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The processes of forming lineages undergoing widespread radiations remain a knowledge gap that is fundamental to our understanding of the geographic distributions of species. Although early studies emphasized the importance of dispersal ability and historical migration events, key innovations that promote rapid diversification and/or adaptation to new habitats may also strongly influence distribution ranges. Juniperus is the second largest genus of conifers and is widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere. Here, we used phylogenetic, phenotypic, and climatic data to investigate the contributions of these processes to the wide distribution and rapid diversification of Juniperus. Combining a time-scaled phylogeny and macroevolutionary theory, we show that the key innovations of berry-like seed cones and dioecy promoted the rapid diversification of Juniperus and that increased dispersal ability promoted allopatric speciation. Ecological niches had significant divergence among different clades of Juniperus. Biogeographic results supported multiple long-distance dispersal events and niche variation that contributed to the modern range of Juniperus, while both phenotypic adaptation and ecological opportunity probably drove its distribution range. Our findings suggest that the current widespread distribution is likely the result of significant divergence driven by niche variation in which ecological opportunities from key innovation and phenotypic divergence. Using the macroevolution method, this study shows that key innovations and niche divergence promoted widespread distribution and rapid diversification of Juniperus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speciation events often occur with adaptive radiation. The factors that promote these adaptive radiating species diversity patterns have intrigued biologists for more than a century. In the present study, we used the adaptive radiated genus Ligustrum to evaluate the relative contributions of the environment, species interactions, phylogenetic diversity, and diversification rates in generating extant species diversity patterns. Using complete chloroplast genome data, we reconstructed the highly supported and dated backbone phylogenetic relationships of Ligustrum. Biogeographic results indicated that Ligustrum originated in Southwest China during the Oligocene and spread to suitable areas that were warm and humid via 18 dispersal events. For the overlapping ranges of species pairs, a smaller phylogenetic distance was detected in high species overlap than in low species overlap, which is consistent with no significant difference in niche among the different species. We found that the phylogenetic diversity and interspecies competition induced by insignificant niche divergence shaped the global pattern of Ligustrum diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Northern Hemisphere temperate forests exhibit a disjunct distributional pattern in Europe, North America, and East Asia. Here, to reveal the promoter of intercontinental disjunct distribution, Fraxinus was used as a model organism to integrate abundant fossil evidence with high-resolution phylogenies in a phytogeographic analysis. We constructed a robust phylogenetic tree using genomic data, reconstructed the geographic ancestral areas, and evaluated the effect of incorporating fossil information on the reconstructed biogeographic history. The phylogenetic relationships of Fraxinus were highly resolved and divided into seven clades. Fraxinus originated in western North America during Eocene, and six intercontinental dispersal events and five intercontinental vicariance events were occured. Results suggest that climate change and vicariance contributed to the intercontinental disjunct distribution pattern of Fraxinus. Moreover, results highlight the necessity of integrating phylogenetic relationship and fossil to improve the reliability of inferred biogeographic events and our understanding of the processes underlying disjunct distributions. A phylogenetic genomics study combining fossil data reveals that climate change led to the intercontinental disjunct distribution pattern of Fraxinus [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fecal bacterial densities are proxy indicators of beach water quality, and beach posting decisions are made based on Beach Action Value (BAV) exceedances for a beach. However, these traditional beach monitoring methods do not reflect the full extent of microbial water quality changes associated with BAV exceedances at recreational beaches (including harmful cyanobacteria). This proof of concept study evaluates the potential of metagenomics for comprehensively assessing bacterial community changes associated with BAV exceedances compared to non-exceedances for two urban beaches and their adjacent river water sources. Results: Compared to non-exceedance samples, BAV exceedance samples exhibited higher alpha diversity (diversity within the sample) that could be further differentiated into separate clusters (Beta-diversity). For Beach A, Cyanobacterial sequences (resolved as Microcystis and Pseudanabaena at genus level) were significantly more abundant in BAV non-exceedance samples. qPCR validation supported the Cyanobacterial abundance results from metagenomic analysis and also identified saxitoxin genes in 50% of the non-exceedance samples. Microcystis sp and saxitoxin gene sequences were more abundant on non-exceedance beach days (when fecal indicator data indicated the beach should be open for water recreational purposes). For BAV exceedance days, Fibrobacteres, Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, and Clostridium sequences were significantly more abundant (and positively correlated with fecal indicator densities) for Beach A. For Beach B, Spirochaetes (resolved as Leptospira on genus level) Burkholderia and Vibrio sequences were significantly more abundant in BAV exceedance samples. Similar bacterial diversity and abundance trends were observed for river water sources compared to their associated beaches. Antibiotic Resistance Genes (ARGs) were also consistently detected at both beaches. However, we did not observe a significant difference or correlation in ARGs abundance between BAV exceedance and non-exceedance samples. Conclusion: This study provides a more comprehensive analysis of bacterial community changes associated with BAV exceedances for recreational freshwater beaches. While there were increases in bacterial diversity and some taxa of potential human health concern associated with increased fecal indicator densities and BAV exceedances (e.g. Pseudomonas), metagenomics analyses also identified other taxa of potential human health concern (e.g. Microcystis) associated with lower fecal indicator densities and BAV non-exceedances days. This study can help develop more targeted beach monitoring strategies and beach-specific risk management approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Eriocaulon is a wetland plant genus with important ecological value, and one of the famous taxonomically challenging groups among angiosperms, mainly due to the high intraspecific diversity and low interspecific variation in the morphological characters of species within this genus. In this study, 22 samples representing 15 Eriocaulon species from China, were sequenced and combined with published samples of Eriocaulon to test the phylogenetic resolution using the complete chloroplast genome. Furthermore, comparative analyses of the chloroplast genomes were performed to investigate the chloroplast genome evolution of Eriocaulon. Results: The 22 Eriocaulon chloroplast genomes and the nine published samples were proved highly similar in genome size, gene content, and order. The Eriocaulon chloroplast genomes exhibited typical quadripartite structures with lengths from 150,222 bp to 151,584 bp. Comparative analyses revealed that four mutation hotspot regions (psbK-trnS, trnE-trnT, ndhF-rpl32, and ycf1) could serve as effective molecular markers for further phylogenetic analyses and species identification of Eriocaulon species. Phylogenetic results supported Eriocaulon as a monophyletic group. The identified relationships supported the taxonomic treatment of section Heterochiton and Leucantherae, and the section Heterochiton was the first divergent group. Phylogenetic tree supported Eriocaulon was divided into five clades. The divergence times indicated that all the sections diverged in the later Miocene and most of the extant Eriocaulon species diverged in the Quaternary. The phylogeny and divergence times supported rapid radiation occurred in the evolution history of Eriocaulon. Conclusion: Our study mostly supported the taxonomic treatment at the section level for Eriocaulon species in China and demonstrated the power of phylogenetic resolution using whole chloroplast genome sequences. Comparative analyses of the Eriocaulon chloroplast genome developed molecular markers that can help us better identify and understand the evolutionary history of Eriocaulon species in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define involutes and contrapedal curves of spherical curves and investigate some properties. We also give the classifications of the singular points of involutes. Moreover, we give the relationships between involute–evolute curve pairs and pedal–contrapedal curve pairs and give the formula of the rth involute. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define θ -isogonal curves for one-parameter families of Legendre curves. The θ -enveloid for a given one-parameter family of Legendre curves is a plane curve that cuts each member of the family in the same constant angle θ . As an application, we consider the definition of involutoids of frontals from the view point of θ -enveloids. Moreover, we consider the properties of normal envelopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the beginning of the new century, the party and the government have always attached great importance to youth sports work and cared about the healthy growth of youth. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have issued the opinions on strengthening youth sports and strengthening youth physique, which has initially formed a social consensus on promoting the healthy growth of young students. With the process of school education reform and the promulgation and implementation of the Ministry of Education's opinions on implementing and ensuring the time of daily sports activities for primary and middle school students, especially the official launch of the "national sunshine sports for hundreds of millions of students" in 2021, the school sports work in China has entered a new historical stage. Under this premise, the status and importance of Wushu in the intangible cultural field of schools have been gradually improved. As an important part of school sports, Wushu in the field of intangible culture plays an important role in strengthening students' physique, improving students' health, and promoting students' intellectual development. It is also one of the basic ways to realize school sports. How to better play its role has attracted the attention of many experts and scholars. This study focuses on the current situation of Wushu projects in the field of intangible culture in Weixian Middle School of Xingtai City, trying to understand its advantages and existing problems through the current situation, and put forward targeted solutions, so as to enable Wushu projects in the field of intangible culture to play their educational and fitness functions in school sports and provide help for the comprehensive development of middle school students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY: Heading date is one of the most pivotal agronomic traits for rice (Oryza sativa) yield and adaptation. Little is known about the crosstalk between histone ubiquitination and histone methylation in rice heading date regulation. Here, we reported HISTONE MONOUBIQUITINATION 1 (OsHUB1) and OsHUB2 are involved in heading date regulation via the Hd1 and Ehd1 pathway. Loss of OsHUB1 and OsHUB2 function resulted in early heading under long‐day and short‐day photoperiods. The expression of Hd3a, RFT1, and Ehd1 was induced and the transcript levels of Hd1, Ghd7, OsCCA1, OsGI, OsFKF1, and OsTOC1 were reduced under long‐day conditions, whereas RFT1 and Ehd1 expression was induced in oshub2 mutants under short‐day conditions. OsHUB2 interacted with OsTrx1 and repressed the gene expression of OsTrx1. OsHUB2 directly bound to Ehd1 to ubiquitinate H2B at Ehd1, and H2B ubiquitination levels were reduced in oshub2‐2 and oshub2‐3 mutants. OsTrx1 were highly enriched at Ehd1, and H3K4me3 levels of Ehd1 were upregulated in oshub2‐2. Mutations of OsTrx1 in the oshub2‐2 background rescued the early‐heading phenotype of oshub2‐2. The increases in Ehd1 H3K4me3 levels and transcript levels in oshub2‐2 mutants were attenuated in oshub2‐2 ostrx1‐2 double mutants. Together, our results (i) reveal that OsHUB2 represses the function of OsTrx1 and H3K4me3 levels at Ehd1 and (ii) suggest that OsHUB2‐mediated H2B ubiquitination plays critical roles together with H3K4me3 in rice heading date regulation. Significance Statement: Heading date determines rice (Oryza sativa) yield and rice adaptation. This paper shows that OsHUB2 modulates heading date through repression of OsTrx1 binding to Ehd1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The long-time accumulation of low-rank coal can induce many environmental problems and severe waste of carbon resources. Flotation technology based on gas/liquid/solid interfacial interaction remains an efficient way to recovery combustible matter and realize clean utilization of coal. The traditional collector, kerosene, has demonstrated its low flotation efficiency and environmental hazards for low-rank coal. In this work, the kerosene was highly dispersed through emulsification with the biocompatible surfactant alkyl polyglucosides (APG) and optimized based on HLB of emulsifiers and emulsion phase diagrams. The emulsion with the mixture of hydrophilic APG and hydrophobic Span65 as emulsifier exhibits the strongest dispersibility and stability due to the formation of a stable composite molecular adsorption film of the mixed emulsifiers at oil/water interface. Compared with kerosene, the prepared emulsion collectors exhibited much higher flotation efficiency with combustible matter recovery increasing by 31.4% and simultaneously consumption of kerosene decreasing by 57.8% under optimal operation conditions. The hydrophobicity of coal surface is obviously enhanced after treatment by emulsion with the contact angle increasing from 26.6° to 71.7°. High-speed camera observation showed that only 76.59 ms was taken for the impinging emulsion droplet to adhere to low-rank coal surface followed with a faster spreading, indicating stronger interfacial interaction between emulsion collector and low-rank coal surface. The proposed 'bridging action' of emulsifier molecule between oxygen-containing groups at coal surface and kerosene in emulsion could remarkably enhance the differences in surface hydrophilicity between combustible coal and other contents, resulting in high flotation efficiency. These results constitute a substantial step forward in technical development for resource recycling of low-rank coal. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deep-branching phylogenetic relationships are often difficult to resolve because phylogenetic signals are obscured by the long history and complexity of evolutionary processes, such as ancient introgression/hybridization, polyploidization, and incomplete lineage sorting (ILS). Phylogenomics has been effective in providing information for resolving both deep- and shallow-scale relationships across all branches of the tree of life. The olive family (Oleaceae) is composed of 25 genera classified into five tribes with tribe Oleeae consisting of four subtribes. Previous phylogenetic analyses showed that ILS and/or hybridization led to phylogenetic incongruence in the family. It was essential to distinguish phylogenetic signal conflicts, and explore mechanisms for the uncertainties concerning relationships of the olive family, especially at the deep-branching nodes. Results: We used the whole plastid genome and nuclear single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data to infer the phylogenetic relationships and to assess the variation and rates among the main clades of the olive family. We also used 2608 and 1865 orthologous nuclear genes to infer the deep-branching relationships among tribes of Oleaceae and subtribes of tribe Oleeae, respectively. Concatenated and coalescence trees based on the plastid genome, nuclear SNPs and multiple nuclear genes suggest events of ILS and/or ancient introgression during the diversification of Oleaceae. Additionally, there was extreme heterogeneity in the substitution rates across the tribes. Furthermore, our results supported that introgression/hybridization, rather than ILS, is the main factor for phylogenetic discordance among the five tribes of Oleaceae. The tribe Oleeae is supported to have originated via ancient hybridization and polyploidy, and its most likely parentages are the ancestral lineage of Jasmineae or its sister group, which is a "ghost lineage," and Forsythieae. However, ILS and ancient introgression are mainly responsible for the phylogenetic discordance among the four subtribes of tribe Oleeae. Conclusions: This study showcases that using multiple sequence datasets (plastid genomes, nuclear SNPs and thousands of nuclear genes) and diverse phylogenomic methods such as data partition, heterogeneous models, quantifying introgression via branch lengths (QuIBL) analysis, and species network analysis can facilitate untangling long and complex evolutionary processes of ancient introgression, paleopolyploidization, and ILS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT), which employs the interaction between low-intensity ultrasound and a non-toxic sonosensitizer to produce various reactive oxygen species (ROS), offers the possibility of treating cancer non-invasively. In this work, systematic experiments were conducted to detect the types of ROS produced in the process of sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) mediated SDT (DVDMS-SDT). We found that the fluorescence intensity of the superoxide anion (˙O2−) specific probe BES-SO in the DVDMS-SDT group was significantly higher than that in the ultrasound group alone, while it decreased with the introduction of superoxide dismutase (˙O2− scavenger), indicating the production of ˙O2−. At the same molality concentration, DVDMS is superior to protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) and hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) in ˙O2− generation, indicating that the properties of sonosensitizers determine the ˙O2− yield. Although ultrasound alone could also produce ˙O2− by pyrolyzing water, the significance of DVMDS lies in reducing the ultrasonic intensity threshold and improving the low efficiency of pure ultrasound in producing ˙O2−. More importantly, DVDMS-SDT is involved in the process of ˙O2− even at low levels of oxygenation, showing its greater superiority for the treatment of tumors under a hypoxic environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) represents a noninvasive therapeutic method via the activation of certain chemical sensitizers using low-intensity ultrasound to generate various reactive oxygen species (ROS). In this work, we conducted systematic experiments to evaluate the production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) mediated SDT (DVDMS-SDT). We found that the fluorescence intensities of H2O2-specific probe BES-H2O2 and Amplex Red increased significantly exposure to DVDMS-SDT while decreased with the introduction of catalase (H2O2 scavenger), indicating the production of H2O2. And the fluorescence intensity of H2O2 susceptible probes were positively correlated with DVDMS concentration, ultrasound intensity and irradiation time. Under the same molarity concentration, DVDMS has advantages over proto-porphyrin IX (PpIX) and hemoporrin monomethyl ether (HMME) in H2O2 production, indicating that the yield of H2O2 depends on the properties of sensitizer. More importantly, DVDMS-SDT is involved in the process of H2O2 even in the oxygen-free condition, showing its greater superiority for the treatment of tumor under hypoxia environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of Singlet oxygen (1O2) is of great interest to develop cancer therapies, because it can initiate a plethora of events that result in cell death. Singlet oxygen sensor green (SOSG) is considered the preferred probe because of its claimed high selectivity to Singlet oxygen (1O2). Although many researchers have used SOSG to detect 1O2 generation in Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) processes, the effect of ultrasound irradiation on SOSG has not been comprehensively evaluated. In this study, we conducted systematic experiments to determine SOSG activation in the presence of ultrasound irradiation. We found that the SOSG exhibited the abnormal physicochemical phenomena in distilled water in the presence of ultrasound. The fluorescence intensity of SOSG increased significantly when exposed to ultrasound alone. The results showed that there was a linear positive correlation between the treatment duration of different ultrasound intensities or SOSG concentrations and the fluorescence intensity of SOSG, respectively. In addition, scavenger tests also indicated that hydroxyl radicals (•OH) might be involved in the activation of SOSG. In conclusion, our results suggest that the influences of experimental conditions to SOSG must be fully considered, and that SOSG may not be a suitable probe for 1O2 in SDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface properties and flotation response of coal samples of different rank correspond to results from similar experiments for coal samples with different degrees of oxidation. Three principal types of oxygen-containing functional groups (C = O, C-O, O = C-O), were detected at the surface of low rank coals and oxidized coals by XPS, complementing results of previous researchers reported in the literature. The hydroxylation of these polar oxygen groups to C-OH groups and O = C-OH groups seems to account for the observed decrease in hydrophobic character and reduced flotation recovery. Hydration of the coal surface is facilitated at these hydroxylated sites by hydrogen bonding with interfacial water molecules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High‐efficient adsorbents with eco‐friendly and easy recycling features remain to be pursued in wastewater treatment. In this work, one green magnetic nano‐composite, phenylalanine‐modified‐chitosan Fe3O4 (Fe3O4@chitosan@Phe), was prepared and its adsorption behavior for humic acid from water was investigated. Our results showed that the modified phenylalanine could promote the maximum adsorption quantites of humic acid by Fe3O4@chitosan@Phe than Fe3O4@chitosan, and the adsorption processing followed the pseudo second‐order kinetic model. Either the Langmuir or Freundlich isotherm model could not appropriately describe the adsorption processing, implying the adsorption process is more complex than typical monolayer, or multilayer adsorption. The functional groups (amidogen, phenyl) of phenylalanine could strengthen the interaction between Fe3O4@chitosan@Phe and humic acid molecules through electrostatic interaction, π‐π interaction, and hydrogen bonds. The Fe3O4@chitosan@Phe exhibited good reusability after running eight adsorption‐regeneration cycles. This work proposes a new strategy to design eco‐friendly magnetic adsorbents, which meets the requirement of modern green chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flotation has become a significant technique for the KCl separation from NaCl-containing complex systems, but the true nature of adsorption selectivity of collector on the crystal surface of KCl is still unclear. In this study, using density functional theory calculations, we investigated the adsorption behaviors of a commonly used collector, octadecylamine hydrochloride (ODA), on the crystal surfaces of KCl and NaCl, respectively. The results demonstrate that the structure of built crystals for calculation is validity and the crystal surfaces containing two-layer atoms are most stable. All adsorption energies of ODA+ cation and H2O molecule on the crystal surfaces of KCl and NaCl are negative with the decreased absolute value according to the sequence of KCl-ODA+ >NaCl-H2O > KCl-H2O > NaCl-ODA+, suggesting that the interaction between ODA and KCl is stronger than that in the other considered systems. The differences of interaction energies demonstrate the adsorption selectivity of ODA on KCl, resulting in the selectively flotation. Therefore, we construct accurate models to simulate the actual crystal surface structures of KCl and NaCl, and we provide adsorption energies as complementary evidences to interpret the floatability of KCl from the NaCl mixture, which can help to design new collectors for the flotation of soluble salts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caragana sensu lato (s.l.) includes approximately 100 species that are mainly distributed in arid and semi-arid regions. Caragana species are ecologically valuable for their roles in windbreaking and sand fixation. However, the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationships of the genus Caragana are still unclear. In this study, we sequenced and assembled the chloroplast genomes of representative species of Caragana and reconstructed robust phylogenetic relationships at the section level. The Caragana chloroplast genome has lost the inverted repeat region and wascategorized in the inverted repeat loss clade (IRLC). The chloroplast genomes of the eight species ranged from 128,458 bp to 135,401 bp and contained 110 unique genes. All the Caragana chloroplast genomes have a highly conserved structure and gene order. The number of long repeats and simple sequence repeats (SSRs) showed significant variation among the eight species, indicating heterogeneous evolution in Caragana. Selective pressure analysis of the genes revealed that most of the protein-coding genes evolved under purifying selection. The phylogenetic analyses indicated that each section forms a clade, except the section Spinosae, which was divided into two clades. This study elucidated the evolution of the chloroplast genome within the widely distributed genus Caragana. The detailed information obtained from this study can serve as a valuable resource for understanding the molecular dynamics and phylogenetic relationships within Caragana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression is a common mental illness. Ferroptosis is a form of cell death that may be responsible for neurological disease, but the role of ferroptosis in depression remains unclear. tRNA-derived small RNA (tsRNA) is an emerging non-coding small RNA, making it an important medium for studying neurological diseases. Chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) was used to construct the depression model in mice, which was treated with ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1). Classical behavioral test, immunofluorescence and small RNA sequencing were used to detect depression-like behaviors, neuronal proliferation and the expression profile of tsRNAs in mice, respectively. The primary neuronal cell damage model was constructed by corticosterone (CORT), and the function of key tsRNA was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR, western blot and CCK-8 assays. Here, Fer-1 reduced the depression-like behavior of CUMS-induced mice and promoted neuronal growth. In addition, CUMS caused the disorder of tsRNA expression profile in hippocampal tissues of mice, and Fer-1 alleviated the abnormal tsRNA expression, among which tsRNA-3029b was an effective target. In vitro experiments manifested that ROS accumulation and decreased expression of SLC7A11 and GPX4 were found in CORT-induced depression-like cell model, suggesting that ferroptosis was involved in neuronal injury. However, inhibition of tsRNA-3029b suppressed neuronal cell ferroptosis and facilitated neuronal regeneration. In conclusion, Fer-1 showed an antidepressant effect in CUMS-induced mice and alleviated the abnormal expression profile of tsRNA. tsRNA-3029b was a key target in depression, and silencing of tsRNA-3029b reduced the occurrence of ferroptosis and protected neurons from injury, which may provide novel target for the treatment of depression. • Fer-1 treatment alleviates antidepressant-like behaviors in CUMS-induced mice. • Fer-1 treatment alters the tsRNA expression profile in CUMS-induced mice. • tsRNA-3029b is down-regulated in CUMS-induced mice treated with Fer-1. • Knockdown of tsRNA-3029b represses ferroptosis and promotes cell regeneration in CORT-induced neuronal cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DVDMS-SDT inhibits Hep-G2 cells proliferation and tumor growth in vitro and in vivo. • DVDMS-SDT induces Hep-G2 cell cycle blocking in the G2/M phase. • DVDMS-SDT activates the p53-caspase-3 pathway of apoptosis via the increased ROS level. Sonodynamic therapy (SDT) is a noninvasive therapeutic method via the activation of certain chemical sensitizers using low intensity ultrasound. In this work, we evaluated the antitumor effect of sinoporphyrin sodium (DVDMS) mediated SDT (DVDMS-SDT) on Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines both in vitro and in vivo. The results indicated that DVDMS-SDT was significantly more efficacious than PpIX-SDT in treating hepatocellular cell line Hep-G2. DVDMS-SDT also increased the ratio of cells in the G2/M phase and decreased the CDK1 and Cyclin B1 protein level. DVDMS-SDT markedly increased intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in vitro. The increased ROS production up-regulated the expression of p53 and Bax, and down-regulated Bcl-2 expression, which led to the activation of caspase-3, ultimately initiated cell apoptosis. These effects could be partially reversed by the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC). In vivo experiments revealed that the DVDMS-SDT resulted in an effective inhibition of tumor growth and prolonged the survival time of tumor-bearing mice. More importantly, no obvious signs of side effects were observed. These results suggested that DVDMS-SDT is very effective in treating Hepatocellular carcinoma without side effects. The primary mechanism of SDT is due to the increased ROS activated the p53/Caspase 3 axis of apoptosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bisphenol A is not only one of the frequent contaminants of industrial wastewater, but also one of the main ingredients in polycarbonate and epoxy resins. This study synthesizes a pH-triggered Fe3O4@mSiO2@DPDES adsorbent for recycling Bisphenol A through adsorption–desorption process. Due to the strong π – π interaction between the phenyl groups in diphenyldiethoxysilane modified magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) and Bisphenol A, absorbance reached 120.17 mg/g at pH 7, allowing the bisphenol A adsorbed to Fe3O4@mSiO2@DPDES to be trivially separated from aqueous solutions with a magnet. Desorption of the adsorbed bisphenol A in aqueous solution occurred at pH 2, allowing an impressive 95% recovery rate. The durability of the Fe3O4@mSiO2@DPDES adsorbent was tested by repeated separation of bisphenol A from an aqueous solution, with the recovery efficiency remaining greater than 85% after five cycles. The pH-triggered core–shell-structured Fe3O4@mSiO2@DPDES adsorbent was successfully synthesized for recycling BPA through adsorption–desorption process. The BPA in aqueous solution was efficiently adsorbed because of the π–π bonding between the benzene rings under neutral condition, and the efficient desorption can be achieved at pH 2. It provides a feasible method for the reclamation of BPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bio-refractory organic contaminants (BOC) originating from coking wastewater is a severe threat to the environment and human health. The efficient pretreatment of coking wastewater is necessary to decrease the stress of the biological treatment stage. For pretreatment, the development of effective flocculants is needed. In this work, a novel inorganic-organic hybrid flocculant, polyaluminum silicate chloride-polyacrylamide-acryloyloxyethyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride (PASi-P(AM-ADB)), was prepared and its flocculation behavior for raw coking wastewater were investigated. Flocculation results showed that this hybrid flocculant exhibited significantly higher removal efficiency than two other common flocculants, polyaluminum chloride and cationic polyacrylamide. Gratifyingly, the PASi-P(AM-ADB) can also efficiently remove refractory organic contaminants during the process of flocculation, as demonstrated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Particularly, several polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, defined as persistent organic pollutants, are removed completely. Here, we demonstrated that this new hybrid flocculant presented outstanding flocculation properties as well as high-efficient removal of some special BOC from raw coking wastewater. This work might provide new insights into the design of functional inorganic-organic hybrid flocculants and enhance the treatment of complex industrial wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biotrickling filters (BTFs) are becoming very potential means to purify waste gases containing multiple VOC components, but the removal of the waste gases by BTF has been a major challenge due to the extremely complicated interactions among the components. Four biotrickling filters packed with polyurethane foam were employed to identify the interactions among four aromatic compounds (benzene, toluene, xylene and styrene). The elimination capacities obtained at 90% of removal efficiency for individual toluene, styrene and xylene were 297.02, 225.27 and 180.75 g/m3h, respectively. No obvious removal for benzene was observed at the inlet loading rates ranging from 20 to 450 g/m3h. The total elimination capacities for binary gases significantly decreased in all biotrickling filters. However, the removal of benzene was enhanced in the presence of other gases. The removal capacities of ternary and quaternary gases were further largely lowered. High-throughput sequencing results revealed that microbial communities changed greatly with the composition of gases, from which we found that: all samples were dominated either by the genus Achromobacter or the Burkholderia. Different gaseous combination enriched or inhibited some microbial species. Group I includes samples of BTFs treating single and binary gases and was dominated by the genus Achromobacter, with little Burkholderia inside. Group II includes the rest of the samples taken from BTFs domesticated with ternary and quaternary gases, and was dominated by the genus Burkholderia, with little Achromobacter detected. These genera were highly associated with the biodegradation of benzene series in BTFs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spread of collector molecules on bubble surfaces in salt solution is a fundamental phenomenon in the froth flotation of soluble salts, such as KCl, and consideration of ionic effects on adsorption behavior and packing of collector molecules at the air/solution interface is appropriate for study. In this work, specific anion effects on the adsorption and packing of one common collector (octadecylamine hydrochloride, ODA) at the air/water interface were investigated by employing a combination of surface pressure measurements, sum frequency vibrational spectroscopy (SFVS) and molecular dynamics simulations (MDS). The results from experiments and MDS showed that the addition of external anions disturbs the arrangement of ODA molecules due to the penetration of these anions from the water subphase into the ODA monolayer at the air/water interface. During monolayer compression, the penetrated anions might be driven back to the water subphase by electrostatic forces and the added compression force. These anions could screen the charge of NH 3 groups resulting in a reduction of the minimum area of the ODA molecule (A min ) for the solid phase state of the monolayer. With the exception of the sulfate anion, the added anions increase hydrogen bonding of interfacial water molecules at the air/water interface. These results allow for a better understanding of the anionic effect on adsorption and packing of ODA molecules at the air/water interface, and might therefore provide new insights into froth flotation of soluble salts and should help to improve soluble salt flotation technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The structure of polyelectrolyte substrates could be changed from swelling to collapse by exchanging different electrolyte solutions. However, few investigations explained the phenomenon at the molecular level. In this paper, we employed a molecular dynamics method to simulate the structural changes of poly(methacrylic acid sodium) (PMMA) substrates with the presence of pure water, NH 4 Cl, tetramethylammonium bromide (TMAB) and tetraethylammonium bromide (TEAB) solution. The simulated results show that the percentage of water molecules penetrated into the substrate and the height of PMMA substrates gradually decrease following the order pure water > NH 4 + > TMA + > TEA + . This may be ascribe to the hydrophobic interaction between the solute cations and water molecules, which can exclude water molecules from the substrates and further influence the height of PMMA substrates. In particular, through the observation at the molecular level, it is obvious that the existence of water bridge structure and salt bridge structure formed between penetrated particles and PMMA chains play a key role in the structural change of PMMA substrates. Water bridges can induce the swelling of PMMA substrates and salt bridges will result in collapse happening. This work may promote a further understanding of the cationic effects on the structure of PMMA substrates at the molecular level and provide a new insight to study the interfacial micro-structure of other biological substrates in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flotation continues to be a major technique for the production of potash from low grade, complex systems containing a variety of ores and ions. The specific ion effects on the behavior of the flotation collector in the KCl flotation system becomes important to the interpretation of the flotation mechanism. In this work, specific ion effects on the turbidity, surface tension and aggregation behavior of the common collector in KCl flotation, octadecylamine hydrochloride (ODA), have been investigated. The results from turbidity and surface tension studies of ODA solutions show that both cations and anions can affect the colloidal properties of ODA. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the binding that energy barrier between ODA headgroups and anions is principally responsible for the specific anion effect of γ of ODA solutions. In addition, the ion effect on the ODA aggregation particle size was also studied by using transmission electron micrographs (TEM) and dynamic light scattering. The data reveal that the presence of salt ions can induce the formation of larger ODA colloidal particles, on which the cation effect is more significant. This work provides detailed information of specific ion effect on colloidal properties of ODA, which may promote a further understanding of the flotation mechanism and help to improve the flotation of KCl from brine sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the adsorption process of collectors and the interaction between bubbles and mineral particles during KCl froth flotation are still weaknesses in our interpretation of the mechanism of flotation. In this study, we investigated in detail the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherm of a commonly used collector, octadecylamine hydrochloride (ODA), at the surface of KCl crystals. The effects of bubbling and temperature are discussed systematically. Our results indicated that the adsorption of ODA onto the surface of KCl crystals can be facilitated by bubbles, and that the adsorption kinetics of this process can be interpreted according to a pseudo-second order model. Both the Langmuir and Freundlich isotherm models were found to fit the adsorption isotherm of ODA on KCl crystal surface inappropriately, implying that the adsorption of ODA upon KCl crystal surfaces is a more complex process than typical monolayer, or multilayer, adsorption. This might be because the adsorption of ODA on KCl crystal surfaces takes place through an aggregated intermediate, rather than through the direct interaction of dispersed molecules. We note that the quantity of ODA adsorbed at 0 °C increased markedly with increasing numbers of bubbles. Micro-flotation tests suggested that increasing the gas flow rate effectively improved flotation recovery at 0 °C, consistent with the adsorption behavior. These results provide complementary information on the adsorption behavior of ODA at the surface of KCl crystals and on the effect of bubbles during froth flotation, which could help to design new flotation process and improve flotation recovery of KCl at low temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Photochromic porous SP-C/PVDF membranes were preparaed via one-step method. • The membranes showed sensitive colour-switching under the UV/Vis irradiation. • The addition of TiO 2 could adjust the hydrophility and porosity of the membranes. • The membranes showed high selective adsorption of Li+ over Mg2+ with electric driven. Efficient separation of lithium from salt lake brine with a high Mg/Li ratio remains a challenge and the design of functional materials is one of key points determining the selective recovery of lithium. In this work, a photochromic porous SP-C/PVDF membrane was prepared and its selective adsorption properties for Li+ with the driven force of an external electric field were studied. The SP-C embedded in membrane phase still kept stable photochromic activity and the SP-C/PVDF membrane showed sensitive colour-switching under the alternating irradiation of UV/visible light. The hydrophility and porosity of the SP-C/PVDF membranes could be controlled by changing added amount of TiO 2 nanoparticles. The SP-C/PVDF membranes exhibited high selective adsorption of Li+ compared with Mg2+ under an external electric field. This work developed a new material and strategy for selective extraction of trace Li+ from aqueous solutions with high Mg/Li ratio, which might be expected to promote the development of lithium extraction from salt lake brines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Froth flotation is still an efficient technique for KCl production from low grade and complex systems containing various ions. In this work, the colloidal properties of one common collector, octadecylamine hydrochloride (ODA), in different saturated salt solutions at different temperature are investigated systematically. The results show that the turbidity of salt solutions increased substantially with the concentration of ODA increasing and the ODA colloidal particles aggregate seriously in the presence of MgCl 2 . Compared with ODA aqueous solutions, the surface activity and the critical aggregate concentration (CAC) of ODA became lower in saturated salt solutions. With the increase of MgCl 2 percentage, the CAC values of ODA solution decreased gradually, while the CAC value of KCl-MgCl 2 saturated solution was the lowest. The temperature has a great influence on the turbidity and surface activity of ODA aqueous solution, however, the effect is slight in saturated salt solutions. In addition, the salt solutions with MgCl 2 result in lower contact angle on KCl crystal surface indicating that the adsorption of ODA molecules can be inhibited in the salt solutions with MgCl 2 . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Majority of potash production around the word is still conducted through froth flotation, during the process of which the adsorption of collector on salt crystal surface is one of key points determining the accomplishment of flotation. In this work, the adsorption kinetics and isotherm models of one common collector, Octadecylamine Hydrochloride (ODA), on KCl surface in different saturated salt solutions at different temperature is studied for details. The results show that the adsorption equilibrium time is 4 h for ODA adsorbed on KCl surface in all systems at 25 °C. High temperature can increase the adsorption quantity, however, the presence of Mg 2+ will decrease it. This may be attributed to the property of ‘water structure maker’ for Mg 2+ in solutions. The pseudo-second-order model is appropriate to describe the adsorption kinetics for all studied systems. The adsorption isotherm of ODA on KCl surface is much more close to the Langmuir isotherm model than the Freundlich isotherm model. The adsorption process for all the systems need additional energy and the energy requirement increases with the temperature decreasing. In addition, the adsorption in all systems also presents an exothermic process. The randomness at the solid–solution interface becomes less in the KCl-MgCl 2 and KCl-NaCl-MgCl 2 saturated solutions than in KCl saturated solution. This work provides detailed information of adsorption process of ODA on KCl surface, which may constitute a step forwards in our understanding of froth flotation of KCl and help to improve the flotation recovery at low temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The low flotation recovery of sylvite from salt lakes at low temperatures has dogged the cryogenic producer for many years. Interfacial water structure at sylvite crystal surfaces has been considered as one noticeable aspect on interpreting the selected KCl collection during flotation, and so the microscopic structure of the water membrane over KCl crystal surfaces at low temperatures was modeled through the use of molecular dynamics methods. In our simulation, the properties of the water membrane adjacent to KCl crystal surface, such as molecular mobility, water structure and preferred molecular orientation, were compared to the results for an otherwise identical system at higher temperatures or in saturated KCl solutions in the absence of a KCl crystal. In our simulation, hydrogen atoms approached the KCl crystal surface more closely, and the mobility of water molecules was more restricted compared to results for saturated KCl solutions. When the temperature decreased, the mobility of water molecules decreased, the number of hydrogen bonds made by the water molecules in the membranes was reduced and the molecules exhibited greater order than in other systems we studied. It was proposed that the property of KCl salt may change from water ‘structure breaker’ to ‘structure maker’ when temperature decreases. These results may provide complementary information which cannot be obtained from experiments on the research of flotation at low temperature directly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The integration of photodynamic therapy with a chemical drug-delivery system has displayed great potential in enhancing anticancer therapy. However, the solubility and non-specific biodistribution of both chemotherapeutic agents and photosensitizers continue to pose challenges that hinder their clinical applications. Method: A polypeptide-based nanoscale drug delivery system was fabricated to address the prementioned issues. An amphiphilic polymer was formed by conjugating the photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) onto a polypeptide poly-(L-lysine)-b-polyphenylalanine (PKF) for encapsulating the model drug dimeric camptothecin (DCPT), and the nanoparticles (PCD) with high drug loading efficiency were further modified with acid-sensitive polyethylene glycol (PEG) to yield the drug delivery sytem (PPCD). Results: The DCPT and Ce6 encapsulation efficiency were analyzed as 99% and 73.5%, respectively. In phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution at a pH of 7.4, the PEG shell improved the stability of micelles and shielded their positive charge while in the acidic tumor microenvironment, the pH-sensitive PEG layer was removed to expose the cationic nanoparticles, thus facilitating the cellular uptake of PPCD micelles. Benefiting from the enhanced cellular internalization, the amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) treated with PCD and PPCD micelles were obviously increased. Furthermore, the enhanced anti-cancer efficacy prompted by PPCD micelles was validated through cellular and animal study. Conclusion: This study presents a promising method to promote the solubility and biodistribution of both chemotherapeutic agent and photosensitizer, thereby facilitating the further application of chemo-photodynamic cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The curves that may have singularities on the null sphere have not been discussed before. Since they are degenerate, we can not investigate them directly. So we would like to solve these problems by using the duality theory and the results of our previous studies in Euclidean space. In addition, we discuss the evolutes and involutes of spacelike fronts and investigate their geometric properties in null sphere. Then we also give the classifications of the singularities of evolutes and involutes. Moreover, we give the dual relationships between nullcone surfaces and spacelike fronts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aggregation behaviors of two trisiloxane-tailed surface active ionic liquids in water have been investigated by coarse-grained (CG) molecular dynamics simulation on the basis of MARTINI force field. The new CG model is developed from the optimized molecule computed by using density functional theory. Direct comparison of angles and bonds obtained from all-atom (AA) simulations with those calculated from the CG model has been conducted to validate the latter model. Excellent agreement between AA and CG demonstrates that the potential of the new CG model can represent the complex system well. The long time CG simulation has been performed to understand the formation process of micelles when dissolving ionic liquids in water. Vesicles were observed at the final stage of the simulation and their partially truncated views and density profiles were obtained to describe the structure in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yolk-shell silica spheres consisting of a core and an outer shell were prepared by a one-step method using a new class of eco-friendly templates, trisiloxane-tailed surface active ionic liquids. The effects of pH, calcination, and template concentration were investigated in detail. Our results showed that yolk-shell silica spheres could be obtained only in alkaline conditions when using trisiloxane-tailed ionic liquids as templates. The particle diameter, core diameter, dimension of void space, and shell thickness, which we measured by transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen adsorption-desorption techniques, could be tuned by precisely varying the template concentration. The organosilicon component of the ionic liquid template contributes to the reaction during the formation of yolk-shell nanostructures, which leads to a firm silica sphere skeleton resulting in essentially identical morphology and void structure before and after calcination. This investigation provides a convenient approach to fabricate yolk-shell silica spheres, which may expand the application of organosilicon ionic liquids in the field of nanomaterials and could be expected to generate tailor-made yolk-shell silica with functionality in both the core and shell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Two trisiloxane-tailed ionic liquids were synthesized by one two-step method. [•] Both the compounds could self-assemble into vesicular-like aggregates in water. [•] Both the ionic liquids had a superior surface activity than conventional ones. [•] The arrangements of molecules were proposed to explain the aggregates structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lagerstroemia indica L. is a well-known ornamental plant with large pyramidal racemes, long flower duration, and diverse colors and cultivars. It has been cultivated for nearly 1600 years and is essential for investigating the germplasm and assessing genetic variation to support international cultivar identification and breeding programs. In this study, 20 common Lagerstroemia indica cultivars from different varietal groups and flower morphologies, as well as multiple wild relative species, were analyzed to investigate the maternal donor of Lagerstroemia indica cultivars and to discover the genetic variation and relationships among cultivars based on plastome and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences. A total of 47 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 24 insertion/deletions (indels) were identified in the 20 L. indica cultivars' plastome and 25 SNPs were identified in the nrDNA. Phylogenetic analysis based on the plastome sequences showed that all the cultivars formed a clade with the species of L. indica, indicating that L. indica was the maternal donor of the cultivars. Population structure and PCA analyses supported two clades of cultivars, which exhibited significant genetic differences according to the plastome dataset. The results of the nrDNA supported that all 20 cultivars were divided into three clades and most of the cultivars had at least two genetic backgrounds and higher gene flow. Our results suggest that the plastome and nrDNA sequences can be used as molecular markers for assessing the genetic variation and relationships of L. indica cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Bufalin is a cardiotonic steroid isolated from the Chinese toad venom preparation Chan'su and has been shown to induce leukemia cell differentiation and apoptosis under certain experimental conditions. However, the detailed mechanism by which bufalin induces the apoptosis of acute promyelocytic leukemia cells is largely unexplored. Methods: The acute promyelocytic leukemia cell line NB4 was treated with bufalin, then the proliferation was evaluated by cell viability assay and apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry analysis. In addition, NB4 cells were treated by MEK inhibitor PD98059 in combination with bufalin, and the expression of survivin and activation of caspase-3 were detected by Western blot analysis. Results: Bufalin inhibited the proliferation and induced the apoptosis of NB4 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, bufalin synergized with PD98059 to inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of NB4 cells, which was associated with the downregulation of survivin expression and the upregulation of caspase-3 activation. Conclusions: Bufalin is a potential regimen to be used in combination with conventional chemotherapeutic drugs to improve acute promyelocytic leukemia therapy. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We define ϕ -enveloids for one-parameter families of spherical Legendre curves. The ϕ -enveloids are not only the generalizations of isogonal trajectories of regular spherical curves but also the generalizations of envelopes of spherical curves. We also consider the relationships between enveloids of spherical Legendre curves and plane Legendre curves. Furthermore, we generalize the notions of involutes and evolutes to the notions of involutoids and evolutoids of spherical curves from the view point of ϕ -enveloids. Then we give the duality theorem for involutoids and evolutoids. Finally, we give the relationships among involutes, evolutes, 0-enveloids (envelopes) and π / 2 -enveloids (normal envelopes). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism and effect of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether mediated photodynamic therapy (HMME-PDT) on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Human OSCC CAL-27 cells were randomly divided into four groups: control group, HMME group, laser group, and HMME-PDT group. Cell viability was detected by the CCK-8 method. Cell cycle distribution was evaluated by flow cytometry. GEO database was used to screen differentially expressed microRNAs (DEMs), and TCGA database was performed to verify DEM expression in OSCC and normal tissues. The effects of HMME-PDT on DEM expression were assayed by real-time PCR, and the expressions of miRNAs target genes were measured by western blot. Fluorescence probes were used to determine the production of singlet oxygen (1O2). Compared with the other three groups, HMME-PDT dramatically inhibited CAL-27 cell proliferation and induced G0/G1 cycle arrest. The expressions of miR-21 and miR-155 were significantly upregulated in OSCC. HMME-PDT downregulated the expression of miR-21 but had no obvious effect on miR-155. HMME-PDT remarkably upregulated the levels of P53 and miR-21 target proteins, such as PDCD4, RECK, and SPRY2. 1O2 was generated during HMME-PDT, and inhibition of 1O2 production could reverse the regulation of HMME-PDT on P53, miR-21, and its target proteins, thus restoring cell viability. HMME-PDT can significantly inhibit the growth of OSCC cells, and the mechanism of this effect is related to the regulation of the P53-miR-21-PDCD4 axis via 1O2 induced by HMME-PDT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Lithium ion specific fluorescent based on spiropyran isomerization combining crown ether coordination was obtained. • The probe showed red fluorescence emission reversible detection for Lithium ion. • The probe obtained good practical application in imaging living cells and zebrafish. Lithium is a potent mood stabilizer and has unusual clinical, pharmacological, and biochemical properties. Therefore, it is of great significance to develop fluorescent probes to monitor Li+ in living cells visually. The emission wavelength of the reported Li+ fluorescent probes was mostly in the short-wave region, which is greatly interfered by the biological background fluorescence and not suitable for biological imaging. In view of the above shortcomings, we constructed a red emitted fluorescent probe by utilizing the spiropyran derivative as fluorophore and integrating the aza-12-crown-4 as the recognition site of Li+. Li+ induced the isomerization of spiropyran (fluorescent emission) to release oxygen negative ions, which combined with the coordination effect of crown ether to realize the specific fluorescence detection of lithium ion. The system was used for biological imaging in Hela cells and zebrafish. We believe that the current project will provide an effective visualization tool for studying the biological functions of lithium ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excessive nitrate in water systems is prevailing and a global risk of human health. Polluted river sediments are dominated by anaerobes and often the hotspot of denitrification. So far, little is known about the ecological effects of nitrate pollution on microbial dynamics, especially those in sulfide-rich sediments. Here we simulated a nitrate surge and monitored the microbial responses, as well as the changes of important environmental parameters in a sulfide-rich river sediment for a month. Our analysis of sediment microbial communities showed that elevated nitrate led to (i) a functional convergence at denitrification and sulfide oxidation, (ii) a taxonomic convergence at Proteobacteria , and (iii) a significant loss of biodiversity, community stability and other functions. Two chemolithotrophic denitrifiers Thiobacillus and Luteimonas were enriched after nitrate amendment, although the original communities were dominated by methanogens and syntrophic bacteria. Also, serial dilutions of sediment microbial communities found that Thiobacillus thiophilu s dominated 18/30 communities because of its capability of simultaneous nitrate reduction and sulfide oxidation. Additionally, our network analysis indicated that keystone taxa seemed more likely to be native auxotrophs (e.g., syntrophic bacteria, methanogens) rather than dominant denitrifiers, possibly because of the extensive interspecific cross-feeding they estabilished, while environment perturbations probably disrupted that cross-feeding and simplified microbial interactions. This study advances our understanding of microbial community responses to nitrate pollution and possible mechanism in the sulfide-rich river sediment. Unlabelled Image • Nitrate led to a functional convergence at sulfide oxidation and denitrification. • Resulting sediments were depleted of sulfide and Fe(II) after 1 month. • Resulting microbial communities underwent a significant loss of biodiversity • Microbial interactive networks were mostly sustained by cross-feeders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Covalently bound hybrid coagulants PAAP were prepared by using APTES as Si source. • PAAP 0.1,0.5 showed curl slice surface and compact chain-net morphology. • PAAP 0.1,0.5 showed good coagulation performance in coking wastewater treatment. • PAAP 0.1,0.5 exhibited high storage stability over a long period of one year. Flocculation technology continues to be a useful method for wastewater treatment. In this work, a new type of covalently bound organic silicate aluminum hybrid coagulants (PAAP) with different Si/Al molar ratio and basicity were prepared by 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) as silicon source. The structure and morphology of the prepared coagulants were studied by FTIR, SEM and TEM. The effects of Si/Al molar ratio, basicity and dosage on the coagulation behaviors were investigated in detail. The results showed that PAAP 0.1, 0.5 presented the large curl slice surface and the compact chain-net morphology, resulting in the best coagulation properties for simulation wastewater. Meanwhile, for coking wastewater, PAAP 0.1,0.5 also showed better coagulation performance compared with conventional polyaluminum chloride (PAC). At the optimal dosage, the coagulation efficiencies for treatment of raw coking wastewater in terms of turbidity, UV 254 , DOC and COD were 82.05%, 12.09%, 9.34%, 24.16%, and that of biological treated coking wastewater were 97.84%, 37.72%, 29.97% and 63.39%, respectively. In addition, PAAP 0.1,0.5 showed excellent strong storage stability over a long period of 12 months without sedimentation and gelatinization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Photochromic microspheres with multimodal hierarchically porous were prepared. • The microspheres could recovery Li+ from aqueous solutions with high Mg/Li ratio. • The pseudo-second-order model could describe the adsorption kinetics. • Adsorption processing followed the chemical monolayer isotherm model. Salt lake brine with a high Mg/Li ratio remains one of major sources for lithium recovery. In this work, one kind of sensitive photochromic microspheres (SP-C/PVDF) with multimodal hierarchically porous structure was prepared via a facile phase inversion method. The SP-C in the microspheres was still stable and active resulting in stable reversible color switch of SP-C/PVDF. The SP-C/PVDF microspheres presented high selective adsorption for Li+ compared with that of Mg2+ under UV light irradiation. The pseudo-second-order model and chemical monolayer isotherm model can describe the adsorption kinetics and binding way with Li+, respectively. This work developed an available idea and method for selective extraction of trace Li+ from salt lake brine, which can provide references for the separation of other valuable ions from complex systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• PAHs degradation rate was greater in nitrate reduction than in sulfate reduction. • Nitrate activated the interactions of denitrifiers and PAH degraders. • Sulfate did not activated the interactions of sulfate reducers and PAH degraders. • Efficiency of PAH-degradation depends on the interaction of functional assemblages. Nitrate and sulfate are electron acceptors (EAs) for biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in anaerobic sediments. The efficiency of PAHs biodegradation depends on the strength of the interactions between PAH-degradation and EA-reduction assemblages. However, these interactions are less studied. In this study, microbial response and PAH degradation efficiencies in river sediment were investigated using nitrate and sulfate stimulation. Results showed that the functional assemblages (PAH-degraders, nitrate- and sulfate- reducers) were low connectivity in the microbial network without EA adding. Nitrate input rapidly (<1 day) raised the nitrate reduction intensity. And the PAH-degraders and nitrate reducers established significant and direct correlations under nitrate stimulation, seen from the 13 connectors (nodes) in the microbial network. In contrast, sulfate reducers slowly increased in abundance (>20 days) and were connected to PAH-degraders through indirect connection under sulfate stimulation. The null model suggested that nitrate led to a higher level of directional selection, which implied that nitrate was a more favorable EA to trigger the deterministic succession. As a result, PAHs degradation was faster with nitrate stimulation (t 1/2 = 68.3 d) than with sulfate stimulation (t 1/2 = 164.6 d). These mechanistic understandings can serve as the guidelines for EA selection in bioremediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aimed to investigate the differences in the serum levels of glucose, lipid, and thyroid function markers between unipolar and bipolar depressed patients, as well as the effect of anhedonia and suicidal thoughts on the levels of these biochemical parameters. Methods: A total of 287 unmedicated depressed patients from January 2016 to December 2017 were included in this study, including 92 bipolar depressions and 195 unipolar depressions. Anhedonia was determined using the item 32 of Symptom Checklist (SCL-90). Suicide ideation was assessed by item 15 of SCL-90. Results: The bipolar group had significantly lower lipid levels (including triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL], very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [VLDL]) and insulin resistance index but higher levels of prolactin, low triiodothyronine (T3) and free T3 (FT3) as well as higher incidence of anhedonia as compared with the unipolar group. Depressed patients with anhedonia had significantly higher LDL level than those without anhedonia. Depressed patients with suicidal thoughts had cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) level. The above-mentioned differences were confirmed by logistic regression analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis showed that the area under the ROC curve (AUC) ranged from 0.546 to 0.685. Conclusion: Triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL, VLDL T3, FT3 levels were significantly different between unipolar and bipolar depressed patients, which might have the potential to be the markers for differential diagnosis. Patients with anhedonia had lower LDL level, while patients with suicidal thoughts had higher levels of cholesterol and HDL as compared with the corresponding control groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmful algal bloom (HAB) formation leads to the eutrophication of water ecosystems and may render recreational lakes unsuitable for human use. We evaluated the applicability and comparison of metabarcoding, metagenomics, qPCR, and ELISA-based methods for cyanobacteria/cyanotoxin detection in bloom and non-bloom sites for the Great Lakes region. DNA sequencing-based methods robustly identified differences between bloom and non-bloom samples (e.g., the relative prominence of Anabaena and Planktothrix). Shotgun sequencing strategies also identified the enrichment of metabolic genes typical of cyanobacteria in bloom samples, though toxin genes were not detected, suggesting deeper sequencing or PCR methods may be needed to detect low-abundance toxin genes. PCR and ELISA indicated microcystin levels and microcystin gene copies were significantly more abundant in bloom sites. However, not all bloom samples were positive for microcystin, possibly due to bloom development by non-toxin-producing species. Additionally, microcystin levels were significantly correlated (positively) with microcystin gene copy number but not with total cyanobacterial 16S gene copies. In summary, next-generation sequencing-based methods can identify specific taxonomic and functional targets, which can be used for absolute quantification methods (qPCR and ELISA) to augment conventional water monitoring strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Depression caused by CUMS is closely related to gut microbiota. • DHA significantly reduced CUMS-induced depression-like behaviors on mice. • DHA up-regulated the diversity and richness of intestinal microbiota in depression-like mice. Depression is one of the most common forms of psychopathology, which is associated with gut microbiota dysfunction. Dihydroartemisinin (DHA) has been shown to regulate gut microbiota and ameliorate neuropathies, but whether it can be used to treat depression remains unclear. Our study found that DHA treatment raised the preference for sugar water in chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS)-induced mice and reduced the immobility time in open field, forced swimming and tail suspension experiments, and promoted doublecortin expression. Additionally, DHA up-regulated the diversity and richness of intestinal microbiota in depression-like mice, and restored the abnormal abundance of microbiota induced by CUMS, such as Turicibacter, Lachnospiraceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Erysipelatoclostridium, Eubacterium, Psychrobacter, Atopostipes, Ileibacterium, Coriobacteriacea, Alistipes, Roseburia, Rikenella, Eggerthellaceae, Ruminococcus, Tyzzerella, and Clostridia. Furthermore, KEGG pathway analysis revealed that gut microbiota involved in the process of depression may be related to glucose metabolism, energy absorption and transport, and AMPK signaling pathway. These results indicated that DHA may play a protective role in CUMS-induced depression by mediating gut-microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide is a major public health problem caused by a complex interaction of various factors. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder associated with suicide; therefore, it is essential to prioritize suicide prediction and prevention within this population. Integrated information from different dimensions, including personality, cognitive function, and social and genetic factors, is necessary to improve the performance of predictive models. Besides, recent studies have indicated the critical roles for EPHX2/P2X2 in the pathophysiology of MDD. Our previous studies found an association of EPHX2 and P2X2 with suicide in MDD. This study is aimed at (1) establishing predictive models with integrated information to distinguish MDD from healthy volunteers, (2) estimating the suicide risk of MDD, and (3) determining the contribution of EPHX2/P2X2. This cross-sectional study was conducted on 472 prospectively collected participants. The machine learning (ML) technique using Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) classifier was employed to evaluate the performance and relative importance of the extracted characteristics in recognising patients with MDD and depressed suicide attempters (DSA). In independent validation set, the model with clinical and cognitive information could recognise MDD with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.938 (95% confidence interval (CI), 0.898–0.977), and genetic information did not improve classification performance. The model with clinical, cognitive, and genetic information resulted in a significantly higher AUC of 0.801 (95% CI, 0.719–0.884) for identifying DSA than the model with only clinical information, in which the three single nucleotide polymorphisms of EPHX2 showed important roles. This study successfully established step-by-step predictive ML models to estimate the risk of suicide attempts in MDD. We found that EPHX2 can help improve the performance of suicidal predictive models. This trial is registered with NCT05575713. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]