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In this work, electrochemiluminescence (ECL) luminophor Ru(bpy) 3 2+ was encapsulated in 3D CuNi oxalate and the synthesized metal-inorganic frameworks {[Ru(bpy) 3 ][Cu 2x Ni 2(1−x) (ox) 3 ]} n (Ru/Cu/Ni) exhibited excellent and stable ECL signals, which could be decreased by polyethylenimine capped graphene oxide (GO-PEI). Based on this, a new sandwich ECL immunosensor was developed for detection of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). To capture primary antibody and second antibody more simply and efficiently, Ag nanoparticles were doped with Ru/Cu/Ni and GO-PEI. After a sandwich-type immunoreaction, a remarkable decrease of ECL signal was observed due to the release of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ which was caused by the coordination between PEI and metal ions. Under the optimization of determination conditions, a linear response range for CEA from 0.1 pg mL −1 to 100 ng mL −1 was obtained, and the detection limit was calculated to be 0.027 pg mL −1 (S/N=3). The prepared CEA immunosensor displayed high sensitivity, excellent stability and good specificity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an ultrasensitive electrochemical immunosensor was developed for the detection of tumor specific growth factor (TSGF). Reduced graphene oxide-tetraethylene pentamine (rGO-TEPA) was used to modify the surface of glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Meanwhile, Ag@CeO 2 nanocomposite was synthesized and applied as secondary-antibody (Ab 2 ) labels for the fabrication of the immunosensor. The amperometric response of the immunosensor for the reduction of H 2 O 2 was recorded. Simultaneously, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and Cyclic voltammetry (CV) were used to characterize the fabrication process of the immunosensor. The anti-TSGF primary antibody (Ab 1 ) was immobilized onto the rGO-TEPA modified GCE via cross-linking with glutaraldehyde (GA). And then the TSGF antigen and Ab 2 -Ag@CeO 2 were modified onto the electrode surface in sequence. Under the optimal conditions, the immunosensor exhibited a wide linear range (0.500–100 pg/mL), a low detection limit (0.2 pg/mL), good reproducibility, acceptable selectivity and excellent stability. The proposed sensing strategy may provide a potential application in the detection of other cancer biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hollow TiO2 microspheres (HTS) were synthesized via a new one-pot template-free method, which exhibited amazing structure stability even at high temperature calcinations of 800 °C. The formation mechanism study indicates that the growth of HTS is like the inside-out Ostwald ripening process. The resultant HTS possess a fine porous structure and the surface area is high up to 86.5 m2 g−1. As a new functional material in the DSSC application, HTS simultaneously offer incompatible features such as a high specific surface area and a pronounced light-scattering effect, and hence an energy conversion efficiency of 6.3% can be archived directly utilizing HTS as photo-anodes. If fabricated into the bilayer structure by introducing HTS as the light scattering layer, the overall conversion efficiency can be further improved to 7.3%. The successful synthesis of these novel photo-anodes opens up a new way to improve the performance of DSSCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report herein a practical method for taming Langlois' reagent CF3SO2Na to generate CuSCF3 by a triphenylphospine-mediated deoxygenative reduction process. This chemistry highlights a novel utilization of the inherent CF3S skeleton of Langlois' reagent as a CF3S feedstock under mild conditions. The CuSCF3 intermediate generated by this protocol can react with a wide array of supporting ligands to furnish several air-stable [LCu(SCF3)] complexes as valuable trifluoromethylthiolating agents. In addition, the CuSCF3 intermediate can be directly employed for the trifluoromethylthiolation of (hetero)aryl iodides with operational simplicity and atomic efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Emotional labor is an important research area, but four key gaps remain regarding outcomes of nonwork strains, explanatory frameworks beyond the conservation of resources theory, adoption of person-centered approaches, and subjects of performers.Methods: By surveying 183 Chinese dance students, we employed cluster analysis to examine the adoption of emotional labor strategies (ie, surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions) and to explore the outcomes on work strain (ie, emotional exhaustion and reduced flow experience) and nonwork strain (ie, depression and anxiety) with introducing the allostatic load theory as an analytical basis.Results: Four types of emotional workers were identified, namely, flexible regulators (33.33%), authentic regulators (15.85%), display rules compliers (39.34%), and non-regulators (11.48%). Authentic regulators had the lowest emotional exhaustion. Non-regulators had the lowest flow. No differences emerged in depression or anxiety across clusters.Discussion: Findings partially align with past research showing risks of surface acting in terms of emotional exhaustion. However, all three strategies enhanced flow states. Moreover, dancers' work strains did not extend to psychological problems, unlike other professions. Possible explanations include training in emotional regulation and flow states in performing. Practical implications exist for training emotional regulation and fostering flow at work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To evaluate the longitudinal association of remnant cholesterol with the incidence of diabetic nephropathy using a Chinese diabetes cohort.Methods: We included 4237 individuals with type 2 diabetes during 2013-2014 from Beijing Health Management Cohort. Remnant cholesterol was defined by Martin-Hopkins equation. Diabetic nephropathy was confirmed by urine albumin/creatinine ratio and estimated glomerular filtration rate. We calculated the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for incident diabetic nephropathy using adjusted Cox proportional hazards regression.Results: The median [IQR] age was 55 [48, 64] years, and 3 256 (76.8 %) were men. During follow-up, 248 (5.9 %) participants developed diabetic nephropathy. One-SD increase of baseline and average cumulative remnant cholesterol were significantly associated with an increased risk of diabetic nephropathy, and the adjusted HRs were 1.208 (95 % CI: 1.098-1.329) and 1.216 (95 % CI: 1.102-1.341), respectively. Individuals in the highest tertile of baseline and average cumulative remnant cholesterol had a 82.3 % and 87.6 % excess risk of diabetic nephropathy, compared with those in the lowest.Conclusion: Remnant cholesterol is independently associated with incident diabetic nephropathy in type 2 diabetes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work designs a competitive consumption strategy of surface electron donor and light absorption for quenching the photocurrent of ZnSnO 3 nanocubes/BiOI nanoarrays/polydopamine (ZnSnO 3 NCs/BiOI NAs/PDA) as a photoactive material. This material can be formed on electrode surface by successive coating and deposition to provide a substrate for immobilization of capture antibody, and producing strong photocurrent in the presence of ascorbate acid as a surface electron donor due to the well matching structure of band gaps between ZnSnO 3 NCs and BiOI NAs, the excellent light absorption ability and high photo-electron conversion efficiency of BiOI NAs and PDA, and the accelerated electron transfer. Using ascorbate oxidase loaded dopamine-melanin nanosphere (DAM-AAO) as a label of the signal (secondary) antibody, the sandwich-type immunoreaction leads to dual photocurrent quenching of the label through the competitive consumption of ascorbate acid with enzymatic oxidation and the light absorption by DAM nanosphere. Thus, a sensitive "On-Off" photoelectrochemical (PEC) immunosensing method is constructed for the analysis of neuron specific enolase (NSE). The proposed method shows a detection range of 0.1 pg/mL −50 ng/mL and a detection limit of 0.03 pg/mL. The excellent performance and the recovery text demonstrated the practicability of the designed strategy and label in immunoassay of different protein biomarkers. [Display omitted] • A photocurrent quenching strategy by competitive consumption of surface electron donor and light absorption is proposed. • The novel strategy has been used for construction of photoelectrochemical immunosensing method. • ZnSnO3 nanocubes/BiOI nanoarrays/polydopamine as photoactive material shows enhanced sensitive photocurrent signal. • The proposed method for NSE shows a linear range of 0.1 pg/mL −20 ng/mL and a detection limit of 0.03 pg/mL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quenching-typed electrochemiluminescence (ECL) immunosensing method was proposed for protein detection by the redox reaction of tungsten-based polyoxometalate nanoclusters (W-POM NCs) with free radical (O 2 •–) as the intermediate of co-reactant H 2 O 2. The immunosensor was constructed by co-immobilizing luminol loaded CeVO 4 /Au nanohybrids and capture antibody on an indium tin oxide electrode, which showed strong ECL emission in the presence of H 2 O 2 due to the catalysis of CeVO 4 /Au toward its electro-oxidation to produce O 2 •– via the reversible conversion between Ce3+ and Ce4+. The W-POM NCs were encapsulated in the uniformly sized amino-silica nanosphere (SiO 2) to act as a label (W-POM@SiO 2) of the secondary antibody. Upon the sandwich-typed immunoreactions with the target, the W-POM NCs were introduced onto the immunosensor surface to reduce O 2 •–, and thus quenched the ECL emission of luminol-H 2 O 2 system. Using neuron-specific enolase (NSE) as a target, the proposed method showed a detection limit of 0.19 pg/mL and detectable range of 0.5 pg/mL to 18 ng/mL. The excellent performance of the proposed "ON-OFF" strategy demonstrated that the W-based quenching offers an effective tag for immunoassay of protein biomarkers. [Display omitted] • An ECL immunosensing method is proposed using tungsten-based quencher as signal tag. • The tag can efficiently quench the ECL emission of Lu-CeVO 4 /Au/H 2 O 2 via the consumption of O 2.•−. • This immunoassay method for NSE shows good operability and high sensitivity with a LOD of 0.19 pg/mL. • The quenching effect offers an effective tag for immunoassay of protein biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The intramolecular Heck reaction is a well-established strategy for natural product total synthesis. When constructing large rings, this reaction is also referred to as Heck macrocyclization, which has proved a viable avenue to access diverse naturally occurring macrocycles. Less noticed but likewise valuable, it has created novel macrocycles of non-natural origin that neither serve as nor derive from natural products. This review presents a systematic account of the title reaction in forging this non-natural subset of large rings, thereby addressing a topic rarely covered in the literature. Walking through two complementary sections, namely (1) drug discovery research and (2) synthetic methodology development, it demonstrates that beyond the well-known domain of natural product synthesis, Heck macrocyclization also plays a remarkable role in forming synthetic macrocycles, in particular macrocyclic drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eukaryotic elongation factor 1A (eEF1A) canonically delivers amino acyl tRNA to the ribosomal A site during the elongation stage of protein biosynthesis. Yet paradoxically, the oncogenic nature of this instrumental protein has long been recognized. Consistently, eEF1A has proven to be targeted by a wide assortment of small molecules with excellent anticancer activity, among which plitidepsin has been granted approval for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Meanwhile, metarrestin is currently under clinical development for metastatic cancers. Bearing these exciting advances in mind, it would be desirable to present a systematic up-to-date account of the title topic, which, to the best of our knowledge, has thus far been unavailable in the literature. The present review summarizes recent advances in eEF1A-targeting anticancer agents, both naturally occurring and synthetically crafted, with regard to their discovery or design, target identification, structure–activity relationship, and mode of action. Their structural diversity and differential eEF1A-targeting mechanisms warrant continuing research in pursuit of curing eEF1A-driven malignancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore the vertical distribution of the aerosol optical parameters over Jinhua City, southeast China, a Dual-wavelength Mie Polarization Raman Lidar (DMPRL) system was operated to obtain the atmospheric backscattering signals from June 2013 to May 2014. Profiles of aerosol occurrence frequency and aerosol optical parameters, including backscattering ratio, particle depolarization ratio, and color ratio, were retrieved from the lidar signals. The cases with a cloud base below 6 km and profiles on rainy days were eliminated. The multi-layer vertical aerosol structure was found in Jinhua area and the altitude-resolved optical properties varies with seasons. In autumn, winter and spring, the aerosol layer occurrence frequencies were higher than summer at 3–6 km, especially in spring. The mean particle depolarization ratio at 4–6 km exceeded 0.1 in autumn, winter, and spring, whereas it was <0.05 in summer. Aerosol with high color ratios appeared at 0–2 km in autumn. The analysis of one-year backward trajectories exhibits a dust dominating aerosol layer at 4–6 km in autumn, winter, and spring, a partially sea salt dominating aerosol layer at 0–2 km in autumn and a partially dust aerosol layer at 0–2 km in winter. Six cases were used to study the influence of aerosol advection and local sources vertical aerosol properties distribution. Through our analysis, aerosols at different altitudes are influenced by different sources, which are important for understanding the spatiotemporal characteristics of aerosol layers over Jinhua. The vertical distribution of aerosol properties in Jinhua area is affected by locally emitted aerosol , transported dust and ocean aerosol. • Multi-layer aerosol with corresponding properties observed by lidar over Jinhua. • High occurrences of aerosol layers were found at 3–6 km except summer. • Source-related aerosol vertical distribution dominated especially at 4–6 km. • Larger particles with high color ratios appeared at 0–2 km in autumn. • Regional and transported source aerosols affected the vertical aerosol properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A flexible dynamic model and a universal networking method of gas networks. • Fully and quantitatively discussions on model accuracy and its influence factors. • Simple application evaluation by a practical energy internet case. • The model is easy to implement and can greatly enhance simulation speed. • The model is particularly fit for studies of gas-electricity coupling. The couplings between different types of energy networks are receiving increasing attention, especially in distribution networks. One of the fundamental topics of interest is the dynamic coupling between power grids and gas networks. To study dynamics in gas pipelines and the interaction between gas networks and electric power grids, dynamic modeling of gas networks gives the foundation. Commercial software is available and mature, but has flaws: (1) time-consuming simulation and complex implementation, and (2) the interface to electric power grids is not friendly. In this paper, transfer functions (TFs) are used to model a single pipeline. To model a gas network with multiple pipelines, a universal networking method is proposed. The accuracy of transfer function models are thoroughly examined under step and sinusoidal excitations, and the influence factors of accuracy is investigated. The adaptability of TF models is then quantitated by reference curves. Finally, the proposed modeling approach is applied in analyzing a gas-electricity system to test its capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The hippocampus consists of histologically and functionally distinct subfields, which shows differential vulnerabilities to Alzheimer's disease (AD)-associated pathological changes. Objective: To investigate the atrophy patterns of the main hippocampal subfields in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD and the relationships among the hippocampal subfield volumes, plasma biomarkers and cognitive performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 119 patients stratified into three categories: normal cognition (CN; N = 40), MCI (N = 39), and AD (N = 40). AD-related plasma biomarkers were measured, including amyloid-β (Aβ)42, Aβ40, Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio, p-tau181, and p-tau217, and the hippocampal subfield volumes were calculated using automated segmentation and volumetric procedures implemented in FreeSurfer. Results: The subiculum body, cornu ammonis (CA) 1-head, CA1-body, CA4-body, molecular_layer_HP-head, molecular_layer_HP-body, and GC-ML-DG-body volumes were smaller in the MCI group than in the CN group. The subiculum body and CA1-body volumes accurately distinguished MCI from CN (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.647–0.657). The subiculum-body, GC-ML-DG-body, CA4-body, and molecular_layer_HP-body volumes accurately distinguished AD from MCI (AUC = 0.822–0.833) and AD from CN (AUC = 0.903–0.905). The p-tau 217 level served as the best plasma indicator of AD and correlated with broader hippocampal subfield volumes. Moreover, mediation analysis demonstrated that the subiculum-body volume mediated the associations between the p-tau217 and p-tau181 levels, and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and Auditory Verbal Learning Test recognition scores. Conclusions: Hippocampal subfields with distinctive atrophy patterns may mediate the effects of tau pathology on cognitive function. The subiculum-body may be the most clinically meaningful hippocampal subfield, which could be an effective target region for assessing disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To delay the resistance of pests to Bt cotton producing Cry1Ac, pyramided cotton has been planted to replace Cry1Ac-cotton. However, the resistance mechanism of insects to Cry2Ab is rarely researched. In this study, a Cry2Ab-resistant Helicoverpa armigera strain (96-2Ab60) was selected in laboratory, which had a resistance ratio of 778.84-fold compared to the 96S susceptible strain. Genetic analysis showed that the resistance of 96-2Ab60 strain was controlled by more than one locus, and inheritance mode was incompletely dominant. The Cry2Ab-resistant H. armigera had high cross-resistance to Cry1Ac (284.28-fold), Cry1Fa (282.50-fold), Cry1Aa (> 71.40-fold), Cry2Aa (30.14-fold) toxins, and low cross-resistance to Cry1Ab (9.94-fold) and Cry1Ca (> 8.05-fold), while it had no cross-resistance to abamectin and spinetoram and negative cross-resistance to Vip3Aa toxin (0.14-fold). The fitness costs of 96-2Ab60 resistant strain were evaluated on toxin-free artificial diet, compared with 96S strain, the life table parameters such as pupa survival rate, pupa weight, oviposition period, hatching rate of egg, r, and λ in 96-2Ab60 were significantly decreased, and total pre-oviposition and T were significantly increased. There were obvious fitness costs in 96-2Ab60 strain whose fitness value Rf (0.7341) was lower than that of the 96S strain. The larval mortalities of 96-2Ab60 and 96S fed on either DP33B (single-toxin cotton) or Bollgard II (pyramided cotton) were significantly higher than those fed on non-Bt cotton; however, the mortalities of 96-2Ab60 were obviously reduced compared with 96S. These results indicated that although these two Bt cottons could kill part of 96-2Ab60 larvae, 96-2Ab60 already had resistance to them. These results provide useful information to further understand Cry2Ab resistance mechanism and apply pyramided cotton for managing resistance in H. armigera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental cadmium (Cd) exposure is a serious public health concern, as the kidney is the primary target for Cd exposure. The present study aimed to investigate the role and underlying mechanisms of nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like 2 (Nrf2) in renal fibrosis induced by chronic Cd exposure. Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2 -KO) mice and their wild-type littermates (Nrf2 -WT) were exposed to 100 or 200 ppm Cd in drinking water for up to 16 or 24 weeks. Following the Cd exposures, Nrf2 -KO mice showed elevated urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and BUN levels compared to Nrf2 -WT mice. Masson's trichrome staining and expression of fibrosis-associated proteins revealed that more severe renal fibrosis occurred in Nrf2 -KO than that in Nrf2 -WT mice. Renal Cd content in the Nrf2 -KO mice exposed to 200 ppm Cd was lower than that in Nrf2 -WT mice, which might be a consequence of the severe renal fibrosis in the Nrf2 -KO mice. Mechanistic studies showed that Nrf2 -KO mice exhibited higher levels of oxidative damage, lower antioxidant levels, and more regulated cell death, apoptosis in particular, than those in Nrf2 -WT mice caused by Cd exposure. In conclusion, Nrf2 -KO mice were more prone to develop renal fibrosis induced by chronic Cd exposure, partially due to a weakened antioxidant, detoxification capacity and increased oxidative damage. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The starch‐fatty acid (FA) complex belongs to a new type of resistant starch (RS5) and has become a prevalent research topic because of its slow‐digestion and enzymatic resistance properties. In this study, the starch‐FA complexes were prepared from potato starch (PS) and FAs with various carbon chain lengths and unsaturation by hydrothermal treatment (HT), alcohothermal treatment (AT) or ultrasound treatment (UT), and their physicochemical properties and digestibility were interpreted. The PS‐8% lauric acid (Lau) with the highest complex index value (approximately 95%) and RS content (approximately 31%) was obtained by HT; meanwhile, it had a slow glucose diffusion rate and a low free fatty acid release rate in simulated gastrointestinal digestion compared to native PS. Besides, the V‐type crystalline structure was formed obviously after HT, but it was too weak for AT and UT samples to be detected. The gelatinisation viscosity was reduced due to the physical combination of PS and Lau. Therefore, HT was a relatively efficient and safe approach to prepare starch‐FA complex with high RS content, and the obtained starch‐FA complex has the potential to become an alternative functional food ingredient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil fungi play key roles in agricultural ecosystem. Yet, little is currently known about the dynamic pattern and driving factors of the rare and abundant fungal subcommunities in response to the short- and long-term continuous cropping. Here, we comparatively investigated the diversity and structure of rare and abundant fungal subcommunities with varying histories of continuous chrysanthemum (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) cropping, that is, cropping for 1 year (CP1), 6 years (CP6) and 12 years (CP12). The alpha diversity (estimated as Shannon index) of abundant and especially rare fungal subcommunities increased with continuous cropping years. The structure of both rare and abundant subcommunities varied notably with the increasing of continuous cropping years, but the value of dissimilarity for rare taxa (average of 0.988) was significantly higher than for abundant taxa (average of 0.243). The abundant taxon Mortierellomycota and rare taxa Nitrospirae and Elusimicrobia were significantly enriched in the CP12 treatment. Soil rare fungal taxa were mainly affected by the available nutrients (i.e., carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) and pH, while the abundant fungal taxa were majorly influenced by soil total nutrients. The growth indicators (e.g., plant biomass, plant height, and flower diameter) of cut chrysanthemum significantly decreased under 12-year continuous cropping system. Random forest models showed that abundant rather than rare fungi played key roles in the chrysanthemum growth even though the rare fungi were more significantly affected during continuous cropping. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Stormwater runoff has become a major anthropogenic urban pollution source that threatens water quality. In this study, coagulation-sedimentation, and ammonium ion exchange and regeneration (AIR) modules were coupled as a CAIR system to efficiently treat stormwater runoff. In the coagulation module, 99.3%, 91.7%, and 97.0% of turbidity, total phosphorus, and chemical oxygen demand could be removed at an optimized poly-aluminum ferric chloride dosage of 30 mg/L, and the continuous experiment confirmed that the full load mode was more suitable for its rapid start-up. In the AIR module, dynamic ammonium removal indicated that the breakthrough time decreased with the rising initial concentration and superficial velocity. The Modified Dose Response (MDR) model described the ammonium exchange behavior better than the Thomas and the Bohart-Adams models. Then, a design flow of the ion exchange reactor was constructed by correlating constants in the MDR model with engineering parameters, and the ion exchange reactor was designed for continuous operation of the CAIR system. The average concentrations of chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, ammonium nitrogen, and total nitrogen in the effluent of the CAIR system were 7.22 ± 2.26, 0.17 ± 0.05, 1.49 ± 0.01, and 1.62 ± 0.02 mg/L, respectively. The almost unchanged exchange capacity and physicochemical properties after the multicycle operation confirmed the durability of zeolite for ion exchange. Techno-economic analysis suggested that the CAIR system is practically promising for stormwater management with efficient pollutants removal, small footprint, and acceptable operating cost. [Display omitted] • A CAIR system was constructed by coagulation and NH 4 + exchange-regeneration (AIR). • The CAIR efficiently removed particles, COD and nutrients from stormwater runoff. • A design flow for AIR was proposed based on a dynamic model of packed column. • The durability of zeolite for ion exchange was confirmed by multicycle operation. • CAIR proposed by the design flow is inspirable for space-saving stormwater management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen is a critical element closely related to the synthesis of cellular membrane fouling behaviors in membrane bioreactors (MBRs). In this study, a novel pretreatment process by coupling chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT) with ammonia nitrogen ion exchange and regeneration (AIR) was proposed to analyze their influences on sludge properties and membrane fouling in MBRs. The MBRs with CEPT and AIR pretreatment obtained the effluent with chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonium nitrogen (NH 4 +-N) levels comparable to the conventional anoxic/aerobic MBR, but with much lower concentrations of total nitrogen (≤3.0 mg/L) and total phosphorous (≤0.15 mg/L). CEPT and AIR remarkably removed particles and soluble proteins from the influent, prohibited EPS secretion by 62.9–79.1% and elevated viscoelasticity of EPS, and thus alleviated membrane fouling. Membrane foulant in the experimental MBRs had unstable EPS structures easily detached, and low biofilm roughness to prevent the adsorption of organic matters. Nitrogen load had significantly positive correlations with EPS contents, viscoelasticity of EPS, and the total filtration resistance. The nitrogen-deficient condition enriched quorum quenching bacteria and microbes surviving retarding EPS production, and inhibited the overgrowth of filamentous bacteria. Therefore, nitrogen separation from wastewater in advance can effectively alleviate membrane fouling and improve pollutant removal in MBRs. [Display omitted] • Wastewater was pretreated by coagulation and NH 4 + exchange – regeneration for MBRs. • Pretreatment removed potential foulants and improved sludge property by reducing EPS. • Membrane foulant in MBRs after pretreatment had unstable structure easily detached. • Nitrogen load was positively correlated with sludge properties and membrane fouling. • Nitrogen pre-separation alleviates membrane fouling and improves pollutant removal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a fluoride mediated hydrothermal method is proposed for the synthesis of TiO 2 mesocrystals (MC) exposed by highly reactive facets. These materials are built of TiO 2 nanocrystals with similar crystallographic orientation and the percentage of exposed {001} facet is calculated to be 52%. By adjusting the ratio of fluorine to titanium ( R F ), the structure of TiO 2 products can be accurately regulated. The low R F yields the {001} facets unexposed subsphaeroidal mesocrystals (MC), whereas the sheet-like single crystals (SC) were obtained at the high R F . Owing to the mesocrystalline structure and exposure of highly active facets, MC with {001} facets exhibit superior photocatalytic activity than the {001} unexposed MC and SC in the degradation of methylene blue. The rate constant of the TiO 2 mesocrystals with {001} facets nanocrystals is almost 4 times of the TiO 2 single crystals, and 1.5 times that of the {001} unexposed TiO 2 mesocrystals. The designed fabrication of mesocrystals with exposed reactive facets provides an attractive and effective route for improving the performances of semiconductor photocatalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Age has been found to be the single most significant factor in COVID-19 severity and outcome. However, the age-related severity factors of COVID-19 have not been definitively established. In this study, we detected SARS-CoV-2-specific antibody responses and infectious disease-related blood indicators in 2360 sera from 783 COVID-19 patients, with an age range of 1–92 years. In addition, we recorded the individual information and clinical symptoms of the patients. We found that the IgG responses for S1, N, and ORF3a and the IgM for NSP7 were associated with severe COVID-19 at different ages. The IgM responses for the S-protein peptides S1-113 (aa 673–684) and S2-97 (aa 1262–1273) were associated with severe COVID-19 in patients aged <60. Furthermore, we found that the IgM for S1-113 and NSP7 may play a protective role in patients aged <60 and >80, respectively. Regarding clinical parameters, we analyzed the diagnostic ability of five clinical parameters for severe COVID-19 in six age groups and identified three-target panel, glucose, IL-6, myoglobin, IL-6, and NT proBNP as the appropriate diagnostic markers for severe COVID-19 in patients aged <41, 41–50, 51–60, 61–70, 71–80, and >80, respectively. The age-associated severity factors revealed here will facilitate our understanding of COVID-19 immunity and diagnosis, and eventually provide meaningful information for combating the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Deep learning is used to discriminate Pb-Zn deposit types using galena trace elements. • UMAP is used to visualize deep learning internals for 'black box' insights. • SHAP is used to interpret the 'black box' nature of deep learning models. • The approach involves discrimination, visualization, evaluation, and dissection. Different types of ore deposits exhibit distinct metal sources, physicochemical conditions, and ore-forming processes. Galena, a key sulfide in Pb-Zn deposits, possesses trace elements that may be utilized for classifying Pb-Zn deposit types. Presently, research on classifying ore deposit types based on trace elements in galena is sparse, and there is a lack of robust methods for distinguishing Pb-Zn deposit types using these trace elements. In this study, we demonstrate that a deep learning algorithm, based on the trace elements in galena, can be effectively utilized for classifying Pb-Zn deposit types. The model training process utilized UMAP for visualization, and the evaluation was conducted using multiple statistical metrics, confusion matrices, and ROC curves. Finally, by dissecting the 'black box' with the UMAP algorithm, we established a comprehensive set of analysis methods for discriminating deposit types: discrimination-visualization-evaluation-dissection. A dataset comprising 828 LA-ICP-MS analyses of galena from 34 Pb-Zn deposits worldwide was curated from peer-reviewed sources. It includes data on 7 elements (Se, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Tl, and Bi) across 7 deposit types: carbonate replacement deposits (CRD), epithermal, mississippi valley type (MVT), sedimentary exhalative (SEDEX), skarn, volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS), and vein-type deposits. Initially, we selected the UMAP algorithm from three visualization methods (PCA, t-SNE and UMAP), for its ability to balance global and local structures in visualizing the internals of the deep model. Subsequently, we developed a deep learning model (1D-CNN) for deposit type classification. Various evaluation metrics and visual analyses indicate exceptional performance of our model, achieving an overall accuracy of 99.18 % on the test set. Finally, the SHAP algorithm was used to analyze the importance of trace elements in galena for different deposit types. Elements such as Sn, Tl, and Bi were found to be particularly significant in classifying deposit types, confirming the influence of multiple elements in Pb-Zn deposits within galena. Therefore, we conclude that deep learning algorithms can effectively identify Pb-Zn deposit types, offering new insights into the study of galena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A CAIRM process was developed by coagulation, NH 4 + exchange – regeneration, and MBR. • CAIRM obtained effluent with 0.3 mg/L NH 4 + and 2.3 mg/L TN within total HRT of 4.6 h. • Long-term operation didn't impair NH 4 + exchange capacity of exchangers. • Membrane fouling was alleviated in MBR with large sludge flocs and good bioactivity. • CAIRM will address insufficient N removal and large footprint of conventional WWTPs. Chemically enhanced primary treatment (CEPT), ammonium ion exchange and regeneration (AIR) and membrane bioreactor (MBR) were coupled as CAIRM to treat domestic wastewater compactly and efficiently. CAIRM achieved efficient removal of chemical oxygen demand, ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus with total hydraulic retention time of 4.6 h, and obtained 2.3 ± 0.9 mg/L TN in the effluent. CEPT removed phosphate and impurities and prevented AIR from pollution. AIR maintained excellent nitrogen removal with a slight decrease in the exchange capacity of ion exchangers. MBR polished the effluent from AIR, and the larger particle size and better dewaterability of sludge mitigated the membrane fouling. Many heterotrophic genera, such as Rhodobacter and Defluviimonas , were enriched in the oligotrophic MBR. This study demonstrates the viability and stability of CAIRM in efficient wastewater treatment, which will address critical challenges in insufficient nitrogen removal and high land occupancy of current processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]