSD rats were fed either a standard chow (N = 7 SD, 5 ZDSD) or a high saturated fat diet (N = 8 SD, 6 ZDSD) for 7 weeks. At 14 weeks of age animals were anaesthetized, instrumented for systemic monitoring, and mechanically ventilated. The extensor digitorum longus muscle was blunt dissected and reflected over a gas exchange chamber imbedded in the stage of an inverted microscope. Microvascular blood flow responses to high and low [O2] challenges (7 – 12 %, and 7 – 2 %) and sequential changes in [O2] (7 – 12 – 2 – 7 %) were recorded at baseline and during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp. Gas conditions within the chamber were set at 7 % for a 1-minute baseline followed by 2 minutes at either 2 or 12 % O2. The 4-minute square wave oscillation consisted of 1 minute at each [O2] (7 – 12 – 2 – 7 %). Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp was achieved by simultaneous infusion of insulin (2 U/hr/kg) and variable rate of 50 % glucose until euglycemia was reached (5 - 7 mM blood glucose). Analysis of intravital videos was completed using custom MATLAB software. All animal protocols were approved by Memorial University’s Animal Care Committee. Results: Chow fed SD had significantly higher glucose infusion rates compared to high fat fed SD, chow fed ZDSD, and high fat fed ZDSD (28.11 ± 1.807 vs. 25.14 ± 1.18, 24.56 ± 2.78, 24.77 ± 2.43 mg/kg/min, p = 0.0429, 0.0305, 0.0323, respectively). Red blood cell (RBC) saturation significantly increased and decreased in all groups within 4 s following the increase and decrease in [O2], respectively. Chow fed SD had significant decrease in RBC supply rate (SR) in response to 12 % [O2] (10.41 ± 11.31 vs 7.44 ± 8.40 cells/s, p < 0.0001, τ = 15.85 s). In response to low [O2], significant increases in SR were measured in the chow fed SD and ZDSD groups (7.10 ± 8.76 vs 11.65 ± 11.36 cells/s, p < 0.0001, τ = 17.65 s, and 10.86 ± 13.62 vs 13.86 ± 14.69 cells/s, p < 0.0001, τ = 85.74 s, respectively). High fat fed SD and ZDSD had significant increases in RBC SR during 2 % [O2] (8.47 ± 9.75 vs 11.84 ± 12.11 cells/s, p < 0.0001, τ = 68.49 s, and 16.09 ± 18.12 vs 20.73 ± 21.92 cells/s, p < 0.0001, τ = 23.98 s). High fat fed ZDSD had higher, but not significantly different, baseline RBC SR compared to the chow fed ZDSD group. Chow fed SD were the only group to have an increase in RBC SR at low [O2] during hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (13.80 ± 17.78 vs 18.07 ± 20.25 cells/s, p = 0.0003, τ = 10.88 s). Conclusions: High fat feeding impairs the capillary blood flow response to local increases in [O2] in healthy and high fat fed T2D model rats. Chow fed ZDSD rats had slower capillary blood flow dynamics than the SD control group. Hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp diminishes the O2 mediated blood flow response in 14-week-old SD and ZDSD rats fed a high fat diet. This project was supported by the Canadian Institute of Health Research through a project grant to GMF. Studentships were supported by Memorial University's School of Graduate Studies and the Faculty of Medicine. This is the full abstract presented at the American Physiology Summit 2024 meeting and is only available in HTML format. There are no additional versions or additional content available for this abstract. Physiology was not involved in the peer review process.

Organosilica Nanosensors for Monitoring Spatiotemporal Changes in Oxygen Levels in Bacterial Cultures.

Oxygen plays a central role in aerobic metabolism, and while many approaches have been developed to measure oxygen concentration in biological environments over time, monitoring spatiotemporal changes in dissolved oxygen levels remains challenging. To address this, we developed a ratiometric core-shell organosilica nanosensor for continuous, real-time optical monitoring of oxygen levels in biological environments. The nanosensors demonstrate good steady state characteristics (KpSV = 0.40 L/mg, R2 = 0.95) and respond reversibly to changes in oxygen concentration in buffered solutions and report similar oxygen level changes in response to bacterial cell growth (Escherichia coli) in comparison to a commercial bulk optode-based sensing film. We further demonstrated that the oxygen nanosensors could be distributed within a growing culture of E. coli and used to record oxygen levels over time and in different locations within a static culture, opening the possibility of spatiotemporal monitoring in complex biological systems.

Diagnostic evaluation and treatment of osteoarticular lesions in patients having sickle cell anemia: Literature review

Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder in which the structure of hemoglobin undergoes a significant alteration through a point mutation in the β-globin gene. When the gene is altered in sickle cell disease, hemoglobin S is expressed, causing the red blood cell to acquire the characteristic sickle shape. Thus, in the presence of this mutation, especially with changes in oxygen concentration and pH, hemoglobin S tends to polymerize, resulting in sickling of the red blood cells, leading to a shortened lifespan of red blood cells, vascular occlusion phenomena, and episodes of pain and organ damage. Among the complications caused by sickle cell disease, stroke, recurrent infections, osteoarticular disease, among others, can be mentioned. One of the complications that generates the greatest morbidity is osteoarticular lesions, which can present with symptoms such as pain, swelling, warmth, fever, reduced vascularization, and even necrosis. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic methods used in osteoarticular lesions in patients with sickle cell anemia. Among the most commonly used diagnostic methods in patients with sickle cell disease suspected of osteoarticular lesions, we can emphasize imaging diagnostic methods such as X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scintigraphy, and PET-CT, which can be used to differentiate between different types of lesions and suspected infectious processes, such as osteomyelitis. Therefore, imaging diagnostic methods are essential in identifying the lesion and the best treatment, with total hip arthroplasty being the most invasive method, although it is often the initial choice due to the severity of the lesion, or it is used after unpromising results from other less invasive procedures, such as femoral head decompression, grafting, and subchondroplasty.

Biocompatible Phosphorescent Ir(III) Complexes for Hypoxia Sensing in PLIM Mode

AbstractIn this work, two new biscyclometalated Ir(III) complexes with diimine ligands were synthesized. The compounds were characterized by 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopy and HR ESI mass spectrometry. All complexes exhibit efficient phosphorescence with pronounced sensitivity to the presence of oxygen. The photophysical properties of the obtained compounds, including absorption, emission spectra, lifetimes and quantum yields of phosphorescence were measured in various aqueous and model biological media with variations in pH, temperature and at various O2 concentrations. The complexes exhibit a very good sensory response to the changes in oxygen concentration, resulting in an increase in quantum yields and lifetimes by 2.8–5.5 times upon oxygen removal from aerated aqueous solutions. Biological tests with CHO‐K1 cell line have shown that these compounds display low toxicity, rapid internalization into cells and localization predominantly in lysosomes. For the most promising complex the phosphorescence lifetime imaging experiments were conducted, revealing that this sensor markedly changes the phosphorescence lifetime values in cells from 1.8 to 4.1 μs upon transition from normoxia to simulated hypoxia. The obtained results indicate that this type of iridium chromophores can be effectively used for assessing the oxygen status of living objects by using time‐resolved luminescent microscopy.

Gas control technology for coal and gas outburst mines based on new sealing materials

In order to solve the problem of gas overlimit in corner corners of coal and gas prominent mines, through the combination of air leakage mechanism in the goaf, near-field fissure expansion and rich area division, blocking material development and optimization, performance measurement of blocking materials and on-site test, we started to study the causes of gas concentration in corner corners, analysis of roof collapse and transparency in corners and performance test of blocking materials, and optimized the blocking materials by combining laboratory test and engineering test. Considering the thickness of the sealing film, the attenuation ratio of the sealing film thickness, the gelation time, and the gelation viscosity under different ratios, designing a multi factor orthogonal experiment to optimize the optimal ratio suitable for the engineering site. Factors affecting blocking effectiveness, such as gel water retention and gel flame resistance, were also tested. The sealing scheme was implemented in the 2109 working face of a coal and gas outburst mine in Gansu, China. Through on-site monitoring of the changes in temperature, gas concentration, and air leakage at each monitoring point before and after the use of sealing materials, the analysis of the detection results shows that the temperature changes at each monitoring point after the use of sealing materials do not exceed 0.2 °C; The change in oxygen concentration is less than 0.27%; The gas concentration has decreased by more than 60%, with a decrease of 71.32% in the gas concentration in the upper corner. The air leakage has decreased by more than 53%, the proportion of decrease in air leakage at the upper corner is as high as 56.83%. This air leakage control technology has remarkable blocking effect, meets the requirements of corner near-field fissure blocking material, and is easy to prepare, inexpensive, non-toxic, tasteless and green, providing a successful experience for the treatment of similar coal and gas outburst mines that can be referenced.

Influence of Ar:O2 Mixing Ratio on Characteristics of Tio2 Nanostructured Thin Films Deposited by DC Reactive Magnetron Sputtering Method

Abstract: In this paper, titanium dioxide nanostructured thin films TiO2 were deposited on unheated glass substrates by applying the DC reactive magnetron sputtering method. Three TiO2 films were deposited using argon sputtering gas with different oxygen ratios: 10%, 25%, and 50%. The resulting films had thicknesses of 200, 184, and 140 nm, respectively. The structural, morphological, optical, and electrical properties of deposited thin films were studied. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data showed that the samples exhibited an amorphous phase. It was found from atomic force microscopy (AFM) that the deposited thin films had a nanostructure, and the heights of their nanograins were 16, 24, and 30 nm, respectively. It was observed from the root-mean-square height RMS values that the films had low roughness. The UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy showed that the films become more transparent with the increase in oxygen content. The direct band gap ranged between 3.68 and 3.88 eV, while the indirect band gap ranged from 3.3 to 3.66 eV. The highest intensity photoluminescence emission was obtained for the film deposited at 50% O2. In addition, the impedance spectroscopy showed that the films’ resistance did not change with changing oxygen content. Keywords: Magnetron sputtering, Titanium dioxide, X-ray diffraction, Absorption spectra, Atomic Force Microscopy, Photoluminescence, Impedance.

Semiconducting polymer dots based l-lactate sensor by enzymatic cascade reaction system

Backgroundl-lactate detection is important for not only assessing exercise intensity, optimizing training regimens, and identifying the lactate threshold in athletes, but also for diagnosing conditions like L-lactateosis, monitoring tissue hypoxia, and guiding critical care decisions. Moreover, l-lactate has been utilized as a biomarker to represent the state of human health. However, the sensitivity of the present l-lactate detection technique is inadequate. ResultsHere, we reported a sensitive ratiometric fluorescent probe for l-lactate detection based on platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) doped semiconducting polymer dots (Pdots-Pt) with enzymatic cascade reaction. With the help of an enzyme cascade reaction, the l-lactate was continuously oxidized to pyruvic and then reduced back to l-lactate for the next cycle. During this process, oxygen and NADH were continuously consumed, which increased the red fluorescence of Pdots-Pt that responded to the changes of oxygen concentration and decreased the blue fluorescence of NADH at the same time. By comparing the fluorescence intensities at these two different wavelengths, the concentration of l-lactate was accurately measured. With the optimal conditions, the probes showed two linear detection ranges from 0.5 nM to 5.0 μM and 5.0 μM–50.0 μM for l-lactate detection. The limit of detection was calculated to be 0.18 nM by 3σ/slope method. Finally, the method shows good detection performance of l-lactate in both bovine serum and artificial serum samples, indicating its potential usage for the selective analysis of l-lactate for health monitoring and disease diagnosis. SignificanceThe successful application of the sensing system in the complex biological sample (bovine serum and artificial serum samples) demonstrated that this method could be used for sensitive l-lactate detection in practical clinical applications. This detection system provided an extremely low detection limit, which was several orders of magnitude lower than methods proposed in other literatures.

Linking northeastern North Pacific oxygen changes to upstream surface outcrop variations

Abstract. Understanding the response of the ocean to global warming, including the renewal of ocean waters from the surface (ventilation), is important for future climate predictions. Oxygen distributions in the ocean thermocline have proven an effective way to infer changes in ventilation because physical processes (ventilation and circulation) that supply oxygen are thought to be primarily responsible for changes in interior oxygen concentrations. Here, the focus is on the North Pacific thermocline, where some of the world's oceans' largest oxygen variations have been observed. These variations, described as bi-decadal cycles on top of a small declining trend, are strongest on subsurface isopycnals that outcrop into the mixed layer of the northwestern North Pacific in late winter. In this study, surface density time series are reconstructed in this area using observational data only and focusing on the time period from 1982, the first full year of the satellite sea surface temperature record, to 2020. It is found that changes in the annual maximum outcrop area of the densest isopycnals outcropping in the northwestern North Pacific are correlated with interannual oxygen variability observed at Ocean Station P (OSP) downstream at about a 10-year lag. The hypothesis is that ocean ventilation and uptake of oxygen is greatly reduced when the outcrop areas are small and that this signal travels within the North Pacific Current to OSP, with 10 years being at the higher end of transit times reported in other studies. It is also found that sea surface salinity (SSS) dominates over sea surface temperature (SST) in driving interannual fluctuations in annual maximum surface density in the northwestern North Pacific, highlighting the role that salinity may play in altering ocean ventilation. In contrast, SSS and SST contribute about equally to the long-term declining surface density trends that are superimposed on the interannual cycles.

Hypoxia suppresses glucose-induced increases in collective cell migration in vascular endothelial cell monolayers

Blood glucose levels fluctuate during daily life, and the oxygen concentration is low compared to the atmosphere. Vascular endothelial cells (ECs) maintain vascular homeostasis by sensing changes in glucose and oxygen concentrations, resulting in collective migration. However, the behaviors of ECs in response to high-glucose and hypoxic environments and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the collective migration of ECs simultaneously stimulated by changes in glucose and oxygen concentrations. Cell migration in EC monolayer formed inside the media channels of microfluidic devices was observed while varying the glucose and oxygen concentrations. The cell migration increased with increasing glucose concentration under normoxic condition but decreased under hypoxic condition, even in the presence of high glucose levels. In addition, inhibition of mitochondrial function reduced the cell migration regardless of glucose and oxygen concentrations. Thus, oxygen had a greater impact on cell migration than glucose, and aerobic energy production in mitochondria plays an important mechanistic role. These results provide new insights regarding vascular homeostasis relative to glucose and oxygen concentration changes.

Aerobic Exercise Improves Radiation Therapy Efficacy in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Preclinical Study Using a Xenograft Mouse Model.

The "oxygen effect" improves radiation efficacy; thus, tumor cell oxygen concentration is a crucial factor for improving lung cancer treatment. In the current study, we aimed to identify aerobic exercise-induced changes in oxygen concentrations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells. To this end, an NSCLC xenograft mouse model was established using human A549 cells. Animals were subsequently subjected to aerobic exercise and radiation three times per week for 2 weeks. Aerobic exercise was performed at a speed of 8.0 m/m for 30 min, and the tumor was irradiated with 2 Gy of 6 MV X-rays (total radiation dose 12 Gy). Combined aerobic exercise and radiation reduced NSCLC cell growth. In addition, the positive effect of aerobic exercise on radiation efficacy through oxygenation of tumor cells was confirmed based on hypoxia-inducible factor-1 and carbonic anhydrase IX expression. Finally, whole-transcriptome analysis revealed the key factors that induce oxygenation in NSCLC cells when aerobic exercise was combined with radiation. Taken together, these results indicate that aerobic exercise improves the effectiveness of radiation in the treatment of NSCLC. This preclinical study provides a basis for the clinical application of aerobic exercise to patients with NSCLC undergoing radiation therapy.

An Indirect Method for the Estimation of Sodium Vapour Concentration Using an Online Oxygen Sensor

An online method is developed for the estimation of sodium vapour concentration in a confined volume using an oxygen sensor. First, the sodium vapour is made to react with a known amount of oxygen and the change in oxygen concentration in the presence and absence of the sodium vapour are measured using a YSZ-based potentiometric sensor. The sodium vapour concentration in the confined volume is then calculated from the consumed oxygen concentration. This methodology utilizes an indirect way for the estimation of sodium vapour concentration.

Seasonal dynamics of the microbial methane filter in the water column of a eutrophic coastal basin.

In coastal waters, methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB) can form a methane biofilter and mitigate methane emissions. The metabolism of these MOBs is versatile, and the resilience to changing oxygen concentrations is potentially high. It is still unclear how seasonal changes in oxygen availability and water column chemistry affect the functioning of the methane biofilter and MOB community composition. Here, we determined water column methane and oxygen depth profiles, the methanotrophic community structure, methane oxidation potential, and water-air methane fluxes of a eutrophic marine basin during summer stratification and in the mixed water in spring and autumn. In spring, the MOB diversity and relative abundance were low. Yet, MOB formed a methane biofilter with up to 9% relative abundance and vertical niche partitioning during summer stratification. The vertical distribution and potential methane oxidation of MOB did not follow the upward shift of the oxycline during summer, and water-air fluxes remained below 0.6mmol m-2 d-1. Together, this suggests active methane removal by MOB in the anoxic water. Surprisingly, with a weaker stratification, and therefore potentially increased oxygen supply, methane oxidation rates decreased, and water-air methane fluxes increased. Thus, despite the potential resilience of the MOB community, seasonal water column dynamics significantly influence methane removal.

Effects of refining slag basicity and vacuum treatment on the cleanliness of bearing steel

The effect of vacuum treatment on the cleanliness of low Ti steel treated with low basicity refining slag was studied by analyzing the change of oxygen content and inclusions characteristics in the steel after the interaction between different basicity slags and GCr15 bearing steels and after vacuum treatment. The results show that the oxide inclusions in the steel are mainly MgO·Al2O3 after slag-steel interaction. The low basicity slag refining is beneficial for decreasing the harm of TiN inclusions due to the better low Ti content control. However, the oxygen content and the number of inclusions in the steel increase with the decrease of slag basicity (CaO/SiO2 mass ratio), which means that the decrease in the basicity is disadvantageous to the cleanliness of steel. Typical inclusions in the steel transform into smaller MgO inclusions and MgS–MgO-(MnS) composite inclusions after vacuum treatment, and the oxygen content of steel is decreased to the same level. Furthermore, the size and number density of inclusions are significantly decreased after the vacuum treatment. It indicates that the combined process of low basicity slag refining and vacuum carbon deoxidation can realize the TiN inclusion control and cleanliness improvement of GCr15 bearing steel.

Geochemical insights into secular changes in the depositional environment of ferromanganese nodules in the western North Pacific

Understanding Earth's surface dynamics and biological evolution requires deciphering past marine environmental changes. Hydrogenetic ferromanganese nodules formed by the direct precipitation of Fe–Mn oxide/hydroxide from seawater could record the marine environment at the time of deposition, as in the case of ferromanganese crusts. In this study, petrological and geochemical analyses were conducted on ferromanganese nodules collected from the Japanese Exclusive Economic Zone around Minamitorishima Island in the western North Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the results were compared with those of ferromanganese crusts distributed in the same area to elucidate the secular changes in the depositional environment. The mineralogical features (consisting solely of Fe-vernadite with an absence of 10 Å Mn oxide) and the geochemical characteristics (including positive Ce-anomaly and negative Y-anomaly in rare-earth element patterns, high Co contents, and low Cu and Ni contents) of the nodules suggest that the studied nodules are of a hydrogenetic origin. From the inside to the outside of the nodule, the Mn/Fe and Y/Ho ratios decrease while the Th/U ratio increases, indicating a changing depositional environment over time. A similar trend was observed in ferromanganese crusts from the nearby Takuyo-Daigo Seamount. Furthermore, similar compositional changes were observed on the surfaces of the crust samples (uppermost 1–3 mm), which correlated with depth-related changes in seawater oxygen concentrations. Therefore, the observed cross-sectional changes in the chemical compositions of the nodules and crusts may reflect changes in seawater-dissolved oxygen concentrations over time. The Mn/Fe and Y/Ho trends indicate a shift towards a less oxic environment with increasing age while maintaining the current depth profile, implying an expansion of the oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). Moreover, the observed Ni and Cu enrichment, together with the changes in the Mn/Fe and Y/Ho ratios, suggest that the expansion of the OMZ was caused by increased surface ocean productivity.

Neural mechanisms of intertemporal and risky decision-making in individuals with internet use disorder: A perspective from directed functional connectivity.

The intertemporal and risk decision-making impairments are vital cognitive mechanisms in internet use disorder (IUD). However, the underlying neural mechanisms for these two decision-making dysfunctions in individuals with IUD remain unclear. This study employed Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to record changes in blood oxygen concentration in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with IUD during intertemporal and risk decision-making tasks. The findings revealed that the intertemporal decision-making deficits in IUD group were primarily associated with reduced activation in the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and FC from the left dlPFC to the right dlPFC. On the other hand, risk decision-making impairments were linked to decreased OFC activation and weakened functional connectivity from the left dlPFC to the right dlPFC and OFC. These results suggested that while there were common neural mechanisms underlying intertemporal and risk decision-making impairments in individuals with IUD, specific neural foundations existed for each type of dysfunction.

Experimental study on the fragmentation behavior of coal particles during gasification process in drop-tube furnace

Studying the fragmentation characteristics of coal particles is important for enhancing furnace gasification efficiency. Based on the processing method of visualization imaging technology, this study investigated the proportion of particle fragmentation, fragmentation mode, surface temperature, and other characteristics of the Fuhua Indonesian Coal (FIC) gasification process at different temperatures and oxygen concentrations in a drop-tube furnace. The results show that the proportion of fragmentation at the center was higher than the proportion of fragmentation at the outer zone under experimental conditions. The most significant difference between the two phenomena was the length of the fragmentation period and the overall structural changes. The proportion of fragmentation at the center positively correlated with an increase in temperature and negatively correlated with an increase in oxygen concentration. Under high-temperature and low-oxygen concentration conditions, FIC tends to be in the high fragmentation mode. The temperature at the time of FIC fragmentation increased with increasing particle size. Compared with the temperature, the change in oxygen concentration had a more remarkable effect on the fragmentation temperature, specifically in the outer zone. Elevating the oxygen concentration and temperature both promoted particle fragmentation. Temperature had a greater effect on fragmentation in the outer zone, while fragmentation at the center was more sensitive to changes in oxygen concentration.

Effect of low pH on embryonic and larval traits in the estuarine semi-terrestrial crab Neohelice granulata

The decrease in the pH of the oceans is one of the consequences of the release of CO2 (carbon dioxide) into the atmosphere by human activities. In estuaries, the magnitude to which pH will change and how the organisms that inhabit these environments would be affected is today relatively poorly known. We evaluated, by two laboratory experiments, whether the low pH affects early stages of the semi-terrestrial crab Neohelice granulata, an estuarine and ecosystem engineer species. Firstly, embryos and the spawning larvae were exposed to acidified seawater (ambient pH: 7.9 and 8, respectively; 7.5 and 6.9); secondly, ovigerous females were collected from the field and freshly hatched larvae were cultured under these pHs. We found a slight delay in the development time of embryos exposed to pH 6.9 but no difference in those reared under intermedial pH (7.5) with respect to the control and 6.9. We also found a reduction in egg volume and eye size exposed at pH 7.5 but with a recovery to normal size later in development. Heartbeats did not vary with pH. A delay in the duration of the intermolt period was observed for both larvae zoea I (ZI) and II (ZII) exposed to pH 6.9 in the first experiment, and only in ZI under this pH in the second one. Differences in body morphometry were found in the zoeas analyzed in the first experiment but not for the second. Measurements of changes in oxygen concentration conducted in the second experiment showed a reduction in the consumption of all zoeae stages when exposed to both low pHs. Mortality of larvae remained constant across treatments. Although it was found that the early stages of this species would be slightly/moderately affected by potential future scenarios of pH decrease, we cannot rule out major impacts at the population level, which requires further experiments to be carried out.