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Both large spontaneous polarization and high breakdown strength are necessary to achieve high recoverable energy density in capacitors. Unfortunately, there is a trade-off between them within the homogeneous medium. Therefore, a sandwich structure with a high polarization layer was designed in the Aurivillius phase lead-free film to address this issue. This strategy can effectively enhance the polarization capability by introducing a highly spontaneous polarization layer and also improve the breakdown strength by reducing the leakage current caused by interfacial barriers and grain refinement. Benefiting from the synergistic effects, a high energy density of 50.4 J / cm 3 with a high efficiency of 76.6% in the sandwich-structure thin film capacitors were achieved. In addition, the energy storage performance exhibits good wide frequency range and high-temperature stability. This approach is generally applicable to the design of other ferroelectrics and dielectrics promises high-performance energy storage capacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BackgroundThe availability of whole-genome sequencing data in large studies has enabled the assessment of coding and noncoding variants across the allele frequency spectrum for their associations with blood pressure.MethodsWe conducted a multiancestry whole-genome sequencing analysis of blood pressure among 51 456 Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine and Centers for Common Disease Genomics program participants (stage-1). Stage-2 analyses leveraged array data from UK Biobank (N=383 145), Million Veteran Program (N=318 891), and Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (N=10 643) participants, along with whole-exome sequencing data from UK Biobank (N=199 631) participants.ResultsTwo blood pressure signals achieved genome-wide significance in meta-analyses of stage-1 and stage-2 single variant findings (P

Jiaqi Meng,1 Weichang Yang,2 Ziyong Chen,1 Caixia Pei,1 Xinmin Peng,1 Can Li,1 Fengyuan Li1 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The First Hospital of Nanchang, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330008, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, 330006, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Can Li; Fengyuan Li, The First Hospital of Nanchang, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi, People’s Republic of China, Email 407329399@qq.com; lifengyuan@126.comPurpose: To investigate the value of apolipoprotein A1 (ApoA1), apolipoprotein B (ApoB), and ApoA1/B ratio in pathogenic diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) complicated by acute lower respiratory tract infection, assisting comprehensive disease assessment.Patients and Methods: The study enrolled 171 COPD patients with acute lower respiratory tract infections, 35 COPD patients without acute lower respiratory tract infections, and 41 healthy controls. Correlation analysis and binary logistic regression were used to assess the roles of various factors in COPD with acute lower respiratory tract infections. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were plotted and area under curves (AUC) values were calculated to evaluate the predictive performance.Results: Infections were the cause of alterations in ApoA1, ApoB and ApoA1/B index. In correlation analysis for pathogenic diagnosis of COPD complicated by acute lower respiratory infections, age, ApoA1, ApoA1/B ratio, lymphocyte count (LYMPH), neutrophil count (NEUT), C-reactive protein (CRP), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and endotoxin were significantly correlated. For predicting COPD complicated by acute lower respiratory tract bacterial infection, ApoA1 had the highest area under the ROC curve (AUC: 0.889), with sensitivity and specificity of 82.9% and 83.9%, respectively. The combination of NEUT and ApoA1 improved the prediction efficacy (AUC: 0.909; sensitivity/specificity: 85.1%/85.7%).Conclusion: ApoA1, ApoB, and ApoA1/B ratio are good indicators for predicting pathogens in COPD complicated by acute lower respiratory tract infection, especially ApoA1 which has high predictive value.Keywords: ApoA1, ApoB, ApoA1/B, COPD, Acute lower respiratory tract infection, pathogens

Genetic studies on telomere length are important for understanding age-related diseases. Prior GWAS for leukocyte TL have been limited to European and Asian populations. Here, we report the first sequencing-based association study for TL across ancestrally-diverse individuals (European, African, Asian and Hispanic/Latino) from the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. We used whole genome sequencing (WGS) of whole blood for variant genotype calling and the bioinformatic estimation of telomere length in n=109,122 individuals. We identified 59 sentinel variants (p-value

Abstract Advanced treated municipal wastewater is an important alternative water source for agricultural irrigation. However, the possible persistence of chemical and microbiological contaminants in these waters raise potential safety concerns with regard to reusing treated wastewater for food crop irrigation. Two low-cost and environmentally-friendly filter media, biochar (BC) and zero-valent iron (ZVI), have attracted great interest in terms of treating reused water. Here, we evaluated the efficacy of BC-, nanosilver-amended biochar- (Ag-BC) and ZVI-sand filters, in reducing contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and total bacterial diversity from wastewater effluent. Six experiments were conducted with control quartz sand and sand columns containing BC, Ag-BC, ZVI, BC with ZVI, or Ag-BC with ZVI. After filtration, Ag-BC, ZVI, BC with ZVI and Ag-BC with ZVI demonstrated more than 90% (> 1 log) removal of E. coli from wastewater samples, while BC, Ag-BC, BC with ZVI and Ag-BC with ZVI also demonstrated efficient removal of tested CECs. Lower bacterial diversity was also observed after filtration; however, differences were marginally significant. In addition, significantly (p

Song Deng,1,* Kaiwei Cai,1,* Chaoying Pei,1 Xingyuan Zhang,1 Xiaoyi Xiao,1 Ye Chen,1 Ying Chen,1 Rongyao Liang,1 Yanlong Chen,1 Pei Li,1 Zhiyong Xie,2 Qiongfeng Liao1 1School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Qiongfeng Liao, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 02039358081, Email zyfxliao@gzucm.edu.cn Zhiyong Xie, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510006, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 075523260207, Email xiezhy@mail.sysu.edu.cnPurpose: This study aimed to investigate the underlying treatment mechanism of Radix Astragali (RA) in hyperuricemia from the perspective of microbiota and metabolomics.Methods: We used potassium oxyazinate (PO) to induce hyperuricemia mice, and we determined serum alanine aminotransferase/aspartate aminotransferase (ALT/AST), xanthine oxidase (XOD), creatinine (CRE), uric acid (UA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels, liver XOD levels and assessed the kidney tissue histopathology. The therapeutic mechanism of RA in hyperuricemic mice was studied by 16S rRNA, metagenomic sequencing and metabolomics.Results: Our research showed that RA has therapeutic effect in hyperuricemia mice, such as slow the weight loss, repair kidney damage, and downregulate serum UA, XOD, CRE, ALT/AST, BUN, and liver XOD levels. RA restored the disturbance structure of the microbiota in hyperuricemia mice by increasing the relative abundances of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus murine) but decreasing the relative abundances of pathogenic bacteria (Prevotellaceae, Rikenellaceae and Bacteroidaceae). Meanwhile, we found that RA directly regulated the metabolic pathway (such as linoleic acid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism) and indirectly regulated bile acid metabolism by mediating microbiota to ameliorate metabolic disorders. Subsequently, there was a robust correlation between specific microbiota, metabolites and the disease index.Conclusion: The ability of RA to protect mice against hyperuricemia is strongly linked to the microbiome-metabolite axis, which would provide evidence for RA as a medicine to prevent or treat hyperuricemia.Graphical Abstract: Keywords: Radix Astragali, hyperuricemia, microbiota, metabolism, bile acid

The current study examined qualitative data from hospice clinicians' perspectives on language, surrounding end-of-life (EOL), to understand challenges and opportunities for constructing a trajectory of communication leading towards a good death experience. Findings from two focus groups with nine clinicians' and 12 individual interviews, four of which were follow up interviews after the focus groups, were guided by framework analysis and revealed three themes, constructing language choices, roles and responsibilities, and socio-cultural considerations. We used the Opportunity Model for Presence during the End-of-Life Process (OMP-EOLP) to make sense of the findings and discuss implications for language use throughout the EOL process. We argue additional efforts should be made in recognizing the value of presence checks, re-constructing advance care planning, and utilizing different forms of media as an educational tool and connection mechanism for clinicians with patients and families to achieve a timely engagement of EOL conversations for all healthcare participants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chenlin Pei, Yuelan Liu, Jingrui Huang Department of Obstetrics, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, Changsha, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jingrui Huang, Department of Obstetrics, Xiangya Hospital Central South University, 87 Xiangya Road, Changsha, 410008, People’s Republic of China, Email jingruihuang@hotmail.com; huangjingrui@csu.edu.cn

Bingjie Shen, Tianjia Guan, Xinyu Du, Chenyang Pei, Jinhong Zhao, Yuanli Liu School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuanli Liu, School of Health Policy and Management, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 46 Xizongbu Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100005, People’s Republic of China, Tel +86 13522592907, Fax +86 10 65105830, Email yliu@pumc.edu.cnPurpose: Previous studies suggested perceived social support has impact on medication adherence among hypertensive patients, but did not simultaneously elucidate the different contents or key providers of social support that patients perceived. This study was to identify the contents and providers of perceived social support beneficial for improving medication adherence among hypertensive patients in China, which could prove important for targeted interventions.Patients and Methods: Following a multi-stage stratified sampling framework, a total of 903 hypertensive patients from 12 primary health institutions across a middle-income city were recruited from April to June 2021. Medication adherence was measured using the Chinese version of the Morisky, Green and Levine scale; perceived social support was determined using the name generator method. A binary logistic regression model was performed to identify the association between medication adherence and perceived social support. The contents of support included informational, emotional, and instrumental support (finances and caregiving). The support providers included spouse/partner, children, parents, siblings, other relatives, and friends.Results: A total of 506 (56.04%) patients optimally adhered to their antihypertensive medication. Female, older, urban patients, patients with shorter duration of hypertension and antihypertensive medications used showed better adherence (P< 0.05). Optimal medication adherence was positively associated with the overall score of caregiving support (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.128; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.013– 1.257]), informational support from the spouse/partner (AOR = 1.574; 95% CI = [1.112– 2.227]), emotional support from the spouse/partner (AOR = 1.430; 95% CI = [1.032– 1.981]), financial support from the spouse/partner (AOR = 1.439; 95% CI = [1.069– 1.937]) and caregiving support from the spouse/partner (AOR = 1.652; 95% CI = [1.130– 2.414]), whereas optimal medication adherence was negatively associated with caregiving support from friends (AOR = 0.499; 95% CI = [0.286– 0.872]).Conclusion: Informational, emotional, financial and caregiving support from spouses/partners have positive impacts on optimal medication adherence of hypertensive patients of community-level. Community-based interventions designed to improve medication adherence of hypertensive patients should target both patients and their spouses/partners; spouses/partners could be encouraged to provide various support to improve the medication adherence of hypertensive patients.Keywords: medication adherence, perceived social support, spouse, hypertension, China

BACKGROUND Hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) is characterized by a persistent deficiency of sexual fantasies and desire for sexual activity, causing marked distress and interpersonal difficulty. It is the most prevalent female sexual health problem globally, affecting approximately 10% of women, but has limited treatment options. Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) agonists have emerged as a promising therapy for women with HSDD, through unknown mechanisms. Studying the pathways involved is crucial for our understanding of normal and abnormal sexual behavior.METHODS Using psychometric, functional neuroimaging, and hormonal analyses, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical study to assess the effects of MC4R agonism compared with placebo on sexual brain processing in 31 premenopausal heterosexual women with HSDD.RESULTS MC4R agonism significantly increased sexual desire for up to 24 hours after administration compared with placebo. During functional neuroimaging, MC4R agonism enhanced cerebellar and supplementary motor area activity and deactivated the secondary somatosensory cortex, specifically in response to visual erotic stimuli, compared with placebo. In addition, MC4R agonism enhanced functional connectivity between the amygdala and the insula during visual erotic stimuli compared with placebo.CONCLUSION These data suggest that MC4R agonism enhanced sexual brain processing by reducing self-consciousness, increasing sexual imagery, and sensitizing women with HSDD to erotic stimuli. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the action of MC4R agonism in sexual behavior and are relevant to the ongoing development of HSDD therapies and MC4R agonist development more widely.TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04179734.FUNDING This is an investigator-sponsored study funded by AMAG Pharmaceuticals Inc., the Medical Research Council (MRC) (MR/T006242/1), and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (CS-2018-18-ST2-002 and RP-2014-05-001).

Caixia Pei,&ast; Fei Wang,&ast; Demei Huang, Shihua Shi, Xiaomin Wang, Yilan Wang, Shuiqin Li, Yongcan Wu, Zhenxing Wang Hospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China&ast;These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhenxing Wang; Yongcan WuHospital of Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail wangzhenxing@vip.tom.com; appleofcan@163.comIntroduction: Prolonged exposure to air polluted with airborne fine particulate matter (PM2.5) can increase respiratory disease risk. Astragaloside IV (AS-IV) is one of the main bioactive substances in the traditional Chinese medicinal herb, Astragalus membranaceus Bunge. AS-IV has numerous pharmacological properties; whereas there are few reports on the prevention of PM2.5-induced lung injury by AS-IV through modulation of the autophagic pathway. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects and the underlying mechanisms of AS-IV in PM2.5-induced lung injury rats and rat alveolar macrophages (NR8383 cells).Methods: The pneumotoxicity model was established by intratracheal injection of PM2.5 in rats, and PM2.5 challenge in NR8383 cells. The severity of lung injury was evaluated by wet weight to dry weight ratio and McGuigan pathology scoring. Inflammatory factors and oxidative stress were detected through ELISA. The expressions of p-PI3K, p-Akt, and p-mTOR proteins were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Immunofluorescence and transmission electron microscopy were used to detect autophagosomes. The expressions of autophagy marker protein (LC3B and p62), PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and NF-κB translocation were detected by Western blot in lung tissue and NR8383 cells.Results: After PM2.5 stimulation, rats showed severe inflammation and oxidative stress, along with inhibition of autophagy in lung tissue. AS-IV not only decreased pulmonary inflammation and oxidative stress by inhibiting nuclear factor kappa B translocation, but also regulated autophagy by inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling. After treatment with 3-methyladenine (a classic PI3K inhibitor, blocking the formation of autophagosomes), the protective effect of AS-IV on PM2.5-induced lung injury was further strengthened. In parallel, using Western blot, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy, we demonstrated that AS-IV restore autophagic flux mainly through regulating the degradation of autophagosomes rather than suppressing the formation in vivo and in vitro.Conclusion: Our data indicated that AS-IV protects from PM2.5-induced lung injury in vivo and in vitro by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway to regulate autophagy and inflammation.Keywords: PM2.5, lung injury, astragaloside IV, autophagy, inflammation

Background: Research has established End-of-Life Dreams and Visions (ELDVs) as prevalent, meaningful valid experiences that may help patients cope with illness and approaching death. However, no inductive qualitative analysis has explored the phenomenology of ELDVs from the perspective of hospice homecare patients. Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the content of ELDVs by using a rigorous qualitative approach. Design: Five hundred forty-eight ELDVs were collected from weekly interviews of hospice homecare patients and analyzed by using Consensual Qualitative Research Methodology. Settings/Subject: Participants were enrolled in a county-wide hospice homecare program between January 2013?March 2015. Results: The following domains emerged: (1) Interpersonal, (2) Affective Experience and Reflection, (3) Activities, and (4) Setting/Location. Conclusions: This study suggests that ELDV content may include a broader spectrum of experiences that reflect waking life than previously believed. Clinical implications suggest that it may be important for providers to engage with ELDVs, as they are psychologically significant experiences that may be a source of clinical insight.

Background: Caring for a child or adolescent with palliative care needs can significantly influence the physical, mental, financial, and social well-being of caregivers. Due to this multifaceted impact, there is a demand for evidence-based support that meets the distinct needs of this population. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effect the Photographs of Meaning Program (POM) has on meaning and purpose, well-being, and perceived social support of pediatric palliative caregivers (PPCGs). Design: Over an eight-week period, participants followed a meaning-making curriculum via social media. Following the social media portion of the intervention, a reflection and closure event and a community photograph exhibit were held. Participants completed pre- and post-test measures. Setting/Subjects: Eighteen PPCGs participated in POM. Settings included participant homes, the medical campus of the palliative care program, and a community art gallery. Measurements: Participant meaning and purpose were assessed through the Meaning in Life Questionnaire. The Flourishing Scale measured PPCG well-being, while the Social Provisions Scale assessed perceived social support. Participants were also given a satisfaction survey at study closure. Results: Presence (p?=?0.003) and search (p?=?0.023) for meaning were both positively impacted at post-test. Participants' ratings of well-being (p?=?0.037), overall social support (p?=?0.004), areas of attachment (p?=?0.003), social integration (p?=?0.026), reassurance of worth (p?=?0.002), and guidance (p?=?0.014) significantly increased from pre- to post-test. Conclusions: POM is an effective social media-based intervention for PPCGs. Future research should assess the effectiveness of this intervention in populations with differing demographics and its effect on other psychosocial indicators.

Summary: Genetic studies on telomere length are important for understanding age-related diseases. Prior GWASs for leukocyte TL have been limited to European and Asian populations. Here, we report the first sequencing-based association study for TL across ancestrally diverse individuals (European, African, Asian, and Hispanic/Latino) from the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) program. We used whole-genome sequencing (WGS) of whole blood for variant genotype calling and the bioinformatic estimation of telomere length in n = 109,122 individuals. We identified 59 sentinel variants (p < 5 × 10−9) in 36 loci associated with telomere length, including 20 newly associated loci (13 were replicated in external datasets). There was little evidence of effect size heterogeneity across populations. Fine-mapping at OBFC1 indicated that the independent signals colocalized with cell-type-specific eQTLs for OBFC1 (STN1). Using a multi-variant gene-based approach, we identified two genes newly implicated in telomere length, DCLRE1B (SNM1B) and PARN. In PheWAS, we demonstrated that our TL polygenic trait scores (PTSs) were associated with an increased risk of cancer-related phenotypes.

Accurate prediction of traffic flow plays an important role in ensuring public traffic safety and solving traffic congestion. Because graph convolutional neural network (GCN) can perform effective feature calculation for unstructured data, doing research based on GCN model has become the main way for traffic flow prediction research. However, most of the existing research methods solving this problem are based on combining the graph convolutional neural network and recurrent neural network for traffic prediction. Such research routines have high computational cost and few attentions on impaction of different time and nodes. In order to improve the accuracy of traffic flow prediction, a gated attention graph convolution model based on multiple spatiotemporal channels was proposed in this paper. This model takes multiple time period data as input and extracts the features of each channel by superimposing multiple gated temporal and spatial attention modules. The final feature vector is obtained by means of weighted linear superposition. Experimental results on two sets of data show that the proposed method has good performance in precision and interpretability.

Translational research is seemingly ubiquitous, yet complex and difficult to concretely define. We contribute to this conversation by reflectively and critically evaluating a collaborative, multidisciplinary program called the Photographs of Meaning (POM) for pediatric palliative caregivers. The POM program brings together the public health issue of caregiving with community-based-art methodology and engagement. Following four stages for public health research; assessment, design, implementation, and evaluation, we focus on photovoice as a valuable methodological tool that can be integral to translational work in communication. The program evaluation illustrates the main points of translation from the first iteration of POM to the second, as we challenge the traditional 'bench to bedside' notion of translational research and offer a more relational approach where communication scholars can engage participants and community networks through photographs. We end with implications and recommendations for scholars working with pediatric palliative caregivers and public health research more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of reclaimed water for irrigation in areas lacking access to advanced wastewater treatment and reclaimed water distribution systems calls for an examination of irrigation-site-based treatment technologies that can improve the quality of this alternative water source. To address this need, we investigated the impact of zero-valent iron (ZVI)-sand filtration on the bacterial community structure and functional potential of conventionally treated reclaimed water utilized in downstream applications. Over a 2-month period, reclaimed water was collected from a tertiary wastewater treatment plant in the Mid-Atlantic, U.S. and trucked to our greenhouse facility. The water was stored in rain barrels and then filtered through one ZVI-sand filter every 5 days. Filtrate was then subjected to enumeration, phylotyping, shiga toxin screening, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing of Escherichia coli. Aliquots of filtrate were also DNA extracted, and purified DNA was subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing and metagenomic shotgun sequencing. The genera Dechloromonas, Desulfotomaculum, Leptonema, and Thermomonas, which contain denitrifying and sulfate reducing species, commonly used in bioremediation, and known to increase the inherent reactivity of ZVI, were significantly more relatively abundant in ZVI-sand filtered reclaimed water compared to reclaimed water. The concentration of E. coli in ZVI-sand filtered reclaimed water was significantly lower compared to that of reclaimed water, and cefoxitin- and tetracycline-resistant E. coli were undetectable after ZVI-sand filtration. ZVI-sand filtration reduced the occurrence of human as well as plant pathogenic genera (Aeromonas, Mycobacterium, Shewanella, Acidovorax, Agrobacterium, and Clavibacter) but increased the proportion of Azospira, a nitrogen fixing bacterial genera, in the microbial community. Our exploratory functional analysis showed a modest non-significant increase in the proportion of open reading frames for genes associated with iron uptake, oxidative stress, as well as defense and repair mechanisms after ZVI-sand filtration. These data indicate an iron rich environment in the filter causing an oxidative stress response by the bacterial community present in the reclaimed water. Our findings demonstrate that ZVI-sand filtration effectively filters conventionally treated reclaimed water. Longer-term, field-based studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the filter in agricultural settings and inform the development of future agricultural water reuse regulations.

Surface water is used for irrigation by farmers. However, surface waters may be a source of bacterial foodborne pathogens which contaminate fresh produce intended for human consumption. Proposed but not finalized standards for microbial quality of irrigation water through the Produce Safety Rule (PSR) of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) in the US emphasize the need for effective reduction of levels of pathogens in surface water intended to be used on fruit and vegetable crops. This study evaluated a zero-valent iron (ZVI)-sand filtration system to reduce E. coli populations in pond water and those transferred to growing spinach plants in a field trial. Six filtration events were conducted with the same ZVI-sand or sand (S) laboratory filtration systems. Filtration systems were constructed by connecting 4 PVC pipes (1.25 L) together. ZVI-sand filters contained 50% ZVI/50% sand (0.43–0.60 mm particle size), while sand filters contained 100% sand (0.45–55 mm particle size). In each event, autoclaved pond water (PW) inoculated with E. coli (ca. 4 log CFU/ml)−8 L—was pumped (1 L/min) through each filter followed by uninoculated autoclaved PW (15 L) with samples taken throughout the filtering process for enumeration of E. coli. Data were fit to a linear model to determine reductions of E. coli levels. ZVI-sand filtration removed significantly (p < 0.05) more E. coli (1.1 log CFU) compared to sand filtration. For ZVI-sand-filtered water, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) difference of E. coli removal from early trials (trials 1–3, average removal 96%) than in later trials (trial 4–6, average removal 44%), suggesting that age of the ZVI-sand filters influences E. coli inactivation. Overall, ZVI-sand and sand filtration reduced E. coli populations by 70 and −10%, respectively, indicating that ZVI filtration lowered or inactivated E. coli populations while sand filters accumulated E. coli. Field trials showed that soil and spinach plants irrigated with ZVI-sand-filtered water had significantly lower E. coli levels than soils/plants irrigated with sand-filtered water or unfiltered control water. Overall, ZVI-sand filtration significantly reduced E. coli populations in water compared to sand filtration.

Electron storage capacity (ESC) is a new and important property that determines the capacity of a black carbon to mediate abiotic and microbial electron transfer reactions in natural and engineered systems. It is necessary to develop accurate and reproducible methods to measure black carbon's ESC in order to understand its redox behavior and to predict its capacity to support redox transformation of contaminants in subsurface environments. In this study, we developed chemical methods that employed combinations of reductants and oxidants of different redox potentials – Ti(III) citrate or dithionite as reductant, and ferricyanide or dissolved O2 as oxidant – to measure the ESC of a wood-derived biochar. Pore diffusion within biochar particles was rate-limiting and controlled the timescale for redox equilibrium and ESC measurements. • The new methods can handle sample mass on the order of a gram • Sample pretreatment (e.g., oxidation via aeration) is necessary to produce consistent results • For a given reductant-oxidant pair, colorimetric (or potentiometric) measurements gave constant and reproducible ESC Method name: Chemical method, Keywords: Black carbon, Biochar, Electron storage capacity, Electron accepting capacity, Electron donating capacity, Redox reversibility, Chemical oxidation/reduction

Abstract STK39 encodes a serine threonine kinase, SPAK, which is part of a multi‐kinase network that determines renal Na+ reabsorption and blood pressure (BP) through regulation of sodium‐chloride co‐transporters in the kidney. Variants within STK39 are associated with susceptibility to essential hypertension, and constitutively active SPAK mice are hypertensive and hyperkalemic, similar to familial hyperkalemic hyperkalemia in humans. SPAK null mice are hypotensive and mimic Gitelman syndrome, a rare monogenic salt wasting human disorder. Mice exhibit nephron segment‐specific expression of full length SPAK and N‐terminally truncated SPAK isoforms (SPAK2 and KS‐SPAK) with impaired kinase function. SPAK2 and KS‐SPAK function to inhibit phosphorylation of cation co‐transporters by full length SPAK. However, the existence of orthologous SPAK2 or KS‐SPAK within the human kidney, and the role of such SPAK isoforms in nephron segment‐specific regulation of Na+ reabsorption, still have not been determined. In this study, we examined both human and mouse kidney transcriptomes to uncover novel transcriptional regulation of STK39. We established that humans also express STK39 transcript isoforms similar to those found in mice but differ in abundance and are transcribed from human‐specific promoters. In summary, STK39 undergoes species‐specific transcriptional regulation, resulting in differentially expressed alternative transcripts that have implications for the design and testing of novel SPAK‐targeting antihypertensive medications.

We have developed a method that combines chemical reduction, silver tagging, and electron microscopy (EM) for visualizing the electron storage capacity (ESC) of black carbon (BC). ESC is a BC's capacity to store and reversibly exchange electrons with abiotic and microbial agents, processes that are relevant to biochemistry, greenhouse gas production, contaminant fate, and remediation. In addition to the amount of electrons BC can store, the locations and spatial distribution of ESC on and inside biochar are critical for understanding the bioaccessibility of ESC and the kinetics of redox reactions involving BC. To locate the ESC in a BC particle, we fully reduced a BC, removed excess reductant, and applied silver ion (Ag+) as a tagging agent that diffused into BC to react with functional groups where electrons were stored (i.e., ESC) to form silver nanoparticles (nAg). The nAg deposited on and inside BC were then imaged using multiple EM techniques to visualize the locations and distribution of the ESC. The method is a new and potentially useful tool for investigating ESC production and for elucidating BC-mediated redox transformation. • Novel method to probe and assess the distribution of ESC on/within BC. • Visual confirmation of significant ESC both on the surface and in the interior of BC. • A new method to incorporate silver or other redox-sensitive elements into a carbon medium.

In this paper, mesoporous nitrocellulose (NC)/graphene oxide (GO) composite aerogel is manufactured by a sol-gel method followed by supercritical carbon dioxide drying. The effects of GO on the microstructure, decomposition, and thermal conductivity are studied. The laser absorption, laser ignition property, and combustion performance of NC aerogel and NC/aerogel are also investigated. The results indicate that NC/GO aerogel is established by the combination of NC nano-fibers and GO sheets, and the aerogels are mesoporous with average pore size at 40 nm. Moreover, the thermal stability of aerogels is decreased by the nano-structure of NC, and the laser absorption is significantly increased by the nano-porous structure and the adoption of GO. In addition, the laser ignition and combustion efficiency are also greatly improved by the nano-porous aerogel structure and the incorporation of evenly uniformly dispersed GO sheets with high photothermal conversion efficiency and thermal conductivity. Laser ignition times reduced by 73.7% and 99.6% are obtained, and flame propagation rates up to 4.7 and 12.3 times are observed for NC aerogel and NC/5 wt. % GO aerogel, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]