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Solar-driven hydrogen evolution coupled with organic synthesis is important but challenging. Here, the authors report an in-situ oxygen impregnation strategy to build a ruthenium-based amorphous hybrid-mixture with abundant atomic interfaces and show efficient hydrogen evolution with small molecule oxidation.

Chiral nanostructures are in demand for various applications, but facile and scalable fabrication is a technical challenge. Here, the authors report polarization-directed chiral growth of complex spiral patterns by laser direct writing with vector beams.

Background: Due to the interrupted blood supply in cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS), ischemic and hypoxia results in neuronal depolarization, insufficient NAD+, excessive levels of ROS, mitochondrial damages, and energy metabolism disorders, which triggers the ischemic cascades. Currently, improvement of mitochondrial functions and energy metabolism is as a vital therapeutic target and clinical strategy. Hence, it is greatly crucial to look for neuroprotective natural agents with mitochondria protection actions and explore the mediated targets for treating CIS. In the previous study, notoginseng leaf triterpenes (PNGL) from Panax notoginseng stems and leaves was demonstrated to have neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, the potential mechanisms have been not completely elaborate. Methods: The model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) was adopted to verify the neuroprotective effects and potential pharmacology mechanisms of PNGL in vivo. Antioxidant markers were evaluated by kit detection. Mitochondrial function was evaluated by ATP content measurement, ATPase, NAD and NADH kits. And the transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and pathological staining (H&E and Nissl) were used to detect cerebral morphological changes and mitochondrial structural damages. Western blotting, ELISA and immunofluorescence assay were utilized to explore the mitochondrial protection effects and its related mechanisms in vivo. Results: In vivo, treatment with PNGL markedly reduced excessive oxidative stress, inhibited mitochondrial injury, alleviated energy metabolism dysfunction, decreased neuronal loss and apoptosis, and thus notedly raised neuronal survival under ischemia and hypoxia. Meanwhile, PNGL significantly increased the expression of nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) in the ischemic regions, and regulated its related downstream SIRT1/2/3-MnSOD/PGC-1α pathways. Conclusion: The study finds that the mitochondrial protective effects of PNGL are associated with the NAMPT-SIRT1/2/3-MnSOD/PGC-1α signal pathways. PNGL, as a novel candidate drug, has great application prospects for preventing and treating ischemic stroke.

Recently, applications of high-speed, lightweight parallel robots have been gaining increasing interest. Studies have shown that their elastic that their elastic deformation during operation often affects the robot's dynamic performance. In this paper, we designed and studied a 3 DOF parallel robot with a rotatable working platform. We developed a rigid-flexible coupled dynamics model consisting of a fully flexible rod and a rigid platform by combining the Assumed Mode Method with the Augmented Lagrange Method. The driving moments under three different modes were used as feedforward in the model's numerical simulation and analysis. We conducted a comparative analysis demonstrating that the flexible rod's elastic deformation under a redundant drive is significantly smaller than that of a non-redundant one, leading to a better suppression effect on vibration. The system's dynamic performance under the redundant drive was significantly superior compared to that of the non-redundant one. Additionally, the motion accuracy was higher and the driving mode b was better than that of the driving mode c. Finally, the proposed dynamics model's correctness was verified by modeling it in Adams.

AimsCircular RNA (circRNA) is involved in the regulation of articular cartilage degeneration induced by inflammatory factors or oxidative stress. In a previous study, we found that the expression of circStrn3 was significantly reduced in chondrocytes of osteoarthritis (OA) patients and OA mice. Therefore, the aim of this paper was to explore the role and mechanism of circStrn3 in osteoarthritis.MethodsMinus RNA sequencing, fluorescence in situ hybridization, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used to detect the expression of circStrn3 in human and mouse OA cartilage tissues and chondrocytes. Chondrocytes were then stimulated to secrete exosomal miR-9-5p by cyclic tensile strain. Intra-articular injection of exosomal miR-9-5p into the model induced by destabilized medial meniscus (DMM) surgery was conducted to alleviate OA progression.ResultsTensile strain could decrease the expression of circStrn3 in chondrocytes. CircStrn3 expression was significantly decreased in human and mouse OA cartilage tissues and chondrocytes. CircStrn3 could inhibit matrix metabolism of chondrocytes through competitively ‘sponging’ miRNA-9-5p targeting Kruppel-like factor 5 (KLF5), indicating that the decrease in circStrn3 might be a protective factor in mechanical instability-induced OA. The tensile strain stimulated chondrocytes to secrete exosomal miR-9-5p. Exosomes with high miR-9-5p expression from chondrocytes could inhibit osteoblast differentiation by targeting KLF5. Intra-articular injection of exosomal miR-9-5p alleviated the progression of OA induced by destabilized medial meniscus surgery in mice.ConclusionTaken together, these results demonstrate that reduction of circStrn3 causes an increase in miR-9-5p, which acts as a protective factor in mechanical instability-induced OA, and provides a novel mechanism of communication among joint components and a potential application for the treatment of OA.Cite this article: Bone Joint Res 2023;12(1):33–45.

The application of a high-speed parallel manipulator necessitates the adoption of a lightweight design to reduce dead weight. However, this increases the elastic deformation of certain components, affecting the dynamic performance of the system. This study examined a 2-DOF planar flexible parallel manipulator. A dynamic model of the parallel manipulator composed of fully flexible links was established using a floating reference coordinate system and a combination of the finite element and augmented Lagrange multiplier methods. A dynamic analysis of the simplified model under three driving torque modes showed that the axial deformation was less than the transverse deformation by three orders of magnitude. Further, the kinematic and dynamic performance of the redundant drive was significantly better than that of the non-redundant drive, and the vibration was well suppressed in the redundant drive mode. In addition, the comprehensive performance of driving Mode 2 was better than that of the other two modes. Finally, the validity of the dynamic model was verified by modeling via Adams. The modular modeling method is conducive to the extension to other models and programming. Furthermore, the dynamic model of the established fully flexible link system can aid in optimizing the lightweight design and dynamic performance of the parallel manipulator.

A new type of carbazole-based blue-emitting dendritic conjugated polymer, poly[(9,9-dioctyl)-2,7-fluorene-co-4,4’,4”-triphenylamine-co-9-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)butyl)-3,6-carbazole](P), was successfully synthesized by Suzuki coupling reaction. Chemical structures of monomers and polymer were verified by FI-IR and 1HNMR characterizations. We found that polymer showed a special selectivity and high sensitivity for I−. With the addition of I−, the fluorescent polymer solution was obviously quenched. The polymer showed a special detection effect on I−. However, the fluorescent polymer was obviously restored when Hg2+ was added to the P/I− system due to the large complexation between I− and Hg2+. The anti-interference experiments of probe P/I− showed that other background cations have a slight influence on detecting Hg2+, and the calculated detection limit of Hg2+ reached 9.7 × 10−8 M, which could be a potential application for a two-channel cyclic detection of I− and Hg2+. Additionally, it was found that the theoretical values were in agreement with the experimental data.

The mine roadway is a special restricted space where wireless signals cannot freely propagate. The research on the transmission characteristics of wireless signals in mine roadways is of great significance for establishing a safe and reliable underground communication system. In this context, the transmission characteristics of wireless signals with a frequency of 700 MHz in the roadway are studied using the three-dimensional (3D) ray-tracing method. The calculation of the vertical dimension of the roadway is increased, and a roadway model is established to more comprehensively reflect the transmission characteristics of the signal in the roadway. The results show that the field strength in the near-source region is high, the attenuation is fast, and the fluctuation is strong, while the waveform in the far-source region gradually stabilizes and decays. The signal strength is related to the number of reflections; the more reflections, the weaker the signal strength. When the transmitting end is close to the edge of the roadway wall, the signal attenuation is faster and the fluctuation amplitude is stronger. The signal strength in the roadway is affected by the cross-sectional size of the rectangular roadway, and the larger the length and width dimensions, the better the waveguide can be formed in the roadway. The simulation results of wireless signal transmission in the roadway are compared with the measured results from a coal mine in Ganhe, Huozhou, and the results show that the model established by the 3D ray-tracing method can predict the field strength distribution of wireless signal. This study provides a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for improving the reliability and quality of wireless signal transmission in mine tunnels. Future research directions can further optimize algorithms, enhance transmission rates, and improve interference resistance to meet the needs of wireless communication in mine tunnels.

Based on observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), we investigate 30 apparent current sheets during 1999–2021, including 10 on-disk and 8 limb ones from the SDO, as well as 12 limb ones from the SOHO. Each on-disk current sheet is formed among an X-type configuration consisting of two sets of atmospheric structures, and each limb one is involved in a flare–coronal mass ejection event. During magnetic reconnection period, the on-disk apparent current sheet evolves from a bright point to an elongated line-like structure, and the structure becomes thin in the late stage of the reconnection. Subsequently, the plasma distribution within the current sheet manifests as a plasmoid chain. For the limb apparent current sheet, the length elongation is faster than that of the on-disk one, and the thinning process is also detected. Although the aspect ratios of the limb cases are comparable to the value for the occurrence of tearing mode instability from simulation research, no obvious plasmoid chain is detected within these limb current sheets, and the density distribution is locally uniform. We suggest that due to the rapid extension of limb cases, the tearing mode instability is very fast, resulting in the formation of tiny plasmoids that are smaller than the instrument resolution. Moreover, there is another possible scenario. The observed limb apparent current sheet is just a bright ray, and the actual current sheet is only a small segment of the ray.

The current sheet is a characteristic structure of magnetic energy dissipation during the magnetic reconnection process. So far, the width and depth of the current sheet are still indefinite. Here we investigate 64 current sheets observed by four telescopes from 1999 to 2022, and all of them have been well identified in the previous literature. In each current sheet, three width values are obtained at the quartering points. Based on these investigated cases, we obtain 192 values, which are in a wide range from hundreds to tens of thousands of kilometers. By calculating the pixel width (PW: the ratio of the current sheet width to the pixel resolution of corresponding observed data) of these current sheets, we find that more than 80% of the PW values concentrate on 2–4 pixels, indicating that the widths of the current sheets are dependent strongly on the instrument resolutions and all the sheets have no observable three-dimensional information. To interpret this result, we suggest that there are two probabilities. One is that the width of the current sheet is smaller than the instrument resolution, and the other is that the detected current sheet is only a small segment of the real one. Furthermore, there is another possible scenario. The so-called current sheet is just an emission-enhanced region.

Magnetic reconnection is believed to play an important role in the release and conversion of energy among magnetized plasma systems. So far, we have been unable to understand under what conditions magnetic reconnection can take place. Based on observations from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), we study 16 magnetic reconnection events, and each event has a clear X-type configuration consisting of two sets of atmospheric structures. We focus on 38 footpoints that are relevant to these structures and can be clearly determined. By using SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager line-of-sight magnetograms, we track the field evolution of these footpoints. Prior to the occurrence of magnetic reconnection, the associated fields at the footpoints underwent convergence and shear motions, and thus became enhanced and complex. During the converging period, the rates of increase of the mean magnetic flux densities (MFDs) at these footpoints are 0.03–0.25 hr ^−1 . While the unsigned mean MFDs are 70–300 G, magnetic reconnection in the solar atmosphere takes place. Subsequently, the photospheric fields of these footpoints diffuse and weaken, with rates of decrease of the MFDs from 0.03 to 0.18 hr ^−1 . These results suggest that, due to the photospheric dynamical evolution at the footpoints, the footpoint MFDs increase from a small value to a large one, and the corresponding atmospheric magnetic fields become complicated and nonpotential; then reconnection happens and it releases the accumulated magnetic field energy. Our study supports the conjecture that magnetic reconnection releases free magnetic energy stored in the nonpotential fields.

Abstract Background To identify the malignant potential and prognostic indicators of renal epithelioid angiomyolipoma (eAML), clinicopathological and molecular features as well as the drug efficacy of 67 eAML cases were analyzed. Materials and methods Sixty-seven renal eAML patients were enrolled and the immunohistochemical features of these patients were examined. FFPE slides of all patients were re-examined. 21 patients with metastasis received Everolimus 10 mg orally once daily. Responses were evaluated with RECIST criteria by three authors. A risk stratification model was constructed using the following factors: pT3 and pT4, presence of necrosis, mitotic count ≥ 2; the presence of atypical mitoses; severe nuclear atypia, SMA negative, Ki-67 ≥ 10%. Results The average percentage of the epithelioid component was 85.6% (range 80–95%). Immunohistochemically, Ki-67 ≥ 10% and negative SMA staining were significantly correlated with malignant characteristics (Ki-67: p

Abstract Park integrated energy system (PIES) can utilize multiple energy resources complementarily and promote comprehensive energy efficiency. However, the uncertainty of renewable energy generation poses significant challenges to the optimal operation of PIES. This paper proposes a data‐driven distributionally robust optimization (DDRO) model for the day‐ahead scheduling of PIESs with coordination of carbon capture and storage devices (CCS) and combined heat and power plants (CHP). First, a deterministic economic dispatch model of PIES was presented with the aim at minimizing the total operating costs of PIES and promoting the photovoltaic (PV) power accommodation. Then, a DDRO model was developed based on the historical data to yield the optimal solution in the worst PV output scenario, where the confidence set is established with comprehensive consideration of norm‐1 and norm‐inf constraints. Furthermore, an efficient solving framework was proposed for the DDRO based on the combination of the column‐and‐constraint generation (C&CG) algorithm and a duality‐free decomposition method. Finally, case studies are carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.

The milk yield of dairy cows in a non-stressed state in the cold region in China is lower during cold seasons. In this study, the correlations between indoor environmental factors and milk production were analyzed. Temperature, relative humidity, and light intensity were found to be the main factors affecting milk yield. The warning values of these factors for lower milk production were 5 °C, 60%, and 300 lx, respectively. A neural network model predicting milk yield based on environmental factors was established, and the optimal model parameters were determined, resulting in a high accuracy of R2 = 0.802. This model was used to investigate the optimal measure for improving the indoor environment, which helps to increase milk production and economic benefits, including LED lights, heating radiators, and dehumidifiers. In conclusion, each type of device led to the growth of milk yield, reaching 2.341, 1.706, and 1.893 kg cow−1 Day−1. The combination of heating radiator and LED light resulted in the highest increased net benefit of 16.802 CNY cow−1 Day−1. This is the first time that a neural network model was successfully built to predict milk yield based on climatic features which was also applied to economic analysis of indoor environment improvement for dairy barns in extreme cold regions.

Infection with Candida spp. is a significant cause of bovine mastitis globally. We previously found that C. krusei was the main pathogen causing mycotic mastitis in dairy cows in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China. However, whether the infection of this pathogen could induce apoptosis in BMECs remained unclear. In this report, we explored the apoptosis and underlying mechanism of BMECs induced by C. krusei yeast and hypha phases using a pathogen/host cell co-culture model. Our results revealed that both the yeast and hypha phases of C. krusei could induce BMEC apoptosis; however, the yeast phase induced more cell apoptosis than the hypha phase, as assessed via electronic microscopy and flow cytometry assays. This finding was further corroborated via the measurement of the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and the TUNEL test. Infection by both the yeast and hypha phases of C. krusei greatly induced the expression of proteins associated with cell death pathways and important components of toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, including TLR2 and TLR4 receptors, as determined via a Western blotting assay. BMECs mainly underwent apoptosis after infection by the C. krusei yeast phase through a mitochondrial pathway. Meanwhile, BMEC apoptosis induced by the C. krusei hypha phase was regulated by a death ligand/receptor pathway. In addition, C. krusei-induced BMEC apoptosis was regulated by both the TLR2/ERK and JNK/ERK signaling pathways. These data suggest that the yeast phase and hypha phase of C. krusei induce BMEC apoptosis through distinct cell signaling pathways. This study represents a unique perspective on the molecular processes underlying BMEC apoptosis in response to C. krusei infection.

The northern Andaman Sea (AS) continental shelf is unique due to the diverse marine ecosystem and existences of both hypoxia and internal tides, but limited in situ observations restrict our understanding of the hydrographic dynamic process. Based on the turbidity, mean volumes of backscattering strength (MVBS), we qualitatively studied the mean distribution characteristics and temporal variation in suspended matters on the northern AS continental shelf and their relation to hypoxia and internal tides. The results of both MVBS and turbidity revealed that the suspended matters exhibited a three-layer vertical structure. The upper and lower layers exhibited high values, while the middle layer had low values. The upper boundary of the high-value region in the upper layer descended below the surface to a depth of 30 m after sunrise and returned to the surface after sunset, indicating a diel vertical migration of zooplankton and micronekton. Daytime migration depth was likely constrained by hypoxia’s upper boundary. In the lower layer, three MVBS enhancements and attenuations correlated with vertical upward and downward velocities, respectively, primarily driven by uplift or suppression. We proposed vertical velocity patterns resulted from internal bores, possibly triggered by shoaling semidiurnal internal tides.

Abstract Wood dust produced in medium-density fiberboard (MDF) processing is a major occupational hazard in wood industry and may damage processing equipment. In many wood processing factories, dust collecting systems need to be optimized for the distributional and morphological characteristics of dust in the workshop so that economical and efficient dust control can be achieved. In this study, weighting, image analysis and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied to explore the effects of different cutting speeds on the distribution and morphology of dust generated in MDF milling. The results showed that most dust particles were less than 100 μm and that the aspect ratios (AR) were between 0.6 and 0.7. There was significant difference in particle number size distribution (PNSD) between the dust at different sampling positions. Less amount of dust was located close to cutting center, and fine dust was more likely to appear far away from cutting center. Cutting speed was associated with PNSD, but had little effect on AR. The findings provide spatial distribution characteristics of MDF dust during milling, which can be helpful for optimizing cutting parameters and locating dust collecting hoods to minimize dust exposure.

Abstract With the fast development of wind power generation, many countries actively encourage wind power to trade in the medium‐long term market. However, the traditional forward contracts from medium‐long term markets are only suitable to conventional power generation enterprises, instead of wind farms. To facilitate the accommodation of wind power in the medium‐long term market, this paper focuses on two problems: The framework of the block‐based forward contract trading method and the procurement strategy of retailers with block‐based contracts. First, a novel block‐based forward contract is proposed, where the time attributes, that is, starting and ending time, and power during each period are stipulated. Aggregating all the block‐based forward contracts will naturally form the power supply curve, which can provide boundary information for wind farms when they take part in other markets. Secondly, a chance‐constrained procurement strategy model is proposed for retailers, where the uncertainty of wind power generation, constraints of block‐based contracts, and quota obligations of retailers are considered. Furthermore, a bilinear Benders decomposition algorithm with a variant of Jensen's inequalities is applied to solve the proposed model. Finally, experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model and method, which is computationally efficient in solving the chance‐constrained procurement strategy problem.

Abstract Background Mobile colistin resistance like gene (mcr-like gene) is a new type of polymyxin resistance gene that can be horizontally transferred in the Enterobacteriaceae. This has brought great challenges to the treatment of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli and K. pneumoniae. Results K. pneumoniae 16BU137 and E. coli 17MR471 were isolated from the bus and subway handrails in Guangzhou, China. K. pneumoniae 19PDR22 and KP20191015 were isolated from patients with urinary tract infection and severe pneumonia in Anhui, China. Sequence analysis indicated that the mcr-1.1 gene was present on the chromosome of E. coli 17MR471, and the gene was in the gene cassette containing pap2 and two copies of ISApl1.The mcr-1.1 was found in the putative IncX4 type plasmid p16BU137_mcr-1.1 of K. pneumoniae 16BU137, but ISApl1 was not found in its flanking sequence. Mcr-8 variants were found in the putative IncFIB/ IncFII plasmid pKP20191015_mcr-8 of K. pneumoniae KP20191015 and flanked by ISEcl1 and ISKpn26. Conclusion This study provides timely information on Enterobacteriaceae bacteria carrying mcr-like genes, and provides a reference for studying the spread of mcr-1 in China and globally.

As a time-domain EEG feature reflecting the semantic processing of the human brain, the N400 event-related potentials still lack a mature classification and recognition scheme. To address the problems of low signal-to-noise ratio and difficult feature extraction of N400 data, we propose a Soft-DTW-based single-subject short-distance event-related potential averaging method by using the advantages of differentiable and efficient Soft-DTW loss function, and perform partial Soft-DTW averaging based on DTW distance within a single-subject range, and propose a Transformer-based ERP recognition classification model, which captures contextual information by introducing location coding and a self-attentive mechanism, combined with a Softmax classifier to classify N400 data. The experimental results show that the highest recognition accuracy of 0.8992 is achieved on the ERP-CORE N400 public dataset, verifying the effectiveness of the model and the averaging method.

Active particles have been regarded as the key models to mimic and understand the complex systems of nature. Although chemical and field-powered active particles have received wide attentions, light-programmed actuation with long-range interaction and high throughput remains elusive. Here, we utilize photothermal active plasmonic substrate made of porous anodic aluminum oxide filled with Au nanoparticles and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) to optically oscillate silica beads with robust reversibility. The thermal gradient generated by the laser beam incurs the phase change of PNIPAM, producing gradient of surface forces and large volume changes within the complex system. The dynamic evolution of phase change and water diffusion in PNIPAM films result in bistate locomotion of silica beads, which can be programmed by modulating the laser beam. This light-programmed bistate colloidal actuation provides promising opportunity to control and mimic the natural complex systems.

BackgroundHuang Lian (HL), one of the traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs) that contains multiple active components including berberine (BBR), has been used to treat symptoms associated with diabetes for thousands of years. Compared to the monomer of BBR, HL exerts a better glucose-lowering activity and plays different roles in regulating gut microbiota. However, it remains unclear what role the gut microbiota plays in the anti-diabetic activity of HL.MethodsIn this study, a type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) mouse model was induced with a six-week high-fat diet (HFD) and a one-time injection of streptozotocin (STZ, 75 mg/kg). One group of these mice was administrated HL (50 mg/kg) through oral gavage two weeks after HFD feeding commenced and continued for four weeks; the other mice were given distilled water as disease control. Comprehensive analyses of physiological indices related to glycolipid metabolism, gut microbiota, untargeted metabolome, and hepatic genes expression, function prediction by PICRUSt2 were performed to identify potential mechanism.ResultsWe found that HL, in addition to decreasing body fat accumulation, effectively improved insulin resistance by stimulating the hepatic insulin-mediated signaling pathway. In comparison with the control group, HL treatment constructed a distinct gut microbiota and bile acid (BA) profile. The HL-treated microbiota was dominated by bacteria belonging to Bacteroides and the Clostridium innocuum group, which were associated with BA metabolism. Based on the correlation analysis, the altered BAs were closely correlated with the improvement of T2DM-related markers.ConclusionThese results indicated that the anti-diabetic activity of HL was achieved, at least partly, by regulating the structure of the gut microbiota and the composition of BAs.

The harsh conditions in the reactor affect the thermal and mechanical performance of the fuel plate heavily. Some in-pile behaviors, like fission-induced swelling, can cause a large deformation of fuel plate at very high burnup, which may even disturb the flow of coolant. In this research, the emphasis is put on the thermal expansion, fission-induced swelling, interaction layer (IL) growth, creep of the fuel meat, and plasticity of the cladding for the U3Si2/Al dispersion fuel plate. A detailed model of the fuel meat swelling is developed. Taking these in-pile behaviors into consideration, the three-dimensional large deformation incremental constitutive relations and stress update algorithms have been developed to study its thermal-mechanical performance under normal conditions using Abaqus. Results have shown that IL can effectively decrease the thermal conductivity of fuel meat. The high Mises stress region mainly locates at the interface between fuel meat and cladding, especially around the side edge of the interface. With irradiation time increasing, the stress in the fuel plate gets larger resulting from the growth of fuel meat swelling but then decreases under the effect of creep deformation. For the cladding, plasticity deformation does not occur within the irradiation time.

Abstract Background LncRNA-ATB is a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) activated by transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and it has important biological functions in tumours and nontumour diseases. Meanwhile, TGF-β is the most critical regulatory factor in the process of nephrotic fibrosis and calcium oxalate (CaOx) crystal-induced renal injury. The present study aimed to investigate the biological function and mechanism of lncRNA-ATB in CaOx crystal-induced renal injury. Methods The expression level of lncRNA-ATB was detected by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), the expression levels of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, TGF-β1 and Kidney Injury Molecule-1 (KIM-1) were detected by qRT-PCR, immunofluorescence staining or western blot analysis, cell proliferation was measured with a CCK-8 kit, cell apoptosis was measured by flow cytometry and TUNEL staining, and cell injury was detected with the Cytotoxicity lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) Assay kit and the expression level of KIM-1. Results The expression levels of lncRNA-ATB and TGF-β1 were significantly increased in HK-2 cells after coincubation with calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM). COM stimulation caused significant injury in the HK-2 cells, induced cell apoptosis, inhibited cell proliferation, and induced EMT changes. After COM stimulation, the expression levels of the epithelial cell markers E-cadherin and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 in HK-2 cells significantly decreased, whereas the levels of the mesenchymal cell markers N-cadherin, vimentin and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) significantly increased. Interference with lncRNA-ATB expression significantly relieved the COM-induced cell injury, cell apoptosis, proliferation inhibition, and EMT changes. The expression levels of the microRNA-200 (miR-200) family in the HK-2 cells after coincubation with COM were significantly decreased. MiR-200a mimics relieved the COM-induced cell injury, apoptosis, proliferation inhibition, and EMT changes, whereas miR-200a inhibitors abolished the lncRNA-ATB interference-induced relief of the COM-induced cell injury, apoptosis, proliferation inhibition, and EMT. Conclusion LncRNA-ATB promoted the COM-induced cell injury, cell apoptosis, proliferation inhibition, and EMT to participate in the process of CaOx crystal-induced renal injury by sponging miR-200s.

Marcus inverted region for charge transfer from low-dimensional semiconductor materials has been long sought after. Here, the authors reveal this region by directly measuring charge transfer from single-charge states rather than excitonic states.

Abstract Background Mesenteric adipose tissue (mAT) hyperplasia, known as creeping fat is a pathologic characteristic of Crohn’s disease (CD). The reserve of creeping fat in surgery is associated with poor prognosis of CD patients, but the mechanism remains unknown. Methods Mesenteric microbiome, metabolome, and host transcriptome were characterized using a cohort of 48 patients with CD and 16 non-CD controls. Multidimensional data including 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequencing (16S rRNA), host RNA sequencing, and metabolome were integrated to reveal network interaction. Mesenteric resident bacteria were isolated from mAT and functionally investigated both in the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) model and in the Il10 gene-deficient (Il10 −/−) mouse colitis model to validate their pro-inflammatory roles. Results Mesenteric microbiota contributed to aberrant metabolites production and transcripts in mATs from patients with CD. The presence of mAT resident microbiota was associated with the development of CD. Achromobacter pulmonis (A. pulmonis) isolated from CD mAT could translocate to mAT and exacerbate both DSS-induced and Il10 gene-deficient (Il10 −/−) spontaneous colitis in mice. The levels of A. pulmonis in both mAT and mucous layer from CD patients were higher compared to those from the non-CD group. Conclusions This study suggests that the mesenteric microbiota from patients with CD sculpt a detrimental microenvironment and promote intestinal inflammation. Video abstract

Abstract Background Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are invasive mosquito species and significantly impact human health in southern China. Microbiota are confirmed to affect the development and immunity of mosquitoes. However, scientists have focused more on midgut microbiota of female mosquitoes and bacterial differences between female and male Aedes mosquitoes. The relationship between the midgut and entire body microbiota of Aedes is unclear. In this study, we collected mosquito samples reared under the same laboratory conditions and compared the microbial composition of midgut and entire bodies of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Methods In this study, we collected mosquito samples reared under the same laboratory conditions and compared the microbial composition of midgut and entire bodies of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Results A total of 341 OTUs were identified, showing that Proteobacteria was the dominant phylum and Methylobacterium the dominant genus in both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. The bacterial diversity and community structures of the entire bodies were similar between males and females in both Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Conversely, the bacterial compositions of male and female Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus were significantly different. NMDS analysis, UPGMA analysis, diversity indices and OTU distribution demonstrated that compositions and structures in midgut microbiota were similar but significantly different in the entire bodies of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Functional prediction analysis showed that metabolism and environmental information processing were the dominant KEGG pathways at level 1. Our study showed that there were significantly different level 2 and 3 KEGG pathways in the midgut microbiota (16 level 2 and 24 level 3) and the entire bodies (33 level 2 and 248 level 3) between female Aedes albopictus and Aedes Aegypti. Conclusions Our findings that Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus reared in the same laboratory harbor a similar gut bacterial microbiome but different entire body microbiota imply that the gut microbiota of adult mosquitoes is environmentally determined regardless of the host genotype, but the entire body microbiota is more genetically determined. Our findings improved the understanding of the microbiota in the entire and partial tissues of Aedes mosquitoes. Graphical abstract

Abstract Background Some children hospitalized for severe pertussis need intensive care; moreover, some children die because of deterioration alone or in combination with other complications. The purpose of this study was to identify the mortality risk factors among hospitalized children with severe pertussis. Methods This study evaluated the medical records of 144 hospitalized children with severe pertussis at the Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Centre between January 2016 and December 2019. Results The median age of patients was 2 months (IQR 1–4 months), with 90.3% of the patients aged 70.0 × 109/L (odds ratio [OR], 230.66; 95% confidence interval [CI], 5.16–10,319.09 P = 0.005) and pulmonary hypertension (PH) (OR 323.29; 95% CI 16.01–6529.42; P 70.0 × 109/L and PH were the prognostic independent variables associated with death.

Abstract Reactive oxygen species (ROS) driven endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is highly promising for tumor therapy but restrained by the nondurable introduction and limited lifetime of oxidative species. Here, a therapeutic nanosystem with sustainable ROS generation ability was developed by accommodating luminol derivatives (L012) in hyaluronic acid‐modified metal‐organic frameworks of Fe3+ and porphyrin ligand (TCPP). After particle accumulation in the tumor, ∙OH radicals from Fe3+ sites catalyzed conversion of H2O2 can react with confined L012 transducers to generate chemiluminescence (CL). Because of the distance constraints, the CL energy was significantly extracted (96%) by adjacent TCPP and further activate oxygen to long‐lifetime singlet oxygen (1O2), whose yield can be further boosted by the catalase‐like activity of the frameworks. By regulating the substrate consumption through energy conversion, the cascade process resulted in increased ROS levels (2.4‐fold) and sustainable oxidation (24 h), which induced continuously accumulated ER stress, high autophagic levels, and amplified lethality against the tumor. This work opens a new avenue to explore reticular nanostructures with complementarily arranged and synergistically spaced conversion units in advancing ROS therapy.

With the change of users’ energy consumption concept, the users are no longer rigid as the traditional inelasticity but can be flexible to carry out integrated demand response (IDR). The load has also been transformed from a traditional purely consumptive load to a new type of load that combines production and consumption with the improvement and popularization of renewable energy production technologies such as wind power and photovoltaic. In this paper, considering the IDR of loads and the uncertainty of renewable energy output, a decentralized robust optimal dispatch study is conducted on user-level integrated electricity-gas-heat systems (IEGHSs) composed of energy hubs (EHs) and some users. This paper firstly developed the comprehensive model of the user-level IEGHS, including the detailed mathematical model of EH, IDR, and users. Then, based on the established model, an optimal dispatching model is established with the goal of the lowest operating cost for the system. In order to cope with the uncertainty of the output of renewable energy equipment while protecting the security and privacy of different participants in the integrated energy system (IES), a decentralized robust algorithm is used to solve the model. Finally, the proposed model is analyzed and verified by an IES example composed of one EH and three users with the ability of IDRs, and the feasibility of the proposed model and algorithm is verified.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and their derivatives have received extensive attention due to their negative effects on the environment and on human health. However, few studies have performed comprehensive assessments of PAHs emitted from pesticide factories. This study assessed the concentration, composition, and health risk of 52 PM2.5-bound PAHs during the daytime and nighttime in the vicinity of a typical pesticide factory. The total concentration of 52 PAHs (Σ52PAHs) ranged from 53.04 to 663.55 ng/m3. No significant differences were observed between daytime and nighttime PAH concentrations. The average concentrations of twenty-two parent PAHs, seven alkylated PAHs, ten oxygenated PAHs, and twelve nitrated PAHs were 112.55 ± 89.69, 18.05 ± 13.76, 66.13 ± 54.79, and 3.90 ± 2.24 ng/m3, respectively. A higher proportion of high-molecular-weight (4–5 rings) PAHs than low-molecular-weight (2–3 rings) PAHs was observed. This was likely due to the high-temperature combustion of fuels. Analysis of diagnostic ratios indicated that the PAHs were likely derived from coal combustion and mixed sources. The total carcinogenic equivalent toxicity ranged from 15.93 to 181.27 ng/m3. The incremental lifetime cancer risk from inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact with the PAHs was 2.33 × 10−3 for men and 2.53 × 10−3 for women, and the loss of life expectancy due to the PAHs was 11,915 min (about 0.023 year) for men and 12,952 min (about 0.025 year) for women. These results suggest that long-term exposure to PM2.5 emissions from a pesticide factory has significant adverse effects on health. The study results support implementing the characterization of PAH emissions from pesticide factories and provides a scientific basis for optimizing the living environment around pesticide factories.

Abstract Surface chemistry modification represents a promising strategy to tailor the adsorption and activation of reaction intermediates for enhancing activity. Herein, we designed a surface oxygen-injection strategy to tune the electronic structure of SnS2 nanosheets, which showed effectively enhanced electrocatalytic activity and selectivity of CO2 reduction to formate and syngas (CO and H2). The oxygen-injection SnS2 nanosheets exhibit a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 91.6% for carbonaceous products with a current density of 24.1 mA cm−2 at −0.9 V vs RHE, including 83.2% for formate production and 16.5% for syngas with the CO/H2 ratio of 1:1. By operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we unravel the in situ surface oxygen doping into the matrix during reaction, thereby optimizing the Sn local electronic states. Operando synchrotron radiation infrared spectroscopy along with theoretical calculations further reveals that the surface oxygen doping facilitated the CO2 activation and enhanced the affinity for HCOO* species. This result demonstrates the potential strategy of surface oxygen injection for the rational design of advanced catalysts for CO2 electroreduction.

Abstract Low voltage ride through (LVRT) requires wind generation systems (WGS) to maintain continuous operation and provide reactive power support under grid voltage dips. This paper proposes a novel disturbance attenuation control (DAC) approach based on state‐dependent Riccati equation (SDRE) technique to enhance the LVRT capability of doubly fed induction generator‐based (DFIG‐based) WGS. The DAC problems are formulated with the control objectives for rotor side converter and grid side converter, and the weighing matrices are designed with fully studied principles to balance the control effect and cost. The SDRE technique is adopted to solve the DAC problems, and an alternative feasible state dependent coefficient construction algorithm is applied to improve computational efficiency. An active Crowbar circuit with overcurrent limiting mechanism is applied to ensure the rotor current and DC link voltage within the secure zone. Comparisons with conventional PI controller, exact linearization controller and coordinated control strategy are performed, the results demonstrate the proposed DAC approach has a better transient performance and enhances the LVRT capability of DFIG‐based WGS.

Abstract This paper studies the interaction between the damping characteristics and the initial‐stage short‐circuit current of modular multilevel converter based high voltage direct current (MMC‐HVDC) transmission system. First, the MMCs' input–output characteristics are obtained through the operator approach, and the influences of both linear part and nonlinear part are analysed. Second, an input–output characteristics based short‐circuit current calculation method is proposed. Third, an eigenvalue‐based comprehensive index is proposed to evaluate the damping characteristics of the MMC‐HVDC transmission system. Finally, the interaction between the damping characteristics and the initial‐stage DC short‐circuit current is analysed under different system parameters and DC system structures. The analysis results show that there is a negative correlation between the system damping characteristics and the average rising rate of the short‐circuit current. The proposed index G can effectively evaluate the short‐circuit current of MMC‐HVDC and can provide guidance for the planning of DC system structure, the selection of operation mode and system parameters.

Abstract Background Recently, more and more studies have highlighted the critical regulatory roles of circular RNAs (circRNAs), a class of non-coding RNAs, in the progression of many human cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). circRNA microarray analysis was performed to identify circRNAs that are differentially expressed in PCa tissues. Methods 104 pairs of PCa tissues and matched adjacent normal prostate tissues (at least 2 cm distal to the tumor margin) were obtained. circRNA microarray analysis was performed on four pairs of PCa tissues and matched adjacent normal prostate tissues to investigate the potential involvement of circRNAs in PCa. Flow cytometric analysis was performed to investigate whether the effect of circDPP4 on PCa cell proliferation was associated with the alteration in cell cycle progression. The role of circDPP4 in PCa tumor growth was further explored in vivo. Results We found that circDPP4 was overexpressed in PCa tissues and cell lines, and its expression was closely associated with Gleason score and clinical stage of PCa patients. In vitro loss- and gain-of-function experiments demonstrated that circDPP4 knockdown inhibited, whereas circDPP4 overexpression promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion and cell cycle progression of PCa cells. Knockdown of circDPP4 also suppressed PCa tumor growth in vivo. We further found that circDPP4 functioned as a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) for miR-195 in PCa cells, and miR-195 negatively regulated the expression of oncogenic cyclin D1. Rescue experiments suggested that restoration of miR-195 blocked the oncogenic role of circDPP4 in PCa cells. Conclusions Taken together, our findings revealed a novel regulatory mechanism between circDPP4 and miR-195/cyclin D1 axis, and offered novel strategies for the treatment of PCa.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium and one of the leading causes of sudden death in young people. Its treatment remains challenging. Sophorae Flavescentis Radix (KuShen) and Panacis Quinquefolii Radix (XiYangShen) (the combination of KuShen and XiYangShen is referred to as KX) are the main drugs used to treat myocarditis; however, their active components and mechanisms of action remain unclear. The present study used network pharmacology and animal experiments to analyze the main targets and mechanisms of KX for the treatment of myocarditis. In total, 32 active ingredients, 258 drug targets, 1076 disease targets, and 151 common drug-disease targets were obtained from the initial screening. The drug component–target–myocarditis network, protein-protein interaction (PPI) network and enrichment analysis indicated that ginsenoside Rb1, ginsenoside Re, ginsenoside Rg, oxymatrine, and matrine may be the main active substances of KX. The main effector genes were TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17, JAK2, and STAT. The enrichment results indicated that the enriched genes were mainly involved in the IL-17, TNF, and T helper 17 (Th17) cell differentiation signaling pathways. The results from the animal experiments showed evident myocardial damage in the experimental autoimmune myocarditis (EAM) group. In addition, the TNFα, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-17 levels were significantly increased in the EAM group, while KX ameliorated myocardial injury and inhibited the secretion of inflammatory factors in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, KX dose-dependently activated the Th17 cell differentiation pathway. Overall, our findings explained the multicomponent, multitarget and multibiological effects of KX for the treatment of myocarditis.

Lithium as a strategic metal exhibits extensive applications in the 21st century. The high-efficiency extraction of lithium resources is of economic significance as the market demand for electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries increases rapidly. A novel silica gel (SG)/graphene oxide (GO) composite nanofiber was prepared by combining surface imprinting technology with electrospinning technology to capture Li(I) from salt lakes in an oriented manner. The batch adsorption experiments and fixed-bed adsorption experiments were conducted to evaluate the adsorption performance of the composites. The SG/GO composite exhibited a maximum adsorption capacity of 1.1 mg/g for Li(I). The adsorption kinetics tallied with the pseudo-second-order model, and the isothermal adsorption was similar to the Langmuir model. The adsorption process of the SG/GO composite is one of monolayer chemical adsorption, and the adsorbates did not interact. The adsorption mechanism was revealed by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with density functional theory (DFT) computation. The mechanism analysis indicated that the charge transfer occurred between the surface functional groups and metal ions in the adsorption process. The electrons mainly transferred from the P and O atoms of the functional groups to the 3p orbit of Li(I) to form coordinate bonds, which finally achieved the goal of oriented capture of Li(I). The polyacrylonitrile (PAN)/ion-imprinted polymer (IIP) composite nanofiber is a novel, high-efficiency adsorbing material for recovering Li(I) from salt-lake brine.

Lupus nephritis (LN), the most severe organ manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is generally treated with glucocorticoids (GC) in clinical practice, leading to drug resistance and adverse effects in the long term. Fortunately, the combination of GC and traditional Chinese medical prescriptions can attenuate the adverse effects and improve therapeutic efficiency. Hedyotis diffusa Willd (HDW) is one of the most commonly used herbal compounds for LN treatment, which exhibits “heat-clearing” and “detoxification” effects. However, the underlying pharmacological mechanism remains unclear. The present study identified the chemical compounds in HDW extract with UPLC-Q-TOF-MS/MS. A total of 49 components were identified in the HDW extract, and the IL-17 signaling pathway was highly enriched by network pharmacological analysis. MRL/lpr model mice, reflecting the spontaneous development of LN, were used to evaluate the protective activity and investigate the underlying mechanism of the combination treatment. The white blood cell content (WBC), including lymphocytes and neutrophils, cytokines (IL-6, MCP-1, TNF-a), and various autoantibodies (ANA, ab-dsDNA, ab-snRNP/sm) in the blood of MRL/lpr mice were significantly improved by the intragastric administration of HDW. Additionally, the expression of STAT3, IL-17, Ly6G, and MPO in the kidney and neutrophil NETosis were ameliorated with HDW treatment. The pathological and morphological analysis suggested that HDW application could reduce urinary protein levels and inflammatory cell infiltration and inhibit glomerular interstitial cell proliferation. Hence, HDW might ameliorate lupus nephritis by inhibiting IL-6 secretion and STAT3-induced IL-17 expression. The active compounds in HDW were predictively selected with computational methods. The docking affinity of asiatic acid, neoandrographolide to IL-6, glycyrrhetinic acid, oleanolic acid, ursolic acid, and wilforlide A to STAT3 are extremely high. In conclusion, the IL-6 and STAT3/IL-17signaling pathways could be critical regulative targets of HDW on LN.

Abstract Composed of multiple integrated energy systems (IESs) belonging to different stakeholders, multi‐agent IESs (MA‐IESs) are widely concerned because of data privacy protect. As the basis of planning design and reliability evaluation for MA‐IESs, distributed energy resource coordination (DERC) problem is studied in this paper. First, a DERC model for MA‐IESs is established, which considers energy conversion process specifically. Meanwhile, a novel distributed accelerated descent (DAD) algorithm is proposed to realize fully distributed solving. Different from most of the existing researches that investigate the DERC with box constraints, the presented algorithm is able to solve the DERC with general convex constraints. Moreover, the backward operators in the method improve the convergence rate to the best of distributed first‐order optimization algorithm with fixed step size, O(1/T). Furthermore, the presented approach is initialization robustness when the load fluctuations suddenly happened in MA‐IESs. The convergence property, computing, and communication complexity are strictly proved. Finally, the effectiveness of DERC model and DAD algorithm are demonstrated by some modified case studies.

Great attention has been paid to the propagation of electromagnetic (EM) waves across the sea surface due to its important applications. Most of the previous research, however, focuses on the half-space model illustrating the deep sea environment. In this paper, EM field distribution in the extremely low frequency (ELF) near-region under horizontal electric dipole (HED) excitation in homogeneous half-space seawater is analyzed based on the general expression of the Sommerfeld integral using the quasistatic approximation method. The focus is on deriving complete and effective solutions in air and seawater regions under the cylindrical coordinates for the EM near-field, which is generated by an HED in a shallow sea. The resulting formulas can be given by a few summands in closed form as the well-known Fourier–Bessel integrals. The analytical approximate expression of ELF Sommerfeld EM field integral excited by the HED in the homogeneous half-space seawater is deduced under the condition that the propagation distance ρ satisfies kρ << 1. To this end, the EM field distribution in the range close to the HED antenna in seawater is simulated, the results have shown that the minimum attenuation value of the vertical electric component Ez is about 15 dB, and that of the radical magnetic components Hφ is about 30 dB, and these values are found to be of greatest potential for the near-field region propagation among the electric and magnetic components. Finally, the correctness of the proposed method is verified by comparison with Pan’s approximation method and Margetis’s exact expression approximation method, which demonstrated the correctness of the proposed method.

A circular saw blade is a commonly used tool in wood processing. The transverse vibration of the saw blade plays an important role in processing quality during cutting and affects its service life as well. In the study, the transverse vibration of the circular saw blade was investigated at the constant rotation by the simulation using ANSYS software when changing the cantilever length of the cantilever woodworking CNC circular saw machine. Meanwhile, the transverse vibration of the circular saw blade without and with load was explored by the eddy current sensors for when the detection point was differently away from the center of the circular saw blade. The time domain, probability density distribution, and power spectrum characteristics of the transverse vibration signal were analyzed, and the simulation values were compared with the actual cutting data. The results revealed that under certain conditions, the maximum transverse vibration value of the circular saw blade was the smallest in the simulation, then the middle in no-load, and the largest in actual cutting. The maximum transverse vibration value of the saw blade was increased with the extension of the cantilevered overhang, but gradually and slightly, indicating the transverse vibration was hardly affected by the change in overhang length of less than 300 mm. The finding provides the reference for the structural optimization design of cantilever CNC circular saw machines and the promotion of its application.

This article first studies the literature of P2P online loans, including online loans, credit risk factors and models, and summarizes the current status of P2P and credit risk assessment management in China. Based on the loan data of domestic P2P lending platforms, this paper conducts an empirical study on credit risk assessment. This study uses random forest importance assessment and logistic regression classification for credit risk assessment to identify loan targets with higher probability of default and improve overall loan quality. This research used 10,930 loan data, based on 26 fields, and finally selected 20 model variables to participate in credit risk quantification through feature structure and feature analysis. The final modelling test results show that the model screening accuracy rate is 73.3%, indicating that this model has a good performance in the credit risk quantification of borrowers.

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is considered the primary causes of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is related to abnormal glycolipid metabolism, hemodynamic abnormalities, oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Antagonism of vascular endothelial growth factor B (VEGF-B) could efficiently ameliorate DN by reducing renal lipotoxicity. However, this pharmacological strategy is far from satisfactory, as it ignores numerous pathogenic factors, including anomalous reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and inflammatory responses. We found that the upregulation of VEGF-B and downregulation of interleukin-22 (IL-22) among DN patients were significantly associated with the progression of DN. Thus, we hypothesized that a combination of a VEGF-B antibody and IL-22 could protect against DN not only by regulating glycolipid metabolism but also by reducing the accumulation of inflammation and ROS. To meet these challenges, a novel anti-VEGFB/IL22 fusion protein was developed, and its therapeutic effects on DN were further studied. We found that the anti-VEGFB/IL22 fusion protein reduced renal lipid accumulation by inhibiting the expression of fatty acid transport proteins and ameliorated inflammatory responses via the inhibition of renal oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. Moreover, the fusion protein could also improve diabetic kidney disease by increasing insulin sensitivity. Collectively, our findings indicate that the bifunctional VEGF-B antibody and IL-22 fusion protein could improve the progression of DN, which highlighted a novel therapeutic approach to DN.

Hot electrons in bulk semiconductors usually relax via electron-phonon scattering on a sub-picosecond timescale. Here, the authors observe hot electron lifetime as long as 320 picoseconds by performing a photochemical reduction reaction on colloidal quantum dots.

Lithium is a key strategic metal in the 21st century and an important raw material in the new energy sector. With rapid growth of the market demand for lithium, the high-efficient extraction of lithium resources is of important economic significance. Taking zeolite as the carrier and using chemical grafting and electrospinning technologies, a kind of nanofiber containing crown ether (CE) was synthesized to adsorb Li(I) from the salt lake brine. This realizes the selective adsorption of Li(I) while retaining specific vacancies of epoxy groups in CE. The adsorption mechanism of nanofibers containing zeolite carriers and CE for Li(I) was revealed by the use of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and density functional theory (DFT). The results show that after dsp3 hybridization of the outer orbit (2s) of Li(I), outer electrons on the nanofibers containing zeolite carriers and CE mainly migrate to the orbit for coordination with Li(I) thereat, thus realizing the capture of Li(I). The novel adsorbing material can reach adsorption equilibrium within 2.5 h and the adsorption kinetics for Li(I) conforms to the pseudo-second-order model and a maximum adsorption capacity of 8.6 mg/g. It can be found that the correlation coefficient fitted by Langmuir adsorption isotherm model is closer to 1, and the calculated maximum adsorption capacity is closer to the adsorption capacity obtained experimentally, therefore, it can be concluded that the adsorption process is more consistent with the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, and the adsorption process can be regarded as monolayer adsorption. The adsorption capacity remains at 7.8 mg/g after 5 adsorption–desorption cycles, showing favorable stability and a strong ability to be regenerated. The research provides insights into the adsorption and recovery of Li(I) from the salt lake brine.

BackgroundHuman adenovirus (HAdV) lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) are prone to severe cases and even cause death in children. Here, we aimed to develop a classification model to predict severity in pediatric patients with HAdV LRTIs using complete blood count (CBC).MethodsThe CBC parameters from pediatric patients with a diagnosis of HAdV LRTIs from 2013 to 2019 were collected during the disease’s course. The data were analyzed as potential predictors for severe cases and were selected using a random forest model.ResultsWe enrolled 1,652 CBC specimens from 1,069 pediatric patients with HAdV LRTIs in the present study. Four hundred and seventy-four patients from 2017 to 2019 were used as the discovery cohort, and 470 patients from 2013 to 2016 were used as the validation cohort. The monocyte ratio (MONO%) was the most obvious difference between the mild and severe groups at onset, and could be used as a marker for the early accurate prediction of the severity [area under the subject operating characteristic curve (AUROC): 0.843]. Four risk factors [MONO%, hematocrit (HCT), red blood cell count (RBC), and platelet count (PLT)] were derived to construct a classification model of severe and mild cases using a random forest model (AUROC: 0.931 vs. 0.903).ConclusionMonocyte ratio can be used as an individual predictor of severe cases in the early stages of HAdV LRTIs. The four risk factors model is a simple and accurate risk assessment tool that can predict severe cases in the early stages of HAdV LRTIs.

ABSTRACT Biomphalaria glabrata transmits schistosomiasis mansoni which poses considerable risks to hundreds of thousands of people worldwide, and is widely used as a model organism for studies on the snail-schistosome relationship. Gut microbiota plays important roles in multiple aspects of host including development, metabolism, immunity, and even behavior; however, detailed information on the complete diversity and functional profiles of B. glabrata gut microbiota is still limited. This study is the first to reveal the gut microbiome of B. glabrata based on metagenome-assembled genome (MAG). A total of 28 gut samples spanning diet and age were sequenced and 84 individual microbial genomes with ≥ 70% completeness and ≤ 5% contamination were constructed. Bacteroidota and Proteobacteria were the dominant bacteria in the freshwater snail, unlike terrestrial organisms harboring many species of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota. The microbial consortia in B. glabrata helped in the digestion of complex polysaccharide such as starch, hemicellulose, and chitin for energy supply, and protected the snail from food poisoning and nitrate toxicity. Both microbial community and metabolism of B. glabrata were significantly altered by diet. The polysaccharide-degrading bacterium Chryseobacterium was enriched in the gut of snails fed with high-digestibility protein and high polysaccharide diet (HPHP). Notably, B. glabrata as a mobile repository can escalate biosafety issues regarding transmission of various pathogens such as Acinetobacter nosocomialis and Vibrio parahaemolyticus as well as multiple antibiotic resistance genes in the environment and to other organisms. IMPORTANCE The spread of aquatic gastropod Biomphalaria glabrata, an intermediate host of Schistosoma mansoni, exacerbates the burden of schistosomiasis disease worldwide. This study provides insights into the importance of microbiome for basic biological activities of freshwater snails, and offers a valuable microbial genome resource to fill the gap in the analysis of the snail-microbiota-parasite relationship. The results of this study clarified the reasons for the high adaptability of B. glabrata to diverse environments, and further illustrated the role of B. glabrata in accumulation of antibiotic resistance in the environment and spread of various pathogens. These findings have important implications for further exploration of the control of snail dissemination and schistosomiasis from a microbial perspective.

Interconnected power systems that link several countries and fully utilize their individual resources in a complementary manner are becoming increasingly important. As these systems enhance accommodation of renewable energy, they also represent a move toward low-carbon and low-emission power systems. In this paper, a low-carbon dispatch model is proposed to coordinate the generation output between several countries where the carbon emission constraint is a priority. An adjustable robust optimization approach is used to find the optimal solution under the worst-case scenario to address the uncertainties associated with renewable energy resources. A specific constraint is that the area control error for each country should be self-balanced. Furthermore, a reformation using participation factors is presented to simplify the proposed robust dispatch model. Simulation results for practical interconnected power systems in northeast Asian countries verify the effectiveness of the proposed model.