Fouling and Chemical Cleaning Strategies for Submerged Ultrafiltration Membrane: Synchronized Bench-Scale, Full-Scale, and Engineering Tests.

This study investigated membrane fouling issues associated with the operation of a submerged ultrafiltration membrane in a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) and optimized the associated chemical cleaning strategies. By analyzing the surface components of the membrane foulant and the compositions of the membrane cleaning solution, the primary causes of membrane fouling were identified. Membrane fouling control strategies suitable for the DWTP were evaluated through chemical cleaning tests conducted for bench-scale, full-scale, and engineering cases.

Laoxianghuang polysaccharide promotes the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 in colitis via gut microbial linoleic acid.

Background: Our previous study found that the polysaccharide from Laoxianghuang (LP), fermented fruit of bergamot (traditional Chinese medicine and food), can alter gut microbiota and regulate short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in vitro. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of reports on the impact of LP on gut microbiota in vivo.

Purpose: To analyze the structures of LP, investigate the influence of LP on the damaged intestinal barrier in DSS-induced colitis mice, and further explore its potential mechanisms.

Protects the Intestinal Epithelium and Mitigates Inflammation in Colitis via Regulating the Gut Microbiota-Cholic Acid Pathway.

In this study, we aimed to explore the protective effects of in colitis mice and the potential mechanisms. Results showed that () effectively colonized the intestinal tract and alleviated colitis symptoms by reducing the disease activity index. Moreover, mitigated intestinal epithelial cell damage, inhibited the pro-inflammatory factors, and upregulated tight junction (TJ)-proteins.

A novel hybrid model based on two-stage data processing and machine learning for forecasting chlorophyll-a concentration in reservoirs.

The accurate and efficient prediction of chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration is crucial for the early detection of algal blooms in reservoirs. Nevertheless, predicting Chl-a concentration in multivariate time series poses a significant challenge due to the complex interrelationships within the aquatic environment and the discrete and non-stationary nature of online monitoring of water quality data. To address the aforementioned issue, this paper proposes a novel prediction model named SGMD-KPCA-BiLSTM (SKB) for predicting Chl-a concentration.

Gut microbiota-bile acid crosstalk regulates murine lipid metabolism via the intestinal FXR-FGF19 axis in diet-induced humanized dyslipidemia.

Background: Diet-induced dyslipidemia is linked to the gut microbiota, but the causality of microbiota-host interaction affecting lipid metabolism remains controversial. Here, the humanized dyslipidemia mice model was successfully built by using fecal microbiota transplantation from dyslipidemic donors (FMT-dd) to study the causal role of gut microbiota in diet-induced dyslipidemia.

Results: We demonstrated that FMT-dd reshaped the gut microbiota of mice by increasing Faecalibaculum and Ruminococcaceae UCG-010, which then elevated serum cholicacid (CA), chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA), and deoxycholic acid (DCA), reduced bile acid synthesis and increased cholesterol accumulation via the hepatic farnesoid X receptor-small heterodimer partner (FXR-SHP) axis.

Exposure to Violence in Social Unrest, Resilience, and Mental Health of Older People in Hong Kong.

Objective: Older adults are prone to the negative effects of exposure to violence on their mental health. This study aimed to examine the impact of exposure to violence during social unrest and the role of resilience in the mental health of older people.

Design: A total of 1,203 people aged 65 years or older were randomly selected for a telephone survey using the random digit dialing numbering method in Hong Kong.

Novel Z-scheme MgFeO/BiWO heterojunction for efficient photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride: Mechanistic insight, degradation pathways and density functional theory calculations.

In this study, a new Z-scheme MgFeO/BiWO heterojunction was successfully prepared by hydrothermal and wet ball milling process. The results of the study showed that after 90 min of visible light exposure, the photocatalytic degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) by 25%-MgFeO/BiWO heterojunction was as high as 95.82%, and the highest photocatalytic rate (0.

Consistency of chronotype measurements is affected by sleep quality, gender, longitude, and latitude.

Chronotype has received increasing research attention. However, there remains some confusion about the influence of gender, age, sleep quality, insomnia severity, longitude, and latitude on the consistency of the chronotype measured by the different tools. Chronotype measurement indicators were collected from 421 participants.

Functional study and elite haplotype identification of soybean phosphate starvation response transcription factors and .

Unlabelled: Phosphorus (P) is one of the important mineral elements required for plant growth and development. However, because of the low mobility in soil, P deficiency has been an important factor limiting soybean production. Here, we identified 14 (phosphate starvation response) genes in soybean genome and verified that two previously unreported members, and , were involved in low-P stress tolerance in soybean.

Postharvest fruit quality of tomatoes influenced by an ethylene signaling component during long-term cold storage.

Ethylene production is essential for improving cold resistance of postharvest tomatoes. However, the role of ethylene signaling pathway in maintaining fruit quality during long-term cold storage remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that a partial loss of function in ethylene signaling by mutation of Ethylene Response Factor 2 (SlERF2), worsened fruit quality during cold storage, as determined by visual characterization, and physiological analyses of membrane damage and reactive oxygen species metabolism.

Whole-tumor radiomics analysis of T2-weighted imaging in differentiating neuroblastoma from ganglioneuroblastoma/ganglioneuroma in children: an exploratory study.

Purpose: To examine the potential of whole-tumor radiomics analysis of T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) in differentiating neuroblastoma (NB) from ganglioneuroblastoma/ganglioneuroma (GNB/GN) in children.

Materials And Methods: This study included 102 children with peripheral neuroblastic tumors, comprising 47 NB patients and 55 GNB/GN patients, which were randomly divided into a training group (n = 72) and a test group (n = 30). Radiomics features were extracted from T2WI images, and feature dimensionality reduction was applied.

Steam explosion pretreatment enhancing enzymatic digestibility of overground tubers of tiger nut ( L.).

Introduction: Tiger nut (TN) is recognized as a high potential plant which can grow in well-drained sandy or loamy soils and provide food nutrients. However, the overground tubers of TN remain unutilized currently, which limits the value-added utilization and large-area cultivation of this plant.

Methods: In the present study, the overground tubers of TN were subjected to enzymatic hydrolysis to produce fermentable sugars for biofuels production.

Genome-wide association analysis discovered new loci and candidate genes associated with low-phosphorus tolerance based on shoot mineral elements concentrations in soybean.

Phosphorus (P) deficiency is one of the major limitations for soybean production. Moreover, it has been well reported P and other mineral elements function interdependently or antagonistically to control nutrients homeostasis in plants. Thus, it is urgently needed to understand the genetic mechanism of the accumulation of mineral elements in response to low-P stress.

IRF4 is Correlated with the Conversion to a Th17-Like Phenotype in Regulatory T Cells from the Malignant Pleural Effusion.

Background: RORγtFoxp3 (Th17-like) Tregs are a plastic Treg subset implicated in immune-related diseases; however, the mechanism of Treg phenotypic transformation in malignant pleural effusion (MPE) has not been elucidated.

Methods: The percentage of CD4CD25Foxp3Helios and RORγtFoxp3 Tregs from peripheral blood and pleural effusion mononuclear cells were measured. The level of interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) mRNA expression was detected by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.

Coexpression of Helios in Foxp3 Regulatory T Cells and Its Role in Human Disease.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) expressing the Foxp3 transcription factor are indispensable for the maintenance of immune system homeostasis. Tregs may lose Foxp3 expression or be reprogrammed into cells that produce proinflammatory cytokines, for example, Th1-like Tregs, Th2-like Tregs, Th17-like Tregs, and Tfh-like Tregs. Accordingly, selective therapeutic molecules that manipulate Treg lineage stability and/or functional activity might have the potential to improve aberrant immune responses in human disorders.

CT-Based Radiomics Signature With Machine Learning Predicts MYCN Amplification in Pediatric Abdominal Neuroblastoma.

Purpose: MYCN amplification plays a critical role in defining high-risk subgroup of patients with neuroblastoma. We aimed to develop and validate the CT-based machine learning models for predicting MYCN amplification in pediatric abdominal neuroblastoma.

Methods: A total of 172 patients with MYCN amplified (n = 47) and non-amplified (n = 125) were enrolled.

Cloning and expression of the EsxA gene and the growth-promoting effects of the encoded protein on rice seedlings.

An EsxA-encoding gene (esxA) was previously identified in the genome of the plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium Paenibacillus terrae strain NK3-4. The esxA was cloned and expressed in Pichia pastoris, after which the effects of the EsxA protein on rice seedling growth were analyzed to determine whether EsxA contributes to the plant growth-promoting activity of strain NK3-4. The esxA was successfully cloned from the NK3-4 genome and ligated to the eukaryotic expression vector pPICZαA.

Characterization, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of selenized polysaccharides from dandelion roots.

The polysaccharide (DRP) was gained from dandelion roots by ultrasonic-assisted enzymatic extraction (UAEE) followed by two-step column purification. Then selenylation of DRP has been accomplished by HNO-NaSeO method. sDRP-1 and sDRP-2 with the selenium content of 170 ± 1.

Invasive growth associated with cold-inducible RNA-binding protein expression drives recurrence of surgically resected brain metastases.

Background: Sixty percent of surgically resected brain metastases (BrM) recur within 1 year. These recurrences have long been thought to result from the dispersion of cancer cells during surgery. We tested the alternative hypothesis that invasion of cancer cells into the adjacent brain plays a significant role in local recurrence and shortened overall survival.

Palladium-Catalyzed Decarbonylative Heck Coupling of Aromatic Carboxylic Acids with Terminal Alkenes.

A palladium-catalyzed decarbonylative alkenylation of aromatic carboxylic acids was developed. Under the reaction conditions, various benzoic acids including those bearing functional groups coupled to terminal alkenes, producing the corresponding internal alkenes in good to high yields. Cinnamic acids and bioactive benzoic acids such as 3-methylflavone-8-carboxylic acid, probenecid, adapalin, and febuxostat were also applicable to this reaction, demonstrating the potential synthetic value of this new reaction in organic synthesis.

MiR-1165-3p Suppresses Th2 Differentiation via Targeting IL-13 and PPM1A in a Mouse Model of Allergic Airway Inflammation.

Purpose: CD4⁺T cells are essential in the pathogenesis of allergic asthma. We have previously demonstrated that microRNA-1165-3p (miR-1165-3p) was significantly reduced in T-helper type (Th) 2 cells and that miR-1165-3p was a surrogate marker for atopic asthma. Little is known about the mechanisms of miR-1165-3p in the regulation of Th2-dominated allergic inflammation.

Downregulation of miR-4772-3p promotes enhanced regulatory T cell capacity in malignant pleural effusion by elevating Helios levels.

Background: Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a complicated condition of patients with advanced tumors. Further dissecting the microenvironment of infiltrated immune cells and malignant cells are warranted to understand the immune-evasion mechanisms of tumor development and progression.

Methods: The possible involvement of microRNAs (miRNAs) in malignant pleural fluid was investigated using small RNA sequencing.

Characteristics of H7N9 avian influenza pneumonia: a retrospective analysis of 17 cases.

Background: H7N9 avian influenza is an infection of public health concern, in part because of its high mortality rate and pandemic potential.

Aims: To describe the clinical features of H7N9 avian influenza and the response to treatment.

Methods: Clinical, radiological and histopathological data, and treatment-related of H7N9-infected patients hospitalised during 2014-2017 were extracted and analysed.