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Studies have highlighted oxidative damage in the inner ear as a critical pathological basis for sensorineural hearing loss, especially the presbycusis. Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP1) activation responds to oxidative stress-induced DNA damage with pro-repair and pro-death effects resembling two sides of the same coin. PARP1-related cell death, known as parthanatos, whose underlying mechanisms are attractive research hotspots but remain to be clarified. In this study, we observed that aged rats showed stria vascularis degeneration and oxidative damage, and PARP1-dependent cell death was prominent in age-related cochlear disorganization and dysfunction. Based on oxidative stress model of primary cultured stria marginal cells (MCs), we revealed that upregulated PARP1 and PAR (Poly(ADP-ribose)) polymers are responsible for MCs oxidative death with high mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) collapse, while inhibition of PARP1 ameliorated the adverse outcomes. Importantly, the PARylation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) is essential for its conformational change and translocation, which subsequently causes DNA break and cell death. Concretely, the interaction of PAR and truncated AIF (tAIF) is the mainstream in the parthanatos pathway. We also found that the effects of AIF cleavage and release were achieved through calpain activity and mPTP opening, both of which could be regulated by PARP1 via mediation of mitochondria Ca2+ concentration. In conclusion, the PAR-Ca2+-tAIF signaling pathway in parthanatos contributes to the oxidative stress damage observed in MCs. Targeting PAR-Ca2+-tAIF might be a potential therapeutic strategy for the early intervention of presbycusis and other oxidative stress-associated sensorineural deafness. [Display omitted] • Oxidative damage and cochlear stria vascularis degeneration are evident in old rats with age-related hearing loss. • GO-induced oxidative damage in MCs is alleviated after PARP1 inhibition. • PARylation of tAIF is crucial for its release and translocation in PARP1-related cell death. • PAR-Ca2+-tAIF axis is the promising therapeutic target for modulating oxidative stress in age-related hearing loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fresh corn stover, which could be separated into fermentable juice and lignocellulosic bagasse, is considered as an alternative raw material for second-generation ethanol production. However, the influence of harvest time of corn stover on ethanol yield has not been evaluated yet. In this work, aiming to improve ethanol yield from fresh corn stover, the harvest time was redefined and optimized. Liquefaction plus simultaneous saccharification and co-fermentation (L + SScF) was carried out to define the realistic ethanol yields. Results showed that compared with the corn stover harvested in the end of physiological stage, the conventional harvest stage, the corn stover harvested in dent stage provided the highest theoretical ethanol yield of 9.92 t/ha (5.64 t/ha for the case that exclude xylan derives). 3.53 t/ha of ethanol was produced from the fresh stover harvested in dent stage, which was 1.64 times higher than using the stover obtained in the conventional harvest time. This study demonstrated that bio-ethanol yield was hugely influenced by harvest time of corn stover, and the stover harvested in dent stage has the highest ethanol yield. Image 1 • Different harvest times of fresh corn stover for bio-ethanol production were evaluated. • A highest theoretical ethanol yield of 9.92 t/ha was estimated in dent stage. • 3.53 t/ha of ethanol can be obtained by fermentation using the stover harvested in dent stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Biphasic acetone-butanol-ethanol after in situ gas stripping was purified by distillation. • Four distillation sequences were investigated and optimized. • Techno-economic analysis was carried out to choose favorable sequences. • Energy requirement of distillation was decreased by 25.8%. • Total annual cost of distillation was decreased by 17.4%. Abstract Distillation processes for separation of biphasic ABE solution from in situ gas stripping were developed. The distillation sequences were investigated and optimized. Results proved the energy requirement of distillation was effectively reduced when feeding the biphasic ABE mixture. After techno-economic analysis, a superior scenario that started with a decanter followed with side-by-side sequences for separation acetone and ethanol was selected. Compared with the conventional processes that detractively concentrate the biphasic ABE mixture, energy requirement and total annual cost (TAC) of the novel distillation process were decreased by 25.8% and 17.4%, respectively. $ 4102.98 K per year of TAC was estimated in a case with a capacity of 30 K tons of butanol per year. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation was upgraded in order to improve its economy. Fed-batch fermentation was integrated with two-stage gas stripping-pervaporation unit. The permeated ABE condensate was used as substrate for oleates production. Candida sp. 99–125 cells, being rich in lipase activity, were used as full-cell catalyst. Different ABE feeding strategies in the esterification process were compared. As results, 10.1%, 68.6% and 72.5% of butyl oleate were obtained in the one-step added scenario, the stepwise-added scenario, and the simultaneous fed-batch scenario, respectively. The novel hybrid process was energy-saving, environmentally friendly and profitable, showing promise in future industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an integrated gas stripping–pervaporation (GS–PV) process was established to enhance the butanol concentration and to reduce the cost of the product separation processes. Batch pervaporation was integrated with in situ gas stripping system of fed-batch acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation. A total 706.68 g/L ABE (54.2 g/L of ethanol, 169.93 g/L of acetone, and 482.55 g/L of butanol) was collected after 11 h of pervaporation separation. The recovery rates of butanol, acetone and ethanol were 98.8%, 99.5% and 82.8% (w/v), respectively. Attractively, the liquor on the permeate side of pervaporation membrane exceeded its azeotropic point which have not been achieved in previous processes basing on individual gas stripping or pervaporation. Furthermore, aiming to construct consolidate commercial guide of biobutanol producing process, GS–PV–distillation process was established and compared with traditional GS–distillation scheme. As a result, 24.83 MJ/kg of butanol was consumed in the novel GS–PV–distillation process. In this scheme, the beer column was deleted from the rectifying column series. Moreover, based on the consolidate GS–PV–distillation integration process, heat recovery network was simulated and designed by Pinch Analysis, and 1.72 MJ/kg of heat could be further saved after heat exchange in the distillation system. And the overall energy demand for butanol production was further decreased to 23.07 MJ/kg, which was only 29.2% of the conventional distillation procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic, multisystem autoimmune disorder. When SLE occurs in individuals under the age of 18, it is referred to as childhood-onset SLE (cSLE). Currently, there is a dearth of bibliometric research pertaining to cSLE. Method: Relevant studies in the field of cSLE from 2000 to 2022 were screened from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to visualize the annual publications, countries, institutions, authors, journals, keywords, and references, after which the authors conducted the scientific analysis. Results: A total of 2857 articles were included in this study, and the number of articles published in the past 20 years showed an overall upwards trend. The most prolific countries are the United States, China, and Brazil; however, the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom are clearly superior in terms of literary influence, and there is more cooperation between them and their institutions. LUPUS (n = 389) contributed the most to the variance. Brunner, HI's contribution in the field of cSLE is outstanding. The words related to 'lupus nephritis' and 'antibodies' are important words reflected in the keyword network diagram. The keywords included 'evidence-based recommendation', 'validation', 'diagnosis' and 'adult' from 2019, and 'continuous bursts' to the present. Conclusion: This study examined the research status of cSLE patients, discussed and analysed the research hotspots and trends in this field, and provided a reference for further research in this field to promote the development of cSLE research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel core-shell sulfonated tin-loaded diatomite catalyst, namely SO 4 2−/CX-DMSn, was synthesized by hybridizing sulfuric carbon layer on DM-Sn intermedium. Lewis and Brønsted acid sites displayed on the surface of DM core and on the coated carbon layer of the SO 4 2−/CX-DMSn, respectively. The catalyst exhibited excellent catalytic ability, high water tolerance and good stability. The existence of acid sites and carbon layer on the diatomite were characterized by SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, NH 3 -TPD and Py-IR. The unique core-shell structure of the carbonized diatomite catalyst significantly improved furfural production from xylose and lignocellulosic matrix even in organic solvent-free process. Results showed 66.24% of furfural yield and 79.92% of selectivity were obtained from xylose, whilst 65.74% of furfural yield and 66.83% of selectivity from corn cob, implying the side reactions for furfural production were well-eliminated. This strategy shows a promising application for novel SO 4 2−/CX-DMSn material toward effective and green catalytic production of furfural from biomass materials. Image 1 • SO 4 2−/CX-DMSn was prepared by hybridizing sulfuric carbon layer on tin-loaded diatomite. • High furfural yield and selectivity can be obtained when using water as solvent. • 65.74% of furfural yield and 66.83% of selectivity were obtained from corn cob. • The hydrophobicity and hierarchical active cites of catalyst affected the catalysis performances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different harvest times of corn stover for bio-butanol production were evaluated. • The cultivar differences on sugars yield and bio-butanol production were compared. • Juice and hydrolysate of the pretreated bagasse were used for ABE fermentation. • Corn stover harvest after 150 days of cultivation is the optimized harvest time. • The cultivar Zhongxing 718 provides the highest ABE yield of 4.6 t/ha. In this study, the fresh corn stover that contained fermentable juice and lignocellulosic fiber was used as the raw material for biobutanol production. After utilizing the sugar-contain juice for first generation bio-butanol production, the remaining bagasse was alkaline pretreated. The enzymatic hydrolysate of the pretreated bagaase was used for second generation bio-butanol production. During the process, the impacts of harvest time and cultivars on acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) production were evaluated. Results indicated that different harvest time and cultivars sharply influenced on fermentable sugars yields from juice and bagasse, and further affected ABE yield. Compared with the conventional harvest time after 170 days of cultivation (obtained withered and yellow stover), corn stover obtained after 150 days of cultivation showed higher ABE yield. Besides, among three normal corn cultivars growing in Northeast of China, the cultivar Zhongxing 718, with higher planting density and sugars yield per unit weight, offered the highest ABE yield of 4.6 t/ha. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Magnetic CoFe 2 O 4 /AC was synthesized as the catalysts for PMS with AOPs. • CoFe 2 O 4 /AC could absorb MB in high concentration near catalysts. • CoFe 2 O 4 /AC adsorption and degradation with PMS both contributed to MB removal. • The synergistic effect of CoFe 2 O 4 /AC and PMS increased the MB removal to 100%. • CoFe 2 O 4 /AC separated easily by magnetic separation from solution. • CoFe 2 O 4 /AC presented the good repeatability and could be recycled and reused. Magnetic cobalt ferrites (CoFe 2 O 4)/activated carbon (AC) nanocomposites were prepared by the hydrothermal method, and then the catalysis for potassium hydrogen persulfate (PMS) to degrade methylene blue (MB) was investigated. The results indicated that 9 wt% CoFe 2 O 4 nanoparticles supplied the sufficient magnetic response for magnetic separation and activated PMS to generate SO 4 − radicals. The pore-structures of AC could adsorb the residual MB in high concentration near CoFe 2 O 4 catalysts, and promoted MB degradation with SO 4 − radicals. CoFe 2 O 4 /AC nanocomposites presented the good stability and reusability. It was proved that the synergistic effect of PMS and CoFe 2 O 4 /AC nanocomposites could greatly improve the MB removal to 100% at the optimized conditions for 60 min. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Bibliometric analysis is a mature method for quantitative evaluation of academic productivity. In view of the rapid development of research in the field of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the past decade, we used bibliometric methods to comprehensively analyze the literature in the field of SLE from 2013 to 2022. Methods: The relevant literature in the field of SLE from 2013 to 2022 was screened in the Web of Science Core Collection database. After obtaining and sorting out the data, CiteSpace and VOSviewer software were used to visualize the relevant data, and SPSS software was used for scientific statistics. Results: A total of 18,450 publications were included in this study. The number of articles published over the past 10 years has generally shown an upward trend, while Altmetric attention scores have also shown a clear upward trend in general and in most countries. Citation analysis and Altmetric analysis can mutually prove and supplement the influence of papers. The USA, China, Japan, Italy, and the UK are the most productive countries, but China and Japan are significantly inferior to other countries in terms of research influence. Four of the top ten authors are at the center of the collaboration network. LUPUS is the most contributing journal. The theme of systemic lupus erythematosus research mainly focuses on the pathogenesis, treatment, and management of SLE, and the emerging trend is related research on machine learning and immune cells. Conclusion: This study shows the research status of SLE, clarifies the main contributors in this field, discusses and analyzes the research hotspots and trends in this field, and provides reference for further research in this field to promote the development of SLE research. Key Points • Through bibliometric analysis, Altmetric analysis, and visual analysis, we reveal the global productivity characteristics of SLE-related papers in the past 10 years. • The number of global SLE-related studies has shown a significant increase, indicating that SLE is still a hot topic and deserves further study. • Citation analysis and Altmetric analysis can mutually prove and supplement the influence of papers, and the attention of related literature among non-professional researchers is increasing. • The theme of SLE research mainly focuses on the pathogenesis, treatment, and management of SLE. The emerging trend is machine learning and immune cells, which may provide new strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of SLE in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: One of the major obstacles of acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) fermentation from renewable biomass resources is the energy-intensive separation process. To decrease the energy demand of the ABE downstream separation processes, hybrid in situ separation system with conventional distillation is recognized as an effective method. However, in the distillation processes, the high reflux ratio of the ethanol column and the accumulation of ethanol on top of the water and butanol columns led to poor controllability and high operation cost of the distillations. In this study, vacuum distillation process which is based on a decanter-assisted ethanol–butanol–water recycle loop named E-TCD sequence was developed to improve the conventional separation sequence for ABE separation. The permeate of in situ pervaporation system was used as the feed. Results: The distillation processes were simulated and optimized by iterative strategies. ABE mixture with acetone, butanol and ethanol concentrations of 115.8 g/L, 191.4 g/L and 17.8 g/L (the other composition was water) that obtained from fermentation–pervaporation integration process was used as the feed. A plant scaled to 1025 kg/h of ABE mixture was performed, and the product purities were 100 wt% of butanol, 99.7 wt% of acetone and 95 wt% of ethanol, respectively. Results showed that only 5.3 MJ/kg (of butanol) was required for ABE separation, which was only 37.54% of the energy cost in conventional distillation processes. Conclusions: Compared with the drawbacks of ethanol accumulation in butanol–water recycle loop and the extremely high recovery rate of ethanol in conventional distillation processes, simulation results obtained in the current work avoided the accumulation of ethanol based on the novel E-TCD sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The production of biobutanol from renewable biomass resources is attractive. The energy-intensive separation process and low-titer solvents production are the key constraints on the economy-feasible acetone–butanol–ethanol (ABE) production by fermentation. To decrease energy consumption and increase the solvents concentration, a novel two-stage gas stripping–salting-out system was established for effective ABE separation from the fermentation broth using sweet sorghum bagasse as feedstock. Results: The ABE condensate (143.6 g/L) after gas stripping, the first-stage separation, was recovered and introduced to salting-out process as the second-stage. K4P2O7 and K2HPO4 were used, respectively. The effect of saturated salt solution temperature on final ABE concentration was also investigated. The results showed high ABE recovery (99.32%) and ABE concentration (747.58 g/L) when adding saturated K4P2O7 solution at 323.15 K and 3.0 of salting-out factor. On this condition, the energy requirement of the downstream distillation process was 3.72 MJ/kg of ABE. Conclusions: High-titer cellulosic ABE production was separated from the fermentation broth by the novel two-stage gas stripping–salting-out process. The process was effective, which reduced the downstream process energy requirement significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming to promote the application of D-mannitol in the field of phase change thermal storage, obstacles, including low thermal storage efficiency and high supercooling, should be properly disposed of. The adoption of adaptable and low-cost supporting materials to make shape-stable phase change materials (ss-PCMs) affordable is a primary solution to solve the above shortcomings. In this study, high-performance ss-PCM for effective medium-temperature heat storage was prepared using expanded vermiculite as the support for D-mannitol preservation. Among the three candidates that treated the raw vermiculite by dilute acid, calcination, and microwave heating, the calcinated expanded vermiculite (CV) was characterized as the most suitable one. After impregnating D-mannitol into the CV carrier by vacuum, a melting enthalpy of 205.1 J/g and a crystallization enthalpy of 174.1 J/g were achieved by the as-received CV/D-mannitol ss-PCM. Additionally, the supercooling of the ss-PCM was reduced to 45.6 °C. The novel CV/D-mannitol ss-PCM also exhibited excellent reusability and stability. All the findings indicate that the abundant and inexpensive CV exhibited great potential as the supporting material for D-mannitol-based ss-PCMs, which allow effective waste heat recovery and temperature regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green and low-carbon has become the main theme of global energy development. Data centers are the core of the digital age, carrying huge arithmetic demand. Data centers must implement green low-carbon energy efficiency management to improve energy efficiency, reduce energy waste and carbon emissions, and achieve sustainable development. As a result, an intelligent management strategy for dynamic energy efficiency of data center networks with Artificial Intelligence (AI) fitting control is proposed. Firstly, a Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network is used for long sequence trend prediction to predict the temperature of the data center in the next sequence using the temperature of the past 15 sequences and the power consumption of the equipment as parameters. Then, based on the prediction results, the intelligent air conditioning controller based on Deep Q-Network (DQN) is designed to update the parameters by using the gradient of double-Q network and error backpropagation, and the optimal control action is selected by using the ε-greedy strategy to ensure that the prediction of the hotspot does not occur. Experiments show that the average absolute errors of temperature prediction for supply air, return air, cold aisle as well as hot aisle are 0.32 °C, 0.21 °C, 0.36 °C and 0.19 °C, respectively. The Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) decreased by an average of 2.6% and 2.5%, respectively. The method achieves the purpose of predicting future temperatures and intelligently controlling the output so that the data center can satisfy the premise of normal operation and thus achieve more efficient energy use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy is a multisystem autoimmune condition characterized by muscle inflammation (myositis) and interstitial lung disease (ILD). Bibliometric analysis and altmetric analysis are effective methods of evaluating academic productivity and measuring the influence of publications. The purpose of this study is to analyze the research productivity and influence of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy articles using bibliometric analysis and altmetric analysis. Data from articles published between 2011 and 2021 were obtained from the Web of Science. Altmetric attention scores and Mendeley reader counts of the articles were obtained from altmetric evaluations. In the study, 2060 articles related to idiopathic inflammatory myopathy were screened out showing an increasing trend in general. In terms of the origin countries of articles, the United States (n = 467, 22.67%) ranked first. Johns Hopkins University has the largest number of institutions (n = 113). The journals regarding idiopathic inflammatory myopathy and Rheumatology (n = 87) published the most articles. The most cited article was published by Mammen et al. and was related to autoantibodies. Dermatomyositis, polymyositis and other research hotspots were represented by keywords. The results of the altmetric analysis showed that citations, impact factors and h-index were significantly correlated with Altmetric Attention Scores and Mendeley Readers Count (P < 0.05). In summary, bibliometric analysis summarizes the current status of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy research and helps to understand the development of idiopathic inflammatory myopathy in the field between 2011 and 2021. Altmetric analysis was used to evaluate the academic and social influence of articles from the novel perspective of internet attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antiphospholipid syndrome is an autoimmune disorder characterized by recurrent vascular thrombosis and pregnancy losses in the presence of persistently positive antiphospholipid antibodies. Bibliometric analysis and altmetric analysis are methods of analyzing academic productivity and influence. Currently, the assessment of antiphospholipid syndrome through the above analyses is lacking. This study investigated the quantity and quality of studies in the field of antiphospholipid syndrome and revealed the characteristics of worldwide productivity on this disease by the bibliometric analysis and altmetric analysis. Methods: The terms "APS," "antiphospholipid syndrome," "antiphospholipid-antibody syndrome," and "Hughes syndrome" were searched on the Web of Science Core Collection from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2021. Original articles and reviews were selected. We set the filters as "English." Results and conclusion: A total of 1818 articles were retrieved from 68 countries, of which 20 met the criteria of major active countries. High-income countries contributed 1341 articles (73.48%). The number of articles annually increased significantly in the 10-year period (P < 0.001). The USA (253, 13.91%) was the most productive country. Adjusted by population, Serbia was top of the list. According to the gross domestic product analysis, Serbia ranked first. The most used keywords such as thrombosis and antiphospholipid antibodies were presented by keywords analyses. A content analysis found antithrombotic and anticoagulant therapy as research hotspots. A significant correlation was detected between average citations and altmetric attention scores (P = 0.002) and Mendeley readers count (P < 0.001). From 2011 to 2021, the number of global articles increased rapidly. Most papers came from high-income countries. The relationship between the bibliometric and altmetric analyses were basically consistent; therefore the two can prove/complement each other. Key points • We revealed the global productivity characteristics of the papers related to antiphospholipid syndrome by using the methods of bibliometric analysis and altmetric analysis. • We found the most selected articles that describe the treatment of antiphospholipid syndrome, especially antithrombotic and anticoagulant treatments, which may be the current research hotspot. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Administration of a novel and selective small molecule integrin αvβ6 inhibitor, MORF-627, to young cynomolgus monkeys for 28 days resulted in the rapid induction of epithelial proliferative changes in the urinary bladder of 2 animals, in the absence of test agent genotoxicity. Microscopic findings included suburothelial infiltration by irregular nests and/or trabeculae of epithelial cells, variable cytologic atypia, and high mitotic rate, without invasion into the tunica muscularis. Morphologic features and patterns of tumor growth were consistent with a diagnosis of early-stage invasive urothelial carcinoma. Ki67 immunohistochemistry demonstrated diffusely increased epithelial proliferation in the urinary bladder of several monkeys, including those with tumors, and αvβ6 was expressed in some epithelial tissues, including urinary bladder, in monkeys and humans. Spontaneous urothelial carcinomas are extremely unusual in young healthy monkeys, suggesting a direct link of the finding to the test agent. Inhibition of integrin αvβ6 is intended to locally and selectively block transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling, which is implicated in epithelial proliferative disorders. Subsequent in vitro studies using a panel of integrin αvβ6 inhibitors in human bladder epithelial cells replicated the increased urothelial proliferation observed in monkeys and was reversed through exogenous application of TGF-β. Moreover, analysis of in vivo models of liver and lung fibrosis revealed evidence of epithelial hyperplasia and cell cycle dysregulation in mice treated with integrin αvβ6 or TGF-β receptor I inhibitors. The cumulative evidence suggests a direct link between integrin αvβ6 inhibition and decreased TGF-β signaling in the local bladder environment, with implications for epithelial proliferation and carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parameter of tensile strength for transformer bushing insulating paper occupies an important position in the structural design and life evaluation of transformer bushing. In order to precisely achieve the effect of aging time and moisture content on the tensile strength of transformer bushing paper, transformer insulating paper samples with a thickness of 0.13 mm were prepared for tensile strength and dielectric strength testing under different moisture contents and aging states. The results show that the tensile strength (MPa) of insulating paper decreases linearly in the range of 0–648 h under accelerated thermal aging at 130 °C. However, there is a more serious exponential decline in the tensile strength (MPa) of insulation paper with its moisture content is boosted. The moisture content in insulation paper is the most important factor for insulation paper deterioration in oil-impregnated paper insulation equipment, which could accelerate the end of insulation service life. The value of capacitance increment ΔC of the insulation paper samples displayed closely linear growth with a moisture content from 0.5% to 5.9%. Strictly controlling the moisture content by monitoring the ΔC value of transformer insulation paper is of significance for prolonging its service life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An in-depth understanding of the lung microbiota in tuberculosis (TB) infection could provide optimal strategies for the prophylaxis, diagnosis, and treatment of the disease. Only a few studies have investigated the impact of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection and anti-TB treatment on the lung microbiota. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and blood samples were collected from 23 active TB patients (TBZ), 17 latent tuberculosis infection patients (LTBI), 13 healthy controls (HC), and 14 active TB patients with 1-month anti-TB therapy (TBM) for 16S RNA sequencing and serological indexes, respectively. Low body mass index, albumin, and total triglyceride levels were detected in TBZ. Pulmonary Mtb infection led to a minor decrease in the alpha diversity of the lung microbiota in TBZ than HC, but a significant difference was noted in beta diversity. Subsequently, anti-TB therapy caused a rapid alteration in the lung community structure due to reduced alpha and beta diversity. Proteobacteria were abundant in TBZ samples, while Firmicutes was predominant in the LITB and HC samples. Lactobacillus and Subdoligranulum (genera) were the most unique in the LTBI and HC group, respectively. The TBM group showed the most predominant abundance of Bacteroides, Oscillospira, and Ruminococcus (genera). Functional pathways, such as indole alkaloid biosynthesis, Wnt signaling pathway, endocytosis, and metabolism of xenobiotics by cytochrome P450, significantly decreased in the TBM group compared with TBZ group. Pulmonary TB and anti-TB treatment caused a distinct dysbiosis of the lung microbiome. The current findings suggested potential links between the lung microbiota and TB onset, progression, and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastric cancer (GC) remains one of the prevalent causes of cancer-related deaths globally. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been associated with different cancers. The polarization of macrophages towards the M2 (alternatively activated) phenotype promotes immunologic tolerance and can induce gastric tumorigenesis. Thus far, lncRNAs have been shown to modulate the differentiation of immune cells. Here, we investigated the biological effects of LINC00665 on the progression of GC and explored the mechanisms underlying its ability to mediate the polarization of macrophages towards the M2 phenotype. We report that the levels of LINC00665 were increased in GC tissues. Furthermore, this increase in LINC00665 expression could be associated with decreased overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), and post-progression survival (PPS). Using cell-based macrophage polarization models, we demonstrated that LINC00665 upregulation in GC cells facilitated the polarization of macrophages towards the M2 but not M1 (classically activated) phenotype. Furthermore, the loss of LINC00665 prevented the M2 polarization of macrophages. Mechanically, we identified that Wnt1 was the downstream target of LINC00665. Additionally, LINC00665 could directly interact with the transcription factor BTB domain and CNC homology 1 (BACH1). The interaction between LINC00665 and BACH1 resulted in the activation and binding of BACH1 to the Wnt1 promoters. Furthermore, BACH1 silencing could inhibit GC progression, which highlighted a crucial role for BACH1 in LINC00665-mediated Wnt1 activation. In addition, genetic Wnt1 overexpression effectively abolished the repression of Wnt signaling after BACH1 depletion and mediated GC development by supporting M2 macrophage polarization. In conclusion, we report that LINC00665 modulates M2 macrophage polarization and suggest that it may facilitate macrophage-dependent GC progression. • LINC00665 level was increased in GC tissues. • M2 showed an increased expression of LINC00665 and LINC00665 contributed to M2-like polarization of macrophages. • LINC00665 binding to BACH1 increased its occupancy in Wnt1 promoter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• High-dose gatifloxacin-based shorter treatment regimen is successful • Hepatotoxicity and QT interval prolongation in the shorter treatment regimen • Principles for constructing a tuberculosis treatment regimen The shorter treatment regimen (STR) for multidrug- or rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) has achieved successful outcomes in many countries. However, there are few studies on high-dose gatifloxacin-based STR with adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and management. A prospective observational study was conducted with MDR/RR-TB patients who were treated with a standardized 9 or 12 - month regimen: including gatifloxacin (Gfx), clofazimine (Cfz), ethambutol (EMB), and pyrazinamide (PZA), and supplemented by amikacin (Am), isoniazid (INH), and prothionamide (Pto) during an intensive phase of 4 or 6 - month. Monitored ADRs monthly until treatment completion and then followed up every three months for one year. Among the 42 eligible patients, 35 (83.3%) completed treatment successfully, 1 (2.4%) lost to follow-up (LTFU), and 6 (14.3%) failed due to ADRs, with no death. The most important ADR was drug-induced liver damage, which occurred in 24 out of 42 (57.1%) patients and resulted in 4 (9.5%) failed treatments and 4 (9.5%) adjusted treatments. QT interval prolongation occurred in 17 out of 42 (40.5%) patients, 9 (21.4%) of them with the corrected QT interval according to Fridericia (QTcF) > 500 ms resulting in 7 (16.7%) adjusted treatments. This study confirmed the effectiveness of the high-dose gatifloxacin-based STR but severe ADRs, especially hepatotoxicity and QT interval prolongation should never be ignored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating the acetone-butanol-ethanol fermentation with pervaporation or gas stripping for in situ product recovery is considered as an effective way for biobutanol production, and the following downstream distillation sequences have been extensively investigated. Whereas, there are still no comprehensive comparison of the reported distillation processes in sight of the techno-economic feasibility. In this study, three alternative distillation sequences that contains a decanter and recycle loops are selected and compared by steady-state simulation. ABE condensates collected by ISPR, with different solvent concentrations and constituents, are considered as the feed stream of distillation. The impact of ABE ratio on energy consumption and techno-economics of the selected distillation sequences are analyzed. Results indicate the separation performances, including the energy requirement and economics, are highly influenced by the distillation sequence. Compared with other Scenarios, when feeding the extreme ABE constituents within the confidence interval, the sequence that consisted of three columns and a decanter with two recycle loops exhibits the lower energy requirement (7.99 MJ/kg) and TAC (4.15 × 106 US $/yr). The current work guides to the designation of suitable ISPR-distillation process in future works. • Different distillation sequences are compared for sequential ABE separation after ISPR. • The effect of feed ABE ratio on distillation performance is revealed. • Statistical analysis was used to determine the confidence interval of ABE constituents. • Static process simulation is carried out to compare different distillation sequences. • Energy requirement and total annual cost of distillation sequences are compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To characterize the abundance and relative composition of seawater bacterioplankton communities in Changle city using Illumina MiSeq sequencing and bacterial culture techniques. Methods: Seawater samples and physicochemical factors were collected from the coastal zone of Changle city on 8 September 2019. Nineteen filter membranes were obtained after using a suction filtration system. We randomly selected eight samples for total seawater bacteria (SWDNA group) sequencing and three samples for active seawater bacteria (SWRNA group) sequencing by Illumina MiSeq. The remaining eight samples were used for bacterial culture and identification. Alpha diversity including species coverage (Coverage), species diversity (Shannon–Wiener and Simpson index), richness estimators (Chao1), and abundance‐based richness estimation (ACE) were calculated to assess biodiversity of seawater bacterioplankton. Beta diversity was used to evaluate the differences between samples. The species abundance differences were determined using the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test. Statistical analyses were performed in R environment. Results: The Alpha diversity in the SWDNA group in each index was ACE 3206.99, Chao1 2615.12, Shannon 4.64, Simpson 0.05, and coverage 0.97; the corresponding index was ACE 1199.55, Chao1 934.75, Shannon 3.49, Simpson 0.09, and coverage 0.99. The sequencing results of seawater bacterial genes in the coastal waters of Changle city showed that the phyla of high‐abundance bacteria of both the SWDNA and SWRNA groups included Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroidetes. The main classes included Oxyphotobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria, and Gammaproteobacteria. The main genera included Synechococcus CC9902, Chloroplast, and Cyanobium_PCC‐6307. Beta diversity analysis showed a significant difference between the SWDNA and SWRNA groups (P < 0.05). The species abundance differences between SWDNA and SWRNA groups after Wilcoxon rank‐sum test showed that, at the phylum level, Actinomycetes was more abundant in SWDNA group (9.17 vs 1.02%, P < 0.05); at the class level, Actinomycetes (δ‐ Proteus) was more abundant in SWDNA group (9.47% vs 1.01%, P < 0.05); and at the genus level, Chloroplast was more abundant in SWRNA group (13.07% vs 44.57%, P < 0.05). Nine species and 53 colonies were found by bacterial culture: 20 strains of Vibrio (37.74%), 22 strains of Enterobacter (41.51%), and 11 strains of non‐fermentative bacteria (20.75%). Conclusion: Illumi MiSeq sequencing of seawater bacteria revealed that the total bacterial community groups and the active bacterial community groups mainly comprised Cyanobacteria, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroides at the phylum level; Oxyphotobacteria, α‐Proteobacteria, and γ‐Proteobacteria at the class level; with Synechococcus_CC9902, Chloroplast, and Cyanobium_PCC‐6307 comprising the predominant genera. Exploring the composition and differences of seawater bacteria assists understanding regarding the biodiversity and the infections related to seawater bacteria along the coast of the Changle, provides information that will aid in the diagnosis and treatment of such infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We aimed to explore the bacterial community composition following ocean bacterial infection using an animal model. Methods: This animal-based experiment was conducted from September 2019 to November 2019. Eighteen seawater filter membranes were collected from Changle City, Fujiian Province, China, on September 8, 2019. Ten filter membranes were used for implantation. Eight filter membranes that were used in the bacterial culture for the exploration of seawater bacteria were assigned to the seawater group (SG). Fourteen healthy adult New Zealand rabbits were randomly divided into the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). Seawater filter membranes and asepsis membranes were implanted into the tibia in the EG and CG, respectively. One week after surgery, tibial bone pathology tissues were collected and assessed using light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Medullary cavity tissues were collected for the performance of Illumina MiSeq sequencing and bacterial culture. The differences between EG and CG were assessed by pathological observation under light microscopy and SEM, high-throughput bacterial sequencing, and bacterial culture. Results: Compared with the CG, the infection rate was 100%, and the mortality value was 20% after the implantation of the filter membranes in the EG. Both light microscopy and SEM showed that a large number of bacteria were distributed in the bone marrow cavity after ocean bacterial infection. No bacterial growth was found in the CG. Illumina MiSeq sequencing found that Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Thermotogae, Fusobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria were the dominant bacteria at the phylum level and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_7, Haloimpatiens, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_15, Clostridiaceae_1, Clostridium_sensu_stricto_18, and Oceanotoga were the dominant bacteria in genus level among the EG. In the bacterial culture of the medullary cavity tissues, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Shewanella algae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, and Vibrio vulnificus were the predominant infective species. Moreover, compared with the SG, the EG showed a higher detection rate of E. coli and S. aureus (P = 0.008 and P = 0.001, respectively). The detection rates of V. alginolyticus, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. fluvialis were higher in the SG than the EG (P = 0.007, P = 0.03, and P = 0.03, respectively). Conclusions: Our model, which was comprehensively evaluated using four techniques: histopathology and SEM observation, gene detection, and bacteria culture, provides a scientific basis for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients in such settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Effect of crosslinker KH571 on membrane forming were detailed evaluated. • Using PDMS-PTFPMS block copolymer not conventional PDMS to enhance membrane hydrophobicity. • Showing the ultrafast curing time within 30−50 s. • A high water contact angle >110° was obtained. • An outstanding PV performance for ethanol recovery. Crosslinker is a vital factor for the preparation of polymeric membranes, which has a substantial effect not only on the membrane-forming process, but also on the membrane structure as well as separation performance. However, little attention has been paid on UV-crosslinked membrane for organics pervaporation. In this work, the effect of crosslinker 3-methacryloxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane (KH571) on (1) the UV-crosslinking kinetics was characterized by real-time infrared spectroscopy and photo-rheology, (2) the membrane structure was characterized by crosslinking density, and (3) separation performance was evaluated by ethanol pervaporation. Moreover, the conventional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was replaced by polydimethylsiloxane-poly[(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)methylsiloxane] (PDMS-PTFPMS) block copolymer, where the strong C–F bond contributes to enhance membrane hydrophobicity. Results show an ultrafast membrane-forming process (30−50 s) for all coating solution systems and an outstanding separation performance, including 11.3 of ethanol separation factor and 1149 g m−2 h-1 of total flux for pervaporation recovery of 5 wt% ethanol/water solution at 60 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cochlear metabolomics reveals the metabolic profile alteration of inner ear in rats with AHL. • Attenuated metabolism of cochlear in aged rats is evident compared with youth. • Metabolism of glycine, serine and threonine, purine and pyrimidine, taurine and thiamine were identified at cochlear of aged vs. youth by KEGG analysis. • Purine administration could alleviate age-related oxidative DNA damage in mimetic model of senescent MCs. Aging is an inevitable phase in mammals that leads to health impairments, including hearing loss. Age-related hearing loss (AHL) leads to psychosocial problems and cognitive decline in the elderly. In this study, mean thresholds of auditory brainstem responses (ABR) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) increased at multiple frequencies in aged rats (14 months old) compared to young rats (2 months old). Using untargeted ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS), we quantified molecular metabolic markers in the cochlea of aged rats with hearing loss. A total of 137 different metabolites were identified in two groups, highlighting several prominent metabolic pathways related to purine metabolism; glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism; arginine and proline metabolism; and pyrimidine metabolism. In addition, the beneficial effects of purine supplementation were demonstrated in a mimetic model of senescent marginal cells (MCs). Overall, altered metabolic profiling is both the cause and manifestation of pathology, and our results suggest that cellular senescence and dysfunctional cochlear metabolism may contribute to the progression of AHL. These findings are seminal in elucidating the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AHL and serve as a basis for future clinical predictions and interventions in AHL. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to use the major part of carbohydrate fractions in enzymatic hydrolysate of sweet sorghum bagasse, acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation was performed following the ethanol fermentation of hexoses. In batch ethanol fermentation stage, 50.8 ± 3.2 g/L of ethanol was produced from 111.5 g/L of glucose in hydrolysate. After ethanol recovery by batch vacuum distillation, 123.6 ± 15.6 g/L of ethanol was obtained in the distillate, while 47.2 ± 2.5 g/L of xylose was remained in the fermentation broth. The ethanol-free broth was further used as the substrate for ABE fermentation. Compared with yeast remaining scenario, the cell-free ethanol fermentation broth showed a better performance in ABE production. 7.37 ± 0.33 g/L of butanol and 10.93 ± 0.54 g/L of ABE solvent were produced after 120 h of batch fermentation. Based on the biorefinery strategy that cascade two-types of fermentation process, the overall solvents yield boosted significantly, about 144.8 g of ethanol, 17.3 g of butanol and 4.8 g of acetone can be produced from 1 kg sweet sorghum bagasse. • High concentration of sugar was obtained by fed-batch enzymatic hydrolysis of the pretreated pulp. • Ethanol was recovered by vacuum distillation after batch fermentation of enzymatic hydrolysate. • The ethanol removal broth was used as the substrate of ABE fermentation. • About 144.8 g of ethanol, 17.3 g of butanol and 4.8 g of acetone per 1 kg of raw material was achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Fed-batch SSF-membrane integration process was performed for LA production. • Cellulase was recycled by the integrated process and reused in following operations. • Nutrients and wastewater discharge were significantly reduced in the process. • LA yield of 0.389 g g−1 was obtained using the recycling the waste streams. • Wastewater and cellulase cost were reduced by 73.7 % and 47.4 %. In order to overcome bottlenecks of the high amount of cellulase consumption in lignocellulosic l -Lactic acid (LA) production, a non-sterilized fed-batch simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) -membrane separation integration process was established in this current work. During the process, residual cellulase that remaining in the waste aqueous solution and solid residuals of corn stover (CS) were recycled and reused in subsequent fermentations. A total 6 rounds of operation were performed. Averagely, LA yield of 0.389 g g−1 (pretreated CS) was achieved, which was 1.20 times higher than that of the conventional process without waste stream recycling. Moreover, the wastewater discharge and the cost of nutrients for fermentation can also hugely decrease. Results indicated that cellulase, wastewater discharge and nutrients consumption of the process reduced by 47.4 %, 73.7 % and 86.1 %, respectively. This study opens a promising way for the reduction of second-generation LA production cost, which could significantly change the economic feasibility of the LA biorefineries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study describes the dechlorination ability of acclimated biomass, the high-throughput sequencing of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of such microorganisms, and the analysis of their community structure in relation to special functions. Two types of acclimated biomass (AB-1 and AB-2) were obtained via different acclimated treatment processes and were used to degrade 2,4,6‑trichlorophenol. The degradation pathway and characteristics of trichlorophenol degradation were different between the two groups. AB-1 degraded trichlorophenol only to 4-chlorophenol. AB-2 completely dechlorinated trichlorophenol and opened the benzene ring. The 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing method was employed to examine the microbial diversity. It was found that the microbial richness and diversity of AB-1 were higher than those of AB-2. Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were 2.7-fold and 4.3-fold more abundant, respectively, in AB-1 than in AB-2. Dechlorination bacteria in AB-1 mainly included Desulfobulbus , Desulfovibrio , Dechloromonas , and Geobacter. The above-mentioned bacteria were less abundant in AB-2, but the abundance of Desulfomicrobium was twofold higher in AB-2 than in AB-1. The two types of acclimated biomass contained different hydrogen (H 2)-producing bacteria. AB-2 showed higher abundance and diversity of hydrogen-producing bacteria. There was no Ignavibacteriae in AB-1, whereas its abundance in AB-2 was 8.4%. In this biomass, Ignavibacteriae was responsible for opening of the benzene ring. This study indicates that the abundance and diversity of microorganisms are not necessarily beneficial to the formation of a functional dechlorinating community. The H 2 -producing bacteria (which showed greater abundance and diversity) and Ignavibacterium were assumed to be core functional populations that gave AB-2 stronger dechlorination and phenol-degradation abilities. Control of lower oxidation reduction potential (E h) and higher temperatures by means of fresh aerobic activated sludge as the starting microbial group, caused rapid complete dechlorination of 2,4,6‑trichlorophenol and benzene ring opening. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • 2,4,6-TCP-degrading biomass can be obtained by controlling culture conditions. • HiSeq sequencing analyses and special functional assays were conducted. • Abundance of H 2 production-associated bacteria explains rapid TCP dechlorinating. • Ignavibacterium was presumed to be responsible for benzene ring opening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-stage pervaporation for ABE recovery from fermentation broth was studied to reduce the energy cost. The permeate after the first stage in situ pervaporation system was further used as the feedstock in the second stage of pervaporation unit using the same PDMS/PVDF membrane. A total 782.5 g/L of ABE (304.56 g/L of acetone, 451.98 g/L of butanol and 25.97 g/L of ethanol) was achieved in the second stage permeate, while the overall acetone, butanol and ethanol separation factors were: 70.7–89.73, 70.48–84.74 and 9.05–13.58, respectively. Furthermore, the theoretical evaporation energy requirement for ABE separation in the consolidate fermentation, which containing two-stage pervaporation and the following distillation process, was estimated less than ∼13.2 MJ/kg-butanol. The required evaporation energy was only 36.7% of the energy content of butanol. The novel two-stage pervaporation process was effective in increasing ABE production and reducing energy consumption of the solvents separation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Principles and the current advances of the bio-butanol separation technologies were summarized. • An energy-saving and cost-effective ABE separation process was the common objective. • The multi-stages separation integration process has emerged as an important field for ABE production. • In situ upgrading of the post-separation ABE streams have been grained great interests. n-Butanol is an advanced next-generation drop-in biofuel, which can be produced by anaerobic acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation using biomass derived carbohydrates as substate by Clostridia sp. Nevertheless, even though there are plenty of breakthroughs for continuous improving the competitiveness of biological n-butanol production towards the petrol-chemical ones, a series technical barrier still limited the commercialization of ABE industry. As one of the major bottlenecks, the complex constitution of solvent product with extremely low concentrations always resulted in the energy-intensive downstream separation of the ABE production from fermentation broth, which further challenged the economic viability of the whole n-butanol process. To overcome the obstacle, in recent years, great effort has been taken to seek for an energy-saving and cost-effective technique for ABE separation from fermentation broth. This review aims to highlight the mechanisms of the arisen alternative n-butanol separation techniques and covered along with the limitations and advantages of these techniques. A comprehensive discussion of the current emerged trends in multi-stages separation integration processes are also made for the prospective separation techniques involved in n-butanol production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The treatment of high chemical oxygen demand (COD) organic wastewater is one of the major technical bottlenecks for the industrialization of second-generation biobutanol production. An effective strategy to decrease the wastewater discharge in biobutanol fermentation process is broth recycling (BR). Nevertheless, the conventional BR process suffered from server organic-acid by-products inhibition, causing low butanol yield. In this study, to solve the barrier, active carbon (AC) adsorption system was hybrid with the acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation and ex - situ product separation (ESPR) units. After fermentation and pervaporation, organic acids that remaining in the ABE-separated broth were partially adsorbed onto AC so that improve the continuity and efficiency of the BR process. The physicochemical characterizations of different types of commercial ACs and the organic acids adsorption efficiency was evaluated by analyzing the static and dynamic adsorptions kinetics. When adopting the DD-type AC (code C299105), the better adsorbent for organic acids removal, 87.50% of fermentative wastewater can be saved whilst the ABE concentrations were also kept constantly at 15.22 ± 0.45 g L−1 in the following cycles of fermentation, and the ABE productivity was almost no changed (0.21 ± 0.01 g L−1 h−1) after 3 cycles of operation. Therefore, the AC assisted ESPR process is an attractive method for ABE production with low wastewater discharge. [Display omitted] • Active carbon (AC) adsorption was hybrid with ex - situ ABE separation for broth recycling. • The commercial DD-type AC exhibited the high absorbability for acids specific loadings. • The static and dynamic adsorptions kinetics of DD-type AC for organic acids were evaluated. • 87.50% of fermentative wastewater can be saved after recycling the broth for 3 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are highly heterogeneous. With the lack of a comprehensive understanding of CAFs' functional distinctions, it remains unclear how cancer treatments could be personalized based on CAFs in a patient's tumor. We have established a living biobank of CAFs derived from biopsies of patients' non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) that encompasses a broad molecular spectrum of CAFs in clinical NSCLC. By functionally interrogating CAF heterogeneity using the same therapeutics received by patients, we identify three functional subtypes: (1) robustly protective of cancers and highly expressing HGF and FGF7; (2) moderately protective of cancers and highly expressing FGF7; and (3) those providing minimal protection. These functional differences among CAFs are governed by their intrinsic TGF-β signaling, which suppresses HGF and FGF7 expression. This CAF functional classification correlates with patients' clinical response to targeted therapies and also associates with the tumor immune microenvironment, therefore providing an avenue to guide personalized treatment. [Display omitted] • A living biobank of CAFs from NSCLC patients recapitulates clinical CAF heterogeneity • Therapeutic profiling of the NSCLC CAFs reveals three distinctive functional subtypes • Subtype I and II CAFs have high HGF and FGF7 expression and protect cancer cells • Subtype III CAFs associate with better clinical response and immune cell migration Hu et al. identify that cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) derived from non-small cell lung cancer patients are functionally heterogeneous. These functional distinctions directly impact response to clinical anticancer treatment and associate with the tumor immune microenvironment. Thus, CAF functional heterogeneity defines a unique parameter for designing more personalized treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large amounts of effluent discharge and a costly wastewater treatment hinder the scale-up of the lignocellulosic acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation process. By recycling the broth after solvents removal and using it in the subsequent cycles of biomass hydrolysis and fermentation, the overall amount of effluent can be reduced. However, the ABE production is severely inhibited by the accumulated acids and other toxic by-products when reusing the cycled streams. In this study, a pervaporation assisted sequential fermentation was performed. The ABE liquor recovered after batch fermentation and ex situ pervaporation was used as the buffer for corn stover pulp hydrolysis and the following microbial lipids fermentation. In microbial lipids fermentation stage, toxic acid by-products remained in the liquor can be co-utilized as a substrate. The acids eliminated post-harvested broth was further cycled as the buffer for pulp hydrolysis and ABE fermentation. As a result, ABE yield of 0.349 g/g and concentration of 14.40 g/L were achieved after 3 cycles of operation, which show only 3.86% and 14.98% reduction compared to those of the initial cycle. Remarkably, the effluent discharge was reduced by 92.20% after applying the hybrid two-stage sequential fermentation. Meanwhile, 8.20 g/L of microbial lipids can be co-generated. The novel process offers an environmentally friendly strategy for the co-production of ABE and microbial lipids from lignocelluloses under the concept of biorefinery. Image 1 • ABE fermentation was hybrid with ex situ pervaporation and microbial lipids fermentation. • The effluent wastewater in the hybrid process was reused by a recycled loop. • Acids by-product in the ABE fermentation broth can be used as carbon source for lipids production. • Total 3 cycles of was conducted with 92.20% of ABE wastewater saving rate. • ABE and lipids production were not obvious decreased within 3 cycles of operation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidimensional datapoint clouds representing large datasets are frequently characterized by non-trivial low-dimensional geometry and topology which can be recovered by unsupervised machine learning approaches, in particular, by principal graphs. Principal graphs approximate the multivariate data by a graph injected into the data space with some constraints imposed on the node mapping. Here we present ElPiGraph, a scalable and robust method for constructing principal graphs. ElPiGraph exploits and further develops the concept of elastic energy, the topological graph grammar approach, and a gradient descent-like optimization of the graph topology. The method is able to withstand high levels of noise and is capable of approximating data point clouds via principal graph ensembles. This strategy can be used to estimate the statistical significance of complex data features and to summarize them into a single consensus principal graph. ElPiGraph deals efficiently with large datasets in various fields such as biology, where it can be used for example with single-cell transcriptomic or epigenomic datasets to infer gene expression dynamics and recover differentiation landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]