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In recent years, due to the enormous threats posed by emerging pollutants to aquatic ecosystems, scholars have increasingly focused on the study of emerging pollutants to ensure the safety of aquatic ecosystems. This paper uses the bibliometrix package to conduct a bibliometric analysis of 1000 papers published between 2008 and 2024 in the field of emerging pollutants (EPs) wastewater treatment, retrieved through the online version of the Web of Science Core Collection database. It analyzes some basic characteristics of the retrieved literature, such as the number of annual publications, publication types, and sources, with China, India, and Spain contributing the most related publications. By analyzing highly cited literature, we can conclude that "pharmaceuticals" and "personal care products" have become focal points in recent years. This indicates a growing academic interest in detecting and removing such pollutants. The European Commission proposed water policies in 2000 and 2013 to control surface water quality standards. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has prioritized 126 substances for regulation and has set concentration limits for them. China has formulated the "14th Five-Year Plan for Ecological and Environmental Protection" (2021–2025) to assess and monitor chemicals of environmental concern and identify new high-risk pollutants. Currently, gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) is widely regarded as the preferred method for measuring EPs in aquatic environments, but the efficiency of detection technologies remains a problem. In recent years, various advanced treatment technologies have been proposed, such as oxidation processes, constructed wetlands, and enzymatic treatment, but the application effectiveness of these treatment technologies remains unsatisfactory. Therefore, detecting and removing emerging pollutants from wastewater remains a significant research challenge.

Synaptic plasticities, such as long-term potentiation (LTP) and depression (LTD), tune synaptic efficacy and are essential for learning and memory. Current studies of synaptic plasticity in humans are limited by a lack of adequate human models. Here, we modeled the thalamocortical system by fusing human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived thalamic and cortical organoids. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing revealed that >80% of cells in thalamic organoids were glutamatergic neurons. When fused to form thalamocortical assembloids, thalamic and cortical organoids formed reciprocal long-range axonal projections and reciprocal synapses detectable by light and electron microscopy, respectively. Using whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and two-photon imaging, we characterized glutamatergic synaptic transmission. Thalamocortical and corticothalamic synapses displayed short-term plasticity analogous to that in animal models. LTP and LTD were reliably induced at both synapses; however, their mechanisms differed from those previously described in rodents. Thus, thalamocortical assembloids provide a model system for exploring synaptic plasticity in human circuits.

Molasses vinasse (MV) is a waste burden in alcohol production due to its high organic matter content. However, it represents a potential source of energy recovery if adequately treated. In this study, two feeding patterns (pulse feeding: 8 L/4 h and semi-continuous feeding: 8 L/23 h) were evaluated for their effects on MV anaerobic digestion from multiple perspectives in a laboratory-scale reactor. The results demonstrated that semi-continuous feeding not only achieved a higher soluble chemical oxygen demand (sCOD) removal rate of 78.48% but also increased the production of biogas and methane by 20.04% and 51.48%, respectively. In addition, the chemical composition analysis suggested that the semi-continuous feeding pattern degraded the majority of lignin/CRAM and aromatic substances more effectively than the pulse feeding pattern. Moreover, the microbial analysis revealed that semi-continuous feeding increased the number of dominant bacteria, including Chloroflexi, Synergistetes, and Cloacimonetea, and methanogenic archaea, including Methanosaetaand Methanosarcina. The findings of this study, therefore, confirm that the semi-continuous feeding model is more effective and has good application potential, laying the groundwork for the MV anaerobic industrial processes.

•CAF subsets in HNSCC are significantly heterogeneous.•CKS2+ iCAFs are significantly associated with poor prognosis and low immune cell infiltration.•CKS2+ iCAFs are localized in proximity to cancer cells and displays significant intercellular communication.•CKS2+ iCAFs show high metabolic activity and low immunotherapeutic response.

A critical step in understanding the neural basis of human cognitive functions is to identify neuronal types in the neocortex. In this study, we performed whole-cell recording from human cortical slices and found a distinct subpopulation of neurons with intrinsic persistent activity that could be triggered by single action potentials (APs) but terminated by bursts of APs. This persistent activity was associated with a depolarizing plateau potential induced by the activation of a persistent Na+current. Single-cell RT-PCR revealed that these neurons were inhibitory interneurons. This type of neuron was found in different cortical regions, including temporal, frontal, occipital, and parietal cortices in human and also in frontal and temporal lobes of nonhuman primate but not in rat cortical tissues, suggesting that it could be unique to primates. The characteristic persistent activity in these inhibitory interneurons may contribute to the regulation of pyramidal cell activity and participate in cortical processing.

In the present work, a phase-field model was developed to investigate the influence of recrystallization on bubble evolution during irradiation. Considering the interaction between bubbles and grain boundary (GB), a set of modified Cahn-Hilliard and Allen-Cahn equations, with field variables and order parameters evolving in space and time, was used in this model. Both the kinetics of recrystallization characterized in experiments and point defects generated during cascade were incorporated in the model. The bubble evolution in recrystallized polycrystalline of U–Mo alloy was also investigated. The simulation results showed that GB with a large area fraction generated by recrystallization accelerates the formation and growth of bubbles. With the formation of new grains, gas atoms are swept and collected by GBs. The simulation results of bubble size and distribution are consistent with the experimental results.