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Depression plays an important role in the occurrence and development of asthma. Nocturnal awakening secondary to asthma is a crucial sign of the deterioration of asthmatic outcomes. This study plans to determine the associations between depression, nocturnal awakening and asthmatic outcomes by using multi-dimensional analyses.Study population came from the Adult Asthma Call-Back Survey 2013-2017. Multivariable regression analysis with binomial or Poisson models, dose-dependent analysis and mediation analysis were used to explore the associations between depression and nocturnal awakening with asthmatic episodes/attacks, emergency room (ER) and hospital visits.18,684 physician-diagnosis asthmatics were included into this study. This population consisted of 31.4 % with nocturnal awakening and 37.6 % with depression. Multivariable binomial analyses suggested that nocturnal awakening and depression were positively associated with asthmatic episodes/attacks and ER visits. Dose-dependent analyses demonstrated that the increase of nocturnal awakening was positively associated with the increase of depression and three asthmatic outcomes. Asthmatics with depression had the higher prevalence (adjusted OR = 1.17, 95%CI: 1.08-1.27) and frequency (adjusted RR = 1.08, 95%CI: 1.07-1.10) of nocturnal awakening than those without depression. Mediation analyses suggested that clarification of verbiage denoted trivial effect of depression on the associations between nocturnal awakening with asthmatic outcomes, while nocturnal awakening mildly mediated these associations between depression with asthmatic episodes/attacks (15.26 %, 95%CI: 7.29 %-28.7 %) and ER visits (13.29 %, 95%CI: 5.33 %-44.12 %).The cross-sectional nature limited inferences on causality.Our findings showed that depression and nocturnal awakening might affect asthmatic outcomes. Nocturnal awakening harbored the mediated effect in the correlations between depression and asthmatic outcomes.

The therapy of non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) is limited by wide metastasis and chemotherapy resistance, herein, we present a new cancer-targeting prodrug PBG with the integration of real-time fluorescence visualization. The potent anticancer drug Gefitinib conjugates a biotin recognition ligand yielding the prodrug PBG via a GSH-activatable disulfide bond linker. Once coupling a near-infrared azo-BODIPY fluorophore into the molecular structure of PBG, we obtain its fluorescent theranostic TBG. The prodrug PBG can sustain Gefitinib release by the high level of GSH in the pathophysiological milieu. We evaluate the drug delivery of the prodrug PBG using fluorescent TBG in PC9 cancer bearing nude mice models, which indicate that TBG can be utilized to monitor the in vivo drug release process. Prodrug PBG can be targeted to accumulate in the cancer lesion with a better and efficaciously therapeutic result compared with the single Gefitinib treatment in cells and in vivo. The fluorescence images also reveal that the targeting accumulation and longitudinal retention of anticancer drug in cancer lesions will contribute to the superior therapeutic effects. The above applications of our new prodrug PBG and its fluorescent theranostic TBG have the potential contribution to the research in biology and the clinical medicine.

Acute kidney injury (AKI), a major health issue concerning ~50% of patients treated in intensive care units, generally leads to severe renal damage associated with high mortality rate. The application of nanotechnology for the management of AKI has profound potential of further development, providing innovative strategies for predicting the early onset and progression of renal disease and improving the treatment efficacy of the life-threating AKI. This review has comprehensively summarized the nanomedicines in the application of AKI diagnosis and emphatically discussed the unique potential of various nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems (e.g., polymeric nanoparticles, organic nanoparticles, inorganic nanoparticles, lipid-based nanoparticles, hydrogels etc.) in the treatment of AKI, allowing for improved therapeutic index by enhancing both efficacy and safety concurrently. These approaches may mechanically mitigate oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial and other organellar damage, etc. In addition, the combination of nanotechnology with stem cells-based therapy or gene therapy has been explored for reducing renal tissues damage and promoting kidney repair or recovery from AKI. The review provides insights into the synthesis, advantages, and limitations of innovative nanomedicine application in the early detection and effective treatment of AKI.

Quantum state tomography, which aims to estimate quantum states that are described by density matrices, plays an important role in quantum science and quantum technology. This paper examines the eigenspace estimation and the reconstruction of large low-rank density matrix based on Pauli measurements. Both ordinary principal component analysis (PCA) and iterative thresholding sparse PCA (ITSPCA) estimators of the eigenspace are studied, and their respective convergence rates are established. In particular, we show that the ITSPCA estimator is rate-optimal. We present the reconstruction of the large low-rank density matrix and obtain its optimal convergence rate by using the ITSPCA estimator. A numerical study is carried out to investigate the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators.

This paper introduces a unified approach for modeling high-frequency financial data that can accommodate both the continuous-time jump–diffusion and discrete-time realized GARCH model by embedding the discrete realized GARCH structure in the continuous instantaneous volatility process. The key feature of the proposed model is that the corresponding conditional daily integrated volatility adopts an autoregressive structure, where both integrated volatility and jump variation serve as innovations. We name it as the realized GARCH-Ito model. Given the autoregressive structure in the conditional daily integrated volatility, we propose a quasi-likelihood function for parameter estimation and establish its asymptotic properties. To improve the parameter estimation, we propose a joint quasi-likelihood function that is built on the marriage of daily integrated volatility estimated by high-frequency data and nonparametric volatility estimator obtained from option data. We conduct a simulation study to check the finite sample performance of the proposed methodologies and an empirical study with the S&P500 stock index and option data.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by the presence of chronic hyperglycemia driven by insulin deficiency or resistance, imposing a significant global burden affecting 463 million people worldwide in 2019. This review has comprehensively summarized the application of nanomedicine with accurate, patient-friendly, real-time properties in the field of diabetes diagnosis and monitoring, and emphatically discussed the unique potential of various nanomedicine carriers (e.g., polymeric nanoparticles, liposomes, micelles, microparticles, microneedles, etc.) in the management of diabetes and complications. Novel delivery systems have been developed with improved pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, excellent drug biodistribution, biocompatibility, and therapeutic efficacy, long-term action safety, as well as the improved production methods. Furthermore, the effective nanomedicine for the treatment of several major diabetic complications with significantly improved life qualities of diabetic patients were discussed in detail. Going through the literature review, several critical issues of the nanomedicine-based strategies applications need to be addressed such as stabilities and long-term safety effects in vivo, the deficiency of standard for formulation administration, feasibility of scale-up, etc. Overall, the review provides an insight into the design, advantages and limitations of novel nanomedicine application in the diagnostics, monitoring, and therapeutics of DM.

Hybrid configuration of steel and fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement is an effective approach for improving the overall performances of concrete members. The use of FRP grids in new constructions is increasing owing to their superior anchorage in concrete. In this paper, two types of hybrid carbon-FRP (CFRP) grids-steel shear walls were proposed to evaluate the cyclic behavior in contrast to conventional reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall. Six large-scale shear wall specimens were fabricated and tested under reversed cyclic loading. The investigate parameters include the reinforcement configuration and the hybrid proportion of steel and CFRP grids. Experimental results showed that all shear walls reinforced with CFRP grids exhibited higher load-carrying capacity and smaller residual deformation than those of RC shear wall. The load-carrying capacity of shear wall with CFRP grids placed as exterior layers (CSC) was 7.9% higher than the wall with CFRP grids in the center (SCS). In addition, the load-carrying capacity of shear wall with CSC arrangement increased with the proportion of CFRP grids in reinforcement, while there was an optimal hybrid proportion to the energy dissipation capacity. An increase of 25.8% in load-carrying capacity was achieved compared to RC shear wall with almost the same level of energy dissipation capacity when half of steel reinforcement was replaced by CFRP grids.

The commercial graphite (CG) is the conventional anode material for lithium ion batteries (LIBs) due to its low delithiation voltage plateau (below 0.5 V) and extraordinary durability. Nevertheless, the further promotion of energy density of LIBs is restricted by the limited capacity below 0.5 V of CG. Here, based on the supercritical CO2 exfoliation technique, the production of multi-layered graphene (MLG) is achieved from the pilot scale production line. The great merit of the exfoliated MLG anode is that the voltage plateau below 0.5 V is broadened obviously as compared to those of natural graphite and CG. Additionally, no obvious lithium dendrites are observed for MLG during the lithiation process. The large delithiation capacity under the low voltage plateau of MLG is mainly benefited from the combination of Li intercalation and boundary storage mechanism, which is further confirmed by the density functional theory calculations. The LiFePO4/MLG full cell can afford the satisfactory electrochemical property with respect to the capacity, energy density and ultralong cycling stability (90% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 2 C), significantly better than that of LiFePO4/CG. Besides, this developed technique not only dedicates to producing the high-performance anode for LIBs but also opens a door for the mass production of MLG in the industrial scale.

One-dimensional (1D) ZnFe2O4@SiO2 (ZS) nanochains were prepared with Stober method under external magnetic field. Then, 1D ZS nanochains were covered with a uniform polydopamine (PDA) shell, and the pyrolysis process was completed to obtain 1D ZnFe2O4@SiO2@C (ZSC) nanochains. Finally, 1D flower-like ZnFe2O4@SiO2@C@NiCo2O4 (ZSCNC) nanochains were fabricated through a simple hydrothermal method. The carbon layer with strong dielectric loss enabled the 1D ZSC nanochains to achieve an ultra-wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 6.22 GHz. Compared with the above nanochains, the 1D ZSCNC nanochains showed more excellent microwave absorption (MA) properties because of the unique 1D flower-like architectures having large surfaces and multiple interfaces. The sample loaded with 30 wt% 1D flower-like ZSCNC nanochains showed strong MA performances with a minimum reflection loss (RL) value of −54.29 dB (11.14 GHz) and an EAB of 5.66 GHz (11.94–17.60 GHz) at the thickness of 2.39 mm. The 1D flower-like ZSCNC nanochains with strong absorption, broad absorption bandwidth (almost the entire Ku band) and thin layer has a good application prospect for the absorption of electromagnetic waves in Ku band.

With the ability to recycle CO2 into value-added chemicals, cyanobacteria have been considered as renewable microbial cell factories. Astaxanthin, a highly valued carotenoid with potent antioxidant activity, could be beneficial to human health. Astaxanthin biosynthesis in engineered chassis has been achieved previously, but it generated a relatively low yield. Here, we successfully constructed a highly efficient astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway in cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, and achieved more than a 500-fold increase in astaxanthin production via stepwise reconstruction of the biosynthetic pathway and rational rewiring of the endogenous metabolism. The engineered strain produced up to 29.6 mg/g of astaxanthin (dry cell weight), which is the highest yield reported in the engineered chassis to date. Moreover, multi-omics analyses revealed that establishing a high astaxanthin flux may enhance photosynthesis and central metabolism in the engineered strain to compensate for the depleted pigments, which could be valuable for astaxanthin overproduction. This study presents a novel alternative for high-efficiency biosynthesis of astaxanthin directly from CO2.

The construction of hierarchically porous carbon nanorods (HPCNs) is realized via the one-step template-directing coupled with the activation methodology. The heteroatom (S and N) incorporation into the carbon skeleton is also realized during the preparation process because of the enrichment of S and N-containing organic compounds in the pitch precursor. The optimization of pore size distribution and specific surface area is performed by controlling the mass ratio of raw materials. The contributions of chemical activation and template-directing are mainly dedicated to generating the micropore and mesopore channels, respectively. Compared to the traditional chemical activation process, the employment of the amount of active agent in this work is reduced dramatically. Benefiting from the robust microarchitecture associated with hierarchical pore channels, HPCNs deliver the much enhanced capacitive behavior than the commercial activated carbon and counterparts derived from the pure template-directing and chemical activation methods, respectively. The great compatibility of gravimetric and areal capacitances can be simultaneously guaranteed even when the areal mass loading of the electrode is as high as 10 mg cm−2. Besides, the high-efficient conversion of pitch into the capacitive electrode material is also a new route for the high value-added utilization of pitch.

Activated carbon (TC1200) is prepared from tea waste via activation and carbonization. The specific surface area of TC1200 is 911.92 m2 g−1 and N-doping is achieved simultaneously due to the existence of N-enriched components in the carbon precursor. The TC1200 exhibits superior capacitive performances on a symmetric supercapacitor in the aspects of ultralong cycle stability (96.66% capacitance retention after 16,000 cycles at 4 A g−1) and ultrahigh power density (33,494.70 W kg−1 for an energy density of 19.45 Wh kg−1). The enhanced electroconductivity and the excellent wettability provided by the N elements synergistically facilitate the diffusion of the electrolyte ion into the bulk of the carbon material, greatly contributed to the double-layer capacitive behavior and the capacitance of the carbon material. This methodology supports the high-value added utilization of the biomass and provides an opportunity for the scalable production of activated carbons for supercapacitor energy storage devices.

The conductive carbon black (CB) was modified by the pore-structure modulation and S doping in the presence of pore-modulation agent and S dopant via the one-step calcination methodology, resulting in the S-doped and pore-structure modified CB (labeled as SPCB). The conductivity and contact angle tests prove that the function of S doping can not only increase the electrical conductivity but also enhance the hydrophilicity. As electrode materials for symmetric electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC), the influence of different mass loading of the electrode on the capacitive behavior is investigated. The areal mass loading of active materials for each electrode in the symmetric EDLC can reach up to 10 mg cm−2, comparable to the values of commercial devices. Without obvious sacrifice of the gravimetric capacitance is observed with the increase of mass loading, illustrating the small electrolyte ion transport resistance in electrode material and quick charge transfer property as well as the great compatibility for the gravimetric, areal and total capacitances. Additionally, the symmetric EDLC configured with SPCB affords the larger capacitance, better rate capability and higher capacitance retention as compared to the commercial activated carbon.

The introduction of S atoms into graphitic framework of graphene, has been demonstrated as an effective strategy to further enhance the capacitive performance. Nevertheless, the practical application and scalable production of S-doped graphene still remain great challenges because of the employment of toxic and expensive S-containing precursors during the preparation process coupled with harsh operating conditions. Herein, the developed facile post-treatment doping methodology based on the fluidized bed technique is capable of achieving the superior capacitive S-doped porous graphene (SPG) with a high yield and the good porosity of SPG is well-retained. The amount of defects and electronic conductivity of PG have obviously increased after incorporation of S atoms. The excellent capacitive behaviors of SPG in supercapacitors are benefited from the combination of well-developed pore channels and S doping. The post-treatment methodology coupled with fluidized bed technique is promising to open a new way for the mass production of SPG. Additionally, the developed methodology can be employed to prepare arbitrary S-doped carbon materials, such as S-doped porous carbon and S-doped carbon black, demonstrating the good universality.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate the stability of disc position and condylar status by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disc repositioning surgery with a mini-screw anchor technique. Materials and Methods Patients diagnosed with anterior disc displacement (ADD) and operated on for disc repositioning from 2010 through 2016 were included in the study. MRI scans within 1 week after operation (T1) and during at least 1-year follow-up were used to evaluate changes in disc position and condylar bone. During follow-up, ADD without reduction was considered relapse and the bone status was classified as regeneration or degeneration. Results One hundred seven patients with 149 joints were included in the study. Postoperative MRI scans (T1) showed that all discs were repositioned. During an average 23.40-month follow-up (range, 12 to 84 months), 95.3% of discs (142 of 149) were still in position, whereas 4.7% of discs (7 of 149) had relapsed anteriorly. New condylar bone formation was observed in 74.50% of joints (111 of 149), no bone change was observed in 23.49% of joints (35 of 149), and bone resorption was observed in 2.01% of joints (3 of 149). Conclusions TMJ disc repositioning by a mini-screw anchor provides stability for treatment of ADD. Disc repositioning also can stimulate condylar bone regeneration.

Dietary omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6) can be synthesized in microalgae Crypthecodinium cohnii; however, its productivity is still low. Here, we established a new protocol termed as “chemical modulator based adaptive laboratory evolution” (CM-ALE) to enhance lipid and DHA productivity in C. cohnii. First, ACCase inhibitor sethoxydim based CM-ALE was applied to redirect carbon equivalents from starch to lipid. Second, CM-ALE using growth modulator sesamol as selection pressure was conducted to relive negative effects of sesamol on lipid biosynthesis in C. cohnii, which allows enhancement of biomass productivity by 30% without decreasing lipid content when sesamol was added. After two-step CM-ALE, the lipid and DHA productivity in C. cohnii was respectively doubled to a level of 0.046 g/L/h and 0.025 g/L/h in culture with addition of 1 mM sesamol, demonstrating that this two-step CM-ALE could be a valuable approach to maximize the properties of microalgae.

The construction of micron-sized porous graphene belts (PGBs) is realized by the chemical vapor deposition approach using porous MgO belts as substrates in the fluidized bed reactor. The as-obtained PGBs possess high ratio of length to diameter (up to 100), few-layered structure, large specific surface area and good structural integrity. The unique one-dimensional belt-like architecture with the large size contributes to inhibiting the restacking or aggregation for PGBs, therefore intrinsic outstanding properties of PGBs can be manifested. As electrode materials for the capacitive storage devices, the PGBs symmetric supercapacitor assembled with the aqueous electrolyte affords the much enhanced capacitance and higher capacitance retention in comparison with the commercial activated carbon. Besides, the Li ion capacitor fabricated with the Li 4 Ti 5 O 12 anode and PGBs cathode, exhibits satisfied Ragone performance (120 Wh kg −1 at 503 W kg −1 and 8044 W kg −1 at 51 Wh kg −1 ) and good durability. The superior capacitive behaviors of PGBs in aqueous and organic systems are ascribed to the synergistic effect of the one-dimensional robust belt-like microarchitecture and abundant pore channels.

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) plays a vital role in the biogeochemistry of aquatic ecosystems. However, the mechanisms of DOM cycling in the water column during different seasons have not been fully elucidated to date. The differences in DOM degradation in summer, autumn, and winter water columns were evaluated in this study. The results showed that bacteria played an essential role in the degradation of DOM in the summer water column. Photochemical degradation was the primary degradation pathway of DOM in the autumn and winter water columns. Notably, while DOM is degraded, photosynthetic bacteria produce organic matter through photosynthesis to replenish the water column. EEM-PARAFAC analysis indicated more tryptophan component C1 in summer, but the contents of humic substance component C2 and terrestrial substance C3 were higher in autumn and winter. In summer, more tryptophan-like components were consumed by bacteria, and Cyanobacteria produced more organic matter through photosynthesis to replenish the water column. Moreover, a similar bacterial community structure and a more active tryptophan biosynthesis pathway were found in autumn and winter. Random forest models identified representative bacteria involved in the DOM transformation process in different seasons. The above findings may be helpful to explore the degradation characteristics of DOM in different seasons and predict the fate of DOM in the water column in the future.

Photosynthetic cyanobacteria are important primary producers and model organisms for studying photosynthesis and elements cycling on earth. Due to the ability to absorb sunlight and utilize carbon dioxide, cyanobacteria have also been proposed as renewable chassis for carbon-neutral "microbial cell factories". Recent progresses on cyanobacterial synthetic biology have led to the successful production of more than two dozen of fuels and fine chemicals directly from CO2, demonstrating their potential for scale-up application in the future. However, compared with popular heterotrophic chassis like Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, where abundant genetic tools are available for manipulations at levels from single gene, pathway to whole genome, limited genetic tools are accessible to cyanobacteria. Consequently, this significant technical hurdle restricts both the basic biological researches and further development and application of these renewable systems. Though still lagging the heterotrophic chassis, the vital roles of genetic tools in tuning of gene expression, carbon flux re-direction as well as genome-wide manipulations have been increasingly recognized in cyanobacteria. In recent years, significant progresses on developing and introducing new and efficient genetic tools have been made for cyanobacteria, including promoters, riboswitches, ribosome binding site engineering, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated nuclease (CRISPR/Cas) systems, small RNA regulatory tools and genome-scale modeling strategies. In this review, we critically summarize recent advances on development and applications as well as technical limitations and future directions of the genetic tools in cyanobacteria. In addition, toolboxes feasible for using in large-scale cultivation are also briefly discussed.

The orientation construction of S and N dual-doped discoid-like graphene (labeled as SNDG) is achieved by regular arrangement of the polycyclic aromatics in pitch molecules using natural diatomites as templates. The superior electrochemical energy storage ability of SNDG is demonstrated by cathode and anode tests, respectively. The synergistic effects of the robust scaffold coupled with the hollow structure, unique porous structure, the excellent structural stability and the dual-doping of S and N lead to the electrode property enhancement in terms of rate capability and durability. The Li ion hybrid capacitor using SNDG as both anode and cathode, presents excellent long-term cycling stability and markedly energy and power densities (up to 143 Wh kg−1 and 13,548 W kg−1). This work provides a novel pathway to realize the mass production of high-rate electrode materials via the high value-added utilization of pitch.

The outburst of superoxide anion (O 2 − ) in mitochondrial during ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) process will cause a series of oxidative damage including polarity loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, overload of secondary cellular calcium, and cascade apoptosis. To monitor the O 2 − level fluctuations as well as to evaluate the relationship between O 2 − concentration and the degree of cell apoptosis during I/R process, we propose a ratiometric near-infrared mitochondrial targeting fluorescent probe Mito-Cy-Tfs for the detection of level changes of O 2 − in cells and in vivo . The probe Mito-Cy-Tfs is composed of three moieties: near-infrared heptamethine cyanine as fluorescence signal transducer, trifluoromethanesulfonamide as fluorescence modulator, and lipophilic triphenylphosphonium cation as mitochondrial guider. The probe can well locate in mitochondria and respond the concentration changes of endogenous O 2 − selectively and sensitively. The probe has been successfully utilized to image the endogenous O 2 − fluctuations in four kinds of cell I/R models (glucose deprivation/reperfusion, serum deprivation/reperfusion, oxygen deprivation/reperfusion and glucose-serum-oxygen deprivation/reperfusion). The probe also exhibits deep tissue penetration for real-time imaging of O 2 − concentration in liver of I/R mice model. We confirm that the adoption of ischemic preconditioning (IPC) and postconditioning (IPTC) can protect liver from I/R injury. The probe can be employed to accurately indicate and evaluate the mutual relationship between the levels of O 2 − and the degrees of organ damage during I/R, IPC and IPTC processes. The above applications make our new probe a potential candidate for the clinical surgery assessment.

As an important part of lake ecosystems, sediments play a key role in the carbon cycle in lakes. Due to the complex sources of organic matter in sediments, the link between sequestration and transformation of humic substance is largely unknown. Therefore, it is essential to understand the characteristics of humic substance in lake sediments. In this study, the relationship between the characteristics of humic substance and environmental conditions was found in sediment samples from six typical lakes of northeast China. The structure of humic substance (HS), fulvic acid (FA) and humic acid (HA) tended to be simplified with decreasing lake depth. Pearson analysis indicated that characteristics of humic substances in deep lake sediments were dominantly determined by nutrient factors (e.g., NO3−-N, NO2−-N, NH4+-N) and physicochemical factors (e.g., pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen), while the changes of HS in shallow lake sediments were dominantly determined by physicochemical factors (e.g., pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen). Variation partitioning results also indicated that nutrient factors and physicochemical factors explained 64% and 24.2% of the variations of HS content in boreal deep lakes. In comparison, physicochemical factors explained most of the variation (35.6%) of HS composition, while nutrient factors only explained 3.4% of the variation in shallow lakes. Structural equation models further confirmed that complex components were transformed into simple components by nutrient and physicochemical factors with decreasing lake depth. This study suggests that changes in environmental conditions with lake depth may result in changes in the quality of HS in lake sediments.

Bacillus is the classic inoculant in rice straw composting. However, there has been no in-depth study of the mechanism promoting the degradation of lignocellulose and the change of indigenous bacterial communities after Bacillus inoculation. Moreover, the stability of bacterial communities is a significant challenge in achieving the efficacy of inoculation. In this study, the ecological succession and yield-resource acquisition-stress tolerance (Y-A-S) framework were combined with Redundancy analysis (RDA) and changes in relative abundance, Bacillus was found to be a pioneer bacterium that adopts a resource acquisition-stress tolerance strategy. The structural equation model (SEM) revealed that in addition to exerting a degradation effect, Bacillus inoculation could also indirectly affect lignocellulose degradation by changing the bacterial community. Random forest model and network analysis indicated a change in bacterial communities after inoculation, and bacteria with more complex relationships and weaker decomposition ability were key to the stability of bacterial communities.

The rapid development of multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria due to the improper and overuse of antibiotics and the ineffective performance of antibiotics against the difficult-to-treat biofilm-related infections (BRIs) have urgently called for alternative antimicrobial agents and strategies in combating bacterial infections. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), owing to their compelling antimicrobial activity against MDR bacteria and BRIs without causing bacteria resistance, have attracted extensive attention in the research field. With the development of nanomaterial-based drug delivery strategies, AMPs-based nano-formulations have significantly improved the therapeutic effects of AMPs by ameliorating their hydrolytic stability, half-life in vivo, and solubility as well as reducing the cytotoxicity and hemolysis, etc. This review has comprehensively summarized the application AMPs-based nano-formulation in various bacterial infections models, including bloodstream infections (specifically sepsis), pulmonary infections, chronic wound infections, gastrointestinal infections, among others. The design of the nanomaterial-based drug delivery systems and the therapeutic effects of the AMPs-based nano-formulations in literature have been categorized and in details discussed. Overall, this review provides insights into the advantages and disadvantages of the current developed AMPs-based nano-formulations in literature for the treatment of bacterial infections, bringing inspirations and suggestions for their future design in the way towards clinical translation.

Cadmium (Cd), as an environmental pollutant, can lead to nephrotoxicity. However, its nephrotoxicological mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. In this study, Cd (1.5 mg/kg body weight, gavaged for 4 weeks) was found to induce the renal damage in mice, based on indicators including Cd concentration, kidney index, serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen levels, pro-inflammatory cytokines and their mRNA expressions, levels of Bcl-2, Bax and caspase9, and histopathological changes of the kidneys. Furthermore, Cd-caused detrimental changes through inducing inflammation and apoptosis via the miR-34a/Sirt1/p53 axis. This is the first report on the role of miR-34a/Sirt1/p53 axis in regulating Cd-caused apoptosis and nephrotoxicity in mice. The findings obtained in this study provide new insights into miRNA-based regulation of heavy metal induced-nephrotoxicity.

A novel Al2O3/Pt/Al2O3/Pt/Al2O3 composite electrode is proposed for surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices on langasite substrate working at ultra-high temperatures. An alumina interlayer is inserted into Pt electrode to pin Pt grain boundaries, so as to prevent Pt atoms from migrating and recrystallizing. SEM results show that the new type of electrodes has greatly improved the high temperature stability. Characterizations confirm the pinning effect of the alumina interlayer. Within a certain range, a thicker alumina interlayer provides better high temperature stability and a 10 nm is an optimized thickness for the alumina. The combined effects allow the SAW devices to work stably at 1200 °C for at least 3 h.