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Abstract Background B3 genes encode transcription factors that play key roles in plant growth and development. However, the specific B3 genes involved in the seed development of Akebia trifoliata remain unexplored. Results A total of 72 AktB3 genes were identified and classified into five subfamilies (ARF, LAV, RAV, HSI, and REM) based on phylogenetic analysis. These 72 AktB3 genes were unevenly distributed across 16 chromosomes. Collinear analysis indicated that segmental duplication has played a significant role in the evolution of AktB3 genes, and underwent purification selection. Expression profiling across seed development stages revealed that seven AktB3 genes, particularly from the LAV subfamily (AktABI3, AktFUS3, AktLEC2), were up-regulated at 70 days after flowering (DAF). Notably, the expression of oleosin exhibited a strong positive correlation with LAV subfamily genes, highlighting their potential roles as hub genes in lipid metabolism and seed development. Yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and yeast one-hybrid (Y1H) experiments confirmed that AktFUS3-1, AktFUS3-2, and AktLEC2 form protein complexes and individually bind to the AktOLE1 promoter, thereby regulating downstream gene expression. These results provide direct evidence of the cooperative role these transcription factors play in controlling lipid metabolism, particularly related to oleosin proteins. Additionally, miRNA sequencing across three seed developmental stages identified 591 miRNAs and 1,673 target gene pairs. A total of 23 AktB3 genes were predicted to be targets of 20 miRNAs, with 11 miRNAs specifically targeting the ARF subfamily genes. Particularly, miR160-x, miR160-z, and miR167-z were predicted to target ARF subfamily genes, potentially influencing seed development. Moreover, the miRNA-B3 regulatory modules, especially involving ARF genes and miR160/167, require further study to clarify their roles in seed development. Conclusions These findings contribute valuable resources for future functional studies of the molecular regulatory networks governing seed development in A. trifoliata.

Abstract Akebia trifoliata is a medicinal plant with high oil content and broad pharmacological effects. To investigate the regulatory mechanisms of key metabolic pathways during seed development, we conducted an integrated multi-omics analysis, including transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, exploring the dynamic changes in carbon and lipid metabolism. Metabolomics analysis revealded that glucose and sucrose levels decreased, while glycolytic intermediate phosphoenolpyruvate and fatty acids increased with seed development, indicating a shift in carbon flux towards fatty acid synthesis. Integrated transcriptomic and proteomic analyses showed that 70 days after flowering, the expression levels of genes and proteins associated with carbon and fatty acid metabolism were upregulated, suggesting an increased energy demand. Additionally, LEC2, LEC1, WRI1, FUS3, and ABI3 were identified as vital regulators of lipid synthesis. By constructing a multi-omics co-expression network, we identified hub genes such as aroE, GAPDH, KCS, TPS, and hub proteins like PGM, PDH, ENO, PFK, PK, ACCase, SAD, PLC, and OGDH that play critical regulatory roles in seed lipid synthesis. This study provides new ideas for the molecular basis of lipid synthesis in Akebia trifoliata seeds and can facilitate future research on the genetic improvement through molecular-assisted breeding.

Barley net form net blotch (NFNB) is a destructive foliar disease caused by Pyrenophora teres f. teres. Barley line CIho5791, which harbors the broadly effective chromosome 6H resistance gene Rpt5, displays dominant resistance to P. teres f. teres. To genetically characterize P. teres f. teres avirulence/virulence on the barley line CIho5791, we generated a P. teres f. teres mapping population using a cross between the Moroccan CIho5791-virulent isolate MorSM40-3 and the avirulent reference isolate 0-1. Full genome sequences were generated for 103 progenies. Saturated chromosome-level genetic maps were generated, and quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping identified two major QTL associated with P. teres f. teres avirulence/virulence on CIho5791. The most significant QTL mapped to chromosome (Ch) 1, where the virulent allele was contributed by MorSM40-3. A second QTL mapped to Ch8; however, this virulent allele was contributed by the avirulent parent 0-1. The Ch1 and Ch8 loci accounted for 27 and 15% of the disease variation, respectively, and the avirulent allele at the Ch1 locus was epistatic over the virulent allele at the Ch8 locus. As a validation, we used a natural P. teres f. teres population in a genome-wide association study that identified the same Ch1 and Ch8 loci. We then generated a new reference quality genome assembly of parental isolate MorSM40-3 with annotation supported by deep transcriptome sequencing of infection time points. The annotation identified candidate genes predicted to encode small, secreted proteins, one or more of which are likely responsible for overcoming the CIho5791 resistance. [Figure: see text] The author(s) have dedicated the work to the public domain under the Creative Commons CC0 “No Rights Reserved” license by waiving all of his or her rights to the work worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law, 2024.

In recent years, ambient seismic noise has gained considerable attention in seismology due to its potential to advance understanding of Earth’s subsurface dynamics and monitor anthropogenic activities. This study presents a comprehensive review of ambient seismic noise research (ASNR), by exploring its current status, key research hotspots, and emerging trends through a bibliometric and visual analysis of 3,028 articles indexed in the Web of Science database (1984–2023). Using CiteSpace, the study systematically examines key authors, institutions, and countries, as well as thematic keywords and foundational references. Techniques such as cluster analysis, co-citation network analysis, and burst detection are employed to map the evolution of research fields and identify significant collaboration patterns. The analysis reveals a dramatic increase in research output, particularly since 2004, underscoring the expanding role of ASNR in geophysics, geochemistry, and engineering applications. Additionally, the rising interest in detecting human activities through seismic noise, especially in response to events like the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the broadening scope of ASNR. Notably, the findings emphasize the pivotal importance of ambient noise tomography, a method that has transformed subsurface imaging techniques. This review not only synthesizes the current research landscape but also highlights critical gaps and emerging opportunities, providing a roadmap for future studies. In particular, it emphasizes advancements in seismic risk mitigation, geotechnical investigations, and the monitoring of human activities, offering a timely review and valuable insights that aligns with the interests of researchers in these fields.

Currently, the construction of novel biomimetic reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-based nanocomposites to induce neurite sprouting and repair the injured neurons represents a promising strategy in promoting neuronal development or treatment of cerebral anoxia or ischemia. Here, we present an effective method for constructing palladium-reduced graphene oxide (Pd-RGO) nanocomposites by covalently bonding Pd onto RGO surfaces to enhance neurite sprouting of cultured neurons. As described, the Pd-RGO nanocomposites exhibit the required physicochemical features for better biocompatibility without impacting cell viability. Primary neurons cultured on Pd-RGO nanocomposites had significantly increased number and length of neuronal processes, including both axons and dendrites, compared with the control. Western blotting showed that Pd-RGO nanocomposites improved the expression levels of growth associate protein-43 (GAP-43), as well as β-III tubulin, Tau-1, microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2), four proteins that are involved in regulating neurite sprouting and outgrowth. Importantly, Pd-RGO significantly promoted neurite length and complexity under oxygen-glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation (OGD/R) conditions, an in vitro cellular model of ischemic brain damage, that closely relates to neuronal GAP-43 expression. Furthermore, using the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model in rats, we found Pd-RGO effectively reduced the infarct area, decreased neuronal apoptosis in the brain, and improved the rats’ behavioral outcomes after MCAO. Together, these results indicate the great potential of Pd-RGO nanocomposites as a novel excellent biomimetic material for neural interfacing that shed light on its applications in brain injuries.

The refined wheat flour was mixed with different types of wheat starch in different addition levels, their microstructure, chemical bonds in the dough and baking characteristics of 0–8 weeks frozen dough bread were studied. With the increase of A-Type starch granules and whole wheat starch, the pores of gluten network first decreased and then increased. Conversely, an increase in B-Type starch granules consistently reduced gluten network porosity. With the increase of whole wheat starch, the content of free sulfhydryl group and hydrophobic interaction decreased gradually. Minimal additions of B-Type granules were found to enhance the specific volume of fresh bread, whereas increased quantities improved the specific volume of frozen dough bread. The addition of a small quantity of A- or B-Type granules enhances the freezing stability of bread. This study provides effective information for elucidating the effects of wheat starch on the frozen dough and bread properties in protein-starch matrix.

Abstract Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) is a common malignancy of the head and neck. Recently, circular RNA (circRNA) has been studied extensively in multisystem diseases. However, there are few research on biological functions and molecular mechanisms of circRNAs in LSCC. CircRNA array was used to detect the differentially expressed circRNAs. Kaplan–Meier and cox regression analysis were used to identify survival based on circMMP9. The qRT-PCR, RNase R treatment, sanger sequencing and in situ hybridization were used to verify circMMP9 expression, characteristics and localization in LSCC tissues and cells. Functionally, colony formation, MTS, transwell and in vivo assays were proceeded to detect the biological function of circMMP9 in LSCC progression. The RNA-seq was conducted to identify the molecular targets of circMMP9. Mechanically, MeRIP, RNA Immunoprecipitation (RIP), RNA pulldown, Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) and dual-luciferase reporter assays were carried on to verify the regulatory mechanism of circMMP9. CircMMP9 was discovered upregulated in LSCC tissues and cells, and high level of circMMP9 was associated with poor prognosis, low degree of pathological grading, high TNM stage and lymph node metastasis of LSCC. CircMMP9 knockdown prevented LSCC progression both in vitro and in vivo, whereas, circMMP9 overexpression had the opposite effect. CircMMP9 was stabilized by IGF2BP2 in m6A-dependent manner. TRIM59 was identified as downstream target of circMMP9. CircMMP9 recruited ETS1 to stimulate TRIM59 transcription. Moreover, TRIM59 accelerated LSCC progression via activating the PI3K/AKT signal pathway. Our findings offered a unique regulatory mechanism for circMMP9 in LSCC, as well as a novel proof that circMMP9 may be utilize as a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target for LSCC patients.

This research explores the role of extended producer responsibility (EPR) as an enabler of circular value chain in the Chinese context. The driven forces and key stakeholders were identified to extend producer responsibility in developing the national-circular-economy strategies. An evaluation system was established to link the eco-design strategy of the producer with the downstream-recycling performance of products. The eco-design information was retrieved from the self-disclosure information in the sustainable development report of producers. The downstream-waste-flow information comes from multiple platforms of reuse and recycling companies. The aim of reforming the EPR system is to establish an open forum for competition and cooperation among different stakeholders to achieve a continuously-improving target of circularity and life cycle environmental performance of the products. With the evaluation results, the producers are encouraged to fully explore all opportunities in the circular value chain instead of focusing only on the final disposal or disassembly of waste. The conclusion suggests that EPR policies should break the restrictions on eco-design and innovation in business models by creating and capturing values of circularity along with the world's collective climate change mitigation efforts.

Background Circular RNAs can serve as regulators influencing the development of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, their function in pulmonary vascular intimal injury remains undefined. Thus, we aimed to identify specifically expressed circular RNAs in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMECs) under hypoxia and PH. Methods and Results Deep RNA sequencing and quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction revealed that circALMS1 (circular RNA Alstrom syndrome protein 1) was reduced in human PMECs under hypoxia (P

Abstract Background As the most abundant fatty acid in plasma, oleic acid has been found to be associated with multiple neurological diseases; however, results from studies of the relationship between oleic acid and depression are inconsistent. Methods This cross-sectional study analyzed 4,459 adults from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011–2014. The following covariates were adjusted in multivariable logistic regression models: age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, marital status, body mass index, physical activity, smoking status, alcohol status, metabolic syndrome, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, and total cholesterol. Results Serum oleic acid levels were positively associated with depression. After adjusting for all covariates, for every 1 mmol/L increase in oleic acid levels, the prevalence of depression increased by 40% (unadjusted OR: 1.35, 95%CI: 1.16–1.57; adjusted OR: 1.40, 95% CI: 1.03–1.90). Conclusions Our study suggests that oleic acid may play a role in depression. Further research is needed to investigate the potential benefits of changing oleic acid levels for the treatment and prevention of depression.

Abstract Background Dendrobium nobile has unique growth environment requirements, and unstable yields and high management costs are the key factors restricting the development of its imitation wild cultivation industry. The present study explored the effects of different associated bryophyte species on the yield and quality of D. nobile to clarify the dominant bryophyte species associated with D. nobile and to provide a scientific basis for the rational cultivation and quality evaluation of D. nobile. Results The growth of D. nobile was closely related to the microenvironment of the Danxia stone, and the different associated bryophytes had different effects on D. nobile growth. There was a rich variety of bryophytes associated with D. nobile, with a total of 15 families, 24 genera and 31 species of bryophytes identified in the study area, including 13 families, 22 genera and 29 species of mosses and 2 families, 2 genera and 2 species of liverworts, and mosses predominated in the association with D. nobile. Usually, 3–9 species of bryophytes were growing in association with D. nobile, among which associations of 5–6 bryophytes species were more common, and the bryophytes associated with D. nobile were only related to the species to which they belonged. The dry matter accumulation, quality and mineral content of D. nobile differed significantly among different bryophyte species. The coefficients of variation of dry matter accumulation, dendrobine content and content of 11 mineral elements of D. nobile in the 35 sample quadrats were 25.00%, 21.08%, and 11.33–57.96%, respectively. The biomass, dendrobine content and mineral content of D. nobile were analysed by principal component analysis (PCA) and membership function. The results showed that each evaluation method initially screened Trachycystis microphylla and Leucobryum juniperoideum as the dominant associated bryophytes in the preliminary identification analysis, and the frequency of occurrence and coverage of the two bryophytes were significantly higher than those of the remaining bryophytes. It was determined that T. microphylla and L. juniperoideum were the dominant associated bryophytes. Conclusions There is a rich variety of bryophytes associated with D. nobile. The yield and quality of D. nobile differed significantly among different bryophyte species. T. microphylla and L. juniperoideum were the dominant associated bryophytes, and were the two bryophytes associated with D. nobile through mixed growth.

In the study, variations of physicochemical factors, lipoxygenase (LOX) and hydroxyl octadecanodienoic acid (HODEs) were investigated during manufacturing of traditional salted meat, and the relationship between LOX and HODEs was studied and the evolution of lipids oxidation was tentatively discussed. The results indicated that LOX activity increased at salting stage, followed by decreasing continuously during the salted meat manufacturing. The total amount of HODEs increased slowly, while the ratio of 13-HODEs/9-HODEs decreased from 1.31 to 1.13. There was a significantly positive correlation between LOX activity and the ratio of 13-HODEs/9-HODEs (r=0.942, P

Abstract The relationship between current dietary caffeine intake and severe headache or migraine is controversial. Therefore, we investigated the association between dietary caffeine intake and severe headaches or migraines among American adults. This cross-sectional study included 8993 adults (aged ≥ 20 years) with a dietary caffeine intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys of America from 1999 to 2004. Covariates, including age, race/ethnicity, body mass index, poverty-income ratio, educational level, marital status, hypertension, cancer, energy intake, protein intake, calcium intake, magnesium intake, iron intake, sodium intake, alcohol status, smoking status, and triglycerides, were adjusted in multivariate logistic regression models. In US adults, after adjusting for potential confounders, a 100 mg/day increase in dietary caffeine intake was associated with a 5% increase in the prevalence of severe headache or migraine (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02–1.07). Further, the prevalence of severe headache or migraine was 42% higher with caffeine intake of ≥ 400 mg/day than with caffeine intake of ≥ 0 to

Actinomycetes have long been recognized as important sources of clinical antibiotics. However, the exploration of rare actinomycetes, despite their potential for producing bioactive molecules, has remained relatively limited compared to the extensively studied Streptomyces genus. The extensive investigation of Streptomyces species and their natural products has led to a diminished probability of discovering novel bioactive compounds from this group. Consequently, our research focus has shifted towards less explored actinomycetes, beyond Streptomyces, with particular emphasis on Kitasatospora setae (K. setae). The genome of K. setae was annotated and analyzed through whole-genome sequencing using multiple bio-informatics tools, revealing an 8.6 Mbp genome with a 74.42% G + C content. AntiSMASH analysis identified 40 putative biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), approximately half of which were recessive and unknown. Additionally, metabolomic mining utilizing mass spectrometry demonstrated the potential for this rare actinomycete to generate numerous bioactive compounds such as glycosides and macrolides, with bafilomycin being the major compound produced. Collectively, genomics- and metabolomics-based techniques confirmed K. setae’s potential as a bioactive secondary metabolite producer that is worthy of further exploration.

Background: Monkeypox (MPX) has made recurrence after decades as a neglected zoonotic disease. More nations have reported endemic monkeypox in the past decade than in the previous forty. The World Health Organization has warned that the world may face another significant challenge after dealing with COVID-19, a pandemic, and the Monkeypox outbreak. Early appraisal of monkeypox research and development allows researchers to anticipate solutions for large outbreaks. We conducted a bibliometric analysis of this study's top 100 cited papers to identify regional research patterns. Methods: Our method was to search the SCI-Expanded database on Web of Science (WOS) for the top 100 papers that were cited in MPX on this database. We examined relevant literature from different years, journals, countries/regions, institutions, authors, and keywords.In order to create knowledge maps, we used the programs VOSviewer, Citespace, Scimago Graphica and the bibliometric online analysis platform. After compiling the relevant literature in Excel, we could estimate the field's focus and trends. Results: A total of 47 journals from 36 countries and regions published the top 100 cited papers between 1999 and 2023. The majority of articles were published in EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, while the highest average number of citations per paper were found in the NEW ENGLAND JOURNAL OF MEDICINE. The UNITED STATES contributed the most publications, followed by ENGLAND and SWITZERLAND. As far as the total number of publications goes, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention in the USA, the National Institute of Health in the USA, and the World Health Organization each contributed the most papers. The major categories are immunology, virology and infectious diseases. The top five keywords were infection, Congo, virus, smallpox, and transmission. The cluster analysis suggests MPX research will focus on safe and effective vaccines and epidemic prevention. Conclusion: By using bibliometric analysis, MPX researchers can quickly and visually identify their research focus and boundaries. Although studies suggest that antiviral medicine is the best treatment, creating an effective vaccine might lessen and avoid MPX pandemics in the long term. Our findings imply that safe and effective vaccines may be the focus and trends for future MPX research. International coordination for case monitoring and identification is essential to understand monkeypox disease's ever-changing epidemiology.

Abstract Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) is a lethal form of prostate cancer, and the molecular mechanism driving mCRPC progression has not yet been fully elucidated. Immunotherapies such as chimeric antigen receptor, T-cell therapy and immune checkpoint blockade have exerted promising antitumor effects in hematological and solid tumor malignancies; however, no encouraging responses have been observed against mCRPC. The deubiquitinase USP13 functions as a tumor suppressor in many human cancers, as it sustains the protein stability of PTEN and TP53; however, its role in prostate cancer (PCa) and involvement in DNA damage and AR signaling remain unclear. In the current study, we explored the prognostic value of USP13 in PCa based on the TCGA database, and we analyzed the expression of USP13 in PCa tissues and adjacent normal tissues based on TCGA and our cohort. The results suggested that USP13 is overexpressed in PCa tumors and has the potential to be an independent biomarker for the overall survival of PCa patients. Additionally, enrichment analysis indicated that USP13 may participate in the AR pathway and PI3k/Wnt signaling, which are closely related to PCa progression. We also observed a significant correlation between the expression of USP13 and AR-related genes, DDR genes and mismatch repair genes based on the TCGA_PRAD dataset, which further supported the critical role of USP13 in AR activation and the DNA damage response of PCa. USP13 was also found to be enriched in protein neddylation, and expression of USP13 was significantly associated with infiltration of immune cells and expression of immunomodulators. Taken together, our study revealed a key role of USP13 in contributing to PCa progression by participating in multiple oncogenic signaling pathways, the DNA damage response and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Targeting USP13 may inhibit tumor growth and provide additional benefits in cooperation with DDR inhibitors and immunotherapy.

Abstract Background Our previous study showed that circular RNA-gamma-secretase-activating protein (circGSAP) was down-regulated in pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMECs) in response to hypoxia, and regulated the cell cycle of PMECs via miR-942-5p sponge in pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the mechanism whether circGSAP affects the dysfunction of PEMCs through other microRNAs (miRNAs) remains largely unknown. Therefore, we aimed to demonstrate the underlying mechanisms of circGSAP regulating PMECs dysfunction by absorbing other miRNAs to regulate target genes in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Methods Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence staining, Cell Counting Kit-8, Calcein-AM/PI staining, Transwell assay, dual-luciferase reporter assay, and ELISA were used to elucidate the roles of circGSAP. Results Here we showed that plasma circGSAP levels were significantly decreased in patients with IPAH and associated with poor outcomes. In vivo, circGSAP overexpression improved survival, and alleviated pulmonary vascular remodeling of monocrotaline-induced PH (MCT-PH) rats. In vitro, circGSAP overexpression inhibited hypoxia-induced PMECs proliferation, migration and increased mortality by absorbing miR-27a-3p. BMPR2 was identified as a miR-27a-3p target gene. BMPR2 silencing ameliorated the effect of the miR-27a-3p inhibitor on PMECs proliferation,migration and mortality. The levels of BMPR2 were upregulated in circGSAP-overexpressed PMECs and lung tissues of MCT-PH rats. Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that circGSAP alleviated the dysfunction of PMECs via the increase of BMPR2 by competitively binding with miR-27a-3p, and mitigated pulmonary vascular remodeling of MCT-PH rats, providing potential therapeutic strategies for IPAH.

In the current era, the treatment of collagen hydrogels with natural phenolics for the improvement in physicochemical properties has been the subject of considerable attention. The present research aimed to fabricate collagen hydrogels cross-linked with gallic acid (GA) and ellagic acid (EA) at different concentrations depending on the collagen dry weight. The structural, enzymatic, thermal, morphological, and physical properties of the native collagen hydrogels were compared with those of the GA/EA cross-linked hydrogels. XRD and FTIR spectroscopic analyses confirmed the structural stability and reliability of the collagen after treatment with either GA or EA. The cross-linking also significantly contributed to the improvement in the storage modulus, of 435 Pa for 100% GA cross-linked hydrogels. The thermal stability was improved, as the highest residual weight of 43.8% was obtained for the hydrogels cross-linked with 50% GA in comparison with all the other hydrogels. The hydrogels immersed in 30%, 50%, and 100% concentrations of GA also showed improved swelling behavior and porosity, and the highest resistance to type 1 collagenase (76.56%), was obtained for 50% GA cross-linked collagen hydrogels. Moreover, GA 100% and EA 100% obtained the highest denaturation temperatures (Td) of 74.96 °C and 75.78 °C, respectively. In addition, SEM analysis was also carried out to check the surface morphology of the pristine collagen hydrogels and the cross-linked collagen hydrogels. The result showed that the hydrogels cross-linked with GA/EA were denser and more compact. However, the improved physicochemical properties were probably due to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the phenolic hydroxyl groups of GA and EA and the nitrogen atoms of the collagen backbone. The presence of inter- and intramolecular cross-links between collagen and GA or EA components and an increased density of intermolecular bonds suggest potential hydrogen bonding or hydrophobic interactions. Overall, the present study paves the way for further investigations in the field by providing valuable insights into the GA/EA interaction with collagen molecules.

Coal gangue (CG) and coal gasification coarse slag (CGCS) possess both hazardous and resourceful attributes. The present study employed co-roasting followed by H2SO4 leaching to extract Al and Fe from CG and CGCS. The activation behavior and phase transformation mechanism during the co-roasting process were investigated through TG, XRD, FTIR, and XPS characterization analysis as well as Gibbs free energy calculation. The results demonstrate that the leaching rate of total iron (TFe) reached 79.93%, and Al3+ achieved 43.78% under the optimized experimental conditions (co-roasting process: CG/CGCS mass ratio of 8/2, 600 °C, 1 h; H2SO4 leaching process: 30 wt% H2SO4, 90 °C, 5 h, liquid to solid ratio of 5:1 mL/g). Co-roasting induced the conversion of inert kaolinite to active metakaolinite, subsequently leading to the formation of sillimanite (Al2SiO5) and hercynite (FeAl2O4). The iron phases underwent a selective transformation in the following sequence: hematite (Fe2O3) → magnetite (Fe3O4) → wustite (FeO) → ferrosilite (FeSiO3), hercynite (FeAl2O4), and fayalite (Fe2SiO4). Furthermore, we found that acid solution and leached residue both have broad application prospects. This study highlights the significant potential of co-roasting CG and CGCS for high-value utilization.

Abstract The co-pyrolysis of oily sludge with biomass to prepare carbon materials is not only an effective way to mitigate oily sludge pollution, but it is also a method of obtaining carbon materials. In this study, a carbon material (OS-CS AC) was obtained by the direct co-pyrolysis of oily sludge (OS) and corn stalks (CS) and then applied to Cr(VI) removal. According to the hydroxy and carboxy masking experiments and the characterization of OS-CS AC by FT-IR, SEM, XPS, XRD, and N2 physical adsorption–desorption, Cr(VI) can be adsorbed efficiently through pore filling, the surface oxygen-containing functional groups can promote the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) through electron donors, and the greater the electrostatic attraction between the electron-donating functional groups of OS-CS AC and the Cr(VI) is, the stronger the ability to remove Cr(VI). In addition, the removal process was discussed, and the results indicated that the McKay kinetic model, Langmuir isotherm model and Van't Hoff thermodynamic model were the most suitable models for removal. The main factors affecting the removal of Cr(VI) were discussed, and the removal of Cr(VI) reached 99.14%, which gives a comprehensive utilization way of oily sludge and corn stalks.

Abstract Background The investigation of molecular mechanisms involved in polysaccharides and saponin metabolism is critical for genetic engineering of Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua to raise major active ingredient content. Up to now, the transcript sequences are available for different tissues of P. cyrtonema, a wide range scanning about temporal transcript at different ages’ rhizomes was still absent in P. cyrtonema. Results Transcriptome sequencing for rhizomes at different ages was performed. Sixty-two thousand six hundred thirty-five unigenes were generated by assembling transcripts from all samples. A total of 89 unigenes encoding key enzymes involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis and 56 unigenes encoding key enzymes involved in saponin biosynthesis. The content of total polysaccharide and total saponin was positively correlated with the expression patterns of mannose-6-phosphate isomerase (MPI), GDP-L-fucose synthase (TSTA3), UDP-apiose/xylose synthase (AXS), UDP-glucose 6-dehydrogenase (UGDH), Hydroxymethylglutaryl CoA synthase (HMGS), Mevalonate kinase (MVK), 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 2,4-cyclodiphosphate synthase (ispF), (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl-diphosphate synthase (ispG), 4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate reductase (ispH), Farnesyl diphosphate synthase (FPPS). Finally, a number of key genes were selected and quantitative real-time PCR were performed to validate the transcriptome analysis results. Conclusions These results create the link between polysaccharides and saponin biosynthesis and gene expression, provide insight for underlying key active substances, and reveal novel candidate genes including TFs that are worth further exploration for their functions and values.

Background: Nutritional problems are common in children with cerebral palsy (CP), yet the relationship between nutritional status and the severity of CP is unclear. Objective: To describe the nutritional status and characteristics of children with CP, and to explore the relationship between severity of CP and nutritional status in children. Methods: This multicentre cross-sectional study included children with CP in China. Weight and height were measured and converted to z-scores. Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS), Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System (EDACS), Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA), social life ability, and blood indicators were tested. Results: All 1,151 participants were given oral-feeding and 50.8% of them demonstrated undernutrition. Compared with those in GMFCS or EDACS levels I–III, the odds of moderate and severe undernutrition were 2.6 and 8.9 times higher in GMFCS levels IV and V, and 4.3 and 12.6 times higher in EDACS levels IV and V, respectively. Except for serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D, no significant differences were found in blood indicators among normal, undernourished and overnourished groups. Conclusion: Degrees of undernutrition in children with CP are correlated with the severity of eating and drinking dysfunction and with gross motor impairment. Blood indicators may not reflect nutritional status in children with CP. LAY ABSTRACT Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in children in the world. Children with cerebral palsy may have a high risk of having malnutrition as a result of the high energy consumption and/or low energy intake. The former is mainly caused by the abnormal muscular tone, and the latter may emerge from the dysphagia and gastrointestinal problems. As for the optimization of nutritional status is integral to the overall health and clinical management of children with cerebral palsy, the nutritional status stands out for its clinical importance in this group. Children with cerebral palsy are affected by different degrees of motor dysfunction, and may also be faced with eating and drinking problems or limited daily life ability, it is not clear whether nutritional status and function are interrelated. What's more, it is believed that the blood tests may indicate the nutritional status, but it is not well understood. In this project we will look at the nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy in China and investigate the relationship between nutritional status and function and blood indicators. This will then allow clinicians and caregivers to formulate future policies to improve nutritional status for this group of children.

BackgroundMini-Manual Ability Classification System (Mini-MACS) was developed for children with cerebral palsy aged 1–4 years, but its validity and reliability in different cultures are unavailable yet. This study was to determine the reliability and validity of Mini-MACS in East Asian children with cerebral palsy and investigate the correlation between Mini-MACS and Gross Motor Function Classification System.MethodsOne hundred and four East Asian children with cerebral palsy aged 12–48 months were classified by one of their parents, an occupational therapist, and a physical therapist with Mini-MACS. The results were analyzed for inter-rater reliability by using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). The Nine-hole Peg Test was used for the criterion-related validity analysis, and parents retested their children after 2 weeks to evaluate test–retest reliability. Gross Motor Function Classification System levels were also collected to investigate the correlation with Mini-MACS.ResultsGood inter-rater reliability among the occupational therapist, physical therapist, and parents was found [ICC = 0.984 (95% confidence interval, CI, 0.976–0.989), 0.973 (95% CI 0.960–0.982), and 0.966 (95% CI 0.950–0.977), respectively; p

AimTo investigate the efficacy and safety of high-calorie formula vs. Chinese daily food on the nutritional status and motor function of undernourished children with cerebral palsy (CP).MethodsIn this prospective, assessor-blind, and randomized controlled trial, we recruited children (1–10 years) with CP and undernutrition based on the WHO and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition criteria from the National Children's Medical Center. Participants were randomly allocated (1:1) to a high-calorie formula group or a Chinese daily food diet group (control group) for 6 months. Indirect calorimetry was used to estimate energy requirements. We compared the nutritional status and gross motor function of participants in both groups based on weight, height, z-scores (weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height, and BMI-for-age), and the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), respectively, at baseline, 3-, and 6-months follow-up. In addition, the effective rate of nutritional intervention, and adverse events were simultaneously assessed.ResultsFrom July 2020 to December 2021, a total of 119 participants were enrolled and randomized, and 110 participants completed the study (with 54 children in the high-calorie formula group and 56 children in the control group). After 6 months of treatment, the weight, height, z-scores (weight-for-height, weight-for-age, and BMI-for-age), and GMFM of both groups were significantly improved (p < 0.05). There were significant differences in changes in weight, weight-for-age z-scores, and GMFM between the two groups (p < 0.05). During the study period, 16 children experienced at least one mild adverse event [9 (16.7%) in the formula group and 7 (12.5%) in the control group].ConclusionNutritional intervention with a high-calorie formula may be an effective and safe option in children with CP for improving undernutrition and gross motor dysfunction.Clinical trial registrationwww.chictr.org.cn, identifier: ChiCTR2000033878.

The composition of green tea cream is extremely complex, and identification of key components is a prerequisite for elucidating its microstructure formation mechanism. This study examined the dynamic changes in the content of components and properties of colloid particles during the formation process of tea cream by chemical analysis and dynamic laser scattering (DLS). A “knock-out/knock-in” method was developed and used to further explore the relationship between the interaction of these components and the microstructure formation of tea cream. The results revealed that polysaccharides, proteins, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), and caffeine were the main components involved in tea cream formation. These components participated in the formation process in the form of polysaccharide–protein and EGCG–caffeine colloidal particles. Consequently, there were synchronized dynamic changes in the levels of polysaccharides, proteins, EGCG, and caffeine. The “knock-out/knock-in” experiment revealed that the interactions between EGCG or caffeine and macro-molecule components were not the key factors in tea cream microstructure formation. However, it was found that the complexation between EGCG and caffeine played a crucial role in the formation of tea cream. The findings suggested that decreasing the concentrations of EGCG and caffeine could be useful in controlling tea cream formation during tea beverage processing and storage.

Background We recently demonstrated that circGSAP was diminished in lung tissues from patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and in hypoxia-induced pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMECs). However, the underlying role of circGSAP in PMECs remains unknown. The study aimed to investigate the contribution of circGSAP to proliferation, apoptosis and cell cycle of PMECs in hypoxic environment and explore the mechanism.Methods The expression of circGSAP was quantified by real-time PCR or immunofluorescence in human lung tissue and PMECs. CircGSAP plasmid, circGSAP small interfering RNA (siRNA), miRNA inhibitor and target gene siRNA were synthesized to verify the role of circGSAP on regulating the proliferation, apoptosis, and cell cycle of PMECs.Results CircGSAP levels were decreased in lungs and plasma of patients with pulmonary hypertension second to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD-PH) and were associated with poor outcomes of COPD-PH patients. Upregulation of circGSAP inhibited proliferation, apoptosis resistance and G1/S transition of PMECs. Dual luciferase reporter assays showed that circGSAP acted as a competitive endogenous RNA regulating miR-942-5p, and identified SMAD4 as a target gene of miR-942-5p, Then, we verified the functions of miR-942-5p and SMAD4 in PMECs. In addition, the effect of circGSAP siRNA on PMECs was mitigated by transfection of miR-942-5p inhibitor, and the effect of miR-942-5p inhibitor on PMECs was inhibited by SMAD4 siRNA.Conclusion Our findings demonstrated that diminished circGSAP accelerated cell cycle to facilitate cell proliferation and apoptosis resistance through competitively binding miR-942-5p to modulate SMAD4 expressions in hypoxia-induced PMECs, indicating potential therapeutic strategies for PH.

Abstract The clay with high oil content form soil lumps, which is hard for microbes to repair. In this paper, the bioaugmentation and biostimulation technology were applied to improve the bioremediation effect of the soil with high oil content, that modified by local cow dung and sandy soil, the ecological toxicity of the soil after restoration was further analyzed. After 53 days of bioremediation, the degradation efficiency with respect to the total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) content reached 76.9% ± 2.2%. The soil bacterial count of M5 group reached log10 CFU/g soil = 7.69 ± 0.03 and the results were better than other experimental groups. The relative abundances of petroleum-degrading bacteria added to M5 remained high (Achromobacter 9.44%, Pseudomonas 31.06%, and Acinetobacter 14.11%), and the proportions of some other indigenous bacteria (Alcanivorax and Paenibacillus) also increased. The toxicity of the bioremediated soil was reduced by seed germination and earthworm survival experiments.

The young shoots of the tea plant Baiye No. 1 display an albino phenotype in the early spring under low environmental temperatures, and the leaves re-green like those of common tea cultivars during the warm season. Periodic albinism is precisely regulated by a complex gene network that leads to metabolic differences and enhances the nutritional value of tea leaves. Here, we identified messenger RNAs (mRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), circular RNAs (circRNAs), and microRNAs (miRNAs) to construct competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulatory networks. We performed whole-transcriptome sequencing of 12 samples from four periods (Bud, leaves not expanded; Alb, albino leaves; Med, re-greening leaves; and Gre, green leaves) and identified a total of 6325 differentially expressed mRNAs (DEmRNAs), 667 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRNAs), 1702 differentially expressed lncRNAs (DElncRNAs), and 122 differentially expressed circRNAs (DEcircRNAs). Furthermore, we constructed ceRNA networks on the basis of co-differential expression analyses which comprised 112, 35, 38, and 15 DEmRNAs, DEmiRNAs, DElncRNAs, and DEcircRNAs, respectively. Based on the regulatory networks, we identified important genes and their interactions with lncRNAs, circRNAs, and miRNAs during periodic albinism, including the ceRNA regulatory network centered on miR5021x, the GAMYB-miR159-lncRNA regulatory network, and the NAC035-miR319x-circRNA regulatory network. These regulatory networks might be involved in the response to cold stress, photosynthesis, chlorophyll synthesis, amino acid synthesis, and flavonoid accumulation. Our findings provide novel insights into ceRNA regulatory mechanisms involved in Baiye No. 1 during periodic albinism and will aid future studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying albinism mutants.

Topic extraction and evolution analysis became a research hotspot in the academic community due to its ability to reveal the development trend of a certain field and discover the evolution law of topic content in different development stages of the field. However, current research methods still face challenges, such as inaccurate topic recognition and unclear evolution paths, which can seriously compromise the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the analysis. To address the problem, the paper proposes a topic evolution path recognition method based on the LDA2vec symmetry model. Under given conditions, both the LDA and Word2vec used in the model conform to the structural symmetry of their datasets in high-dimensional space, and the fused LDA2vec method improves the accuracy of the analysis results. Firstly, we recognize the topics based on the LDA model, which uses Gibbs symmetric sampling and obeys the symmetric Dirichlet distribution to ensure data convergence. Secondly, Word2vec is used to learn the contextual information of the topic words in the document collection, and the words in the corpus are projected as vectors in the high-dimensional space so that the computed pairs of words with similar semantics have symmetry in the hyperplane of the high-dimensional space. Subsequently, the word vector is used as a weight, and the LDA topic word probability value is weighted to generate a new topic vector. Thirdly, the vector similarity index is employed to calculate the semantic similarity among topics at adjacent stages, and evolution paths that directly reflect the topic relationships are constructed. Finally, an empirical study is conducted in the field of data security to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for topic evolution analysis. The results show that the proposed approach can accurately recognize the topic content and construct clear evolution paths, which contribute to the comprehensive and accurate analysis of topic evolution in a specific research field.

This study aimed to gain an understanding of the possible function of NACs by examining their physicochemical properties, structure, chromosomal location, and expression. Being a family of plant-specific transcription factors, NAC (petunia no apical meristem and Arabidopsis thaliana ATAF1, ATAF2, and CUC2) is involved in plant growth and development. None of the NAC genes has been reported in Akebia trifoliata (Thunb.) Koidz (A. trifoliata). In this study, we identified 101 NAC proteins (AktNACs) in the A. trifoliata genome by bioinformatic analysis. One hundred one AktNACs were classified into the following twelve categories based on the phylogenetic analysis of NAC protein: NAC-a, NAC-b, NAC-c, NAC-d, NAC-e, NAC-f, NAC-g, NAC-h, NAC-i, NAC-j, NAC-k, and NAC-l. The accuracy of the clustering results was demonstrated based on the gene structure and conserved motif analysis of AktNACs. In addition, we identified 44 pairs of duplication genes, confirming the importance of purifying selection in the evolution of AktNACs. The morphology and microstructure of early A. trifoliata seed development showed that it mainly underwent rapid cell division, seed enlargement, embryo formation and endosperm development. We constructed AktNACs co-expression network and metabolite correlation network based on transcriptomic and metabolomic data of A. trifoliata seeds. The results of the co-expression network showed that 25 AtNAC genes were co-expressed with 233 transcription factors. Metabolite correlation analysis showed that 23 AktNACs were highly correlated with 28 upregulated metabolites. Additionally, 25 AktNACs and 235 transcription factors formed co-expression networks with 141 metabolites, based on correlation analysis involving AktNACs, transcription factors, and metabolites. Notably, AktNAC095 participates in the synthesis of 35 distinct metabolites. Eight of these metabolites, strongly correlated with AktNAC095, were upregulated during early seed development. These studies may provide insight into the evolution, possible function, and expression of AktNACs genes.

Personal competition among colleagues and co-workers has been observed in order to prove their professional superiority over others. Such behaviors have grave consequences on the overall team performance. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of personal competition on team performance incorporating the mediating role of the playing dumb behavior of knowledge hiding. The study has further checked the moderating effect of task interdependence on the relationship between personal competition and playing dumb. Data for the present study had been collected through questionnaires from the sports players actively associated with games through their educational institutes in China. The sample size of the study was 339, selected on the basis of convenience sampling. Smart PLS had been employed to analyze the data through structural equation modeling (SEM). The results of the study showed a strong impact of personal competition on team performance and the playing dumb variable. Furthermore, playing dumb has been found to have a strong mediating impact on team performance. The study has theoretically contributed to the literature of competition and performance by investigating the mediating role of playing dumb. The study also offers certain practical implications to the managers of the corporate world to devise such human resource policies that take appraisals from the colleagues so as to rectify the negative workplace behaviors and could be worked out accordingly.

In order to further improve the accuracy and real-time performance of the traditional Single Shot Multibox Detector (SSD) object detection model, an improved SSD multi-object detection model is proposed. Firstly, aiming at the defect of weak correlation between prediction object score and positioning accuracy in the traditional SSD model, the improved model enhanced the correlation between the two by adding Intersection Over Union(IoU) prediction loss branch. Secondly, in order to reduce the spatial redundancy of traditional SSD model, a multi-frequency feature component convolution module is designed, which greatly reduces the calculation overhead and hardware overhead of the traditional model. Finally, in order to accelerate the convergence speed of the improved model, the Adaptive and Momental Bound (AdaMod) optimizer is introduced to modify the adaptive learning rate of the improved model which is too large in the training process. Experimental results show that the improved model has stronger detection capabilities, better overall detection results, and improved detection accuracy and real-time detection.

Excess soluble salts in saline soils are harmful to most plants. Understanding the biochemical responses to salts in plants and studying the salt tolerance-associated genetic resources in nature will contribute to the improvement of salt tolerance in crops. As an emerging model crop, foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) has been regarded as a novel species for stress resistance investigation. Here, the dynamic proteomic and phosphoproteomic profiling of two foxtail millet varieties of An04 and Yugu2 with contrasting salt tolerance characteristics were investigated under salt stress. In total, 10,366 sites representing to 2,862 proteins were detected and quantified. There were 759 and 990 sites corresponding to 484 and 633 proteins identified under salinity in An04 and Yugu2, respectively, and 1,264 and 1,131 phosphorylation sites corresponding to 789 and 731 proteins were identified between these two varieties before and after salt stress, respectively. The differentially-regulated phosphoproteins (DRPPs) were mainly involved in signal transduction, regulation of gene expression, translation, ion transport, and metabolism processes. Yugu2 possessed signal perception and transduction capabilities more rapidly and had a more intense response compared with An04 upon salinity. The sucrose metabolism pathway, in particularly, might play a vital role in salt response in foxtail millet, which not only provides UDP-glucose for the cellulose synthesis and energy production, but also promotes flavonoid related synthesis to enhance the salt tolerance ability. Over-expressing the phospho-mimic sucrose synthase (SuS) (SuSS10D) in soybean roots enhanced salt tolerance compared with over-expressing SuS lines. The knowledge of this research will shed light on elucidating the mechanisms of salt response, and pave the way for crop varieties innovation and cultivation under salinity and stresses.

Objectives The aim was to elucidate the relationship between liver function and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH).Design and setting Retrospective, longitudinal study in urban tertiary care centre in Shanghai, China.Participants 407 IPAH consecutive incident patients age 18–65 years were retrospectively enrolled from January 2008 to December 2018.Outcome measurements The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality. The cut-off value was determined by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), which was validated by Cox proportional hazard model was internally validated by bootstrap analysis and used for survival analysis. The Cox model was (internally) validated and cross-validated areas under the curve (AUC) should be reported.Results The prevalence of abnormal liver function tests (LFTs) at baseline was 77.6%. Hyperbilirubinaemia is the most common abnormal biochemical liver test: abnormal total bilirubin (TBIL in 51.6% patients). During the follow-up, 160 patients died. Patients with mixed liver dysfunction have worse prognosis than those with normal LFTs or isolated abnormal bilirubin metabolism. Comparing with patients with hepatocellular injury, the survival of patients with abnormal bilirubin metabolism is lower. Multivariable Cox models revealed a positive association between TBIL, γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) and mortality showing that each Ig increment in TBIL and GGT was associated with a higher all-cause mortality (TBIL: HR 4. 29 (95% CI 1. 21 to 15. 27), p=0. 02; GGT: HR 2. 76 (95% CI 1. 18 to 6. 45), p=0. 02). A novel formula named Liver Function Predict Index (LFPI) was constructed (LFPI=−0.002*6MWD+1.014*lg GGT+1.458*lg TBIL) to predict prognosis. ROC curve analysis did further identify 2.729 as the best cut-off value for LFPI (AUC 0.75, p

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by abnormal lymphoblasts accumulation in the bone marrow and blood. Despite great efforts have been made in exploring novel therapeutic method, the prognosis of children with ALL is still unsatisfied. Glucocorticoid (GC) resistance is a great obstacle for the clinical treatment of ALL. Therefore, it is essential to investigate the molecular mechanism underlying the GC resistance. According to previous reports, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are involved in drug resistance of various human cancers. LncRNA HOXA cluster antisense RNA2 (HOXA-AS2) has been reported in several human malignancies due to its oncogenic property. However, the molecular mechanism of HOXA-AS2 involved in the GC resistance of ALL still needs to be further clarified. At first, we found that lncRNA HOXA-AS2 was highly expressed both in prednisone insensitive ALL cell lines and patient samples. Gain or loss-of-function assays revealed that HOXA-AS2 enhanced GC resistance via promoting cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis. Furthermore, we validated that HOXA-AS2 upregulated HOXA3, thereby activating EGFR/Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway. Our findings showed that HOXA-AS2 may be a potential therapeutic target for ALL patients with poor GC resistance.

The adsorption characteristics of corrosive anions (Cl−, HS−, S2−, HCO3− and CO32−) on TiO2 of TC4 titanium alloy in a NaCl solution containing H2S and CO2 were studied by density functional theory (DFT). The stable adsorption configuration of each corrosive species on the TiO2 (110) surface was obtained by geometric optimization, and the electronic structure and interface binding energy were calculated and analyzed. The results showed that the optimal adsorption positions of Cl−, HS−, S2−, HCO3− and CO32− on TiO2 (110) were all bridge positions. There was a strong charge interaction between the negatively charged Cl, S and O atoms in Cl−, HS−, S2−, HCO3− and CO32− and the positively charged Ti atoms of TiO2. The interface bonding was mainly caused by charge movement from around Ti atoms to around Cl, O, S atoms. The energy levels were mainly caused by the electron orbital hybridization of Cl-3p5, S-3p4, O-2p4 and Ti-3d2. All adsorption configurations were chemical adsorption. The order of influence of the five ions on the stability of TiO2 was S2− > CO32− > Cl− > HS− > HCO3−. Finally, a novel corrosion mechanism was proposed to illustrate the dynamic evolution processes of pits.

Acidified hydraulic fracturing technology is a technical measure that uses acid liquid to react with minerals in near wells or reservoirs to enhance permeability, oil well and shale gas extraction, and increase the injection volume of wells. After the acidification construction is completed, the residual acid liquid will be discharged to the ground, which forms acidified waste liquid with low pH and complex composition. Recent studies providing snapshots of processing technology on the acidified waste have highlighted the need to convert the high concentration of Fe(II) in the acidified wastewater into flocculating components through advanced oxidation process. Here we report the discovery of the oxidation kinetics of ferrous ion in simulated acidified waste system, which based on the analysis of major pollutants and high iron content. We show that the change of concentration of ferrous ions was determined by chemiluminescence in tandem with flow injection, and the reaction of hydrogen peroxide with Fe(II) is a pseudo-first-order reaction. The reaction rate constants at Fe(II) of 50, 100 and 150 mg/L are 0.12612, 0.41686, 1.18230 s−1 respectively. In addition, we evaluated the adaptability of the catalytic oxidation system to acidified waste liquid. This offers a theoretical basis for treatment of acid hydraulic fracturing flowback and a series of treatability of tests, which serves to guide the selection of suitable treatment approach.

As a typical pollutant, methylene blue poses a serious threat to the environment and human health. Oily sludge pyrolysis residue loaded with metal oxides could be used to prepare composite materials, which is not only an effective way to treat oily sludge, but also a possible method to treat methylene blue pollutants. In this paper, composite materials (AC-CuO, AC-ZnO, and AC-TiO2) were prepared by oily sludge pyrolysis residue-loaded CuO, ZnO, and TiO2 directly, and characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, BET, FT-IR, and XPS, and it was shown that the metal oxides were successfully supported on the pyrolysis residue. Then, the composite materials were applied to the removal of methylene blue solution. The removal effect of composite materials on methylene blue with respect to the impregnation time, impregnation ratio and dosage, and the contact time and number of regenerations were investigated, and the removal parameters were optimized by response surface methodology. The removal process for methylene blue was described by applying Lagergren, McKay, Langmuir isotherm, Freundlish isotherm and intraparticle diffusion models. According to the response surface methodology and the main factors affecting the removal effect of methylene blue, the results indicate that the removal effect of 5 mg/L methylene blue could reach 95.28%, 94.95%, and 96.96%, respectively, and the corresponding removal capacities were 4.76, 4.75, and 4.85 mg/g. In addition, kinetic studies showed that the removal process of methylene blue was mainly constituted by chemical adsorption. The intraparticle diffusion showed that the removal of methylene blue may be controlled by both liquid film diffusion and intraparticle diffusion. The isotherms showed that the adsorption sites of composites for methylene blue were uniformly distributed and had the same affinity. Furthermore, regeneration experiments showed that the composite materials were stable and had relatively reusability.

The discharge of large amounts of oily sludge heat treatment residues constitutes a severe threat to the environment. However, little is known about the toxicity of these heat-treated residues. Current research has mainly focused on the toxic effects of single heavy metals or single hydrocarbons on plants, whereas the phytotoxic effects of hydrocarbon–metal mixtures have remained largely unexplored. In this study, pot experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of different proportions of heat treatment residues (pyrolysis, heat-washing, and high-temperature oxidation residues) from three kinds of oily sludge on the physiological and biochemical parameters of mung bean plants. Higher proportions of residues decreased the germination rates and enzyme activity of mung beans compared to uncontaminated soil. When pyrolysis residue, hot-washing residue, and high-temperature thermal oxidation residue are used in green planting soil, their content must be lower than 30%, 90%, and 70%, respectively. Additionally, our findings indicated that the accumulation level of pollutants in oily sludge heat treatment residues was not high. However, the three kinds of residues exhibited different degrees of plant toxicity. The pyrolysis residue still exhibited strong ecotoxicity, even at low concentrations. In contrast, the toxicity of the hot-washing residue was much lower than that of the pyrolysis residue and the high-temperature thermal oxidation residue. Our findings indicated that mung bean is highly tolerant of contaminated soil and is therefore well suited for phytoremediation applications.

Self-powered ultraviolet (UV) photodetectors have attracted considerable attention in recent years because of their vast applications in the military and civil fields. Among them, self-powered UV photodetectors based on p-n heterojunction low-dimensional nanostructures are a very attractive research field due to combining the advantages of low-dimensional semiconductor nanostructures (such as large specific surface area, excellent carrier transmission channel, and larger photoconductive gain) with the feature of working independently without an external power source. In this review, a selection of recent developments focused on improving the performance of self-powered UV photodetectors based on p-n heterojunction low-dimensional nanostructures from different aspects are summarized. It is expected that more novel, dexterous, and intelligent photodetectors will be developed as soon as possible on the basis of these works.

Multiobject detection tasks in complex scenes have become an important research topic, which is the basis of other computer vision tasks. Considering the defects of the traditional single shot multibox detector (SSD) algorithm, such as poor small object detection effect, reliance on manual setting for default box generation, and insufficient semantic information of the low detection layer, the detection effect in complex scenes was not ideal. Aiming at the shortcomings of the SSD algorithm, an improved algorithm based on the adaptive default box mechanism (ADB) is proposed. The algorithm introduces the adaptive default box mechanism, which can improve the imbalance of positive and negative samples and avoid manually set default box super parameters. Experimental results show that, compared with the traditional SSD algorithm, the improved algorithm has a better detection effect and higher accuracy in complex scenes.

The corrosion behavior of L360 pipeline steel coated with or without elemental sulfur (S8) in CO2–Cl− medium at different pH was studied. An autoclave was used to simulate the working conditions for forming the corrosion scale, and an electrochemical workstation with a three-electrode cell was used to analyze the electrochemical characterization of the corrosion scale. A wire beam electrode was used to determine the potential and current distribution, and scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction were used to characterize the morphology and composition of the corrosion scale. The results showed that the deposition of S8 on the surface of the electrodes caused serious localized corrosion, especially under acidic conditions. The morphology and localized corrosion intensity index further proved that the deposition of S8 significantly promoted corrosion, especially pitting corrosion. Finally, a novel corrosion mechanism of L360 pipeline steel coated with S8 in a CO2-Cl− environment under acidic conditions was proposed, and we then modeled the theoretical mechanisms that explained the experimental results.

Co-precipitation of mineral-based salts during scaling remains poorly understood and thermodynamically undefined within the water industry. This study focuses on investigating calcium carbonate and calcium sulfate mixed precipitation in scaling. Scaling is often observed in the produced water supply as a result of treatment processes. Co-precipitation results were compared with experimental results of a single salt crystallization. Several parameters were carefully monitored, including the electrical conductivity, pH value, crystal morphology and crystal form. The existence of the calcium carbonate scale in the mixed system encourages the loose calcium sulfate scale to become more tightly packed. The mixed scale was firmly adhered to the beaker, and the adhesion of the co-deposition product was located between the pure calcium sulfate scale and the pure calcium carbonate scale. The crystalline form of calcium sulfate was gypsum in both pure material deposition and mixed deposition, while the calcium carbonate scale was stable in calcite form in the pure material deposition. In the co-deposition, apart from calcite form, some calcium carbonate scale crystals had metastable vaterite form. This indicated that the presence of SO42− ions reduced the energy barrier of the calcium carbonate scale and hindered its transformation from a vaterite form to a calcite one, and the increase in HCO3− content inhibited the formation of calcium sulfate scale.

To compare the muscle thickness, fascicle length, and pennation angle of the gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior between Asian children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP) and typically developing (TD) peers.This cross-sectional study involved a total of 72 children with hemiplegic CP (n = 24), and diplegic CP (n = 24) and their TD peers (n = 24). Muscle architecture was measured at rest using ultrasound. Clinical measures included gross motor function and a modified Ashworth scale.The thicknesses of the tibialis anterior and medial gastrocnemius muscles were smaller in the affected calf of children with CP (p

Spherical biocarriers were prepared with lignin-carbohydrate complexes isolated from ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) xylem. The specific surface and average pore size of the biocarriers were 17.15 m2 g−1 and 21.59 nm, respectively. The carriers were stable in solution at pH 4.0~9.5. Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum indicated that the spherical carrier was composed of lignin and polysaccharides and had a typical lignin-carbohydrate complex (LCC) structure. The contents of galactose, lignin, and total sugar were 3.30%, 23.9%, and 64.62%, respectively, making the spherical biocarriers have good physical strength and compatible with hepatocytes. It was observed using a scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that liver cells adhered to the spherical biocarriers during culture. Cell counting indicated that the proliferation of liver cells in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The albumin secretion (ALB) value and glucose consumption of the human hepatocytes were increased by 51.7% and 38.6%, respectively, by the fourth day when cultivated on the biocarriers. The results indicate that ginkgo LCC is very biocompatible and shows promise for the use as a biomaterial in the culture of human hepatocytes.

A porous lignin-containing hydrogel was developed for dye removal via graft copolymerization of acetic acid lignin (AAL) and acrylamide (AAm), in the presence of ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as a crosslinker and H2O2 as an initiator. AAL was characterized by FT-IR and TGA. After being washed to remove impurities, the hydrogel was characterized by FT-IR, TGA, SEM, and swelling ratio. FT-IR spectra suggested that AAL was present in the hydrogel. The TGA curves revealed that the introduction of AAL had no significant impact on the thermal stability of PAAm. SEM images showed that the honeycomb-like structure of the hydrogel was improved with increasing AAL content. The swelling ratio data showed that the hydrogel with a high AAL/AAm ratio was sensitive to pH. Furthermore, increased lignin content of the hydrogel favors the dye adsorption.

Alkali extracted lignin (AEL), isolated from corn stalks with dilute alkali solution under mild condition, was used as a low-cost adsorbent for the removal of methylene blue (MB) from aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption studies were conducted to evaluate various experimental parameters such as pH, contact time, and initial dye concentration for the removal of MB. The kinetic data were analyzed using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order kinetic models, and the adsorption kinetics were found to be well represented by the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. The equilibrium data were perfectly fitted to the Langmuir isotherm equation when compared with Freundlich isotherm equation. Based on the Langmuir adsorption isotherm model, the predicted maximum monolayer adsorption capacity was found to be 121.20 mg g-1 (at 30 ºC). The results showed that this adsorbent had a high adsorption capacity, making it a promising alternative for dye removal.

Fractionation of lignocellulosic biomass is an important process in producing biofuels. In this study, hot water extraction of corn stover hemicellulose was carried out at 150, 160, and 170 °C. Variations of sugar content in the hydrolysate under different holding time were detected. The contents of furfural and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde generated during the extraction were also determined. Results showed that the main composition of the hydrolysate was xylo-oligosaccharide; the yield of oligosaccharides first increased as holding time was prolonged. After extraction at 160 °C for 210 min, 70.2% of the total xylan was dissolved, with the generation of furfural (0.90 g/L) and 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde (0.10 g/L). The effects of extraction on alkali pulping and bleaching were also investigated. Results indicated that soda-AQ pulp obtained from the extracted material had poorer tensile and burst strengths but better tear strength.