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This article uses deep neural network technology and combines digital HRM knowledge to research human-job matching systematically. Through intelligent digital means such as 5G communication, cloud computing, big data, neural network, and user portrait, this article proposes the design of the corresponding digital transformation strategy of HRM. This article further puts forward the guaranteed measures in enhancing HRM thinking and establishing HRM culture to ensure the smooth implementation of the digital transformation strategy of the HRM. This system uses charts for data visualization and flask framework for background construction, and the data is stored through CSV files, My SQL, and configuration files. The system is based on a deep learning algorithm for job applicant matching, intelligent recommendation of jobs for job seekers, and more real help for job applicants to apply for jobs. The job intelligent recommendation algorithm partly adopts bidirectional long and short-term memory neural network (Bi-LSTM) and the word-level human post-matching neural network APJFNN built by the attention mechanism. By embedding the text representation of job demand information into the representation vector of public space, a joint embedded convolutional neural network (JE-CNN) for post matching analysis is designed and implemented. The quantitative analysis method analyzes the degree of matching with the job.

Objective. The objective of this meta-analysis was to systematically assess the efficacy and safety of patented Chinese medicine Fufang Xueshuantong (FFXST) for the treatment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Methods. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of FFXST for DKD treatment were searched until May 31, 2020, in seven electronic databases: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP, and Chinese Biomedical Literature. The Cochrane risk test from the Cochrane Handbook was used as a bias tool to assess the methodological quality, and Review Manager (RevMan) 5.3 was used to analyze the results. Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) criteria were used to classify the quality of evidence. Results. Thirteen RCTs involving 1,186 patients were included. The meta-analysis revealed that the efficacy of FFXST in treatment of DKD was significantly superior to that of the control treatment ( P = 0. 0006 ). The urinary albumin excretion rate ( P < 0.01 ), urinary albumin creatinine ratio ( P < 0.0001 ), and microalbumin ( P < 0.0001 ) were lower in the treatment groups than in the control group. There was also a decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P < 0.0001 ), serum triglyceride ( P = 0.001 ), and C-reactive protein ( P < 0.0001 ) in the treatment groups compared with those in the control group. No significant difference in hemoglobin A1c level ( P = 0.76 ) and systolic blood pressure ( P = 0.34 ) was noted between the treatment and control groups. Three studies reported adverse events, including dizziness and intolerance. In the other 10 trials, adverse events were not mentioned. Conclusion. FFXST appears to be effective in the treatment of DKD. However, the low methodological quality of the RCTs suggests that larger, better-designed RCTs are required to verify the clinical effectiveness and safety of FFXST.

(Li1+, Al3+) co-doped Ni0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4 ferrites, Ni0.5-xZn0.5-xLixAlxFe2O4 (x = 0.000, 0.025, 0.050 and 0.100), were synthesized by the sol-gel auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electronic microscope (FESEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and LCR meter were used to investigate the structural, magnetic and dielectric properties. Results of XRD and SEM indicate that both doping amount and calcination temperature play significant roles in crystal structure and grain growth. Also, it can be observed that the saturation magnetization and the coercivity change in a noticeable manner. The Ni0.475Zn0.475Li0.025Al0.025Fe2O4 ferrite sintered at 1200 °C has a relatively low coercivity value (62.93 Oe) and the largest saturation magnetization (110.95 emu/g). Besides, dielectric behavior is also improved by Li1+ and Al3+ co-doping.

Rapid developments in the electric industry have promoted an increasing demand for lithium resources. Lithium in salt lake brines has emerged as the main source for industrial lithium extraction, owing to its low cost and extensive reserves. The effective separation of Mg2+ and Li+ is critical to achieving high recovery efficiency and purity of the final lithium product. This paper summarizes Mg2+/Li+ separation materials and methods in the field of lithium recovery from salt lake brines. The review begins with an introduction to the global distribution and demand for lithium resources, followed by a description of the materials used in various separation techniques, including precipitation, adsorption, solvent extraction, nanofiltration membrane, electrodialysis, and electrochemical methods. A comparison, analysis, and outlook of such methods are comprehensively discussed in terms of principles, mechanisms, synthesis/operation, development, and industrial applications. We conclude with a presentation of challenges and insights into the future directions of lithium extraction from salt lake brines. A combination of the advantages of various materials is the most logical step toward developing novel methods for extracting lithium from brines with high separation selectivity, stability, low cost, and environmentally friendly characteristics.

Micro-nano structure regulation of polyaniline and impedance-matching design of its composites are two crucial but challenging works in microwave absorption. In this study, an in situ sacrificial templates polymerization is applied to regulate the porous structures of polyaniline decorated on vapor-grown carbon fiber (VGCF). By manipulating porous polyaniline structures, heterogeneous interfaces, polarization centers, and geometric structures are introduced into porous VGCF@polyaniline nanohybrids. Porous VGCF@polyaniline demonstrated robust microwave absorption ability with a minimum reflection loss of − 55.9 dB at 10.3 GHz with a filler loading of 18 wt% and a thinner thickness of 1.33 mm. The investigation of the novel porous polyaniline structures and composition relationship suggest that the microwave absorption ability of porous VGCF@polyaniline is originated from the optimal impedance-matching ratio, enhanced dielectric loss, and synergistic effect, which is enhanced by conductive loss and interfacial polarization. A universal approach was proposed to address the critical issue of hybridizing porous VGCF@polyaniline with flexible polyurethane sponge as practical electromagnetic absorption structures. The hybrids exhibited interesting dual absorption properties with minimum reflection loss of − 28.8 and − 35.5 dB at frequencies of 8.5 and 8.7 GHz, respectively. This study provides a new approach for designing lightweight and practical microwave absorbers.

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been investigated as novel regulatory molecules involved in diverse biological processes. Our previous study demonstrated that lncRNA-ES3 is associated with the high glucose-induced calcification/senescence of human aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (HA-VSMCs). However, the mechanism of lncRNA-ES3 in vascular calcification/aging remained largely unknown. Here, we report that the expression of basic helix-loop-helix family member e40 (Bhlhe40) was decreased significantly in HA-VSMCs treated with high glucose, whereas the expression of basic leucine zipper transcription factor (BATF) was increased. Overexpression of Bhlhe40 and inhibition of BATF alleviated calcification/senescence of HA-VSMCs, as confirmed by Alizarin Red S staining and the presence of senescence-associated β-galactosidase-positive cells. Moreover, we identified that Bhlhe40 regulates lncRNA-ES3 in HA-VSMCs by binding to the promoter region of the lncRNA-ES3 gene (LINC00458). Upregulation or inhibition of lncRNA-ES3 expression significantly promoted or reduced calcification/senescence of HA-VSMCs, respectively. Additionally, we identified that lncRNA-ES3 functions in this process by suppressing the expression of miR-95-5p, miR-6776-5p, miR-3620-5p, and miR-4747-5p. The results demonstrate that lncRNA-ES3 triggers gene silencing of multiple miRNAs by binding to Bhlhe40, leading to calcification/senescence of VSMCs. Our findings suggest that pharmacological interventions targeting lncRNA-ES3 may be therapeutically beneficial in ameliorating vascular calcification/aging.

(Li1+, Zn2+ and La3+) co-substituted NiFe2O4 ferrite ceramics (Ni0.8-xZnxLi0.1La0.1Fe2O4, x = 0.0, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8) were prepared by the sol-gel auto-combustion method. The structural properties were investigated by X-ray diffraction and field emission scanning electronic microscope techniques. Vibrating sample magnetometer and LCR meter were used to probe magnetic and dielectric properties. A relatively high value of saturation magnetization (105.94 emu/g) can be achieved in Ni0.4Zn0.4Li0.1La0.1Fe2O4 sample sintered at 1100 °C. In addition, the soft magnetic properties are also enhanced due to a reduced coercivity value. Also, dielectric behavior is improved and all the results show that co-substitution with Li1+, Zn2+ and La3+ ions as well as modulation via Zn2+ ions has a great impact on the properties of Ni ferrites.

Objective Cardiovascular diseases and vascular aging are common in patients with diabetes. High glucose is a major cause of vascular aging and cardiovascular diseases. Premature senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is one of the main contributors to vascular aging. Adiponectin has been demonstrated to have an anti‐aging effect. The present study explored the mechanisms by which adiponectin protects VSMCs against high‐glucose‐induced senescence. Methods Senescence‐associated β‐galactosidase (SA‐β‐gal) staining was used to detect senescence cells. Western blot was used for measuring protein levels. Flow cytometry was carried out to detect the cell cycle and telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP)–polymerase chain reaction (PCR) silver staining was selected to measure the telomerase activity. Results Premature senescence of VSMCs was induced by high glucose (30 mM) in a time‐dependent manner, which was verified by an increased number of senescence cells, p21 and p53 expression, as well as the decreased proliferation index. High glucose reduced telomerase activity of VSMCs via inhibition of the AMPK/TSC2/mTOR/S6K1 pathway and activation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6K1 pathway, while adiponectin treatment significantly increased telomerase activity of VSMCs through activation of AMPK/TSC2/mTOR/S6K1 signaling and inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6K1 signaling. Conclusion Adiponectin attenuated the high‐glucose‐induced premature senescence of VSMCs via increasing telomerase activity of VSMCs, which was achieved by activation of AMPK/TSC2/mTOR/S6K1 signaling and inhibition of PI3K/Akt/mTOR/S6K1 signaling.

Although many kinds of flexible piezoelectric materials have been developed, there were few reports on flexible multifunctional nanofibers for energy harvesting. In this study, we prepared multifunctional nanofibers from lead zirconate titanate particles and shape memory polyurethane by electrospinning. The resulting nanofibers had both piezoelectric and shape memory effects. To improve the dispersion, lead zirconate titanate particles were modified by silane coupling agents. The lead zirconate titanate/shape memory polyurethane nanofibers were used to harvest energy from sinusoidal vibrations, and the lead zirconate titanate 80 wt% sample produced voltages of 120.3 mV (peak-to-peak). Taking advantage of the shape memory effect, the lead zirconate titanate/shape memory polyurethane nanofibers can be easily deformed into desired shapes and revealed the potential for realizing energy harvesting in complex structures.

Solid-state metal batteries are attracting unprecedented concern because of their high energy density and safety. However, their service life, especially at high specific density, is hindered by the undesirable reversibility of metal anodes, owing to the inhomogeneous ion distribution and awkward charge transfer dynamics at the electrode/electrolyte interface. In this work, it is well demonstrated that ferroelectric phase BaTiO

Practical application of the partial nitritation–anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process has attracted increasing attention because of its low operational costs. However, the nitritation process, as a promising way to supply nitrite for anammox, is sensitive to the variations in substrate concentration and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration. Therefore, a stable supply of nitrite becomes a real bottleneck in partial nitritation–anammox process, limiting their potential for application in mainstream wastewater treatment. In this study, five 18-L sequencing batch reactors were operated in parallel at room temperature (22°C ± 4°C) to explore the nitritation performance with different carrier materials, including sepiolite-nonwoven carrier (R1), zeolite-nonwoven carrier (R2), brucite-nonwoven carrier (R3), polyurethane carrier (R4), and nonwoven carrier (R5). The ammonia oxidation rate (AOR) in R1 reached the highest level of 0.174 g-N L−1 d−1 in phase II, which was 1.4-fold higher than the control reactor (R4). To guarantee a stable supply of nitrite for anammox process, the nitrite accumulation efficiency (NAE) was always higher than 77%, even though the free ammonia (FA) decreases to 0.08 mg-N/L, and the pH decreases to 6.8 ± 0.3. In phase V, the AOR in R1 reached 0.206 g-N L−1 d−1 after the DO content increase from 0.7 ± 0.3 mg/L to 1.7 ± 0.3 mg/L. The NAE in R1 was consistently higher than 68.6%, which was much higher than the other reactor systems (R2: 43.8%, R3: 46.6%, R4: 23.7%, R5: 22.7%). Analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the relative abundance of Nitrobacter and Nitrospira in R1 was significantly lower than other reactors, indicating that the sepiolite carrier plays an important role in the inhibition of nitrite-oxidizing bacteria. These results indicate that the sepiolite nonwoven composite carrier can effectively improve the nitritation process, which is highly beneficial for the application of partial nitritation–anammox for mainstream wastewater treatment.

Railway bridges are a vital element of railway infrastructures, and their safety can directly affect the regional economy and commuter transportation. However, railway bridges are often subjected to severe loading and working conditions, caused by rising traffic levels and heavier vehicles, and increases in train running speeds makes the bridges extremely susceptible to degradation and failure. One of the promising tools for evaluating the overall safety and reliability of railway bridges is the bridge structural health monitoring (SHM) system, which not only monitors the structural conditions of bridges and maintains the safety of train operations, but also helps to expand the lifespan of bridges by enhancing their durability and reliability. While a multitude of review papers on SHM and vibration-based structural damage detection methods have been published in the past two decades, there is a paucity of literature that provides a review or overview on the SHM of railway bridges. Some of the review papers have become obsolete and do not reflect the state-of-the-art research. Therefore, the main goal of this article is to summarize state-of-the-art SHM techniques and methods that have been widely used and popular in recent years. First, two state-of-the-art SHM sensing technologies (i.e. fiber optic sensing (FOS) technology and computer vision-based (CV) technology) are reviewed, including the working principles of various sensors and their practical applications for railway bridge monitoring. Second, two state-of-the-art machine learning algorithms (i.e. convolutional neural networks (CNN) and transfer learning (TL)) and their applications for railway bridge structural condition assessment are exemplified. Third, the principle of digital twin (DT) and its applications for railway bridge monitoring are presented. Finally, issues related to the future direction and challenges of the monitoring technologies and condition assessment methods of railway bridges are highlighted.

A combination of partial nitrification and nitrite-denitrifying phosphorus removal and simultaneous nitrification-endogenous denitrification (nDNPR-SNED) in two sequencing batch reactors was developed for synchronous chemical oxygen demand (COD), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) removal by regulating dissolved oxygen (DO) and influent nitrite concentrations. COD, total nitrogen, and P removal efficiencies of 87.4 ± 0.5, 91.6 ± 1.1, and 97.8 ± 0.6% were obtained after 112 days of anaerobic/anoxic/aerobic operation. Mass balance analysis confirmed that 91.9% of the COD was stored as intracellular carbon at the anaerobic stage, and 99.6% of PO43-P and 99.8% of NO2-N were eliminated via the nDNPR process at the anoxic stage, and at the aerobic stage, the SNED process contributed to 68.7% nitrogen removal. Genera of Candidatus Competibacter, Dechloromonas, Ellin6067, and Nitrospirae were the dominant consortia with a relative abundance of 26.5, 16.5, 1.0, and 1.1%, respectively. In the metabolic pathway model, β-hydroxybutyrate was the main endogenous driving force for nitrogen and phosphorus removal. Compared with conventional biological nitrogen and phosphorus removal processes, the combined process could achieve 6.7% saving in the total cost. The proposed approach provides an economic and technical alternative for C-, N-, and P-laden wastewater treatment, reducing both carbon demand and aeration consumption.

The gearbox is widely applied as the mechanical transmission system of intelligent manufacturing systems, such as machine tools and robotics. The harsh working environments make the gear surface prone to wear. The progression of surface wear can bring severe failures to the gear tooth, including gear tooth root crack, surface spalling of gear tooth, and tooth breaking, all of which could damage the whole transmission system. Hence, it is essential to monitor and evaluate the gear surface wear propagation. The gear wear has been proven highly relevant with the vibration second-order cyclostationary (CS2) characteristics. Therefore, this paper develops a novel cyclostationarity-based framework to monitor and evaluate gear wear propagation. More specifically, the squared envelope (SE) of the residual signal, removing deterministic components, is utilized to identify the gear wear distribution and its propagation trends, validated using the measured gear surface morphology. Moreover, a new CS2-based indicator is proposed to assess the severity of gear surface wear, achieving a high correlation with measured surface roughness: [Formula: see text] is more than 0.9. The developed cyclostationarity-based framework can comprehensively evaluate the degradation status of the gear system caused by surface wear, significantly benefiting the health management of the gear transmission system, which is of great practical value for the health management of intelligent manufacturing systems. A series of endurance tests are conducted to verify the effectiveness and superiority of the developed framework for gear wear monitoring compared with the conventional indicators.

Fatigue pitting can reduce the gear surface durability and induce other severe failures, which will eventually lead to the complete loss of transmission function of the transmission system. Thus, monitoring fatigue pitting progression is vital to avoid unexpected economic losses and incidents. Thanks to the unique characteristics of the gear meshing process, there is a close relationship between the tribological features of fatigue pitting and gear vibration cyclostationarity. Based on the vibration cyclostationarity, this paper develops a novel second-order cyclostationary (CS2) fatigue pitting monitoring indicator, which can accurately assess the degradation status of the gear system and benefit subsequent health management. The advantage of the developed cyclostationary indicator in evaluating and monitoring the process of fatigue pitting propagation is demonstrated with the natural fatigue pitting progression test, through comparisons with other conventional indicators.

It is common for high-speed trains (HSTs) to abruptly switch between a tunnel and a flat ground along high-speed rail lines. When encountering strong crosswinds, the safety of HSTs in such running scenarios will be severely threatened. The simulation of the turbulent component of an incoming crosswind is very important to restore the real aerodynamic environment of HSTs in tunnel-flat ground-tunnel (TFT) running scenario. The purpose of the present study is to determine which of the two geometric turbulence generators, the spire and the fence, is more suitable for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation of a fluctuating crosswind field in the TFT scene. First, the wind field characteristics in the TFT scene are analyzed based on the field test. Then, the tunnel-flat ground-spire/fence CFD model was established based on the “mosaic” mesh technology. Finally, the difference of wind field fluctuating characteristics under two turbulence generator conditions based on improved delayed detached eddy simulation (IDDES) is discussed. The main results show that the average wind speed of the windward and leeward lines in the fence case are 60% and 43.75% higher than the corresponding values in the spire case, respectively. The main conclusions show that the turbulent crosswind generated by the spire is more consistent with the spectrum characteristics of the natural wind field.

Aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are gradually becoming the primary burden of society and cause significant health-care concerns. Aging is a critical independent risk factor for neurodegenerative diseases. The pathological alterations of neurodegenerative diseases are tightly associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, inflammation, and oxidative stress, which in turn stimulates the further progression of neurodegenerative diseases. Given the potential research value, lncRNAs have attracted considerable attention. LncRNAs play complex and dynamic roles in multiple signal transduction axis of neurodegeneration. Emerging evidence indicates that lncRNAs exert crucial regulatory effects in the initiation and development of aging-related neurodegenerative diseases. This review compiles the underlying pathological mechanisms of aging and related neurodegenerative diseases. Besides, we discuss the roles of lncRNAs in aging. In addition, the crosstalk and network of lncRNAs in neurodegenerative diseases are also explored.

The sterile inflammation (SI) of the urinary tract is a common problem requiring serious consideration after prostatectomy. This study mainly focuses on the role of the reactive oxygen species-NLR family, pyrin domain-containing 3 (ROS-NLRP3) signaling pathway in SI after thulium laser resection of the prostate (TmLRP). Urinary cytokines were determined in patients who received TmLRP, and heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) was detected in the resected tissues. The involvement of ROS signaling in HSP70-induced inflammation was explored in THP-1 cells with or without N-acetyl- l-cysteine (NAC) pretreatment. The function of NLRP3 and Caspase-1 was determined by Western blot analysis, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and polymerase chain reaction. These phenomena and mechanisms were verified by the beagle models that received TmLRP. Clinical urine samples after TmLRP showed high expression of inflammatory factors and peaked 3-5 days after surgery. The high expression of HSP70 in the resected tissues was observed. After HSP70 stimulation, the expression of ROS, NLRP3, Caspase-1, and interleukin-18 (IL-18) increased significantly and could be reduced by ROS inhibitor NAC. The expression of IL-1β and IL-18 could be inhibited by NLRP3 or Caspase-1 inhibitors. In beagle models that received TmLRP, HSP70, NLRP3, Caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18 were highly expressed in the wound tissue or urine, and could also be reduced by NAC pretreatment. Activation of the ROS-NLRP3 signaling pathway induces SI in the wound after prostatectomy. Inhibition of this pathway may be effective for clinical prevention and treatment of SI and related complications after prostatectomy.

Structural health monitoring (SHM) is vital to the maintenance of civil infrastructures. For rail transit systems, early defect detection of rail tracks can effectively prevent the occurrence of severe accidents like derailment. Non-destructive testing (NDT) has been implemented in railway online and offline monitoring systems using state-of-the-art sensing technologies. Data-driven methodologies, especially machine learning, have contributed significantly to modern NDT approaches. In this paper, an efficient and robust image classification model is proposed to achieve railway status identification using ultrasonic guided waves (UGWs). Experimental studies are conducted using a hybrid sensing system consisting of a lead–zirconate–titanate (PZT) actuator and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. Comparative studies have been firstly carried out to evaluate the performance of the UGW signals obtained by FBG sensors and high-resolution acoustic emission (AE) sensors. Three different rail web conditions are considered in this research, where the rail is: (1) intact without any defect; (2) damaged with an artificial crack; and (3) damaged with a bump on the surface made of blu-tack adhesives. The signals acquired by FBG sensors and AE sensors are compared in time and frequency domains. Then the research focuses on damage detection using a convolutional neural network (CNN) with the input of RGB spectrum images of the UGW signals acquired by FBG sensors, which are calculated using Short-time Fourier Transform (STFT). The proposed image classifier achieves high accuracy in predicting each railway condition. The visualization of the classifier indicates the high efficiency of the proposed paradigm, revealing the potential of the method to be applied to mass railway monitoring systems in the future.

In view of high-performance, multifunctional, and low-carbon development of infrastructures, there is a growing demand for smart engineering materials, making infrastructures intelligent. This paper reports a new-generation self-sensing cementitious composite (SSCC) incorporated with a hierarchically structured carbon fiber (CF)-carbon nanotube (CNT) composite filler (CF-CNT), which is in situ synthesized by directly growing CNT on CF. Various important factors including catalyst, temperature, and gas composition are considered to investigate their kinetic and thermodynamic influence on CF-CNT synthesis. The reciprocal architecture of CF-CNT not only alleviates the CNT aggregation, but also significantly improves the interfacial bonding between CF-CNT and matrix. Due to the synergic and spatially morphological effects of CF-CNT, that is, the formation of widely distributed multiscale reinforcement networks, SSCCs with CF-CNTs exhibit high mechanical properties and electrical conductivity as well as excellent self-sensing performances, particularly enhanced sensing repeatability. Moreover, the SSCCs with CF-CNTs are integrated into a full-scale maglev girder to devise a smart system for crack development monitoring. The system demonstrates high sensitivity and fidelity to capture the initiation of cracks/damage, as well as progressive and sudden damage events until the complete failure of the maglev girder, indicating its considerable potential for structural health monitoring of infrastructures.

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is carbon friendly biological nitrogen removal process, and recently more focus is given to improving the anammox activity. Because of its high adsorption and modifiability, graphene and its derivative in wastewater treatment have received much attention. However, the specific effects and mechanisms of graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) on anammox are still controversial. Extensive data analysis was performed to explore the effects of GO and RGO on anammox. Statistical analysis revealed that 100 mg/L GO significantly promoted the anammox process, while 200 mg/L of GO inhibited the anammox process. The promotion of anammox performance under the influence of RGO was dependent on the temperature. The Logistic model was utilized for depicting the variation of nitrogen removal efficiency under promoting dosage of graphene oxides. A neural network model-based analysis was performed to reach anammox's potential mechanisms under the influence of two graphene oxides. Spearman correlation analysis showed that GO and RGO had significant positive correlations with nitrogen removal efficiency and specific anammox activity (p 0.01), especially for RGO. In addition, the abundance of Planctomycetes and Nitrospirae was positively correlated with the addition of graphene oxides. This work comprehensively unraveled the role of graphene oxide materials on the anammox process and provided practical directions for the enhancement of anammox.

Exosomes play a role as mediators of cell-to-cell communication, thus exhibiting pleiotropic activities to homeostasis regulation. Exosomal non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), mainly microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), are closely related to a variety of biological and functional aspects of human health. When the exosomal ncRNAs undergo tissue-specific changes due to diverse internal or external disorders, they can cause tissue dysfunction, aging, and diseases. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the underlying regulatory mechanisms of exosomes in human diseases. In addition, we explore the current knowledge on the roles of exosomal miRNAs, lncRNAs, and circRNAs in human health and diseases, including cancers, metabolic diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cardiovascular diseases, autoimmune diseases, and infectious diseases, to determine their potential implication in biomarker identification and therapeutic exploration.

Atherosclerosis, a complex chronic inflammatory disease, involves multiple alterations of diverse cells, including endothelial cells (ECs), vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), monocytes, macrophages, dendritic cells (DCs), platelets, and even mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Globally, it is a common cause of morbidity as well as mortality. It leads to myocardial infarctions, stroke and disabling peripheral artery disease. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a heterogeneous group of cell-derived membranous structures that secreted by multiple cell types and play a central role in cell-to-cell communication by delivering various bioactive cargos, especially microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). Emerging evidence demonstrated that miRNAs and lncRNAs in EVs are tightly associated with the initiation and development of atherosclerosis. In this review, we will outline and compile the cumulative roles of miRNAs and lncRNAs encapsulated in EVs derived from diverse cells in the progression of atherosclerosis. We also discuss intercellular communications via EVs. In addition, we focused on clinical applications and evaluation of miRNAs and lncRNAs in EVs as potential diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for atherosclerosis.

Psychological disorders are associated with increased risk of severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) by causing gut microbiota dysbiosis and colonic mucosal barrier damage. However, the interaction between chronic restraint stress (CRS), gut microbiota composition, and colonic mucus remains unclear. We demonstrated that mice under CRS conditions exhibited alterations in microbiota composition, disruption of colonic mucus, and aggravation of colitis. In addition, the abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila was significantly decreased in mice under CRS and UC patients with depression, and positively associated with the expression of MUC2. After antibiotic treatment, the recipient mice colonized with CRS microbiota showed barrier defects and severe colitis. Administration of Akkermansia muciniphila was found to restore colonic mucus and modify the gut microbiota. We confirm that CRS-mediated gut microbiota dysbiosis results in colonic mucosal barrier damage and aggravation of colitis. Our results suggest that A. muciniphila is expected to be a potential probiotic to protect and treat colonic mucus that is involved in IBD with psychological disorders.

In this work, gold and bismuth bimetallic nanoparticles decorated L-cysteine functionalized graphene oxide nanocomposites (Au-BiNPs/SH-GO) were prepared and applied to selective detection of Fe(III) in lake and seawater samples by modifying onto glassy carbon electrodes. Bimetallic nanoparticles have various excellent properties and better catalytic properties because of the unique synergistic effect between metals. The modified electrode was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. Under optimized conditions, current peak intensity increased linearly with increasing Fe(III) concentration over the range of 0.2–50 μM and a detection limit of 0.07 μM (S/N = 3). The Au-BiNPs/SH-GO/GCE was used for the determination of Fe(III) in lake and seawater samples with recoveries ranged from 90 to 103%. Those satisfactory results revealed the potential application of the Au-BiNPs/SH-GO electrochemical sensor for heavy metals detection in environmental monitoring.

Emerging pollutants (EPs) create a worldwide concern owing to their low concentration and severe toxicity to the receptors. The prominent emerging pollutants categories as pharmaceutical and personal care product, plasticizer, surfactants, and persistent organic pollutants. Typically, EPs are widely disseminated in the aquatic ecosystem and capable of perturbing the physiology of water bodies as well as humans. The primary sources of EPs in the environment include anthropogenic release, atmospheric deposition, untreated or substandard treated wastewater, and extreme weather events. Intensive research has been done covering the environmental distribution, ecological disturbance, fate, and removal of EPs in the past decades. However, a systematic review on the distribution of EPs in the engineered and natural aquatic environment and the degradation of different EPs by using anaerobic sludge, aerobic bacteria, and isolated strains are limited. This review article aims to highlight the importance, application, and future perceptions of using different microbes to degrade EPs. Overall, this review article illustrates the superiority of using non-cultivable and cultivable microbes to degrade the EPs as an eco-friendly approach. Practically, the outcomes of this review paper will build up the knowledge base solutions to remove EPs from the wastewater.

Vascular calcification/aging is a crucial feature of diabetic macro vasculopathy, resulting in serious cardiovascular diseases. The calcification/senescence of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) induced by hyperglycemia can cause diabetic vascular calcification/aging. However, the mechanism of VSMCs calcification/senescence involved in diabetic vascular calcification/aging remains unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine how the high glucose (HG) information in circulating blood is transmitted from vascular endothelial cells (ECs) to VSMCs, which are not contacted with blood directly. Exosomes have attracted much attention for their vital roles in regulating cell-to-cell communication. In this study, we found that milk fat globule epidermal growth factor 8 (MFGE8) was enriched in high glucose induced human umbilical vein endothelial cell exosomes (HG-HUVEC-Exo) and regulate VSMCs calcification/senescence, characterized by up-regulated expressions of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Runt-related transcription factor 2 (Runx2), as well as the increased mineralized nodules and senescence-associated β-galactosidase (SA-β-gal) positive cells. Upstream mechanism studies showed that sirtuin1 (SIRT1) was involved in VSMCs calcification/senescence by affecting the expression of MFGE8. We also found that inflammatory response mediated by IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-8 was closely associated with MFGE8 and played a key role in regulating HG-HUVEC-Exo-induced VSMCs calcification/senescence. These findings provide a new insight into the mechanism of exosomal MFGE8 as a potential preventive and therapeutic target for the intervention of diabetic vascular calcification/aging.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy is the most frequently occurring complication of diabetes mellitus and remains a leading cause of vision loss globally. Conventional treatments are focused on advanced stage of disease, targeting the early and potentially reversible retinal injury is a promising strategy for delaying non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR). Here, we investigated the efficacy and safety of Qizhi Jiangtang capsule (QZJC), a kind of traditional Chinese patent medicine, for patients with NPDR.Methods: This study is a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial. A total of 200 participants will be randomly assigned in a 1:1:1:1 ratio to QZJC plus calcium dobesilate (CaD) group, QZJC placebo plus CaD group, QZJC group or QZJC placebo group. The treatment duration lasts 24 weeks. The primary outcome is the changes in grading of retinal microvascular injury before and after treatment. The secondary outcome will be changes in the vision, glycolipid, blood pressure, urinary albumin excretion rate and improvement of traditional Chinese medicine symptoms. All statistics will be two-sided tests, P < 0.05 is considered statistically significant.Discussion: We postulate that NPDR patients will benefit from QZJC. If successful, this work will provide preliminary evidence that QZJC could delay the progress of DR.Trial registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry no. ChiCTR1900023506. Registered 31 May 2019. The Version identifier is 2018121702.