http://hdl.handle.net/10453/148698 2026-06-24T14:23:28Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195306 Title: Construction of Geological-cultural Village: Sustainable Development of Daheishan Geological Heritage Authors: Zhou, X; Ma, Q; Qin, R; Chen, C; Zheng, L; Wang, K; Xu, Y Abstract: Daheishan Island encompasses a National geological park, showcasing a diverse range of geological heritage and landscapes, including marine erosion landforms, marine deposit landforms, loess landforms, volcanic rock formations, geological structures, prehistoric village sites, and more. In recent years, Daheishan has successfully leveraged its geological heritage landscapes to establish a thriving geological-culture village that not only fosters economic development but also ensures the sustainable preservation and advancement of these invaluable geological assets. This paper aims to provide an overview of the geological heritage found in Daheishan, while highlighting the establishment and promotion of the geological-culture village as exemplary contributions to safeguarding and developing geological heritage sites, promoting geological tourism, popularizing scientific knowledge about geology, and fostering rural economic growth. 2025-10-17T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195305 Title: Sources of organic carbon in the surface sediments of the mangrove reserve in the Beilun River Estuary Authors: Zheng, Y; Liao, R; Lu, D; Chen, C; Hong, G-H; Du, J Abstract: Mangrove forests are critical ecosystems for carbon sequestration, effectively capturing atmospheric carbon and permanently storing soil organic carbon (SOC) in coastal wetlands. Recent restoration and afforestation initiatives have been undertaken to mitigate the rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations along tropical ocean coasts worldwide. The expansion of mangrove forests has garnered significant attention for elucidating their contributions to the permanent storage of carbon in both surface and subsoil layers. In this study, we investigated a recently expanding mangrove forest in the Beilun River Estuary of Guangxi Province, focusing on the abundance and sources of organic carbon (OC) in surface sediments. We also analyzed sediment grain size distribution, SOC, total nitrogen (TN) content, and stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C). Additionally, we determined the molar ratio of SOC to nitrogen (C/N). The SOC content ranged from 0.25% to 6.58%, the C/N ratio varied from 9.85 to 17.73, δ13C values spanned from −29.58‰ to −24.93‰, and δ15N values ranged from 3.10‰ to 7.36‰. A strong correlation was observed between SOC and TN content. However, particle size did not significantly influence these relationships. In terms of SOC sources in the sediments, contributions from mangrove, terrestrial, and marine sources accounted for 37.1% to 99.5%, 0.5% to 47.4%, and 0% to 17.6%, respectively. The findings of this study provide essential insights for evaluating and managing carbon sinks within the mangrove ecosystems of the Beibu Gulf region, contributing to more effective carbon management strategies in coastal areas. 2025-09-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195304 Title: Supersolidophobic Pt catalyst for long-term natural seawater electrolysis with hydrogen production and magnesium extraction. Authors: Yi, L; Chen, C; Wen, Y; Zhang, S; Chen, H; Zhu, J; Weng, J; Zhang, W; Xu, W; Guan, W; Chen, X; Qiu, T; Tian, X; Lu, Z Abstract: The electrochemical synthesis of solid compounds is a critical emerging area in electrocatalysis; however, a major challenge is still remaining on severe catalysts scaling driven by strong solid-solid interactions, giving rise to rapid electrode deactivation. In this study, for the example of simultaneous synthesis of Mg(OH)2 and H2 from natural seawater electrolysis, we demonstrate that Pt catalyst with surface-coordinated halogens (F, Cl, Br, I) can alleviate this scaling effect (i.e., solidophobicity) by like-charge repulsion and thus regulating the local environment. Specifically, Pt-I coordination results in supersolidophobicity, achieving a successful extraction of Mg(OH)2 ( > 99% purity) while stably producing H2 (under 100 mA cm-2 for over 5000 hours). A combination of experimental and theoretical studies reveals that, due to the like charge repulsion between I- and in situ generated OH-, the Pt-I catalyst regulates the surface pH gradient which increases the distance from the electrode surface to the Mg(OH)2 nucleus (>4 μm) and facilitates homogeneous nucleation. Additionally, the scalability of the Pt-I catalyst, along with the techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment of the natural seawater electrolysis technology are systematically demonstrated. 2025-12-12T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195221 Title: Fermented rice bran extract delays skin aging by increasing the synthesis of collagen and elastin. Authors: Yan, X; Yang, M; Cai, X; Shen, Y; Jiang, R; Huang, R; Shi, H-K; Cheng, G; Wang, Y; Tan, Q; Cheng, YY; Xue, N Abstract: BACKGROUND: Rice bran is the outer layer of rice grains (Oryza sativa). Due to its rich bioactive components, it has long been used in cosmetics. However, the mechanism by which it delays skin aging remains unclear. METHODS: In this study, volatile polar solvents combined with microbial fermentation were utilized to enhance the yield and bioavailability of functional components in rice bran extract (RBE). The crude RBE was fermented with Aspergillus oryzae for 14 days to promote enzymatic decomposition into smaller and more bioavailable molecules. The components in the fermented RBE were qualitatively analyzed by UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS. The expression of collagen in two-dimensional and three-dimensional cell cultures was evaluated by qPCR technology. The expressions of collagen and elastin and the changes in water content and elastic modulus in the skin of mice were evaluated by histopathology, immunofluorescence staining, and transepidermal water loss (TEWL). RESULTS: Through UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis, eight key compounds, including azelaic acid, ferulic acid, γ-tocotrienols, and squalene, were identified in RBE, mainly lipids and polyphenols. The treatment of RBE significantly upregulated the expression of type I collagen in MSF cells and the expression of type III collagen in MSF 3D cell spheres (by approximately 12 times). The results of tissue staining showed that the content of collagen in the skin after RBE treatment increased by 10% compared with the control group. The results of immunofluorescence staining confirmed that RBE could increase the content of elastin in the skin. The TEWL results showed that the skin moisture content and elastic coefficient of mice treated with RBE increased by more than 10% compared with those of the untreated group. CONCLUSION: Both in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that RBE can significantly improve the synthesis of collagen and elastin in the skin, reduce water loss in mouse skin, increase collagen deposition in the skin, and ultimately improve skin elasticity and overall quality. This green, solvent-efficient, and fermentation-enhanced approach offers a sustainable strategy for utilizing rice bran as a high-value cosmetic ingredient with strong potential for skincare applications. 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z