Diverse Effects Research Articles

Development and field application of strongly resilient temporary plugging diversion agent for fracturing

Temporary plugging diversion fracturing in multistage horizontal well is normally used to improve stimulation efficiency and increase production in unconventional reservoirs. Temporary plugging agent plays an important role in diversion fracturing. A strongly resilient temporary plugging diversion agent can improve the effectiveness of fracturing diversion. Therefore, a novel organosilicon temporary plugging diversion agent (QBZU) was developed through micellar copolymerization method. Self-synthesized strongly resilient temporary plugging diversion agent (QBZU gel) was prepared by using acrylamide, N, N′-methylene bisacrylamide, surfactants, organosilicon, ammonium persulfate and sodium bisulfite as chemical raw materials. The micellar copolymerization is investigated to overcome the incompatibility of hydrophobic organosilicon and water-soluble monomer by adding some appropriate surfactants. The experimental results indicated that the combination of sodium dodecyl sulphonate and Tween 80 provided excellent copolymerization results. The characteristics of compressive resistance, salt resistance, shearing resistance, resilience and degradation are superior compared with traditional rigid granular temporary plugging agent widely used in oilfields (QG hydrogel). According to the experimental evaluation results of QBZU, its pressure-bearing capacity can reach 56.3MPa, shearing strength can reach 410N, elastic modulus can reach 80MPa, and Poisson ratio can reach 0.48. Meanwhile, the main synthetic factors affecting the resilient performance of QBZU were investigated, including polymer concentration, organosilicon concentration and the types of surfactant. Based on the fracturing pressure curve and microseismic monitoring results, the plugging and fracture diversion effectiveness was further confirmed.

Tree diversity reduces variability in sapling survival under drought

Abstract Enhancing tree diversity may be important to fostering resilience to drought‐related climate extremes. So far, little attention has been given to whether tree diversity can increase the survival of trees and reduce its variability in young forest plantations. We conducted an analysis of seedling and sapling survival from 34 globally distributed tree diversity experiments (363,167 trees, 168 species, 3744 plots, 7 biomes) to answer two questions: (1) Do drought and tree diversity alter the mean and variability in plot‐level tree survival, with higher and less variable survival as diversity increases? and (2) Do species that survive poorly in monocultures survive better in mixtures and do specific functional traits explain monoculture survival? Tree species richness reduced variability in plot‐level survival, while functional diversity (Rao's Q entropy) increased survival and also reduced its variability. Importantly, the reduction in survival variability became stronger as drought severity increased. We found that species with low survival in monocultures survived comparatively better in mixtures when under drought. Species survival in monoculture was positively associated with drought resistance (indicated by hydraulic traits such as turgor loss point), plant height and conservative resource‐acquisition traits (e.g. low leaf nitrogen concentration and small leaf size). Synthesis. The findings highlight: (1) The effectiveness of tree diversity for decreasing the variability in seedling and sapling survival under drought; and (2) the importance of drought resistance and associated traits to explain altered tree species survival in response to tree diversity and drought. From an ecological perspective, we recommend mixing be considered to stabilize tree survival, particularly when functionally diverse forests with drought‐resistant species also promote high survival of drought‐sensitive species.

Effects of Ecological Water Diversion on Internal Nitrogen and Phosphorus Release in a Typical Small Shallow Lake in China

Ecological water diversion is an important method to improve water quality in lakes and reservoirs. But the environmental effects, from the ecological water diversion project (EWDP) to the internal release of sediment nutrients, remain unclear. In this study, an indoor simulation of an EWDP with different treatment scenarios with water transfer proportions of 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% was conducted to study the effects of water diversion on sediment nitrogen and phosphorus release in Lake Wanshandang. Our results showed that the flux of NH3–N released from the sediments in the western and eastern areas of Lake Wanshandang was significantly reduced after water transfer treatment, and the degree of reduction increased with increased water transfer. Specifically, the release flux of NH3–N in the sediment in the western area decreased from 18.02 mg/(m2/d) to −2.25 mg/(m2/d) when the transferred water reached 100% replacement of the original overlying water. The effect of water transfer treatment on the release flux of SRP from sediment varied greatly throughout the lake. After treatment, the SRP release flux in the western and central areas increased significantly, while it decreased in the eastern area. The NH3–N and SRP concentrations changed from 0.12–0.27 mg/L and 0.02–0.049 mg/L to 0.28–0.84 mg/L and 0.01–0.066 mg/L before and after the water transfer treatment. Our statistical analysis showed that the change in NH3–N and SRP release fluxes after treatment was significantly negatively correlated (p < 0.05) with concentrations of NH3–N or SRP in the overlying water before and after water transfer. We suggest the increase in NH3–N and SRP concentrations in the overlying water after the water transfer treatment led to the subsequent decreased NH3–N or SRP release flux, while the decrease in SRP concentration in overlying waters enhanced SRP release from the sediment. The differences in the concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus between the original overlying water and the transferred incoming water are important factors affecting the release of nutrients from sediment.

Molecular dynamics simulation and key performance study of VES self-diverting acid system for deep carbonate reservoirs

Viscoelastic Surfactant (VES) self-diverting acid technology is an ideal approach for enhanced recovery from heterogeneous reservoirs. Most VES self-diverting acid systems currently used in field operations are only suitable for low-temperature reservoirs, and research on self-diverting VES acid systems for deep carbonate rock formations is lacking. Additionally, studies on the molecular dynamics of the self-assembly of VES have mainly focused on cationic surfactants, with insufficient research on the self-assembly of betaines in the oil industry. This study investigated the effects of temperature, surfactant concentration, and metal ion concentration on the self-assembly of erucamide propyl hydroxysulfobetaine (EHSB) based on a self-assembly model through molecular simulation methods. Moreover, the viscosity of the EHSB was predicted under various conditions. The results indicated that the system viscosity was optimal at an EHSB concentration of 4 wt%. The EHSB system requires initiation by metal ions to enhance the viscosity, with Ca2+ having a more pronounced effect than Mg2+. This is attributed to the formation of a unique “octahedral” structure by Ca2+ in solution, which aids in the formation of large micelles. Furthermore, because of the smaller ionic radius of Mg2+ compared with that of Ca2+, Mg2+ is more likely to penetrate micelles and form salt bridges, promoting a tighter arrangement of surfactant molecules. Based on molecular simulation and laboratory experiments, under optimal concentrations of inorganic salts and EHSB, the system’s viscosity remained greater than 150 mPa·s at 140 °C, meeting the requirements for diversion in deep carbonate rock formations. Finally, the acidization capacity and diversion effects of the acidic system were demonstrated using single-core flood and dual-core diversion experiments. The results showed that the acid solution significantly etched the core, and the residual acid reduced the permeability contrast of the core from 3.54 to 2.35, indicating a good acidizing diversion performance. This study utilizes a combination of computer simulations and laboratory experiments to optimize a VES self-diverting acid system. The computer-predicted viscosity corresponds well with the actual measured viscosity, providing new technical insights for evaluating the performance of VES under complex formation conditions that are unattainable through laboratory tests. A self-diverting VES acid system suitable for deep carbonate rock reservoirs at 140 °C was developed, providing technical support for the efficient development of deep carbonate reservoirs.

Numerical study of porous tip treatment in suppressing tip clearance vortices in cavitating flow

Tip clearance cavitation (TCC) is a type of vortex cavitation. It widely exists in axial flow hydraulic machinery and has significant negative influence on the mechanical service life and the operating stability. It is necessary to suppress the tip clearance vortices (TCV) to control the TCC in engineering applications. Based on the analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of the present various suppression strategies, a new coupling method is proposed in this study by combining the damping approach and the diversion approach. Porous medium material is used to realize the coupling effect. A 2 mm span length porous tip is installed on the solid tip surface of a hydrofoil under two gap sizes conditions (representing two types of gap flow pattern), and excellent suppression results of the TCV and TCC are obtained. The characteristics and mechanism of the clearance flow are analyzed by numerical simulation. The numerical accuracy is verified by experimental qualitative observations. The simulation results show that the temporal and spatial stability of the clearance flow field is enhanced, and the leakage velocity and the TCV strength are weakened via the combined action of damping and diversion effects. There is a difference in the damping mechanism between the two gap flow patterns. It is a comprehensive result of viscous dissipation and momentum loss in the jet pattern represented by the small gap size, and primarily, the result of momentum loss in the rolling pattern represented by the large gap size.

China’s Duty-Free Trade Policy to Bangladeshi Products: A Potential Trade and Economic Effects Analysis Using Partial and Computable General Equilibrium Model

China is one of the critical and strategic trading partners of Bangladesh. The Chinese government has declared a zero-tariff facility for 97% of products imported from Bangladesh. The objective of the study is to analyze the effects of the facilitating trade policy on the trade performance of different sectors of Bangladesh. The study applies partial equilibrium SMART simulations, which are accessible in WITS, and the general equilibrium CGE model with GTAP as the methodological tools to quantify the impact of China’s preferential trade policy on trade and the overall economy of Bangladesh. The results of partial equilibrium analysis show that the preferential trade policy substantially positively impacts Bangladesh’s exports to the Chinese market. The results also suggest that the change in total trade under China’s new preferential trade policy is around $58.99 million, with a trade creation of $ 52.16 million and a trade diversion effect of US$ 6.83 million. The CGE analysis results show that China’s new trade policy will have little impact on Bangladesh’s real GDP, and the effects of the policy on exports vary across different sectors. However, the overall effects suggest that Bangladesh will earn a net welfare gain due to China’s new duty-free trade policy in Bangladesh. The findings of the study provide crucial policy suggestions on whether China’s latest tariff facilities will substantially impact the trade and economy of Bangladesh as well as provide foundations for analyzing the effects of future bilateral trade agreements.

Integrated evaluation of the impact of water diversion on water quality index and phytoplankton assemblages of eutrophic lake: A case study of Yilong Lake

Water diversion has been widely utilized to enhance lake water quality and mitigate cyanobacterial blooms. However, previous studies have mainly focused on investigating the effects of water diversion on water quality or aquatic ecological health. Consequently, there is limited research investigating the combined impact of water diversion on the water quality and the ecological health of eutrophic lakes, and whether the WQI and phytoplankton assemblages demonstrate similar patterns following water diversion. In this study, the effects of water diversion on the ecosystem health of eutrophic lakes were comprehensively evaluated based on the WQI indices and phytoplankton assemblages during the NWDP-21 and WDP-22. The results showed that the annual mean of WQI increased from 52.02 to 54.36 after water diversion, which improved the water quality of the lake, especially NH3–N and TN decreased by 58.6% and 15.2%, respectively. The phytoplankton assemblages changed significantly before and after water diversion, and we observed that the total biomass of phytoplankton decreased by 12.3% and phytoplankton diversity indices (Shannon-Wiener diversity, Pielou evenness, and Simpson index) increased by 8.6%–8.9% after water diversion, with an improvement in the connectivity and stability of the phytoplankton. Notably, enhanced adaptations of rare sub-communities for resource use in water diversion environments, and water diversion inhibited the dispersal ability of dominant functional groups, and the effects of hydrological disturbances on the structure of phytoplankton assemblage favored the ecological health of eutrophic lakes. VPA analysis further reveals that water diversion alters the drivers of phytoplankton functional group biomass and phytoplankton diversity. The results of the PLS-PM analysis clarify that water diversion indirectly impacts the total phytoplankton biomass and phytoplankton diversity primarily by modifying light availability. Significant correlations are observed between the dominant functional groups biomass and diversity indices of WQI. The trends in changes observed in water quality indices and phytoplankton following water diversion align with the evaluation of water ecological health. This study provides valuable guidance for the ecological management of the diversion project in Yilong Lake and serves as a reference for similar projects in other lakes.

Measuring Greenspace in Rural Areas for Studies of Birth Outcomes: A Comparison of Street View Data and Satellite Data.

Using street view data, in replace of remotely sensed (RS) data, to study the health impact of greenspace has become popular. However, direct comparisons of these two methods of measuring greenspace are still limited, and their findings are inconsistent. On the other hand, almost all studies of greenspace focus on urban areas. The effectiveness of greenspace in rural areas remains to be investigated. In this study, we compared measures of greenspace based on the Google Street View data with those based on RS data by calculating the correlation between the two and evaluating their associations with birth outcomes. Besides the direct measures of greenness, we also compared the measures of environmental diversity, calculated with the two types of data. Our study area consists of the States of New Hampshire and Vermont, USA, which are largely rural. Our results show that the correlations between the two types of greenness measures were weak to moderate, and the greenness at an eye-level view largely reflects the immediate surroundings. Neither the street view data- nor the RS data-based measures identify the influence of greenspace on birth outcomes in our rural study area. Interestingly, the environmental diversity was largely negatively associated with birth outcomes, particularly gestational age. Our study revealed that in rural areas, the effectiveness of greenspace and environmental diversity may be considerably different from that in urban areas.

Development of electricity simulation model of urban houses and evaluating surplus electricity of photovoltaics (PV) considering housing stock transformation

The Japanese government is advocating for the introduction of decentralized renewable energy devices such as photovoltaics (PV) and high thermal performance houses in urban areas. Due to variations in housing stock among different urban areas, the implementation of these houses and devices would have diverse effects on the supply and demand sides, potentially leading to diverse overproduction of PV electricity, referred to as surplus electricity. Existing research focuses on increasing the utilization of surplus electricity and quantifying the surplus electricity from individual buildings at a regional scale. Considering the lack of research that quantifies surplus electricity through shared PVs under the urban-scale contextual changes (widespread introduction of high-performance houses). Therefore, this study aims to address this gap by utilizing an archetype house simulation model to simulate and compare two scenarios (with or without houses retrofitting) regarding electricity demand for each street-level area, maximum power and duration time of surplus electricity in areas where surplus electricity would occur in the target city Fukuoka in 2025. The results indicate that, under the current residential PV stock and existing introduction rates, the peak surplus power occurs around noon in May, approximately 396 out of 1051 areas in Fukuoka would generate surplus electricity during 2025. Houses retrofitting would increase the surplus electricity (include maximum power and duration time) in these areas. Additionally, this study identifies the residential characteristics of areas that generate surplus electricity, including construction year, household composition, and the proportion of detached houses, whether with retrofitting or not. The results suggest attention to surplus electricity increasing in areas with a high proportion of detached houses when considering houses retrofitting.

Optimized models and deep learning methods for drug response prediction in cancer treatments: a review.

Recent advancements in deep learning (DL) have played a crucial role in aiding experts to develop personalized healthcare services, particularly in drug response prediction (DRP) for cancer patients. The DL's techniques contribution to this field is significant, and they have proven indispensable in the medical field. This review aims to analyze the diverse effectiveness of various DL models in making these predictions, drawing on research published from 2017 to 2023. We utilized the VOS-Viewer 1.6.18 software to create a word cloud from the titles and abstracts of the selected studies. This study offers insights into the focus areas within DL models used for drug response. The word cloud revealed a strong link between certain keywords and grouped themes, highlighting terms such as deep learning, machine learning, precision medicine, precision oncology, drug response prediction, and personalized medicine. In order to achieve an advance in DRP using DL, the researchers need to work on enhancing the models' generalizability and interoperability. It is also crucial to develop models that not only accurately represent various architectures but also simplify these architectures, balancing the complexity with the predictive capabilities. In the future, researchers should try to combine methods that make DL models easier to understand; this will make DRP reviews more open and help doctors trust the decisions made by DL models in cancer DRP.

Maize cultivar mixtures increase aboveground biomass and grain quality via trait dissimilarity and plasticity

Despite being visually cryptic, conspecific cultivar mixtures increase diversity and can increase productivity in agricultural systems. However, the mechanisms underlying this increase are unclear. In natural systems, differences in traits among species and among ecotypes correspond with diversity-increased productivity, but whether these attributes are important in cultivar mixtures is still unclear. To explore how cultivar mixtures affect agroecosystem productivity and the roles of trait dissimilarity, we conducted a four-year (2017–2020) field experiment in Northeast China with maize. The experimental treatments included eight single cultivar monocultures, four two-cultivar mixtures, one four-cultivar mixture, one six-cultivar mixture and one eight-cultivar mixture. Experiments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Across the four years, all cultivar mixture combinations increased aboveground biomass and crude protein in grain by 7.0% and 4.1%, respectively, compared to the average of the eight monocultures. Grain yield, aboveground biomass, and grain crude protein in overyielding cultivar combinations increased by 2.0–9.0%, 13.0–20.0% and 4.8–10.7%, respectively, compared to the average of the component monocultures of each mixture over four years. We calculated positive complementarity effects for grain yield, aboveground biomass and grain crude protein. All selection effects of cultivar mixtures were negative or neutral. There were strong positive correlations between complementarity effect and functional trait dissimilarity in cultivar mixtures, based on grain yields (P< 0.010), aboveground biomass (P< 0.001) and grain crude protein (P< 0.050), whereas there were no such positive relationships between selection effects and functional trait dissimilarity. Moreover, we found higher levels of trait dissimilarity for shoot diameter, leaf area and specific leaf area in cultivar mixtures than in monocultures. Also, the shoot diameter, leaf area and specific leaf area of specific cultivars were higher in mixtures than in monocultures. Our results indicated that niche complementarity derives from functional trait dissimilarity, and strong complementarity effects correlate with greater functional trait dissimilarity in cultivar mixtures. These findings provide evidence that plasticity in traits, rather than only inherent traits, contributed to the diversity effects, and the greater functional trait dissimilarity among cultivars in mixtures can increase crop productivity via increasing cryptic diversity in agroecosystems. Our results link changes to plant aboveground traits in cultivar mixtures, which shed light on yield advantages in diverse agroecosystems.

The Antifungal Effect of Weissella confusa WIKIM51 (Wilac D001) on Vaginal Epithelial Cells Infected by Candida albicans

Vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC) is a genital infection caused by Candida albicans (C. albicans). Weissella confusa WIKIM51 (Wilac D001) is known to be detected in dandelion kimchi, produce lactic acid, and have an anti−inflammatory ability; however, its diverse antifungal effects have not been studied. Here, we investigated the antifungal effect of Wilac D001 in C. albicans compared to Lactobacillus species on vaginal epithelial cells (VECs). To test the antifungal ability of Wilac D001 against C. albicans on VECs, an adhesion test, pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8) analysis, and a disk diffusion test were performed. The acid tolerance test was conducted to investigate the viability of Wilac D001 in various acidic conditions. Lactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) and L. rhamnosus were used as positive controls. Wilac D001 showed the capacity to inhibit the colonization of C. albicans by adhering to VECs, with an inhibitory effect similar to that of positive controls. Both pro−inflammatory cytokines including IL−6 and IL−8 concentrations were significantly decreased when Wilac D001 was treated on C. albicans-infected VECs, respectively (p &lt; 0.001). The result of the disk diffusion test indicates that the inhibitory ability of Wilac D001 is comparable to L. reuteri and L. rhamnosus on agar plates infected with C. albicans. Our results demonstrate that Weissella confusa WIKIM51 has antifungal effects against VECs infected by C. albicans.

Abstract 5448: Malignant RNA editing by inflammation-responsive RNA editase ADAR1 drives T-cell leukemia relapse via attenuating dsRNA sensing

Abstract Leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) play a crucial role in leukemia research and treatment, being considered the source of relapse and resistance, posing a substantial challenge for successful management of the disease. It's crucial to identify the key factors that drive LIC self-renewal to develop targeted methods for eliminating LICs and preventing relapse. In this study, we demonstrate that the RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 plays a vital role as a determinant of stemness, promoting LIC self-renewal by reducing the detection of abnormal double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). As a result, ADAR1-knockdown significantly impairs the ability of LICs to self-renew and extends survival in T-ALL PDX models. We performed RNA-seq studies on enriched T-ALL LICs (CD34+Lin-). The lentivirus-to-cell ratio was optimized to achieve a 50% reduction in ADAR1, resulting in differential expression of 661 genes, with downregulation of critical self-renewal genes in ADAR1-deficient leukemia-initiating cells. Importantly, additional data indicated that ADAR1 likely influences self-renewal gene expression independently of A-to-I RNA editing, revealing novel regulatory mechanisms in leukemia. Knockdown of MDA5 and ADAR1 in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) T-ALL leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) revealed diverse rescue effects on self-renewal in different PDX models. The differential response was associated with variations in gene expression patterns in Rig-I-Like signaling and cytosolic sensing pathways, suggesting intrinsic differences in IFN signaling properties among patients. Moreover, the study proposes a patient-specific reliance on the ADAR1 p150-MDA5 axis for promoting self-renewal, as evidenced by differential rescue effects and varying expression levels of ADAR1 isoforms and MDA5 in T-ALL patient samples and cell lines. ADAR1, beyond its role in RNA editing, acts as a dsRNA binding protein, exerting RNA editing-independent functions to suppress aberrant IFN signaling and promote cancer progression. Using Jurkat cells with high intrinsic MDA5 levels, an ADAR1 knockout (KO) was generated, revealing that ADAR1 is upregulated by IFN treatment, predominantly the p150 isoform. We explored the dual roles of ADAR1—RNA editing-dependent and -independent—in suppressing IFN-induced apoptosis, demonstrating the necessity of both for optimal function. Additionally, ADAR1 was found to suppress cytoplasmic dsRNA sensing pathways, such as RIG-I and PKR, and its RNA editing-independent activity contributes significantly to the suppression of interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression in T-ALL. In summary, our findings reveal that ADAR1 acts as a factor that promotes self-renewal while limiting the recognition of naturally occurring dsRNA. Therefore, targeting ADAR1 emerges as a safe and effective therapeutic approach for eradicating LICs in T-ALL. Citation Format: Maria Dolores Rivera, Haoran Zhang, Qingchen Zhou, Jessica Pham, Jane Isquith, Roman Sasik, Adam Mark, Sabina Enlund, Frida Holm, Ma Wenxue, Kathleen Fisch, Dennis Kuo, Catriona Jamieson, Qingfei Jiang. Malignant RNA editing by inflammation-responsive RNA editase ADAR1 drives T-cell leukemia relapse via attenuating dsRNA sensing [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 5448.

Effect of Cipangopaludina chinensis and diversity of plant species with different life forms on greenhouse gas emissions from constructed wetlands

Greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from Constructed wetlands (CWs) for treating wastewater have been largely focused on. Previous studies have demonstrated that plant species diversity significantly affects GHG. However, the effect of the diversity of plant species with different life forms and benthic organisms on GHGs from CWs remains unclear. In this study, we selected three common aquatic plant species with different life forms (submerged, free-floating, emergent) for diversity configuration (one, two, three species richness and all seven combinations; six replicates), with C. chinensis added to half the replicates. Results showed that: (1) in systems without C. chinensis, high plant species richness significantly increased CO2 emissions and GWPCH4+N2O+CO2, as well as CO2 emissions per unit N removal and GWPCH4+N2O+CO2 per unit N removal, the presence of Acorus calamus increased CO2 emissions by 77 % and GWPCH4+N2O+CO2 by 72 %, respectively, while the presence of Pistia stratiotes significantly reduced N2O emissions by 41 %; (2) in systems with C. chinensis, the presence of P. stratiotes significantly reduced N2O emissions by 73% and GWPnon-CO2 by 68 %, respectively; (3) plant species identify did not affect GWPCH4+N2O+CO2 per unit N removal and GWPnon-CO2 per unit N removal in systems with or without C. chinensis. In summary, adding C. chinensis affected the effect of plant species identity on GHGs from CWs. Thus, we suggested that establishing communities with low plant species richness and proper species (such as P. stratiotes) could improve pollutant removal rate (TIN) and reduce GHGs in CWs.

Microcirculatory Impairment and Cerebral Injury in Hydrocephalus and the Effects of Cerebrospinal Fluid Diversion.

Hydrocephalus is characterized by progressive enlargement of cerebral ventricles, resulting in impaired microvasculature and cerebral hypoperfusion. This study aimed to demonstrate the microvascular changes in hydrocephalic rats and the effects of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) release on cerebral blood flow (CBF). On postnatal day 21 (P21), male Wistar rats were intracisternally injected with either a kaolin suspension or saline. On P47, Evan's ratio (ER) was measured using MRI. On P49, the arteriolar diameter and vascular density of the pia were quantified using a capillary video microscope. The CBF was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry. The expressions of NeuN and glial fibrillary acidic protein determined by immunochemical staining were correlated with the ER. The CBF and rotarod test performance were recorded before and after CSF release. The expressions of 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and c-caspase-3 were studied on P56. Ventriculomegaly was induced to varying degrees, resulting in the stretching and abnormal narrowing of pial arterioles, which regressed with increasing ER. Quantitative analysis revealed significant decreases in the arteriolar diameter and vascular density in the hydrocephalic group compared with those in the control group. In addition, the CBF in the hydrocephalic group decreased to 30%-50% of that in the control group. In hydrocephalus, the neurons appear distorted, and the expression of 4-HNE and reactive astrogliosis increase in the cortex. After CSF was released, improvements in the CBF and rotarod test performance were inversely associated with the ER. In addition, the levels of 4-HNE and c-caspase-3 were further elevated. Rapid ventricular dilatation is associated with severe microvascular distortion, vascular regression, cortical hypoperfusion, and cellular changes that impair the recovery of CBF and motor function after CSF release. Moreover, CSF release may induce reperfusion injury. This pathophysiology should be taken into account when treating hydrocephalus.

Multi-Trophic Species Diversity Contributes to the Restoration of Soil Multifunctionality in Degraded Karst Forests through Cascading Effects

The biodiversity–ecosystem function (BEF) relationship is the basis for studying the restoration of degraded ecosystems, and the simultaneous assessment of multi-trophic-level biodiversity and ecosystem multifunctionality relationship is more conducive to unravelling the restoration mechanism of degraded ecosystems, especially for degraded forest ecosystems with harsh habitats and infertile soils such as karst. In this study, we evaluated the biodiversity and soil multifunctionality (SMF) of degraded karst forests (scrub, SB; secondary growth forests, SG; old-growth forests, OG) in the Maolan National Nature Reserve, China, using 30 sample plots. Biodiversity and soil multifunctionality (SMF) at three trophic levels (plant–soil fauna–soil microorganisms), were assessed through vegetation surveys and soil sampling. One-way ANOVA showed that SMF increased with natural restoration, but multi-trophic level biodiversity showed different trends. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between plant species diversity and SMF (p &lt; 0.001), whereas soil fauna and soil microorganisms were negatively correlated with SMF. Structural equation modeling revealed a cascading effect of the multi-trophic level on the stimulation of the SMF during restoration. Only soil microorganisms exhibited a direct driving effect on SMF (p &lt; 0.001), whereas plants indirectly influenced soil microorganisms through soil fauna, which subsequently affected the SMF. Although we observed the negative effects of increased plant diversity on soil fauna and soil microbial diversity in terms of quantitative relationships, the increase in soil fauna species and the evenness of soil microbial function still contributed to SMF restoration. This study revealed the cascading effects of multi-trophic diversity in promoting SMF restoration and emphasized that soil microbes are key to unraveling restoration mechanisms and processes, whereas soil fauna is an important intermediate link.

An Overview of Niosomes

In recent times, there has been a significant shift towards developing targeted biological substances for the treatment of infectious diseases and vaccination. Non-ionic surfactant vesicles, known as niosomes, have emerged as a distinctive vesicular structure in contemporary drug delivery methods due to their biological breakdown, compatibility, chemical resistance, cost-effectiveness, ease of manufacturing and preservation, and low toxicity. The progress in nanocarrier technology has garnered attention for its safety and associated advantages, including enhanced therapeutic administration with diverse pharmacological effects, improved targeting capabilities, and reduced side effects. Niosomes serve as vesicular carriers for drugs, composed of non-ionized surfactants, cholesterol or analogs, and charged molecules that enable controlled and targeted drug delivery. They are categorized as unilamellar, oligolamellar, or multilamellar structures. This comprehensive review article provides an overview of niosomes, covering their structure, types, formulation methods, characterization, advantages and disadvantages, preparation techniques, influencing factors, evaluation criteria, applications, and currently available formulations in the market.&#x0D; Keywords: Niosomes, drug delivery system, methods of Preparation, Applications.

Empire, diversity & development: evidence from Afghan provinces

ABSTRACT In this paper, we explore the effects of historical and contemporary ethnolinguistic diversity on socio-economic development in Afghanistan. Using a dataset of Afghan provinces, we find that historical ethnolinguistic borders are strongly associated with income, provision of public goods, and political preferences in Afghanistan. Pashtun areas exhibit higher levels of income and public goods provision as well as political support for the incumbent. There has been a persistent rule of Pashtun leaders in Afghanistan during the last three centuries. Furthermore, we instrument measures of contemporary ethnolinguistic diversity by the diversity of archaeological sites that belong to different ancient and medieval empires. We argue that higher levels of contemporary diversity are likely to induce lower levels of conflict, higher levels of income and trust, and lower levels of individualism.

The effect of the sex diversity of the board of commissioners on firm performance and the role of the ethnic background of president commissioners

The effect of the sex diversity of the board of commissioners on firm performance and the role of the ethnic background of president commissioners

Impact of Climate Change on Infrastructure Resilience and Adaption Strategies

Infrastructure networks have an severe effect by the physical impacts of climate mutability and change, but will also play an crucial role in building resilience to those impacts. Furthermost events explains the extensiveness of this potential exposure. For example, OECD [Organization For Economic And Development ] modelling of the potential impacts of a major flood in Paris found that 30% to 55% of the direct flood damages would be tolerated by the infrastructure sector, while 35% to 85% of business losses were caused by disturbance to the transportation and electricity supply and not by the flood itself. Climate change has very diverse effect on the infrastructure. If the infrastructure will be climate resilient will help to reduce direct losses and reduce the indirect costs of disturbance created by the sudden climate change. New infrastructure should be hierarchic, planned, designed, built and set off in such a way to resist the climate changes that may occur over anytime during their lifetimes. The old Existing infrastructure may need to be rebuilt , or managed differently according to the given climate change. Lastly, additional infrastructure, such as sea walls, will need to be constructed to address the physical impacts of climate change. This additional infrastructure should or may be include traditional infrastructure, such as hard safeguarding and other engineered solutions, as well as natural infrastructure, such as wetlands and other naturally-based solutions. A wide range of actors, both in the public and private sectors, are taking action to strengthen climate resilience. This report highlights appears good practices and remaining challenges across OECD[Organization For Economic And Development] and G20 countries. It provides non-prescriptive guidance to countries as they find the way to enhance resilience in line with their national circumstances and priorities. Key Words: Infrastructures , Climate changes , Resilience , OECD , Challenges , Impacts , Design , Sustainable , Adaptation , Strategies .