Hydrogeochemical characteristics and agricultural suitability of shallow groundwater quality in a concentrated coalfield area of Huaibei Plain, China.

Groundwater is one of the chief water sources for agricultural activities in an aggregation of coal mines surrounded by agricultural areas in the Huaibei Plain. However, there have been few reports on whether mining-affected groundwater can be adopted for agricultural irrigation. We attempted to address this question through collecting 71 shallow groundwater samples from 12 coal mining locations.

One-Stone-for-Two-Birds Strategy for VSe to Enable High Capacity and Long-Life Zinc Storage.

Based on a specific zinc storage mechanism and excellent electronic conductivity, transition metal dichalcogenides, represented by vanadium diselenide, are widely used in aqueous zinc-ion battery (AZIB) energy storage systems. However, most vanadium diselenide cathode materials are presently limited by low specific capacity and poor cycling life. Herein, a simple hydrothermal process has been proposed for obtaining a vanadium diselenide cathode for an AZIB.

Prediction of sulfate concentrations in groundwater in areas with complex hydrogeological conditions based on machine learning.

The persistent and increasing levels of sulfate due to a variety of human activities over the last decades present a widely concerning environmental issue. Understanding the controlling factors of groundwater sulfate and predicting sulfate concentration is critical for governments or managers to provide information on groundwater protection. In this study, the integration of self-organizing map (SOM) approach and machine learning (ML) modeling offers the potential to determine the factors and predict sulfate concentrations in the Huaibei Plain, where groundwater is enriched with sulfate and the areas have complex hydrogeological conditions.

Fine-tuning of p-coumaric acid synthesis to increase (2S)-naringenin production in yeast.

(2S)-Naringenin is a key precursor for biosynthesis of various high-value flavonoids and possesses a variety of nutritional and pharmaceutical properties on human health. Systematic optimization approaches have been employed to improve (2S)-naringenin production in different microbial hosts. However, very few studies have focused on the spatiotemporal distribution of (2S)-naringenin and the related pathway intermediate p-coumaric acid, which is an important factor for efficient production.

Engineering Interface Defects and Interdiffusion at the Degenerate Conductive InO/AlO Interface for Stable Electrodes in a Saline Solution.

A low-temperature AlO deposition process provides a simplified method to form a conductive two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) at the metal oxide/AlO heterointerface. However, the impact of key factors of the interface defects and cation interdiffusion on the interface is still not well understood. Furthermore, there is still a blank space in terms of applications that go beyond the understanding of the interface's electrical conductivity.

Construction of a fecal immune-related protein-based biomarker panel for colorectal cancer diagnosis: a multicenter study.

Purpose: To explore fecal immune-related proteins that can be used for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis.

Patients And Methods: Three independent cohorts were used in present study. In the discovery cohort, which included 14 CRC patients and 6 healthy controls (HCs), label-free proteomics was applied to identify immune-related proteins in stool that could be used for CRC diagnosis.

Metabolomics reveal the mechanism for anti-renal fibrosis effects of an -butanol extract from .

To reveal the mechanism of anti-renal fibrosis effects of an -butanol extract from renal fibrosis was induced with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) and then treated with an -butanol extract (BUT) from (Rosaceae). Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into the sham-operated, renal fibrosis (RF) model, benazepril hydrochloride-treated model (1.5 mg kg) and BUT-treated (1.

Exploring the mechanism of MP gel against skin photoaging based on network pharmacology, molecular docking, and experimental validation.

Objective: Long-term and high exposure to UV radiation can lead to the development of skin photoaging diseases. Therefore, there is an ongoing need for more natural and safe drugs to prevent or treat skin photoaging diseases.

Methods: The Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform database were used to collect the active compounds and corresponding targets of Cnidii Fructus, Arnebiae Radix, Angelicae Sinensis Radix, Poria, and Borneolum.

Customizable assembly of free-standing integrated electronics for wearables by phase separation.

The non-solvent induced phase separation method is utilized to produce a free-standing electrode with good conductivity retention during 1000 bending/stretching cycles. The as-prepared electrode has been fabricated for an integrated device consisting of an ethanol fuel cell, a supercapacitor and a motion sensor. This method for fabricating free-standing electronics reveals a cost-effective approach towards wearable devices.

Metabolic reconfiguration enables synthetic reductive metabolism in yeast.

Cell proliferation requires the integration of catabolic processes to provide energy, redox power and biosynthetic precursors. Here we show how the combination of rational design, metabolic rewiring and recombinant expression enables the establishment of a decarboxylation cycle in the yeast cytoplasm. This metabolic cycle can support growth by supplying energy and increased provision of NADPH or NADH in the cytosol, which can support the production of highly reduced chemicals such as glycerol, succinate and free fatty acids.

Highly Selective Wearable Alcohol Homologue Sensors Derived from Pt-Coated Truncated Octahedron Au.

Unhealthy alcohol inhalation is among the top 10 causes of preventable death. However, the present alcohol sensors show poor selectivity among alcohol homologues. Herein, Pt-coated truncated octahedron Au (Pt@Au) as the electrocatalyst for a highly selective electrochemical sensor toward alcohol homologues has been designed.

Inexact fuzzy-flexible left-hand-side chance-constrained programming for agricultural nonpoint-source water quality management.

In this study, an inexact fuzzy-flexible left-hand-side chance-constrained programming (IFLCCP) method is proposed for optimizing an agricultural nonpoint-source water quality management problem under uncertainty. The developed method can address complex uncertainties resulted from system fuzzy flexible under various level of decision-making requirements and randomness parameters appeared on the left-hand side of the constraints, and deal with the conflict between water quality protection and agricultural system economic development. The IFLCCP model is formulated through incorporating inexact left-hand-sided chance-constrained programming into interval fuzzy flexible programming framework.

Monoclinic Bimetallic Prussian Blue Analog Cathode with High Capacity and Long Life for Advanced Sodium Storage.

Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) are regarded as promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs), but most of them suffer from an incompatibility between capacity and structural stability. Herein, an innovative disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate (NaEDTA)-assisted hydrothermal method is proposed to synthesize monoclinic Fe-substituted Ni-rich PBA (H-PBA) cathodes for Na-ion storage. The as-designed H-PBA cathode combines the merits of the low strain of a Ni-based PBA framework and the enhanced capacity of N-Fe/Fe redox sites.

Wearable Motion Smartsensors Self-Powered by Core-Shell Au@Pt Methanol Fuel Cells.

A wearable self-powered sensor is a promising frontier in recent flexible electronic devices. In this work, a wearable fuel cell (FC)-type self-powering motion smartsensor has been fabricated, particularly in choosing methanol vapor as a target fuel for the first time. The core-shell structure of Pt@Au/N-rGO and the porous carbon network act as methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reaction catalysts, with a highly conductive alkaline hydrogel as a solid-state electrolyte.

De novo biosynthesis of bioactive isoflavonoids by engineered yeast cell factories.

Isoflavonoids comprise a class of plant natural products with great nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and agricultural significance. Their low abundance in nature and structural complexity however hampers access to these phytochemicals through traditional crop-based manufacturing or chemical synthesis. Microbial bioproduction therefore represents an attractive alternative.

Metabolomics reveals the renoprotective effect of -butanol extract and amygdalin extract from in rats with renal fibrosis.

Renal fibrosis (RF) is a pathological process of progression from chronic kidney disease to end-stage renal disease. is a traditional Chinese medicine, and our previous studies demonstrated that the n-butanol extract (BUT) and amygdalin extract (AMY) from its seeds can prevent RF. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear.

Fabrication of a Robust InO Nanolines FET Device as a Biosensor Platform.

Field-effect transistors (FETs) are attractive biosensor platforms for rapid and accurate detection of various analytes through surface immobilization of specific bio-receptors. Since it is difficult to maintain the electrical stability of semiconductors of sensing channel under physiological conditions for long periods, passivation by a stable metal oxide dielectric layer, such as AlO or HfO, is currently used as a common method to prevent damage. However, protecting the sensing channel by passivation has the disadvantage that the distance between the target and the conductive channel increases, and the sensing signal will be degraded by Debye shielding.

Metabolomic assessment of mechanisms underlying anti-renal fibrosis properties of petroleum ether extract from .

Context: The petroleum ether extract (PET) of (Maxim.) Ricker (Rosaceae) has an ameliorative effect on renal fibrosis (RF).

Objective: To evaluate the antifibrotic effects of seeds PET on RF by serum metabolomics, biochemical and histopathological analyses.

Microheater-integrated zinc oxide nanowire microfluidic device for hybridization-based detection of target single-stranded DNA.

Detection of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has an impact on DNA analysis in liquid biopsies. However, current strategies to detect cfDNA have limitations that should be overcome, such as having low sensitivity and requiring much time and a specialized instrument. Thus, non-invasive and rapid detection tools are needed for disease prevention and early-stage treatment.

Oxide Nanowire Microfluidic Devices for Capturing Single-stranded DNAs.

Since DNA analysis is the fundamental process for most applications in biomedical fields, capturing DNAs with high efficiency is important. Here, we used several oxide nanowire microfluidic devices to capture CpG-rich single-stranded DNAs (ssDNAs) in different pH solutions. All the oxide nanowires exhibited the highest capture efficiency around pH 7 with good capture efficiency shown by each metal oxide; ZnO/ZnO core/shell NWs (71.

ZnO/SiO core/shell nanowires for capturing CpG rich single-stranded DNAs.

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is capable of providing an ultrathin layer on high-aspect ratio structures with good conformality and tunable film properties. In this research, we modified the surface of ZnO nanowires through ALD for the fabrication of a ZnO/SiO2 (core/shell) nanowire microfluidic device which we utilized for the capture of CpG-rich single-stranded DNAs (ssDNA). Structural changes of the nanowires while varying the number of ALD cycles were evaluated by statistical analysis and their relationship with the capture efficiency was investigated.

Amygdalin isolated from protects against hepatic fibrosis in rats.

The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of amygdalin on hepatic fibrosis in rats. Amygdalin was purified and identified from the seeds of . Sprague Dawley rats in the control and model groups were administered water.

Nestin+/CD31+ cells in the hypoxic perivascular niche regulate glioblastoma chemoresistance by upregulating JAG1 and DLL4.

Background: Failure of glioblastoma (GBM) therapy is often ascribed to different types of glioblastoma stem-like cell (GSLC) niche; in particular, a hypoxic perivascular niche (HPVN) is involved in GBM progression. However, the cells responsible for HPVNs remain unclear.

Methods: Immunostaining was performed to determine the cells involved in HPVNs.