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Purpose: Retail investors are prone to be affected by information dissemination in social media with the rapid development of Web 2.0. The purpose of this study is to recognize the factors that may impact users' retweet behavior, namely information dissemination in the online financial community, through machine learning techniques. Design/methodology/approach: This paper crawled data from the Chinese online financial community (Xueqiu.com) and extracted author-related, content-related, situation-related, stock-related and stock market-related features from the dataset. The best information dissemination prediction model based on these features was determined by evaluating five classifiers with various performance metrics, and the predictability of different feature groups was tested. Findings: Five prevalent classifiers were evaluated with various performance metrics and the random forest classifier was proven to be the best retweet prediction model in the authors' experiments. Moreover, the predictability of author-related, content-related and market-related features was illustrated to be relatively better than that of the other two feature groups. Several particularly important features, such as the author's followers and the rise and fall of the stock index, were recognized in this paper at last. Originality/value: This study contributes to in-depth research on information dissemination in the financial domain. The findings of this study have important practical implications for government regulators to supervise public opinion in the financial market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, collaborative distribution models have not reached the optimal state of carbon emissions. The cost of additional low-carbon expenditures and the problem of carbon data verification have led to the lack of motivation for reducing emissions among collaborative distribution enterprises. Therefore, how to incentivize them to adopt the low-carbon model is crucial for achieving low-carbon goal. By relying on a government-led digital platform, this paper designs a dual low-carbon incentive strategy to encourage enterprise-alliance to adopt a low-carbon distribution model. In this paper, we first construct an evolutionary game model of the government, enterprise-alliance and end-users; then we explore the conditions of the three-party equilibrium evolution strategy by solving the model and analyzing the stability; and finally, we conduct simulation validation and results analysis with the help of MATLAB. In summary, we found that government punishment is more effective at regulating enterprise-alliance than reward. End-users' behavior is affected by the costs they need to bear, and they no longer support enterprise-alliance to carry out collaborative low-carbon distribution above a certain threshold. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of the Internet and the widespread adoption of mobile devices, live streaming has become a new social medium in the last few years. Hence, the continuous usage of live streaming platforms has become an important issue. Based on social exchange theory, this study investigates how different kinds of interactions affect viewers' sense of virtual community (SOVC) and in turn facilitate their continuous watching intention. Empirical results (N = 423) reveal that both viewer-broadcaster interaction and viewer-viewer interaction positively affect viewers' SOVC, which further enhances their stickiness. Furthermore, viewer-platform interaction positively moderates the effects of interactions between viewers and broadcasters on their SOVC, whereas the moderating role of gift-giving behaviour is insignificant. Finally, the effects of viewer-broadcaster interaction and viewer-viewer interaction on stickiness are partially mediated by SOVC. This study contributes to in-depth research on the relationships between different specific interactions and viewers' continuous watching intention, which enriches the existing study on live streaming and deepens our understanding of viewers' stickiness. The empirical findings of this study suggest that social media developers and managers take actions to encourage interactions that increase viewers' stickiness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The combination of non-fungible token (NFT) with paintings, music, games, videos and other forms of creative content is an innovation to protect the copyright of authors. It digitizes physical works with unique labels. At present, the NFT industry is blooming in the area of digital collections in China, attracting increasingly more artists, art collectors and platform enterprises to interact. However, the NFT digital collection platform is facing challenges and growth limitations. This study adopts the theory framework of responsible innovation. Through semi-structured interview and secondary document review, it analyzes the positive and negative effects of China's NFT digital collections alongside technological, economical, ethical and social dimensions. The paper proposes four development paths to achieve responsible innovation of this emerging new business. Further discussion links NFT with open innovation dynamics, alongside areas for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Significant errors in the kinetics analysis for PMSO degradation was investigated. • Interference and error were negligible under the optimized concentration of terminator. • Calculated the steady-state concentrations of reactive species. • High-valent species is metal dependent. • Fe(IV) is the dominant reactive species in the ZVI-BC/PS system. In this paper, Fe(IV) was analyzed in the zero-valent iron biochar (ZVI-BC) activated persulfate (PS) process with methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO) as the probe compound. Without a reaction terminator, PMSO degradation continued during the sample holding time, resulting in significant errors in the kinetics analysis. When 1 mM NaNO 2 , 1 mM NH 2 OH, 10 mM Na 2 S 2 O 3 , or 10 mM dimethyl sulfoxide were used as terminators, the concentrations of PMSO and its oxidation product, methyl phenyl sulfone (PMSO 2), were effectively maintained without changes during the sample holding period. Furthermore, the terminators did not interfere with PMSO or PMSO 2 analysis by high performance liquid chromatography. In addition to Fe(IV), free radical (i.e. , SO 4 −, OH, O 2 −) and nonradical (i.e. , 1O 2) reactive species were also involved in the ZVI-BC/PS system; however, Fe(IV) was the predominant reactive species. Organic contaminants with electron-donating moieties rapidly reacted with Fe(IV), and the relative contribution of Fe(IV) to overall contaminant degradation decreased as the solution pH was increased. Overall, this study provided new insights into the quantitative analysis of Fe(IV) in the ZVI-BC/PS system and its application to treatment of organic contaminants in solutions with variable water quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional calcium terephthalate flakes with a thickness of 100–300 nm have been synthesized via adjusting the water : ethanol volume ratio in the solvothermal method. As anodes for sodium-ion batteries, 2D sheet electrodes possess fast kinetics and thus display superior cycling capacity and high-rate capability (195 mA h g−1 at 1000 mA g−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel Fe/La decorative biochar filled in sodium alginate beads (SA-KBC-Fe/La) was prepared by a simple sol-gel method and applied to adsorb phosphate (P) efficiently from water in this study. The morphology, structure and chemical component of the hydrogel beads were characterized in detail. And the synthesized bead exhibited easy separation and high P uptake of 46.65 mg/g when the Fe: La was of 1: 2 at 298 K with initial P of 100 mg/L, which was much higher than SA gel bead. The adsorption showed that the optimal pH was 6, and the adsorption was met with pseudo-second-order kinetics and Langmuir isothermal models, indicating a chemical adsorption process. The adsorption capacity remained 82 % after 5 cycles of adsorption. The adsorption mechanism of P was mainly of ligand exchange and electrostatic attraction. Compared with other reported adsorbents, the modification of Fe/La could enhance the mechanical property of SA-KBC-Fe/La beads with increasing active sites. Additionally, the involved biochar could lead to excellent thermal stability and hierarchical porous structure of beads with larger specific surface area (54.22 m2/g). The study could provide new ideas for P removal and strategy for the final disposal of municipal sludge. [Display omitted] • Fe/La decorative biochar/sodium alginate beads were prepared to adsorb P from water. • Concrete adsorption property and mechanism of the beads for P were discussed. • Fe/La and biochar modification could greatly enhance P adsorption capacity. • New idea for P removal and strategy for disposal of municipal sludge was provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Stem is important for assimilating transport and plant strength; however, less is known about the genetic basis of its structural characteristics. In this study, a high‐throughput method, “LabelmeP rice” was developed to generate 14 traits related to stem regions and vascular bundles, which allows the establishment of a stem cross‐section phenotype dataset containing anatomical information of 1738 images from hand‐cut transections of stems collected from 387 rice germplasm accessions grown over two successive seasons. Then, the phenotypic diversity of the rice accessions was evaluated. Genome‐wide association studies identified 94, 83, and 66 significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) for the assayed traits in 2 years and their best linear unbiased estimates, respectively. These SNPs can be integrated into 29 quantitative trait loci (QTL), and 11 of them were common in 2 years, while correlated traits shared 19. In addition, 173 candidate genes were identified, and six located at significant SNPs were repeatedly detected and annotated with a potential function in stem development. By using three introgression lines (chromosome segment substitution lines), four of the 29 QTLs were validated. LOC_Os01g70200, located on the QTL uq1.4, is detected for the area of small vascular bundles (SVB) and the rate of large vascular bundles number to SVB number. Besides, the CRISPR/Cas9 editing approach has elucidated the function of the candidate gene LOC_Os06g46340 in stem development. In conclusion, the results present a time‐ and cost‐effective method that provides convenience for extracting rice stem anatomical traits and the candidate genes/QTL, which would help improve rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The advantages of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) in reducing risk of cardiovascular events (CVEs) and delaying end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) is well-known. However, the efficacy and safety of these agents in non-dialysis CKD stages 3–5 patients are still a controversial issue. Methods: Two investigators (Yaru Zhang and Dandan He) independently searched and identified relevant studies from MEDLINE (from 1950 to October 2018), EMBASE (from 1970 to October 2018), and the Cochrane Library database. Randomised clinical trials in non-dialysis CKD3–5 patients treated with renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors were included. We used standard criteria (Cochrane risk of bias tool) to assess the inherent risk of bias of trials. We calculated the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for each outcome by random-effects model. A 2-sided p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant, and all statistical analyses were performed using STATA, version 15.0. This network meta-analysis was undertaken by the frequency model. Results: Forty-four randomised clinical trials with 42,319 patients were included in our network meta-analysis. ACEIs monotherapy significantly decreased the odds of kidney events (OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.41–0.73), cardiovascular events (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.64–0.84), cardiovascular death (OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.63–0.86) and all-cause death (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.66–0.91) when compared to placebo. According to the cumulative ranking area (SUCRA), ACEI monotherapy had the highest probabilities of their protective effects on outcomes of kidney events (SUCRA 93.3%), cardiovascular events (SUCRA 77.2%), cardiovascular death (SUCRA 86%), and all-cause death (SUCRA 94.1%), even if there were no significant differences between ACEIs and other antihypertensive drugs, including calcium channel blockers (CCBs), β-blockers and diuretics on above outcomes except for kidney events. ARB monotherapy and combination therapy of an ACEI plus an ARB showed no more advantage than CCBs, β-blockers and diuretics in all primary outcomes. In the subgroup of non-dialysis diabetic kidney disease patients, no drugs, including ACEIs or ARBs, significantly lowered the odds of cardiovascular events and all-cause death. However, ACEIs were still better than other antihypertensive drugs including ARBs in all-cause death but not ARBs in cardiovascular events according to the SUCRA. Only ARBs had significant differences in preventing the occurrence of kidney events compared with placebo (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.72–0.95). Both ACEI/ARB monotherapy and combination therapy had higher odds of hyperkalaemia. ACEIs had 3.81 times higher odds than CCBs (95% CI 1.58–9.20), ARBs had 2.08–5.10 times higher odds than placebo and CCBs and combination therapy of an ACEI and an ARB had 4.80–24.5 times higher odds than all other treatments. Compared with placebo, CCBs and β blockers, ACEI therapy significantly increased the odds of cough (OR 2.90, 95% CI 1.76–4.77; OR 8.21, 95% CI 3.13–21.54 and OR 1.80, 95% CI 1.08–3.00). There were no statistical differences in hypotension among all comparisons except ACEIs versus placebo. Conclusions: Although ACEIs increased the odds of hyperkalaemia, cough and hypotension, they were still superior to ARBs and other antihypertensive drugs and had the highest benefits for the prevention of kidney events, cardiovascular outcomes, cardiovascular death and all-cause mortality in non-dialysis CKD3–5 patients. In patients with advanced diabetic kidney disease, ACEIs were superior to ARBs in lowering risk of all-cause death but not in kidney events and cardiovascular events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The role of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in reducing the progression of albuminuria and risk of cardiovascular events in hypertensive patients with diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is well-documented. However, the efficacy and safety of these agents in normotensive patients with DKD are still controversial. MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant random controlled trials. The odd risk (OR) reductions were calculated with a random-effects model. Decrease in albuminuria, changes in eGFR, major cardiovascular events, and drug-related adverse events were analyzed. Thirteen RCTs including 1282 patients were retrieved. Compared with placebo or other active agent groups, ACEIs or ARBs significantly decreased albuminuria (MD –80.28 mg/d, 95% CI –104.79 mg/d to –55.77 mg/d), and the efficacy is independent of changes in blood pressure and systolic blood pressure at baseline. The result of subanalysis showed the declining of albuminuria was more significantly in normotensive DKD patients with 2DM (p=0.005). No significant differences were found with regard to the declining of evaluated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (MD –0.29 ml/min/1.73 m2 , 95% CI –2.99 to 2.41 ml/min/1.73 m2). There were no significant differences in the side effect of the drugs such as hypotension and hyperkalemia. This meta-analysis demonstrated that ACEIs or ARBs can decrease albuminuria to varying degree in normotensive patients with DKD, and better response occurred in patients with 2DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To characterize a novel tigecycline resistance gene, tet(X6), and a novel SXT-related integrative and conjugative element (ICE), ICEPgs6Chn1, found in a tigecycline-resistant Proteus genomospecies 6 strain, T60.Methods: Strain T60 was identified by the VITEK 2 system, biochemical reactions and an SNP-based approach. The genetic profile of strain T60 was determined by WGS analysis. ICEPgs6Chn1 was analysed by PCR, conjugation experiments and bioinformatics tools. tet(X6) was characterized by cloning and protein structure prediction.Results: Strain T60 was resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, tigecycline, florfenicol, colistin and kanamycin, but susceptible to cefotaxime; it also exhibited high MICs of eravacycline (32 mg/L) and omadacycline (>64 mg/L). Only one chromosome was identified and tet(X6) was located in chromosomal ICEPgs6Chn1, a member of the SXT/R391 ICE family, of 114 368 bp and encoding the antimicrobial resistance genes floR, strB, strA, aph(3')-Ia, aac(3)-IV, aph(4)-Ia, tet(X6) and sul2. The circular intermediate of ICEPgs6Chn1 was detected by PCR and sequencing, but conjugation experiments showed that it was not self-transmissible. Cloning of the novel gene tet(X6) and protein structure prediction revealed that Tet(X6) confers tigecycline resistance.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a novel SXT/R391 ICE in a Proteus genomospecies 6 strain. Importantly, a novel high-level tigecycline resistance gene, tet(X6), emerged for the first time in the SXT/R391 element of Proteus genomospecies 6, revealing that ICEs may serve as an important platform for the accumulation of antibiotic resistance genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To characterize the complete sequences of four plasmids in MCR-1-producing clinical Escherichia coli strain D72, and to depict the formation mechanism and characteristics of the cointegrate plasmid derived from the pD72-mcr1 and pD72-F33 plasmids.Methods: The genetic profiles of plasmids in strain D72 and its transconjugant were determined by conjugation, S1-PFGE, Southern hybridization, WGS analysis and PCR. Plasmid sequences were analysed with bioinformatic tools. The traits of the fusion plasmid were characterized by cointegration, stability and conjugation assays.Results: Strain D72, belonging to ST1114, contained four plasmids, including mcr-1-carrying pD72-mcr1, blaCTX-M-55-carrying pD72-F33, blaTEM-238-bearing pD72-IncP and pD72-IncX1 carrying aph(3')-Ia, qnrS2 and floR. A single plasmid, pD72C, in the transconjugant was found to be larger than any plasmid in the original strain D72. Sequence analysis showed that pD72C was the fusion product of pD72-mcr1 and pD72-F33, and the recombinant event involved an intermolecular replicative mechanism. Plasmid fusion occurred at a frequency of 1.75 × 10-4 cointegrates per transconjugant. The fusion plasmid presented a high stability and conjugation frequency of 8.00 × 10-3.Conclusions: To our knowledge, this is the first report of the IS26-mediated fusion of an IncN1-F33:A-:B- plasmid and an mcr-1-carrying phage-like plasmid, providing evidence for the important role of IS26 in the recombination of plasmids. The biological advantages of the fusion plasmid indicated that the fusion event presumably plays a potential role in the dissemination of mcr-1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Persulfate usually needs to be activated for efficient WAS treatment. • Fermentation/digestion is improved as persulfate boosts bioprocesses and community. • Persulfate promotes sludge dewatering by decomposing EPS. • The oxides generated by persulfate help to control the environmental risk of WAS. • The knowledge gaps and prospects based on persulfate are identified and discussed. Persulfate is considered as a promising oxidant, thus the improvement of waste activated sludge (WAS) treatment with persulfate was widely regarded as a promising technology and had been intensively investigated in recent years. However, doubts and debates about its technical and economic viability in full-scale scenarios have been raised. Interestingly, so far, no efforts have been made on either systematic summarization or critical thinking of the application of persulfate to improve WAS treatment. Therefore, it is time to assess whether and how to utilize persulfate in future WAS treatment. The present paper provided an extensive review of the mechanisms, potentials and application of persulfate in WAS treatment. The current understanding of the activation modes and mechanisms of persulfate in sludge treatment were described. Besides, the performance, mechanism and disadvantages of persulfate-based pretreatment in fermentation, digestion and dewatering process were discussed, and the role of persulfate on the removal and control of the toxicity in sludge was paid special attention. The results showed that the oxidant and interaction with microorganisms of persulfate played an important role in improving sludge treatment. Knowledge gaps and current limitations of the persulfate-based applications were identified, and perspectives on the development of persulfate-based applications were discussed. Persulfate-based technology has a great potential in improving WAS treatment, but the practical application of this technology still needs further development and larger scale demonstration. Overall, this review provided a comprehensive current understanding, future directions, and insights into issues related to the application of persulfate to improve WAS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Application value of nursing intervention combined with early nutritional support treatment in preventive stoma reversion of low rectal cancer was explored. Ninety-two cases of low rectal cancer patients undergoing preventive stoma reversion from January 2014 to December 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. All the patients had closed fistula 3 months after neostomy. Forty-four cases with routine nursing care were the control group; 48 cases with early nutritional support and nursing intervention were the experimental group. Nutritional status, psychological status, incidence of adverse reactions, wound infection rate, number of shaped and regular defecation were compared in the two groups. The levels of albumin, prealbumin and serum total protein in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the control group after operation (P<0.05); the levels of albumin in the two groups after operation were significantly lower than those before operation (P<0.001). The SAS and SDS scores in the experimental group were significantly lower than those in the control group after operation (P<0.001); the SAS and SDS scores in the two groups after operation were significantly lower than those before operation (P<0.001). The number of abdominal pain, abdominal distention, diarrhea, incision infection and abdominal infection in the experimental group were less than those in the control group (P<0.05). The number of shaped and regular defecation cases in the experimental group was more than that in the control group (P<0.05). Nursing intervention combined with early nutritional support can improve the nutritional status, psychological anxiety-depression of the patients undergoing preventive stoma reversion, decrease the incidence of adverse reactions, and wound infection rate. It can also increase the shaped and regular defecation cases and is helpful for the recovery of intestinal function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with extrahepatic metastasis (EHM) is extremely poor. This study aimed to identify prognostic factors for systemic chemotherapy of HCC with EHM. Eighty-five patients who received systemic chemotherapy for HCC with EHM between May 2014 and October 2021 were retrospectively evaluated. Patient demographic data and characteristics of hepatic tumors and EHM were assessed to identify factors that were significantly associated with prognosis. Of the 85 patients, 68 (80.0%) had pulmonary metastasis, 11 (12.9%) had abdominal lymph node metastasis, 7 (8.2%) had abdominal metastasis, and 4 (4.7%) had bone metastasis. The median overall survival (OS) was 17.0 months, and the median progression-free survival (PFS) was 5.1 months. Univariate analysis of OS showed that synchronous EHM-HCC, serum albumin level<35 g/l and number of hepatic tumors>1 were significantly associated with poorer OS. The results of the multivariate analysis indicated that the serum albumin level and number of hepatic tumors were independent prognostic factors. Subgroup analysis of patients with 0, 1, or 2 of these independent prognostic factors showed that the median OS was 24.0 months, 16.2 months and 7.7 months and that the ORR was 38.3%, 22.6% and 0, respectively. Systemic chemotherapy is beneficial for well-selected HCC patients with EHM. The number of hepatic tumors and serum albumin level were independent risk factors for prognosis, and the number of risk factors significantly influenced OS. Therefore, these factors need to be considered before administering systemic chemotherapy for HCC patients with EHM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

MiRNAs have emerged as key regulators of skeletal muscle development, but the knowledge of miRNAs in the molecular network of muscle development remains poorly understood. In this study, we designed to examine the biological function of bovine-miR-101-1. The bovine miR-101-1 was detected in the skeletal muscle of fetal, calf and adult cattle. Its abundance was significantly higher in the skeletal muscle of calf cattle than that in fetal and adult cattle. In the course of C2C12 myoblast differentiation, the expression of miR-101-1 gradually increased. Transfected the exogenous miR-101-1 into the C2C12 myoblast could decrease myotube formation, and the mRNA expression levels of the myogenic marker genes MyOD , MyOG and MyHC were up-regulated. The protein level of MyOD, MyOG and MyHC were also up-regulated. Through TargetScan to predict the target gene of bovine miR-101-1, and the dual luciferase system was used for target gene verification. The results show that amyloid precursor protein (APP) is the target gene of miR-101-1. Therefore, our results shed light on miR-101-1 in the regulation of the skeletal muscle development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The feasibility of combining spectral and textural information from hyperspectral imaging to predict the moisture content and storage time of cooked beef was explored. A total of 10 optimal wavelengths were selected for the moisture content and storage time by conducting variable combination population analysis (VCPA). Principal component analysis was employed to reduce the number of dimensions of hyperspectral images, while a discrete cosine transform was applied to the first three principal component images to extract 30 textural features. A back-propagation artificial neural network (BP-ANN) model and partial least-squares regression model were developed to predict the moisture content and storage time from spectra, textural data, and their combination. The fused BP-ANN model provided satisfactory results with R p 2 of 0.977, and RMSEP of 0.9151 for the prediction of moisture content; these results were superior to those obtained with spectral or textual information alone. Combined with the storage time, the distribution map of the moisture content of cooked beef was visualized using the best fused BP-ANN model with imaging process method. The results reveal that the combination of spectral and textural information of hyperspectral imaging coupled with the BP-ANN algorithm has strong potential for the prediction and visualization of the moisture content of cooked beef at different storage times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanostructured KxNayMnFe(CN)6 (x + y≤ 2) has been synthesized via a facile co-precipitation method. As a cathode, KNMF-3 presents a highly reversible capacity of 133.3 mA h g−1 at 20 mA g−1 as well as an excellent rate capacity of 92.0 mA h g−1 at 600 mA g−1. This material could be a good candidate as a cathode for sodium-ion batteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A promising Ca doping approach was reported to improve the durability and electrocatalytic OER activity of the perovskite Pr0.5Ba0.5CoO3−δ (PBC). Compared to the pristine PBC, the electrocatalytic activity of Ca-doped Pr0.5Ba0.3Ca0.2CoO3−δ perovskite was increased by ca. 90%. More importantly, its durability was significantly enhanced after doping with calcium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the spread and location of the fosA3 gene among Enterobacteriaceae from diseased broiler chickens. Twenty-nine Escherichia coli and seven Proteus mirabilis isolates recovered from one chicken farm were screened for the presence of plasmid-mediated fosfomycin resistance genes by PCR. The clonal relatedness of fosA3 -positive isolates, the transferability and location of fosA3 , and the genetic context of the fosA3 gene were determined. Seven P. mirabilis isolates with three different pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns and five E. coli isolates belonging to sequence type 117 (ST117) and phylogenetic group D were positive for fosA3 and all carried the bla CTX-M gene. In E. coli , the genetic structures IS 26 –IS Ecp1–bla CTX-M-65 –IS 26 – fosA3 –1758 bp–IS 26 and IS 26 –IS Ecp1 – bla CTX-M-3 – bla TEM-1 –IS 26 – fosA3 –1758 bp–IS 26 were present on transferable IncHI2/ST3 and F2:A-:B- plasmids, respectively. However, fosA3 was located on the chromosome of the seven P. mirabilis isolates. IS 26 –IS Ecp1 - bla CTX-M-65 –IS 26 – fosA3 –1758 bp–IS 26 and IS 26 – bla CTX-M-14 –611 bp– fosA3 –1222 bp–IS 26 were detected in three and four P. mirabilis isolates, respectively. Minicircles that contained both fosA3 and bla CTX-M-65 were shared between E. coli and P. mirabilis . This is the first report of the fosA3 gene integrated into the chromosome of P. mirabilis isolates with the bla CTX-M gene. The emergence and clonal spread of avian pathogenic E. coli ST117 with the feature of multidrug resistance and high virulence are a serious problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Harmine, a β-carboline alkaloid present in Peganum harmala with a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities, has been shown to exert strong inhibition against acetylcholinesterase in vitro . However, whether it can rescue the impaired cognition has not been elucidated yet. In current study, we examined its effects on scopolamine-induced memory impairment mice and APP/PS1 transgenic mice, one of the models for Alzheimer's disease, using Morris Water Maze test. In addition, whether harmine could penetrate blood brain barrier, interact with and inhibit acetylcholinesterase, and activate downstream signaling network was also investigated. Our results showed that harmine (20 mg/kg) administered by oral gavage for 2 weeks could effectively enhance the spatial cognition of C57BL/6 mice impaired by intraperitoneal injection of scopolamine (1 mg/kg). Meanwhile, long-term consumption of harmine (20 mg/kg) for 10 weeks also slightly benefited the impaired memory of APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, harmine could pass through blood brain barrier, penetrate into the brain parenchyma shortly after oral administration, and modulate the expression of Egr-1, c-Jun and c-Fos. Molecular docking assay disclosed that harmine molecule could directly dock into the catalytic active site of acetylcholinesterase, which was partially confirmed by its in vivo inhibitory activity on acetylcholinesterase. Taken together, all these results suggested that harmine could ameliorate impaired memory by enhancement of cholinergic neurotransmission via inhibiting the activity of acetylcholinesterase, which may contribute to its clinical use in the therapy of neurological diseases characterized with acetylcholinesterase deficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radiation induced deterioration in the performance of lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can result in functional failures of electronic devices in modern electronic systems. The stability of the Li-ion battery under a radiation environment is of crucial importance. In this work, the surface morphology of the cathode material of a commercial Li-ion battery before and after neutron and gamma ray irradiation was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). We found growth in the particle size of the cathode material in the range of 36–45% as a result of the irradiation. In addition, X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed a disordering of the crystal structure occurring in the post-irradiation sample. All of these led to a 8.4% capacity loss of the battery for the maximum received irradiation dose (2.744 Mrad) at post-irradiation. The effects of the radiation on the Li-ion battery are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production to 1.7 times from WAS, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%. • Lignin was beneficial to the solubilization process, which may be related to its hydrophobic properties. • Lignin enhanced the SCFAs production bio-processes and inhibited the SCFAs consumption bio-processes. • The abundance of microorganisms related to acid production in fermenter with lignin increased. Lignin, a biological resource with great potential, can be as high as ∼16% of the total organics in the waste activated sludge (WAS). This work therefore aims to fill the knowledge gap about the effect of lignin on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production from anaerobic fermentation of sludge. Experimental results showed that lignin promoted rather than inhibited SCFAs production. Specifically, the presence of 15% lignin promoted the SCFAs production from 129.1 ± 6.5 to 223.14 ± 7.8 mg COD/g VSS compared with the control, and the proportion of acetic increased by 61.8%, while that of propionic decreased by 44.9%. Mechanism exploration revealed that lignin improved the solubilization of biodegradable substrates due to its hydrophobic characteristics. In addition, lignin enhanced the acidogenesis process, possibly by perfecting the electron transfer chain in the fermentation system, and the quinone structure in lignin may compete electrons with methanogens to inhibit the consumption of SCFAs. Microbiological analysis showed that the abundance of microorganisms related to acidogenesi, especially the acetogenesis, including Proteiniclasticum sp., Acetoanaerobium sp., in the fermenter with lignin increased, which caused the community to shift towards specialized and diverse SCFAs production. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A magnetic copper ferrite and biochar composite (CuFe2O4@BC) catalyst was prepared by an improved sol-gel calcination method and initially used for the removal of antibiotics ciprofloxacin (CIP) by activated peroxymonosulfate (PMS). Using CuFe2O4@BC as the activator, 97.8% CIP removal efficiency could be achieved in 30 min. After a continuous degradation cycle, CuFe2O4@BC catalyst still exhibited great stability and repeatability and could also be quickly recovered by an external magnetic field. Meanwhile, the CuFe2O4@BC/PMS system presented good stability for metal ion leaching, which was far less than the leaching of metal ions in the CuFe2O4/PMS system. Moreover, the effects of various influencing factors, such as initial solution pH, activator loading, PMS dosage, reaction temperature, humic acid (HA), and the inorganic anions were explored. The quenching experiments and the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) analysis manifested that hydroxyl radical (•OH), sulfate radical (SO4•−), superoxide radical (O2•−), and singlet oxygen (1O2) were generated in the CuFe2O4@BC/PMS system, while 1O2 and O2•− are mainly involved in the degradation process. The synergistic effect between CuFe2O4 and BC enhanced the structural stability and electrical conductivity of the material, which promoted the bonding between the catalyst and PMS, resulting in the enhanced catalytic activity of CuFe2O4@BC. This indicates that CuFe2O4@BC activating PMS is a promising remediation technique for CIP-contaminated water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel series of dendritic phthalocyanine-single-wall carbon nanotube nanoconjugates, zinc (II) phthalocyanine bearing poly (aryl benzyl ether) dendritic substituents covalently linked with single-wall carbon nanotubes through either ethylenediamine or hexamethylenediamine as the spacer linker, were prepared. The structures and morphologies of the dendritic phthalocyanine-single-wall carbon nanotube nanoconjugates were characterized by IR, Raman spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis methods. The photophysical properties of the nanoconjugates were studied by steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The intramolecular electron transfer occurred from phthalocyanine (donor) to the carbon nanotubes (acceptor) by a photoinduced process. The electron transfer exchange rate constant and the electron transfer efficacy between the dendritic phthalocyanine and single-wall carbon nanotubes increased with decreasing length of spacer linker. These novel nanoconjugates were fundamentally important due to the synergy effects of carbon nanotubes and dendritic zinc phthalocyanine, which may find potential application as biological labels. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A composite of gold nanoparticles loaded on a layered double hydroxide (AuNPs-LDH) was prepared by in situ reduction method, and its adsorption for hemoglobin (Hb), bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme (LYZ) were investigated. The results show that AuNPs-LDH composite exhibits the different adsorption capacities, and a significantly higher adsorption for Hb was observed. The effects of concentration, pH, and ionic strength of the protein solution on adsorption were examined. The pseudo second order kinetic model was used to simulate the adsorption process of Hb onto the AuNPs-LDH composite. Furthermore, the AuNPs-LDH composite does not deactivate during the adsorption process, and can be easily separated from the reaction system. The results indicate that AuNPs-LDH can be used as an attractive regenerative and recyclable adsorbent for protein. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Tetracycline (TC), a widely used antibiotic, was enriched in waste activated sludge (WAS) at significant levels. However, the TC impact on WAS anaerobic fermentation are still poorly understood. This work aims to analyze the effect of TC to the WAS anaerobic fermentation by investigating the differences of sludge properties, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) production and microbial community abundance. The results showed that the environmental level of TC had no effect on the SCFAs production, but with the further increase of the content of TC to 60 mg/kg TSS, the maximum SCFAs yield decreased from 125.1 ± 3.2 to 90.8 ± 1.7 mg COD/g VSS. Mechanism exploration indicated that TC had no significant effect on solubilization, hydrolysis and homoacetogenesis processes, but severely inhibited acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis processes. Microbial analysis showed that the presence of TC reduced the diversity of microbial communities and the abundance of functional microorganisms relevant to SCFAs production and complex organic degradation, such as Proteiniclasticun and Novosphingobium. This negative effect was persistent because only a small amount of TC can be degraded in the anaerobic fermentation process. Hence, CaO 2 was proposed and studied as a regulation strategy that can reduce the toxicity of TC on anaerobic fermentation. [Display omitted] • When the TC level were 5, 30 and 60 mg/kg TSS, the SCFAs production decreased by 11.0%, 18.2%, and 27.4%, respectively. • TC severely inhibited acidogenesis, acetogenesis and methanogenesis processes. • The most of TC was stuck after anaerobic fermentation of WAS. • CaO 2 improved the SCFAs production by degrading TC and disintegrating sludge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The reflux ratio of 20% digestion liquid increased the methane production from WAS by 1.6 times. • The digestion liquid promoted the decomposition of WAS and improved the biochemical methane potential. • Ammonium and metal ions increase methane production by promoting WAS solubilization or activating enzyme expression. • The refractory organics reduced methane yield through suppressing the bio-processes. This work proved an efficient method to significantly increase methane production from anaerobic digestion of WAS. This method is to reflux proper of digestion liquid into waste activated sludge pretreatment unit (pH 9.5 for 24 h). The yield of maximum methane improved between 174.2 ± 7.3 and 282.5 ± 14.1 mL/g VSS with the reflux ratio of digestion liquid increasing from 0% to 20%. It was observed that the biodegradable organics in the digestion liquid did not affect the biological processes related to anaerobic digestion but increased methane production through reutilization. The ammonium in the digestion liquid was the main contributor to the increase in methane production via promoting sludge solubilization, but refractory organics were the major inhibitors to anaerobic digestion. It should be emphasized that the metal ions present in the digestion liquid were beneficial rather than harmful to the biological processes in the anaerobic digestion, which may be connected with the fact that certain metal ions were involved in the expression and activation of key enzymes. In addition, it was found that anaerobes in digestion liquid were another potential contributor to the enhanced anaerobic digestion. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyethylene (PE) microplastic, which is detected in various environmental media worldwide, also inevitably enters wastewater treatment plants, which may have an impact on anaerobic processes in wastewater treatment. In this work, the effect of PE microplastics on anaerobic sulfur transformation was explored. Experimental results showed that PE microplastics addition at 0.1%− 0.5% w/w promoted H 2 S production by 14.8%−27.4%. PE microplastics enhanced the release of soluble organic sulfur and inorganic sulfate, and promoted the bioprocesses of organosulfur compounds hydrolysis and sulfate reduction. Mechanism analysis showed that PE microplastics increased the content of electroactive components (e.g., protein and humic acids) contained in extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). In particular, PE microplastics increased the proportion and the dipole moment of α-helix, an important component involved in electron transfer contained in extracelluar protein, which provided more electron transfer sites and promoted the α-helix mediated electron transfer. These enhanced the direct electron transfer ability of EPSs, which might explain why PE microplastics facilitated the bioprocesses of organosulfur compounds hydrolysis and sulfate reduction. Correspondingly, metagenomic analysis revealed that PE microplastics increased the relative abundance of S2- producers (e.g., Desulfobacula and Desulfonema) and the relative abundance of functional genes involved in anaerobic sulfur transformation (e.g., PepD and cysD), which were beneficial to H 2 S production in anaerobic system. [Display omitted] • PE-MPs increased H 2 S production from WAS anaerobic treatment. • PE microplastics accelerate transformation of sulfur in gas-liquid and solid phases. • The presence of PE-MPs enhanced the direct electron transfer ability of EPSs. • PE-MPs increased the relative abundance of S2- producers and functional genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An improved detection and identification strategy was developed for untargeted metabolomics based on UPLC-MS. • Fragment simulation and MS/MS library search were proposed to annotate metabolites based on different databases. • Identification was comprehensively evaluated based on the rationality of fragmentation, biological sources and functions. Untargeted metabolomics provides a comprehensive investigation of metabolites and enables the discovery of biomarkers. Improvements in sample preparation, chromatographic separation and raw data processing procedure greatly enhance the metabolome coverage. In addition, database-dependent software identification is also essential, upon which enhances the identification confidence and benefits downstream biological analysis. Herein, we developed an improved detection and identification strategy for untargeted metabolomics based on UPLC-MS. In this work, sample preparation was optimized by considering chemical properties of different metabolites. Chromatographic separation was done by two different columns and MS detection was performed under positive and negative ion modes regarding to the different polarities of metabolites. According to the characteristics of the collected data, an improved identification and evaluation strategy was developed involving fragment simulation and MS/MS library search based on two commonly used databases, HMDB and METLIN. Such combination integrated information from different databases and was aimed to enhance identification confidence by considering the rationality of fragmentation, biological sources and functions comprehensively. In addition, decision tree analysis and lab-developed database were also introduced to assist the data processing and enhance the identification confidence. Finally, the feasibility of the developed strategy was validated by liver samples of obesity mice and controls. 238 metabolites were accurately detected, which was beneficial for the subsequent biomarker discovery and downstream pathway analysis. Therefore, the developed strategy remarkably facilitated the identification accuracy and the confirmation of metabolites in untargeted metabolomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The effect of silica source on the physicochemical and catalytic properties of Cu-SSZ-13 is essentially investigated. • For the Cu-SSZ-13 prepared by using TEOS, the low-temperature (< 200 °C) catalytic activity shows obvious advantages. • Silica sol is more suitable as silica source to increase hydrothermal stability of Cu-SSZ-13 for NO-SCR. In this work, we report the synthesis of crystalline Cu-SSZ-13 catalyst by using different silica sources, including colloidal silica (silica sol), gelatinous silica (silica gel) and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). These samples were characterized by various techniques (SEM, XRD, BET, ICP-OES, H 2 -TPR, NH 3 -TPD, XAFS). The sample prepared by using silica sol exhibited regular morphology and uniform particle dispersions. The results also showed that different acidities and Cu ions distributions were present on these Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts. The various silica sources affected the physicochemical properties and subsequent catalytic performances in the selective catalytic reduction of NO by NH 3 (NO-SCR). Cu-SSZ-13 from TEOS showed obvious advantage for the catalytic activity at low-temperature region (< 200 °C). However, Cu-SSZ-13 from silica gel performed superior overall catalytic activity (200–600 °C) in the three samples. Furthermore, Cu-SSZ-13 from silica sol displayed superior hydrothermal stability after the same hydrothermal treatment for the three samples, despite of the similar movement of Cu2+ ions under aging process. Thus, the choice of silica sol as precursor source is more profitable for synthesis of Cu-SSZ-13. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the poor biodegradability of released organics and the rapid consumption of hydrogen, hydrogen production from the untreated waste activated sludge (WAS) and/or inocula is still limited. In this study, it was found that the dark fermentative hydrogen production was largely enhanced from WAS pretreated by freezing in the presence of nitrite. With an increase of nitrite addition from 100 to 400 mg NO 2 −-N/L during freezing pretreatment (−5 °C for 4 h), the maximal hydrogen yield increased from 7.96 to 19.40 mL/g VS (volatile solids), which was 5.5–13.4 times of that in the control (without freezing and nitrite addition). Mechanism explorations revealed that the proposed pretreatment not only accelerated the disintegration of sludge but also promoted the proportion of biodegradable organics released, thereby provided more bio-available substrates for subsequent hydrogen production. Proposed pretreatment severely suppressed the sludge microorganisms responding to homoacetogenesis (−32.1%), methanogenesis (−58.4%), and sulfate-reducing process (−51.5%), inhibited the consumption of hydrogen. Moreover, there was more acetic and butyric (76% versus 57.5%) but less propionic acid (22.6% versus 13.4%) in this pretreated fermenter, which was in correspondence with the theory of fermentation type affecting hydrogen production. Long-term fermentation experiments indicated that the proposed pretreatment boosted the [FeFe]-hydrogenase activities while suppressed the activities of carbon monoxide dehydrogenase, coenzyme F420, and adenylyl sulfate reductase. Image 1 • FNP enhanced dark fermentative hydrogen production from WAS by 5.5–13.4 times. • FNP accelerated sludge disintegration and promoted organics biodegradability. • FNP suppressed the hydrogen-consuming bacteria by 32.1–58.4%. • FNP induced the shift of fermentation to butyrate-type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent investigations verified that calcium peroxide (CaO 2) could be used to pretreat waste activated sludge to promote methane yield from anaerobic digestion. However, the underlying mechanism of how CaO 2 pretreatment promotes methane production is unclear. This work therefore aims to provide insights into such systems. Experimental results showed that with an increase of CaO 2 dosage from 0 to 0.14 g/g VSS (volatile suspended solids) the methane yield increased linearly from 146.3 to 215.9 mL/g VSS. Further increases of CaO 2 resulted in decreases in methane yield. CaO 2 pretreatment promoted the disintegration of sludge and the degradation of sludge recalcitrant organics (especially humus and lignocellulose), thereby providing more substrates for subsequent methane production. Ultraviolet absorption spectroscopy indicated that CaO 2 enhanced the cleavage of unsaturated conjugated bonds and reduced the aromaticity of humus and lignocellulose. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that CaO 2 changed the structures and functional groups of humus and lignocellulose, making them transform to be biodegradable. GC/MS analyses exhibited that the degradation products of humus and lignocellulose included several types of small molecular organics such as ester-like, acid-like, and alcohol-like substances. Further investigation demonstrated that substantial methane could be produced from these degradation products. It was also found that the presence of recalcitrant organics was detrimental to anaerobes relevant to anaerobic digestion, and the degradation of such recalcitrant organics mitigated their inhibitions to the anaerobes. Model-based analysis suggested that CaO 2 pretreatment increased the maximum methane yield and methane production rate, which were consistent with the analysis above. Image 1 • Pretreatment with 0.14 g/g VSS CaO 2 increased methane yield to 1.3 times from WAS. • CaO 2 pretreatment promoted the degradation of humus and lignocellulose. • CaO 2 could mitigate inhibitions of recalcitrant organics to the anaerobes. • The CaO2 reaction residues inhibited all the microbes relevant to anaerobic digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemp seeds are consumed in "Bama longevity villages" in China and are believed to contribute to the locals' longevity. However, the molecular breeding of hemp seeds is limited due to our lack of understanding of molecular regulation and metabolite accumulation at different maturity stages. Here, we conducted metabolomic and transcriptomic analyses of hemp seeds from the Bama region at four maturity stages (S1 to S4). In total, 1231 metabolites of 11 classes were detected in hemp seeds from S1–S4, including 233 flavonoids, 214 phenolic acids, 159 lipids, 118 amino acids and derivatives, 100 alkaloids, 100 organic acids, 71 nucleotides and derivatives, 43 lignans and coumarins, 14 terpenoids, 13 tannins, and 166 others. The metabolomic analysis of hemp seeds (from the Bama region) revealed a higher number of flavonoid metabolites compared with seven other varieties from other regions in China. Hemp seeds are rich in metabolites like cannflavin, trigonelline, citric acid, vitexin, choline alfoscerate, and choline, which may potentially contribute to the longevity of the Bama people. Through transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses, a gradual decrease in the overall expression pattern of genes and metabolite accumulation was observed during seed maturation. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis revealed that two genes (ncbi_115696993 and ncbi_115706674) are involved in regulating main metabolites, while transcription factor association analysis revealed that three transcription factor genes (MYB, NAC, and GRAS) are also involved in regulating the metabolites. The expression pattern of these five candidate genes was further verified by qPCR. Our study provides valuable insights into the metabolic substances during seed maturation and identifies candidate genes that could be utilized for future genetic engineering to enhance the endogenous biosynthesis of health-promoting metabolites in hemp seeds, potentially leading to improved nutritional and medicinal properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rationale: Exploring the formation mechanism of the exceptional adducts of alkoxides with Ru(II)–arene cations in alkyl alcohol solution using electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI‐MS) is crucial for further understanding the physicochemical properties of Ru(II)–arene complexes in solution. Methods: All mass spectra were collected with an AB SCIEX TripleTOF 5600+ mass spectrometer in positive mode. Theoretical calculations were carried out using the density functional theory method at the B3LYP level with a hybrid basis set consisting of 6‐31G(d,p) and LanL2DZ in the Gaussian 03 program. Results: When ruthenated [15]paracyclophanes (Ru‐[15]PCPs) and Ru(II)–arene dimers were dissolved in alkyl alcohol solvents, the adducts of alkoxides with Ru(II)–arene cations were observed under positive ion mode ESI‐MS, which resulted from the coordination of alkyl alcohol molecules with the Ru(II)–arene cations followed by the deprotonation of O‐H bonds of the coordinated alcohols. Furthermore, the number of alkoxides binding to Ru‐[15]PCPs was regulated by the number of ruthenium atoms. Attributed to good solubility and small steric hindrance, the signal intensity of the adducts of methoxides with Ru(II)–arene cations was the strongest among the three alkyl alcohols used in this study. Conclusions: The characteristic adducts of alkoxides with Ru(II)–arene cations were pervasively present in positive ion mode ESI‐MS of nine Ru(II)–arene complexes dissolved in alkyl alcohol solvents. Taking into consideration the solubility and signal response, methanol is the most suitable solvent for the ESI‐MS experiments with Ru(II)–arene complexes among the solvents studied, where almost only the diagnostic adducts of methoxides with Ru(II)–arene cations are present. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surface and interfacial properties of bisquaternary ammonium salts (16−4−16), sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS), and their mixture were investigated. Moreover, the effects of adsorption on the crude oil/water interfacial tension (IFT) of the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture were examined. Finally, the wettability alternation, oil film peeling-off performance, and core flooding were used to evaluate the enhanced oil recovery of the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture. Results show that the cationic Gemini surfactant 16–4–16 exhibits a strong synergistic effect with SDBS in surface/interfacial activity. At α SDBS = 0.66, the CMC value of the SDBS/16–4–16 mixtures reaches the lowest (0.016 mmol/L), and the interaction parameter (β m) exhibits a minimal value (−11.47), indicating a strong attraction between the cationic and anionic surfactants. When α SDBS is between 0.2 and 0.7, the diesel/water IFT is reduced below 10−2 mN/m, and the IFT shows little relationship with the mixing ratio. For crude oil, when α SDBS is equal to 0.4 and 0.5, the SDBS/16–4–16 mixtures can also reduce the crude oil/water IFT to ultra-low (<10−2 mN/m). When the mineralization is between 5000 mg/L and 20,000 mg/L, the IFT of crude oil/water can be reduced to 3.3 × 10−3 mN/m. Adsorption time, temperature, and liquid-solid ratio have less effect on the IFT of the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture (α SDBS = 0.4) than cationic surfactant 16–4–16. As static adsorption time increases to 24 h, the IFT of the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture only increases from 3.13 × 10−3 mN/m to 4.58 × 10−3 mN/m, while 16–4–16 increases the IFT from 0.121 mN/m to 0.202 mN/m. Furthermore, the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture takes only 10 min to reach dynamic adsorption equilibrium, shorter than the two pure components. The ability of the SDBS/16–4–16 mixtures to reduce the contact angle on the lipophilic glass surface and the oil film peeling-off performance is significantly superior to 16–4–16 and SDBS. As low as 0.1 mmol/L, the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture (α SDBS = 0.4) can reduce the contact angle of oil-wet glass surface from 107° to 46°, while 16–4–16 reduces it to 68° and SDBS to 79°. Eventually, the SDBS/16–4–16 mixture (α SDBS = 0.4) shows excellent performance in the core flooding experiments. The SDBS/16–4–16 mixture could improve crude oil recovery by 26.2%, demonstrating great potential in EOR. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to obtain a constitutive model of cement-based material in the rheological stage, which owns the different water-cement ratio (w/c) and temperature and have a significant impact on the workability of concrete materials. Design/methodology/approach: It is introduced a modified Arrhenius equation into the Herschel–Bulkley model, which is widely applied in rheological analysis and constructed an ordinary differential equation (ODE) of w/c from the Navier–Stokes equation. By solving the ODE, an approximate constitutive relation of cement-based materials included w/c and temperature is derived. Compared with the experimental results, the present model is validated. Findings: The shear stress and shear rate curves with different w/c and temperature are simulated by the present method, and the present model can be applied to analyze the changes of apparent viscosity in cement-based material slurry as the w/c and temperature varying. Originality/value: This work gives a mathematical model, which can effectively approximate the shear stress–shear rate relation with different w/c and temperature in the rheological stage of cement-based material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the status of anxiety, depression, and psychological resilience among individuals with COVID‐19, and their interrelationships to provide a scientific basis for developing psychological intervention strategies for these patients. Methods: A total of 126 patients with COVID‐19 who were admitted to Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital were recruited in this study. A comprehensive survey was conducted using a general information questionnaire, the Self‐Rating Anxiety Scale, the self‐rating depression scale, and the Chinese version of the psychological Connor–Davidson resilience scale; a questionnaire‐based survey was conducted. Results: Significant differences in anxiety scores were observed among COVID‐19 patients with different education levels and the number of immediate family members. The differences in depression scores were noted among patients of different age groups, and marital statuses were also significant. The total psychological resilience score and the scores of all dimensions are negatively correlated with anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the patient's gender, the number of immediate family members, and the psychological resilience dimensions are associated with the severity anxiety of patients. Patient age and psychological resilience are associated with the depression level of patients. Conclusion: Patients with COVID‐19 exhibit elevated levels of both anxiety and depression. Notably, psychological resilience emerges as a protective factor against the development of anxiety and depression. COVID‐19 patients have higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. Life conditions of COVID‐19 patients are related to anxiety and depression symptoms. Psychological resilience prevent the anxiety and depression symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strain Hhs.015, a PGPR strain well‐studied for biocontrol of apple Valsa canker, was isolated from cucumber roots and classified as a new species of Saccharothrix yanglingensis. Hhs.015 was able to colonize apple tissue culture seedlings and trigger disease resistance. According to the whole‐genome sequence of S. yanglingensis Hhs.015, its secreted proteins were predicted and analysed, which can help to find out Hhs.015 functional substances that are involved in inducing plant system resistance and also the molecular mechanisms of the interaction between Hhs.015 and the host plants. Using the software SignalP4.1, TMHMM2.0, DAS‐TMfilter, HMMTOP, ScanProsite, PSORT and big‐PI predictor, 7,379 ORFs of the genome of S. yanglingensis Hhs.015 were predicted and analysed. Moreover, the function of ORFs where the signal peptides come from was predicted by Swissprot database. The selected proteins were obtained by prokaryotic expression. Their effects in inducing plant resistance to the pathogen Valsa mali, resistance‐related enzyme activity and growth promotion analysis were evaluated. In total, 158 ORFs with known function, such as serine proteinase and transpeptidase, were identified; the remaining 142 ORFs were function‐unknown putative proteins. Five putative proteins were successfully obtained by prokaryotic expression, and the results showed that the protein named 5620g could enhance the plant disease resistance to the pathogen V. mali, inhibit the expansion of lesions and upregulate the defence‐related enzyme activity. The protein named 3176g could prolongate cucumber root. In conclusion, biocontrol strain Hhs.015 may secrete protein elicitors to improve plant resistance to the pathogenic microorganism and promote the growth of host plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal sludge biochar (MSBC) can be used to absorb phosphorus in water for waste treatment. Nano-zero-valent zinc (nZVZ) was uniformly attached to MSBC to obtain a highly efficient phosphorus-absorbing composite material, nZVZ–MSBC. Characterization by FTIR, XPS, XRD, and BET showed that nZVZ was uniformly dispersed on the surface of the MSBC. Zinc loading was able to greatly improve the adsorption performance of MSBC for phosphorus. Adsorption experiments illustrated that the adsorption process conformed to the Langmuir model, and the maximum adsorption amount was 186.5 mg/g, which is much higher than that for other municipal sludge biochars. The adsorption process reached 80% of the maximum adsorption capacity at 90 min, and this gradually stabilized after 240 min; adsorption equilibrium was reached within 24 h. The optimum pH for adsorption was 5. The main adsorption mechanism was chemical adsorption, but physical adsorption, external diffusion, internal diffusion, and surface adsorption also played roles. The potential for application as an efficient adsorbent of phosphorus from water was confirmed. In addition, a novel strategy for municipal sludge disposal and resource utilization is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of efficient and cheap electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) plays a key role for renewable energy technologies such as fuel cells and metal–air batteries. Using a simple and effective route, electronically conductive acetylene black (AB) was deliberately introduced into Fe3O4/HCS-600 with enough ORR active sites to be used as an ORR catalyst. The good homogenization of the electron conductor AB and the high intimate contact of Fe3O4/HCS-600 and AB in the composite catalyst provide the possibility of facile electron accessibility. The resulting composite catalyst exhibited a high and stable electrocatalytic activity for the ORR, which is better than Fe3O4/HCS-600 or AB alone. These features may offer potential for the development of efficient ORR catalysts with low cost for alkaline fuel cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Rhamnolipid significantly increased H 2 S production from sludge fermentation. • Rhamnolipid increased the release of organic sulfurs and inorganic sulfate. • The added and in situ generated rhamnolipid damaged the structure of organic sulfurs. • Rhamnolipid promoted H 2 S production from the hydrolysis of organic sulfurs. • Rhamnolipid facilitated H 2 S production from dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Rhamnolipid (RL), one representative biosurfactant, is widely regarded as an economically feasible and environmentally beneficial additive to improve fermentation efficiency and resource recovery from waste activated sludge (WAS). However, its potentially detrimental impact on WAS fermentation such as H 2 S generation was overlooked previously. This study therefore aims to fill the gap through exploring whether and how the presence of RL affects H 2 S generation from WAS anaerobic fermentation. Experimental results showed that when RL increased from 0 to 40 mg/g total suspended solids (TSS), the cumulative H 2 S yield enhanced from 323.6 × 10−4 to 620.3 × 10−4 mg/g volatile suspended solids (VSS). Mechanism analysis showed that RL reduced WAS surface tension, which benefited transformations of organic sulfurs (e.g., aliphatic-S and sulfoxide) and inorganic sulfate from solid to liquid phase. The presence of RL not only reduced the ratio of α-helix/(β-sheet + random coil) and damaged the hydrogen bonding networks of organic sulfurs but also promoted substrate surface charges and cell membrane permeability. These facilitated the contact between hydrolase and organic sulfurs, thereby increasing sulfide production from organic sulfurs hydrolysis. Further investigations showed that RL promoted the expression of key genes (e.g., aprA/B and dsrA/B) involved in the dissimilatory sulfate reduction, which accelerated the reaction of adenosine 5'-phosphosulfate (APS) → sulfite → sulfide. Meanwhile, RL inhibited the corresponding key genes such as CysH , and Sir , responsible for assimilatory sulfate reduction (APS → 3'-phosphoadenosine-5'phosphosulfate → organosulfur), which reduced substrate competition in favor of H 2 S production from dissimilatory sulfate reduction. Besides, RL decreased the fermentation pH, which benefited the transformation of H S − to H 2 S. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Complex diseases, such as cancer, are often associated with aberrant gene expression at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level. Over the past several years, competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) have emerged as an important class of post-transcriptional regulators that alter gene expression through a miRNA-mediated mechanism. Recent studies in both solid tumors and hematopoietic malignancies showed that ceRNAs have significant roles in cancer pathogenesis by altering the expression of key tumorigenic or tumor-suppressive genes. Characterizing the identity, function, and mechanism of the ceRNAs will not only further our fundamental understanding of RNA-mediated cancer pathogenesis, but may also shed light on the development of new RNA-based therapeutic strategies for treating cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Extended-spectrum- β -lactamases (ESBLs)-producing Escherichia coli conferred resistance to most β -lactams, except for carbapenems. To date, the transmission mechanism of bla CTX-M , as the most common ESBLs subtype, in E. coli has received sustained attention around the worldwide, but the research on the pathogenicity of bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli is still scarce. The aims of this study were to discern the spread characteristics of ColV (encoding colicin V) plasmids in bla CTX-M -positive E. coli. The multi-drug resistance traits, phylogroups, and ColV plasmid profilings were screened in 76 bla CTX-M -positive E. coli. Thereafter, the genetic profiles of E. coli G12 and GZM7 were determined by whole genome sequencing, conjugation and S1-pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The median lethal dose was analyzed in E. coli G12 and TG12A, the ColV-plasmid transconjugant of G12. Of all 76 bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli , 67.11% exhibited resistance to at least 2 drugs in addition to ceftiofur, 14.47% carried ColV-positive plasmids, and 53.95% were phylogroup C. Further studies demonstrated that the bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli G12 was assigned to the predominant lineage O78:H4-ST117 of phylogroup G. In addition, its ColV-positive plasmid simultaneously carried multiple resistance genes, and could be independently transferred to confer partial pathogenicity on its host by plasmid mating. E. coli GZM7 was O53:H9-ST23 of phylogroup C, which belonged to another representative lineage of APEC (avian pathogenic E. coli). Its ColV-positive plasmid could complete conjugation with the help of the other coexisting-resistance conjugative plasmid, although it failed to transfer alone. Our findings highlight the flexibly horizontal transfer of ColV plasmids along with multidrug-resistant genes among bla CTX-M -bearing E. coli poses a threat to poultry health and food safety, which contributes to elucidate the concept of "One Health" and deserves particular concern. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Gut microbiota from MDD patients transmits depressive behavior to ABX-treated mice. • MDD microbiota disrupts hippocampal neurogenesis in recipient mice. • Bacteroides species differentially impact susceptibility to stress-induced depression. • B. uniformis, B. fragilis and B. caccae impair hippocampal neurogenesis. • Hippocampal serotonin levels are depleted by B. uniformis , B. fragilis or B. caccae. Gut microbiome disturbances have been widely implicated in major depressive disorder (MDD), although the identity of causal microbial species and the underlying mechanisms are yet to be fully elucidated. Here we show that Bacteroides species enriched in the gut microbiome from MDD patients differentially impact the susceptibility to depressive behaviors. Transplantation of fecal microbiome from MDD patients into antibiotic-treated mice induced anxiety and despair-like behavior and impaired hippocampal neurogenesis. Colonization of Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides uniformis , and, to a lesser extent, Bacteroides caccae, but not Bacteroides ovatus, recapitulated the negative effects of MDD microbiome on behavior and neurogenesis. The varying impacts of Bacteroides species were partially explained by differential alternations of tryptophan pathway metabolites and neurotransmitters along the gut-brain axis. Notably, an intensified depletion of cerebral serotonin concurred with the enhanced susceptibility to depression. Together, these findings identify select Bacteroidetes species that contribute to depression susceptibility in mice by metabolic regulation along the gut-brain axis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnO is a common corrosion product of Zn that may affect the corrosion behavior of Zn/CS in zinc-iron corrosion protection systems. This work is to elucidate the microscopic mechanisms underlying the corrosion promoting effects of ZnO on Zn /CS based on density functional theory. The charge conduction behavior between ZnO and metal contact interface is described. Namely, electrons can be continuously gained, rapidly consumed and conducted to support the cathodic reaction during corrosion, due to the oxygen reduction reactivity of ZnO. The results are conducive to enriching the theory of Zn used as sacrificial anode for corrosion protection. • Effect of ZnO product on zinc-iron corrosion protection system was explained. • First-principles calculation results elaborated on the electron transfer process. • Electrons was inclined to migrate from Zn/Cs to ZnO at the contact interface. • Oxygen reduction activity of ZnO ensured the continuous electronic conduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As an important part of face recognition, facial image segmentation has become a focus of human feature detection. In this paper, the AdaBoost algorithm and the Gabor texture analysis algorithm are used to segment an image containing multiple faces, which effectively reduces the false detection rate of facial image segmentation. In facial image segmentation, the image containing face information is first analyzed for texture using the Gabor algorithm, and appropriate thresholds are set with different thresholds of skin-like areas, where skin-like areas in the image's background information are removed. Then, the AdaBoost algorithm is used to detect face regions, and finally, the detected face regions are segmented. Experiments show that this method can quickly and accurately segment faces in an image and effectively reduce the rate of missed and false detections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Many traditional Chinese medicine components are poorly absorptive. • A workflow is established to characterize their metabolites. • Here, we studied ginkgo biloba extract (GBE) constituents and metabolites as model. • Intestinal Mucosal Metabolites-guided Detection (IMMD) was developed. • Sensitive detection of trace-level GBE metabolome is enabled by IMMD. The characterization of metabolome for poorly absorptive natural medicines is challenging. Previous identification strategy often relies on nontargeted scanning biological samples from animals administered with natural medicines in a data-dependent acquisition (DDA) mode by LC–MS/MS. Substances that displayed significant increases following drug administration are thus assigned as potential metabolites. The accurate m/z of precursors and the corresponding MS/MS fragment ions are used to match with herbal ingredients and to infer possible metabolic reactions. Nevertheless, the low concentration of these metabolites within complex biological matrices has often hampered the detection. Herein we developed a strategy termed intestinal mucosal metabolome-guided detection (IMMD) to tackle this challenge using ginkgo biloba (GBE) as an example. The rationale is that poorly absorptive natural products are usually concentrated and extensively metabolized by enterocytes before they enter the blood stream and distribute to other organs. Therefore, we firstly identified the metabolites from intestinal mucosa of GBE-treated rats, and then used the identified intestinal mucosal GBE metabolome as targeted repository for MRM analysis. The presences of these metabolites were subsequently examined in rat plasma, liver and brain. The resultant GBE metabolome showed significantly improved coverage with 39, 45 and 6 metabolites identified in plasma, liver and brain compared to 22, 16 and 0 metabolites from the corresponding regions via the DDA-based strategy. In addition, we integrated the previously reported nontargeted diagnostic ion network analysis to facilitate the characterization of GBE components, and a chemicalome-metabolome matching approach (CMMA) to assist the identity assignment of GBE metabolome with IMMD. Combinatorially, we establish a multi-faceted platform to streamline the workflow of metabolome characterization for herbal medicines of low bioavailability. The metabolome information is expected to shed light on the elucidation of metabolic pathways for natural products, and the underlying mechanisms of their biological efficacies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]