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To achieve highly efficient extraction of phosphorus (P) and comprehensive utilization of phosphate tailings, a two-stage leaching-precipitation method was proposed. Phosphate tailings primarily consisted of dolomite, fluorapatite, and quartz. During the first-stage leaching, the large majority of dolomite was selectively dissolved and the leaching efficiency of Mg reached 93.1 % at pH 2.0 and 60 °C. The subsequent second-stage leaching of fluorapatite was performed and the P leaching efficiency was 98.8 % at pH 1.5 and 20 °C, while the quartz remained in the residue. Through two-stage leaching, a stepwise leaching of dolomite and fluorapatite was achieved. After chemical precipitation, calcium phosphate with a high purity of 97.9 % was obtained; and the total recovery efficiency of P exceeded 98 %. The obtained calcium phosphate can be a raw material in the phosphorus chemical industry, while the Mg-rich leachate and the final quartz-rich residue have the potential for Mg extraction and the production of mortars or geopolymers, respectively. The two-stage leaching-precipitation process could significantly reduce the leaching costs, and enhance the reaction rates. It is expected to realize a volume reduction and efficient resource utilization of the phosphate tailings by using this sustainable and promising solution. • A new method of P extraction and utilization of phosphate tailings was proposed. • A stepwise dissolution of dolomite and fluorapatite was achieved. • High-grade calcium phosphates were recovered from the phosphate tailings. • CaHPO 4 and Ca 10 (PO 4) 6 (OH) 2 were obtained at pH 6.0 and 8.0, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphate tailing is an extremely fine by-product during phosphate ore flotation. Due to the large quantities and relatively higher P 2 O 5 content, the phosphate tailings have been considered as a potential P resource, compared to other P-bearing wastes. Besides, phosphate tailings also contain a large amount of available components, such as Ca, Mg, and Si. To explore a low-cost and efficient process for the utilization of phosphate tailings, the hydrochloric acid leaching-precipitation method was employed to recover phosphorus. The P in phosphate tailings can be selectively dissolved into leaching liquor, followed by the precipitation of calcium phosphates from the leaching liquor through pH adjustment. The results showed that P was predominantly concentrated in fluorapatite and its dissolution ratio increased with the decrease in pH. At pH 1.0, the P dissolution efficiency from phosphate tailings reached 96.3%, along with the majority of Mg and Ca. However, Si was hardly dissolved. It demonstrated that almost all the fluorapatite and dolomite were dissolved while the quartz was difficult to dissolve. Dolomite was more preferentially dissolved than fluorapatite. Increasing temperature contributed to the dissolution of dolomite while suppressing fluorapatite dissolution. The residue containing 87.9% SiO 2 (quartz) and only 0.25% P 2 O 5 has the potential as a building material. As the pH increased to 7.0, the collected precipitate consisted of 34.18% P 2 O 5 and 56.10% CaO, which can serve as a source of a slow-released phosphate fertilizer. The highly efficient utilization of phosphate tailings was achieved via this process. • Selective leaching of P from phosphate tailings can be achieved by HCl solution. • Calcium phosphates are obtained from leachate by the precipitation method. • The obtained precipitate can be used as a slow-released phosphate fertilizer. • The residue mainly composed of quartz has the potential to be a building material. • A method for resource utilization of phosphate tailings was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A layout plane is a closed loop surrounded by layout keypoints. • The wall structure can be parametrization as an undirected graph. • Layout keypoint prediction is relative to human pose estimation. • Cuboid room assumption is limited in real life. Room layout estimation aims to predict the spatial structure of a room from a single image. Most existing methods relying on 2D cues are suitable for cuboid rooms, but non-cuboid rooms. 3D layout estimation methods can reconstruct 3D models of general rooms, but they are trained with depth information on high collection costs, consume large computation resources, and run slowly. This paper considers an undirected graph representation method of the general room layouts, which includes cuboid and non-cuboid rooms consisting of a single ceiling, a single floor, and multiple walls. To this end, we first predict the positions of the layout vertices and then use the network automatically learn the connection relationship between the vertices. The final layout is obtained through a simple layout inference post-processing algorithm. The experimental results both on cuboid and non-cuboid datasets validate the effectiveness and efficiency of our method. The code is available at https://github.com/Hui-Yao/2D-graph-layout-estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study describes a method of using a nonlinear energy sink (NES) to realize vibration reduction of the flywheel system, and integrates the NES with the flywheel support structure consisting of a simply supported plate and the flywheels to achieve vibration control. In the micro-vibration environment of the laser communication satellite, the device is proposed on the vibration attenuation of the momentum wheel system. In the system, the external excitation consists of a superposition of several discrete sinusoidal harmonics generated by the radial micro-vibration of the flywheel. A finite-element model is developed and then verified by the equivalent model results. The governing equations of the plate are discretized via the Galerkin method. The complexification-averaging (CX-A) method is employed to obtain approximate solutions. The amplitude-frequency responses of the system are obtained. The vibration suppression of the system is analyzed, and the approximate solutions are verified by numerical results. To systematically analyze the dynamic behaviors of the designed nonlinear vibration absorber, different parameters are selected for NES, and saddle-node bifurcations and Hopf bifurcations are obtained by selecting some specific parameters. The RMS ratio of the transmitted force to the excitation force is used to calculate the transmissibility of the system equipped with the NES. A parametric study is conducted for further optimization. Results illustrate that NES has a good vibration reduction effect on the micro-vibration of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, we demonstrate a coating-etching strategy to directly synthesize hollow Prussian blue (PB) nanocubes with well-dispersed Ag nanoparticles (denoted as Ag-HPB). The method is accomplished by introduction of PB precursors, K 3 Fe(CN) 6 and Fe 3+ into a reaction system containing AgNO 3 and ascorbic acid, in which a series reactions contain formation of Ag nanoparticles, coating of PB on the nanoparticles, and diffusion of Ag into the PB frameworks occur. The strategy for preparation of the hollow structured Ag-HPB is intrinsically simple and does not require pre-preparation of any sacrificial templates or toxic etching agents. The obtained Ag-HPB nanocubes possess uniform size (69 nm), well-defined hollow structure, strong near-infrared photothermal conversion capacity, and excellent photoacoustic and magnetic resonance imaging abilities. Furthermore, an injectable photothermal implants are prepared for the first time by mixing the Ag-HPB nanocubes with clinically used biological glue, which significantly enhance photothermal anti-tumor efficacy, showing great potential for clinical tumor treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dual-color fluorescence imaging method for simultaneous monitoring of intra- and extracellular nitric oxide (NO) was developed. Assisted by confocal laser scanning microscope, the intra- and extracellular NO can be successfully visualized by using two selected probes, 4,4-difluoro-8-(3,4-diaminophenyl)-3,5-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza- s -indacene ( p -MOPB) and disodium 2,6-disulfonate-1,3-dimethyl-5-hexadecyl-8-(3,4-diaminophenyl)-4,4’-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza- s -indacene (DSDMHDAB), which display distinct membrane permeability and show different colors of fluorescence after reaction with NO. Results indicated that intra- and extracellular NO could be fluorometrically detected without mutual interference. The applicability of the proposed method was validated by dual-color imaging of NO on both sides of the plasma membrane in RAW 264.7 murine macrophages and human vascular endothelial (ECV-304) cells. This multi-labeling approach using multi-laser excitation and multi-color fluorescence detection holds great promise for simultaneous analysis of NO as well as other gasotransmitters in living cells with subcellular resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Macrophages in the gut originate from the embryo and the circulation. • Gut macrophages can be anatomically classified into mucosal and muscularis subsets. • Macrophages function as multitaskers in the gut inflammation and fibrosis. • Anti-fibrotic macrophages regulate the regression of gut fibrosis. Intestinal macrophages are heterogenous cell populations with different developmental ontogeny and tissue anatomy. The concerted actions of intestinal macrophage subsets are critical to maintaining tissue homeostasis. However, the dysregulation of macrophages following tissue injury or chronic inflammation could also lead to intestinal fibrosis, with few treatment options in the clinic. In this review, we will characterize the features of intestinal macrophages in light of the latest advances in lineage tracing and single-cell sequencing technology. The roles of macrophages in distinct stages of intestinal fibrosis would be also elaborated. Finally, based on the reciprocal interaction between macrophages and intestinal fibrosis, we will propose the potential macrophage targeting anti-intestinal fibrosis therapies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β-thalassemia is associated with multiple hematological and cerebrovascular symptoms linked to a hypercoagulable state that has not been fully replicated in animal models for the development of stroke treatments. Herein we compared the physiological properties and responses to transient cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (tHI) between six-month-old wildtype and heterozygous Th3/+ mice, a model of non-transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia intermedia (β-TI). We found that Th3/+ mice developed microcytic anemia, splenomegaly, higher platelet counts, and increased platelet-erythrocyte plus erythrocyte-leukocyte aggregates. Furthermore, Th3/+ mice showed diminished cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) and cortical oxygen saturation under repetitive hypercapnic challenges. When subjected to a sub-threshold tHI insult, platelets and leukocytes in Th3/+ mice adhered to the cerebrovascular wall or formed aggregates, while their counterparts flew through smoothly in wildtype mice. Subsequently, Th3/+ mice showed increased fibrin deposition around cerebral blood vessels and larger infarction than wildtype mice, especially in female Th3/+ mice. Collectively these results showed that Th3/+ mice mimic key clinical features and a propensity to thromboembolism in β-TI patients. The hypercoagulable state in Th3/+ mice is likely caused by multiple hematological and CVR anomalies that are similar, but are not identical to those in the mouse model of sickle cell anemia. As such, we suggest that Th3/+ mice are a useful model to study the pathological mechanisms and prophylactic stroke treatments in thalassemia patients. • Th3/+ mice show platelet- and erythrocyte-aggregation and a hypercoagulable state. • Th3/+ mice show hematological anomalies typical for β-thalassemia intermedia. • Th3/+ mice show accelerated cerebral blood flow and impaired CVR to hypercapnia. • Th3/+ mice show increased sensitive to cerebral hypoxia/ischemia-induced thrombosis. • Th3/+ mice are a useful model to develop therapies of thrombosis in thalassemia patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic ethanol exposure (CEE) is associated with greater neurodegenerative effects and an increased risk of depression disorder. The AMPAR is thought to be involved in depression and a reduction in its GluA1 subunit was observed in the mouse hippocampus after CEE. AMPAkines are positive allosteric modulators of the AMPA receptor and have improved depressive-like behavior. However, the role of AMPARs in CEE-induced depressive-like behavior is not clear. It is unclear whether AMPAkines, positive allosteric agonists of AMPARs, protect against ethanol-induced depression. We investigated the effects of CX516 on ethanol-induced depressive-like behavior in a mouse model. CX516 (5 mg/kg) administration alleviated 20% (m/V) ethanol-induced depressive-like behavior in mice. Furthermore, CX516 significantly diminished the inhibition of the ERK1/2-BDNF-TrkB pathway in the hippocampus of ethanol-exposed mice. In addition, CX516 attenuated the levels of pro-inflammatory (IL-6, IL-1β), apoptosis (BAX, BCL-2), and neurodegeneration (FJC) in the mouse hippocampus induced by CEE. [Display omitted] • CX516 alleviated chronic ethanol exposure (CEE)-induced depressive-like behavior. • CX516 attenuated CEE-induced hippocampal neurodegeneration. • CX516 attenuated CEE-induced apoptosis and inflammation in hippocampus. • CX516 had limited effects on the expression of synaptic proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] VHL up-regulates SOD2 expression on mRNA and protein levels. [•] HIF-1α contributes to the transcriptional suppression of SOD2 expression in the pVHL deficient cells. [•] HIF-1α directly binds the hypoxia-responsive element of SOD2 promoter. [•] The expression of HIF-1α negatively correlates with SOD2 expression in pVHL deficient renal clear cell carcinoma tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Curcumin treatment upregulates DAPK1 expression in U251 cells. [•] The knockdown of DAPK1 attenuates curcumin-induced STAT3 and NF-κB inhibition. [•] The knockdown of DAPK1 reduces curcumin-induced caspase-3 activation. [•] The knockdown of DAPK1 inhibits curcumin-induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis. [•] The tumor suppressor DAPK1 is essential for the anti-cancer effects of curcumin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The majority of encephalitis induced by herpes simplex virus type I (HSV-1) is due to viral reactivation from latency, but few studies have investigated the factors influencing viral reactivation in the brain due to the lack of a sensitive assay. We have established an ex vivo explant assay, which induced efficient viral reactivation in the dissociated mouse brain. Applying this assay, we investigated the infection of four HSV-1 strains with varying degrees of neurovirulence in three mouse strains with different levels of susceptibility to HSV-1 infection. We found that virulent HSV-1 strains and susceptible mouse strains exhibited prolonged viral growth during acute infection, increased latent viral genomes, and efficient explant reactivation in the brain stem. Collectively, both viral neurovirulence and host susceptibility positively correlate with HSV-1 reactivation from the explanted mouse brain. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A dual-functional ionic liquid additive, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (BMIHSO 4), is developed to tune the preferential Zn(002) crystallographic texture and simultaneously suppress the hydroxide sulfate accumulation on Zn anode by dynamically manipulating electrolyte pH-surroundings. The effective suppression of Zn dendrite growth enables a Zn symmetrical cell cycling stably to over one year. [Display omitted] Zn anodes suffer from the formation of uncontrolled dendrites aggravated by the uneven electric field and the insulating by-product accumulation in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs). Here, an effective strategy implemented by 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate (BMIHSO 4) additive is proposed to synergistically tune the crystallographic orientation of zinc deposition and suppress the formation of zinc hydroxide sulfate for enhancing the reversibility on Zn anode surface. As a competing cation, BMI+ is proved to preferably adsorb on Zn-electrode compared with H 2 O molecules, which shields the "tip effect" and inhibits the Zn-deposition agglomerations to inducing the horizontal growth along Zn (002) crystallographic texture. Simultaneously, the protonated BMIHSO 4 additives could remove the detrimental OH– in real-time to fundamentally eliminate the accumulation of 6Zn(OH) 2 ·ZnSO 4 ·4H 2 O and Zn 4 SO 4 (OH) 6 ·H 2 O on Zn anode surface. Consequently, Zn anode exhibits an ultra-long cycling stability of one year (8762 h) at 0.2 mA cm−2/0.2 mAh cm−2, 3600 h at 2 mA cm−2/2 mAh cm−2 with a high plating cumulative capacity of 3.6 Ah cm−2, and a high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.6 % throughout 1000 cycles. This work of regulating Zn deposition texture combined with eliminating notorious by-products could offer a desirable way for stabilizing the Zn-anode/electrolyte interface in AZIBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional sites determine the activity and interactions of proteins and as such constitute the targets of most drugs. However, the exponential growth of sequence and structure data far exceeds the ability of experimental techniques to identify their locations and key amino acids. To fill this gap we developed a computational Evolutionary Trace method that ranks the evolutionary importance of amino acids in protein sequences. Studies show that the best-ranked residues form fewer and larger structural clusters than expected by chance and overlap with functional sites, but until now the significance of this overlap has remained qualitative. Here, we use 86 diverse protein structures, including 20 determined by the structural genomics initiative, to show that this overlap is a recurrent and statistically significant feature. An automated ET correctly identifies seven of ten functional sites by the least favorable statistical measure, and nine of ten by the most favorable one. These results quantitatively demonstrate that a large fraction of functional sites in the proteome may be accurately identified from sequence and structure. This should help focus structure–function studies, rational drug design, protein engineering, and functional annotation to the relevant regions of a protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Given the massive increase in the number of new sequences and structures, a critical problem is how to integrate these raw data into meaningful biological information. One approach, the Evolutionary Trace, or ET, uses phylogenetic information to rank the residues in a protein sequence by evolutionary importance and then maps those ranked at the top onto a representative structure. If these residues form structural clusters, they can identify functional surfaces such as those involved in molecular recognition. Now that a number of examples have shown that ET can identify binding sites and focus mutational studies on their relevant functional determinants, we ask whether the method can be improved so as to be applicable on a large scale. To address this question, we introduce a new treatment of gaps resulting from insertions and deletions, which streamlines the selection of sequences used as input. We also introduce objective statistics to assess the significance of the total number of clusters and of the size of the largest one. As a result of the novel treatment of gaps, ET performance improves measurably. We find evolutionarily privileged clusters that are significant at the 5 % level in 45 out of 46 (98 %) proteins drawn from a variety of structural classes and biological functions. In 37 of the 38 proteins for which a protein-ligand complex is available, the dominant cluster contacts the ligand. We conclude that spatial clustering of evolutionarily important residues is a general phenomenon, consistent with the cooperative nature of residues that determine structure and function. In practice, these results suggest that ET can be applied on a large scale to identify functional sites in a significant fraction of the structures in the protein databank (PDB). This approach to combining raw sequences and structure to obtain detailed insights into the molecular basis of function should prove valuable in the context of the Structural Genomics Initiative. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is the most common malignant kidney tumors in adults. Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) gene is deficient in >50% of RCC cases, but the role of VHL as a potential therapeutic target in RCC has not been well established. In the present study, 9-cis-Retinoic acid, which is a potent natural agonist of retinoid X receptors (RXRs), was found to decrease the viability of VHL-proficient RCC cells, but had little effect on VHL-deficient RCC cells. In addition, it was demonstrated that VHL transcriptionally regulated RXRα in a hypoxia-inducible factor-α independent manner. Moreover, a negative correlation was observed between the expressions of VHL and RXRα in RCC tissues. Collectively, these data indicate that VHL-proficient RCC patients may be more sensitive to treatment with 9-cis-retinoic acid, which acts by regulating RXRα expression, compared with VHL-deficient RCC patients. The findings of the present study demonstrate a novel function of VHL and highlight the potential of VHL expression as a therapeutic modality for the optimized treatment of RCC patients. • 9-cis-Retinoic acid decreases the viability of VHL-proficient RCC cells, but has little effect on VHL-deficient RCC cells. • VHL transcriptionally regulates RXRα in a HIF-α independent manner. • A negative correlation is found between the expressions of VHL and RXRα in RCC samples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In recent years, branched or star-shaped Au nanostructures composed of core and protruding arms have attracted much attention due to their unique optical properties and morphology. As the clinically adapted nanoagent, prussian blue (PB) has recently gained widespread attention in cancer theranostics with potential applications in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. In this article, we propose a hybrid star gold nanostructure（Au-star@PB）as a novel theranostic agent for T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)/ photoacoustic imaging（PAI） and photothermal therapy (PTT) of tumors. Importantly, the Au-star@PB nanoparticles function as effective MRI/PA contrast agents in vivo by increasing T1-weighted MR/PAI signal intensity and as effective PTT agents in vivo by decreasing the tumor volume in MCF-7 tumor bearing BALB / c mouse model as well as in vitro by lessening tumor cells growth rate. Interestingly, we found the main photothermal effect of Au-star@PB is derived from Au-star, but not PB. In summary, the hybrid structure of Au-star@PB NPs with good biological safety, significant photostability, dual imaging capability, and high therapeutic efficiency, might offer a novel avenue for the future diagnosis and treatment of cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical oxo-precipitation (COP) has become a promising method for treating boron wastewater at room temperature; it uses hydrogen peroxide to convert boric acid to perborate species, which are precipitated using alkaline earth metals. In this work, solubility models of barium perborates were established to predict residual boron levels from COP. The solubility product constants (pK sp ) of two major barium perborates – amorphous Ba(B(OH) 3 OOH) 2 (A-BaPB) and crystalline BaB(OH) 2 (OO) 2 B(OH) 2 (C-BaPB) – were experimentally estimated (8.335 ± 0.109 and 9.190 ± 0.057, respectively) to define the solubility curves of BaPBs at given pH, ionic strength and concentrations of barium and peroxide species. The characterization of precipitates that were formed by COP confirmed that the boron levels in aqueous solution were governed by the phase transformation of A-BaPB to C-BaPB. The predictive solubility models of barium perborates can perfectly predict the residual concentration of boron after COP treatment and can be used to optimize the process for reducing boron concentrations in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that induced neural stem cells (iNSCs) directly reprogrammed from mouse embryonic fibroblasts can expand and differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. Whether iNSCs have immunoregulatory properties in addition to facilitating cell replacement remains uncertain. In this study, we aimed to characterize the immunomodulatory effects of iNSCs on the activation states of microglia and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects. Using a mouse model of closed head injury (CHI), we observed that iNSC grafts decreased the levels of ED1 + /Iba1 + and TNF-α + /Iba1 + microglia but increased the levels of IGF1 + /Iba1 + microglia in the injured cortex. Subsequently, using a Transwell co-culture system, we discovered that iNSCs could modulate LPS-pretreated microglia phenotypes in vitro via CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling, which we demonstrated through the administration of the CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 and CXCR4-specific siRNA treatment. An in vivo loss-of-function study also revealed that iNSC grafts regulated the behavior of resident microglia via CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling, influencing their activation state such that they promoted neurological functional recovery and neuron survival. Furthermore, the beneficial effects of iNSC transplantation were significantly diminished by CXCR4 knockdown. In short, iNSCs have the potential to influence microglia activation and the acquisition of neuroprotective phenotypes via CXCL12/CXCR4 signaling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although exposure to ambient air pollution has been associated with mental disorder, little is known about its potential effects on children and adolescents, especially in Chinese population. We aimed to reveal the relationship of air pollutants with hospital outpatient visits for child and adolescence psychiatry (HOVCAP) in Shenzhen. A case-crossover study based on time-series data was applied, and a distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the non-linear and delayed effects of 4 major air pollutants (NO 2 , PM 2.5 , SO 2 and O 3) on HOVCAP. Least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression was used to control the multicollinearity between covariates and to filter variables. A total of 94,660 cases aged 3–18 were collected from 2014 to 2019 in the Mental Health Center of Shenzhen. Results of pollutants at mode value (M 0) showed that in the single lag effect result, when the average daily concentration of NO 2 at 24 μg/m3, there was a significant effect on HOVCAP over lag 1, lag 4 and lag 5, respectively. The cumulative RR of NO 2 M 0 value to the outpatient visits were 1.438 (1.137–1.818) over lag 0–2, 1.454 (1.120–1.887) over lag 0–3, 1.466 (1.084–1.982) over lag 0–4, 1.680 (1.199–2.354) over lag 0–5, 1.993 (1.369–2.903) over lag 0–6, and 2.069 (1.372–3.119) over lag 0–7. However, PM 2.5 , SO 2 , O 3 were not associated with HOVCAP over neither single lag effects nor cumulative effects. The RR values both shown an increase either when NO 2 increases by 10 units or when the maximum concentration of NO 2 is reached. Our study suggests that exposure to the normal air quality of NO2 in Shenzhen may associated with the risk of HOVCAP. However, PM2.5, SO2, O3 were not associated with HOVCAP. • A distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) was used to evaluate the non-linear and delayed effects of pollutants on HOVCAP (hospital outpatient visits for child and adolescence psychiatry). • Exposure to the normal air quality of NO2 in Shenzhen may associated with the risk of HOVCAP. • The overall effect curve of NO2 on HOVCAP demonstrated an inverted U shape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Recent progress in high spatial and energy resolution characterization techniques of water molecules on metal surfaces under ultra-high vacuum condition. • In-situ spectroscopic characterization of interfacial water during electrochemical processes. • Various discoveries on how interfacial water participate in electrocatalytic reactions. Water is a fundamental substance in the natural world, playing a central role in various fields such as energy, catalysis and the environment. Broadly speaking, the diverse applications of water in different domains are all reliant on its interactions at surfaces. This mini-review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of advanced characterization techniques employed in the examination of interfacial water. Through the presentation of recent findings regarding water's behavior on various surfaces, we elucidate how these newly developed characterization methods enable precise determination of the physical and chemical properties of interfacial water. Additionally, we delve into how these discoveries enhance our comprehension of the physical and chemical processes involving water. Of particular interest is the intricate relationship between interfacial water and catalytic activity in electrocatalytic reactions. Furthermore, we offer insights into the challenges and prospects within this captivating field of study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work demonstrates a novel chloride photo-electrochemical method for mineralizing citric acid. The electrolytic reactor with a length of 12 cm, a width of 12 cm and a height of 30 cm held 2.5 L of solution, which was involved in the batch reaction. Both anode and cathode were made of titanium coated with RuO2/IrO2. The results revealed that the solution pH dominated the production of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) oxidant in the presence of NaCl as direct current electricity was used. The chloride electrochemical process at pH 5.5 removed 59% of total organic carbon (TOC) in 4 h (NaCl = 200 mM, current = 5 A). UV irradiation (254 nm) in the reactor induced the photo-electrochemical reaction, increasing the TOC removal from 59% to 99.4%. Finally, the reaction pathway for citric acid mineralization was discussed with reference to the detection of intermediates using a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sulfide-containing wastewater, characterized by its foul odor, corrosiveness, and toxicity, can endanger human health. Fluidized-bed homogeneous crystallization (FBHC) avoids the excessive sludge production commonly associated with conventional chemical precipitation methods. In this study, FBHC is used to treat sulfur-containing synthetic wastewater. Furthermore, nickel-containing wastewater was utilized as a precipitant in the system, hence the advantage of simultaneous sulfur and nickel removal from the wastewater. The operating parameters, including pH, a precipitant dosage of [Ni2+] 0 /[S2−] 0 , and cross-sectional surface loading (L S , kg/m2h) are optimized. The optimum operating conditions of pH 9.8 ± 0.3, [Ni2+] 0 /[S2−] 0 = 0.8, and L S = 1.5 kg/m2h results in total sulfur removal (TR) of 95.7% and crystallization ratio (CR) of 94.8%. The effect of organic compounds (acetic acid, oxalic acid, EDTA, and citric acid) and inorganic ions (NO 3 −, CO 3 2−, PO 4 3−, F−, and Cl−) on the nickel sulfide granulation process was discussed. [Display omitted] • Sulfide wastewater could be treated by FBHC. • The total sulfur removal achieves 95.7%. • The waste cost is 86.0% lower than chemical precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Searching for promising visible-light photocatalysts for overall water splitting into hydrogen and oxygen is a very challenging task to solve the energy crisis and environment pollution. The widely-used tantalate and niobate perovskite photocatalysts have two drawbacks, i.e., the large energy band gap (∼ 3.2–4.6 eV) and low electron (hole) mobility 102 (101) cm2 V−1 s−1, which greatly limit their photocatalytic performance. Here, based on the powerful first-principles and accurate GW calculations, we design several novel two-dimensional (2D) Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) type (n = 1) perovskite oxynitrides A 2 BO 3 N (A = Ca, Sr, Ba and B = Ta, Nb) and their bonded heterostructures and comprehensively investigate their interlayer coupling, electronic structures, transport and photocatalytic characteristics. We find that 2D A 2 BO 3 N oxynitrides have a reduced direct band gap at Γ -point, especially for three-layer (3L) Ba 2 NbO 3 N and 1L-Sr 2 NbO 3 N/1L-Ba 2 NbO 3 N bonded heterostructure with the optimized band gap ∼ 2.0 eV. Compared with tantalate and niobate perovskite oxides, the electron (hole) mobility increases 1–2 orders of magnitude up to 103–104 (102–103) cm2 V−1 s−1. A fast electron-hole vertical transport across the heterointerface and remarkable electron-hole separation can be realized in 1L-Sr 2 NbO 3 N/1L-Ba 2 NbO 3 N bonded heterostructure due to its strong interface Ba-O and Sr-O bonds and type-II band offset. Compared with the well-known photocatalysts, such as BiVO 4 and MoS 2 /g-C 3 N 4 , an improved optical absorption (8 × 104 cm−1) in A 2 BO 3 N is obtained in the visible region. The 2D RP-type perovskite oxynitrides 3L-Ba 2 NbO 3 N and 1L-Sr 2 NbO 3 N/1L-Ba 2 NbO 3 N are powerful visible-light photocatalysts for overall water splitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) has been proposed as a mechanism indispensable to acquisition of metastatic properties by tumor cells. In this study we tested the ability of Farrerol, a Chinese herb-derived compound to ablate the EMT in human lung squamous cell carcinoma cells. Human lung squamous cell carcinoma cells, Calu-1 were treated with various concentrations of Farrerol for 24 h to examine its effect on their viability by the MTT assay. Only those concentrations which showed least effect on the viability of Calu-1 cells were further used to evaluate the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers by western blotting. Furthermore the effect of such concentrations on the migration and invasion of Calu-1 cells was determined by wound healing and transwell invasion assays respectively. The results demonstrated that Farrerol treatment led to the downregulation of Slug and Zeb-1, transcriptional regulators of EMT with the concomitant increase and decrease in the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin respectively. These data were further supported by migration and invasion assays which demonstrated that Farrerol treatment caused inhibited the migration and invasion of Calu-1 lung squamous cell carcinoma cells. Taken together, our results indicate that Farrerol suppresses lung squamous cell carcinoma cell metastatic potential by modulating the expression of EMT proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective There is concern over the potential placental effects of prenatal phthalate exposure, and the potential adverse effects of prenatal phthalate exposure require further study; however, few data are available in humans. We investigated the associations between phthalate exposure in each trimester and both placental size and shape at birth. Methods We measured the urinary concentrations of phthalate metabolites among 2725 pregnant women in the Ma’anshan Birth Cohort. Before collecting urine samples from each of the three trimesters, the pregnant women were interviewed via questionnaires. Placental information was obtained from hospital records. We estimated the sex-specific associations between urinary phthalate concentrations in each trimester and both placental size and shape at birth using adjusted multiple regression. A linear mixed model was used for the repeated measures analysis with subject-specific random intercepts and slopes for gestational age at sample collection to test the effect of phthalate levels on placental size and shape and to estimate the effect sizes. Results Overall, placental breadth increased by 0.148 cm (95% CI: 0.078, 0.218) with each 1 ln-concentration increase in MBP in the first trimester. The difference between placental length and breadth (length–breadth) decreased by 0.086 cm (95% CI: −0.159, −0.012) and 0.149 cm (95% CI: −0.221, −0.076) with each 1 ln-concentration increase in MMP and MBP, respectively, in the first trimester. In the second trimester, placental thickness increased by 0.017 cm (95% CI: 0.006, 0.027), 0.020 cm (95% CI: 0.004, 0.036), 0.028 cm (95% CI: 0.007, 0.048), and 0.035 cm (95% CI: 0.018, 0.053) with each 1 ln-concentration increase in MMP, MBP, MEOHP, and MEHHP, respectively. In the third trimester, placental thickness increased by 0.037 cm (95% CI: 0.019, 0.056) and 0.019 cm (95% CI: 0, 0.037) with each 1 ln-concentration increase in MBP and MEHP, respectively. Multiple linear regression for each offspring sex indicated that prenatal phthalate exposure increased placental thickness in both the first and second trimesters in males, whereas the corresponding relationship was close to null in females. Linear mixed models (LMMs) yielded similar results. Conclusion Our results suggest the presence of associations between prenatal phthalate exposure and placental size and shape. Exposure to certain phthalates may cause the placenta to become thicker and more circular. Associations appeared stronger for the subsample representing male offspring than those for the subsample representing female offspring. Given the few studies on this topic, additional research is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) has been proposed as a mechanism indispensable to acquisition of metastatic properties by tumor cells. In this study we tested the ability of Ferrerol, a Chinese herb-derived compound to ablate the EMT in human lung squamous cell carcinoma cells. Human lung squamous cell carcinoma cells, Calu-1 were treated with various concentrations of Ferrerol for 24 h to examine its effect on their viability by the MTT assay. Only those concentrations which showed least effect on the viability of Calu-1 cells were further used to evaluate the expression of epithelial and mesenchymal markers by western blotting. Furthermore the effect of such concentrations on the migration and invasion of Calu-1 cells was determined by wound healing and transwell invasion assays respectively. The results demonstrated that Ferrerol treatment led to the downregulation of Slug and Zeb-1, transcriptional regulators of EMT with the concomitant increase and decrease in the expression of E-cadherin and vimentin respectively. These data were further supported by migration and invasion assays which demonstrated that Ferrerol treatment caused inhibited the migration and invasion of Calu-1 lung squamous cell carcinoma cells. Taken together, our results indicate that Ferrerol suppresses lung squamous cell carcinoma cell metastatic potential by modulating the expression of EMT proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food-borne pathogens pose health challenges to consumers and are serious concerns in the food industry. Accordingly, we investigated the probiotic properties of Lactococcus lactis C15 and the biological properties of the bacteriocin it produces. The results show C15 exhibited strong gastrointestinal tolerance, excellent cell surface properties, high adhesion ability to Caco-2 cells (>90%), and good safety in vitro. The active peptide produced by C15 has inhibitory activity against pathogens, even after exposure to elevated temperatures (60–121 °C) and low pH values (pH 2–5). L. lactis C15 contains the Lactococcin B gene, which produces a nisin-like bacteriocin. Partially purified bacteriocin effectively antagonized the growth of Escherichia coli added to ultra-high temperature instantaneous sterilization (UHT) milk. The inhibition of E. coli was similar to that of the reference bacteriocin (nisin). This research aimed to provide a new strategy for food preservation that avoids traditional chemical preservatives. • A nisin-like bacteriocin inhibiting both Gram-negative/positive bacteria was isolated. • Bacteriocin showed efficacy at different pH, surfactants, and high temperatures. • Bacteriocin was identical sequences to Lact B and could inhibit E. coli in UHT milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite similar histologic appearance amongst high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC), anecdotally there are differences in gross appearance. However, no systematic framework to classify morphologic differences exists. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether high-grade serous ovarian cancers (HGSOC) can be reliably divided into distinct gross morphologic subtypes and to assess clinical outcomes and molecular features of these subtypes. A retrospective review was performed of video-recordings from patients who underwent laparoscopic assessment of disease burden prior to primary debulking surgery (PDS) or neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT). Video recordings were reviewed by at least 2 physicians. A total of 4 sites (diaphragm, omentum, peritoneum, and pelvis) were assessed and classified as type I (deep, infiltrative disease with distortion of surrounding tissue) or type II (superficial, exophytic disease bordered by normal tissue). Tumor tissues from 16 of these chemotherapy-naïve patients were analyzed by multi-platform omics (RNA sequencing, proteomics). Clinical outcomes were assessed utilizing a prospectively collected database and compared by morphology using t-test or Fisher's exact test. Of the 99 evaluable patients, 60 exhibited uniform morphology at all involved metastatic sites (65% type I and 35% type II), and 81 exhibited a predominating morphology (58% type I and 42% type II). A total of 164 images were reviewed by a third physician with 83.5% inter-rater concordance (κ=0.6446). Patients with uniform type 1 (n=34)tumor morphology were more likely to exhibit an excellent response to NACT (defined as radiologic or CA-125 complete response) than those with type II (n=16) tumor morphology (47% vs 18%, p=0.13). Patients with type II predominant tumor morphology had a significantly higher estimated blood loss at the time of interval debulking surgery (p=0.008) as well as longer operative time (p=0.03) compared with type I tumor morphology. Patients with complete type II morphology were more likely to have a modified Fagotti score of <8 (p=0.026), and thus were more likely to be triaged to PDS. On histopathologic review of 7 type I cases and 4 type II cases, no obvious histo-pathological pattern dominated either type. We identified distinct molecular differences between the 2 types, including increased TGF-β expression in type I and increased MYC expression in type II. Type I tumors seem to have abundant stroma and are immunologically active, whereas type II tumors seem to be dominated by cancer cells, have little stroma, and are immunologically cold. There are at least two distinct gross morphological patterns of HGSOC with unique molecular differences and responses to chemotherapy. These findings could have major clinical implications for tailored therapeutic strategies. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parthenolide (PTL) is a sesquiterpene lactone isolated from feverfew and exhibits potent antitumor activity against various cancers. Many studies indicate that PTL treatment leads to apoptosis, however, the mechanism has not been defined. Here, we observed that cells underwent autophagy shortly after PTL treatment. Inhibition of autophagy by knocking out autophagy associated gene atg 5 blocked PTL-induced apoptosis. Surprisingly, PTL decreased the level of translation initiation factor eIF4E binding protein 1 (4E-BP1) in correlation with autophagy. Ectopic expression or shRNA knockdown of 4E-BP1 further verified the effect of 4E-BP1 on PTL-induced autophagy. Meanwhile, PTL elevated the cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) which located upstream of the depletion of 4E-BP1, and contributed to the consequent autophagy. This study revealed 4E-BP1 as a trigger for PTL-induced autophagy and may lead to therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of anticancer drugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work developed an electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) sensor for detection of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor)-overexpressing tumor cell and preliminary estimation of EGFR expression. Here, EGFR antibodies as the specific antibodies for cancer cells were conjugated on magnetic gold-decorated graphene oxide nanocomposites, which were used to capture the EGFR-overexpressing tumor cells. The magnetically responsive tumor cells were enriched and immobilized on a magnetic glassy carbon electrode (mGCE) surface, leading to increased electron-transfer resistance (R et) utilized for determination of cells and preliminary evaluation of EGFR expression level. This strategy enables the enrichment, fixation and detection of tumor cells to be accomplished in a facile way. An excellent linearity in the range of 2.0 × 102 − 3.0 × 105 cell mL−1 with the detection limit of 152 cell mL−1 for MDA-MB-231 cells was obtained. Investigation on the expression levels of EGFR on various types of cells was conducted. MDA-MB-231 cells showed a distinctly higher EGFR expression, compared with MHCC97-L and L02 cells, providing the possibility for the EGFR-targeted therapy of the tumors. It is expected that the proposed sensor has the potential to be applied for cancer monitoring. A novel Au-GO-MNP-EGFR Ab based impedance sensor, which enables the enrichment, immobilization and detection of tumor cells to be accomplished in a facile way, was developed for sensitive detection of tumor cell and preliminary analysis of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression. [Display omitted] • An impedance sensor for detecting tumor cells and analyzing EGFR expression. • EGFR antibodies-coated Au-GO-MNP nanocomposites were used to capture tumor cells. • Magnetically responsive tumor cells were attracted to an mGCE surface. • Enrichment, immobilization and detection of tumor cells are integrated facilely. • EGFR expression on MDA-MB-231 cells is higher than that on L02 or MHCC97-L. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A series of chiral heterogeneous rhodium catalysts obtained via immobilization of chiral N-sulfonylated diamine-based organorhodium complexes within mesoporous silicate networks have been obtained through the postgrafting, postmodification, and co-condensation strategies. Structural analyses and characterizations disclose their well-defined single-site rhodium species within materials, while electron microscopy images reveal their highly ordered dimensional–hexagonal mesostructures. By systemically comparing these prepared strategies, it is found that they exhibit obviously different catalytic activities and enantioselectivities in aqueous asymmetric transfer hydrogenation of aromatic ketones. The direct anchoring of chiral organorhodium complexes onto the outside surface of mesoporous silica can maintain high enantioselectivity, while the co-condensation of chiral organorhodium complexes into the inside surface of mesoporous silica can form a uniform distribution of active rhodium centers. Both strategies show higher catalytic efficiency than the postmodification strategy in enantioselective performance. This outcome from the study clearly demonstrates the nature of these heterogeneous catalysts based on different immobilization strategies and offers a general way to optimize the prepared strategy to adjust the catalytic efficiency of heterogeneous catalysts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]