Effects of healthy low-carbohydrate diet and time-restricted eating on weight and gut microbiome in adults with overweight or obesity: Feeding RCT.

The effect of a healthy low-carbohydrate diet (HLCD) and time-restricted eating (TRE), alone or in combination, on body weight and gut microbiome beyond caloric restriction remains unclear. In this 12-week two-by-two factorial randomized trial with a 28-week follow-up among 96 participants with overweight or obesity, isocaloric-restricted feeding yields significant weight loss, ranging from 2.57 to 4.11 kg across different groups. Beyond caloric restriction, HLCD and TRE lead to additional reduction in body mass index. HLCD results in additional fat mass loss while TRE yields more lean mass loss. Additionally, HLCD leads to decreased fecal branched-chain amino acids, and TRE tends to yield an increased abundance of probiotic species involved in synthesizing short-chain fatty acids. Moreover, the effect of HLCD on reducing fat mass is sustained during the post-intervention follow-up. Overall, HLCD and TRE are effective in weight management and yield profound gut microbiome and metabolome alteration beyond caloric restriction. This study was registered at ChiCTR.org.cn (ChiCTR2200056363).

PTK7: an underestimated contributor to human cancer.

Protein tyrosine kinase 7 (PTK7) is an evolutionarily conserved transmembrane receptor and a specialized tyrosine kinase protein lacking kinase activity. PTK7 has been found to be strongly associated with a variety of diseases, including cancer. In this review, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the involvement of PTK7 in human cancer, focusing on the changing research landscape of PTK7 in cancer research, the molecular mechanisms of PTK7 involved in cancer progression, the targetability of PTK7 in cancer therapy, and the potential application of PTK7 in cancer management, thus demonstrating that PTK7 may be an underestimated contributor to human cancer.

Association between grip strength, walking pace and incident peripheral artery disease: A prospective study of 430,886 UK biobank participants.

Background and aims: Patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) presented overall muscle weakness and reduced physical performance. Previous study focused on the impact of muscle weakness on outcomes of established PAD, however the relationship between compromised muscle function and incident PAD remained unclear. Methods: A prospective study involving 430,886 participants aged 40-69 y from UK biobank was conducted. The main outcome was incident PAD. Grip strength and walking pace were used as indicators for muscle function. Grip strength was measured using a Jamar J00105 hydraulic hand dynamometer, while walking pace was self-reported by the participants. Cox proportional hazard models were employed to investigate the relationship between grip strength, walking pace, and incident PAD. Results: A total of 430,886 individuals were included in the final analysis. The mean age of the participants were 56.44 years, and 55.3 % were female. Over a median follow-up period of 13.81 years, 5,661 participants developed PAD. Higher grip strength, whether absolute or relative, exhibited a dose-dependent inverse association with incident PAD. Each 1 kg increment in absolute grip strength and each 0.01 kg/kg increase in relative grip strength were associated with reduced PAD risk by 2 % (HR: 0.98; 95 % CI [0.97-0.98]) and 83 % (HR: 0.17; 95 % CI [0.13-0.23]), respectively. Slow walking pace significantly correlated with increased PAD risk, while brisk walking pace was associated with decreased PAD risk. Conclusion: Absolute grip strength, relative grip strength and walking pace were inversely associated with the risk of incident PAD.

Recent Progress in MOF-Aerogel Fabrication and Applications.

Recent advancements in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) underscore their significant potential in chemical and materials research, owing to their remarkable properties and diverse structures. Despite challenges like intrinsic brittleness, powdered crystalline nature, and limited stability impeding direct applications, MOF-based aerogels have shown superior performance in various areas, particularly in water treatment and contaminant removal. This review highlights the latest progress in MOF-based aerogels, with a focus on hybrid systems incorporating materials like graphene, carbon nanotube, silica, and cellulose in MOF aerogels, which enhance their functional properties. The manifold advantages of MOF-based aerogels in energy storage, adsorption, and catalysis are discussed, with an emphasizing on their improved stability, processability, and ease of handling. This review aims to unlock the potential of MOF-based aerogels and their real-world applications. Aerogels are expected to reshape the technological landscape of MOFs through enhanced stability, adaptability, and efficiency.

Aerogels based on Bacterial Nanocellulose and their Applications.

Microbial cellulose stands out for its exceptional characteristics in the form of biofilms formed by highly interlocked fibrils, namely, bacterial nanocellulose (BNC). Concurrently, bio-based aerogels are finding uses in innovative materials owing to their lightweight, high surface area, physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. In particular, bio-based aerogels based on BNC offer significant opportunities as alternatives to synthetic or mineral counterparts. BNC aerogels are proposed for diverse applications, ranging from sensors to medical devices, as well as thermal and electroactive systems. Due to the fibrous nanostructure of BNC and the micro-porosity of BNC aerogels, these materials enable the creation of tailored and specialized designs. Herein, a comprehensive review of BNC-based aerogels, their attributes, hierarchical, and multiscale features are provided. Their potential across various disciplines is highlighted, emphasizing their biocompatibility and suitability for physical and chemical modification. BNC aerogels are shown as feasible options to advance material science and foster sustainable solutions through biotechnology.

Association of life's essential 8 with risk of recurrent cardiovascular events among patients with coronary heart disease.

AIMS: To examine the association of Life's Essential 8 (LE8) with the risk of recurrent cardiovascular events among patients with CHD. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 11,997 patients with CHD from the UK Biobank. The LE8 score was generated using five lifestyle factors (diet, body mass index, physical activity, smoking, and sleep) and three biological factors (blood lipids, blood glucose, and blood pressure). LE8 score ranged from 0 to 100 and was categorized into quartiles. Cox proportional hazards regression models were applied to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI (confidence interval). RESULTS: During a median follow up of 12.5 years, we documented 3366 recurrent cardiovascular events, 1068 myocardial infarction, 1829 heart failure events, 703 strokes, and 934 cardiovascular deaths. The multivariable-adjusted HR (95% CI) for the highest versus the lowest quartile of LE8 score was 0.57 (0.50, 0.65) for recurrent cardiovascular events, 0.66 (0.52, 0.83) for myocardial infarction, 0.54 (0.45, 0.67) for heart failure, 0.50 (0.36, 0.68) for stroke, and 0.46 (0.37, 0.56) for cardiovascular death. Furthermore, the population attributable fraction of the lowest to the highest quartile of LE8 score were ranged from 16.2% to 32.5% for the various cardiovascular outcomes. In addition, biomarkers including renal function and inflammation collectively explained 47.6%-87.7% of the associations between the lifestyle factors and recurrent cardiovascular events. CONCLUSIONS: Better cardiovascular health as measured by LE8 was associated with significantly lower risk of recurrent cardiovascular events among patients with CHD. Clinicians should prioritize educating patients with CHD on the importance of optimal cardiovascular health for secondary prevention. In addition, our findings indicated significant mediation effect of biomarkers involving of glycemic control, renal function, liver function, lipid profile, and systemic inflammation on the associations between overall lifestyle factors and recurrent cardiovascular events.

Fish Oil, Plasma n-3 PUFAs, and Risk of Macro- and Microvascular Complications among Individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate associations of fish oil supplementation and plasma omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFAs) with risks of macrovascular and microvascular complications among people with type 2 diabetes, and to further explore the potential mediating role of metabolism-related biomarkers. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This study included 20,338 participants with type 2 diabetes from UK Biobank. Diabetic complications were identified through hospital inpatient records. RESULTS: During 13.2 years of follow-up, 5,396 people developed macrovascular complications, and 4,868 people developed microvascular complications. After multivariable adjustment, hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for patients with fish oil were 0.90 (0.85, 0.97) for composite macrovascular complications, 0.91 (0.84, 0.98) for coronary heart disease (CHD), 0.72 (0.61, 0.83) for peripheral artery disease; and 0.89 (0.83, 0.95) for composite microvascular complications, 0.87 (0.79, 0.95) for diabetic kidney disease, and 0.88 (0.80, 0.97) for diabetic retinopathy. In addition, higher n-3 PUFA levels, especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were associated with lower risks of macrovascular and microvascular complications. Comparing extreme quartiles of plasma DHA, the HRs (95% CIs) were 0.68 (0.57, 0.81) for composite macrovascular complications, 0.63 (0.51, 0.77) for CHD; and 0.59 (0.38, 0.91) for diabetic neuropathy. Moreover, biomarkers including lipid profile and inflammation collectively explained 54.4% and 63.1% of associations of plasma DHA with risks of composite macrovascular complications and CHD. CONCLUSIONS: Habitual use of fish oil supplementation and higher plasma n-3 PUFA levels, especially DHA, were associated with lower risks of macrovascular and microvascular complications among individuals with type 2 diabetes, and the favorable associations were partially mediated through improving biomarkers of lipid profile and inflammation.

Hybrid Filtering Compensation Algorithm for Suppressing Random Errors in MEMS Arrays.

To solve the high error phenomenon of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) due to their poor signal-to-noise ratio, this paper proposes an online compensation algorithm wavelet threshold back-propagation neural network (WT-BPNN), based on a neural network and designed to effectively suppress the random error of MEMS arrays. The algorithm denoises MEMS and compensates for the error using a back propagation neural network (BPNN). To verify the feasibility of the proposed algorithm, we deployed it in a ZYNQ-based MEMS array hardware. The experimental results showed that the zero-bias instability, angular random wander, and angular velocity random wander of the gyroscope were improved by about 12 dB, 10 dB, and 7 dB, respectively, compared with the original device in static scenarios, and the dispersion of the output data was reduced by about 8 dB in various dynamic environments, which effectively verified the robustness and feasibility of the algorithm.

Chitin Nanofibers Enable the Colloidal Dispersion of Carbon Nanomaterials in Aqueous Phase and Hybrid Material Coassembly.

Chitin nanofibrils (ChNF) sourced from discarded marine biomass are shown as effective stabilizers of carbon nanomaterials in aqueous media. Such stabilization is evaluated for carbon nanotubes (CNT) considering spatial and temporal perspectives by using experimental (small-angle X-ray scattering, among others) and theoretical (atomistic simulation) approaches. We reveal that the coassembly of ChNF and CNT is governed by hydrophobic interactions, while electrostatic repulsion drives the colloidal stabilization of the hybrid ChNF/CNT system. Related effects are found to be transferable to multiwalled carbon nanotubes and graphene nanosheets. The observations explain the functionality of hybrid membranes obtained by aqueous phase processing, which benefit from an excellent areal mass distribution (correlated to piezoresistivity), also contributing to high electromechanical performance. The water resistance and flexibility of the ChNF/CNT membranes (along with its tensile strength at break of 190 MPa, conductivity of up to 426 S/cm, and piezoresistivity and light absorption properties) are conveniently combined in a device demonstration, a sunlight water evaporator. The latter is shown to present a high evaporation rate (as high as 1.425 kg water m-2 h-1 under one sun illumination) and recyclability.

Monodispersed Renewable Particles by Cascade and Density Gradient Size Fractionation to Advance Lignin Nanotechnologies.

Control over particle size and shape heterogeneity is highly relevant to the design of photonic coatings and supracolloidal assemblies. Most developments in the area have relied on mineral and petroleum-derived polymers that achieve well-defined chemical and dimensional characteristics. Unfortunately, it is challenging to attain such control when considering renewable nanoparticles. Herein, a pathway toward selectable biobased particle size and physicochemical profiles is proposed. Specifically, lignin is fractionated, a widely available heterogeneous polymer that can be dissolved in aqueous solution, to obtain a variety of monodispersed particle fractions. A two-stage cascade and density gradient centrifugation that relieves the need for solvent pre-extraction or other pretreatments but achieves particle bins of uniform size (~60 to 860 nm and polydispersity, PDI<0.06, dynamic light scattering) along with characteristic surface chemical features is introduced. It is found that the properties and associated colloidal behavior of the particles are suitably classified in distinctive size populations, namely, i) nanoscale (50-100 nm), ii) photonic (100-300 nm) and iii) near-micron (300-1000 nm). The strong correlation that exists between size and physicochemical characteristics (molar mass, surface charge, bonding and functional groups, among others) is introduced as a powerful pathway to identify nanotechnological uses that benefit from the functionality and cost-effectiveness of biogenic particles.

Associations Between Beverage Consumption and Risk of Microvascular Complications Among Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes.

CONTEXT: The relationship between the consumption of different beverages and the risk of microvascular complications in individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is unclear. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association of individual beverage consumption, including artificially sweetened beverages (ASBs), sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), tea, coffee, natural juice, and yogurt, with the risk of microvascular complications in adults with T2D. METHODS: This cohort study included 6676 participants with T2D who were free of macrovascular and microvascular complications at baseline in the UK Biobank. Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: During a median follow-up of 11.7 years, 1116 cases of composite microvascular complications were documented. After multivariable adjustment, a linear dose-response relationship was demonstrated between the consumption of ASBs and SSBs and the risk of microvascular complications. Compared with nonconsumers, those who consumed ≥2.0 units/day of ASBs and SSBs had an HR (95% CI) of 1.44 (1.18-1.75) and 1.32 (1.00-1.76) for composite microvascular complications, respectively. In addition, higher tea consumption was associated with a lower risk of diabetic retinopathy, with an HR (95% CI) of 0.72 (0.57-0.92) for whom consuming ≥4.0 units/day. There was no significant association between individual beverage consumption and the risk of diabetic neuropathy. No significant association was observed between the consumption of coffee, natural juice, or yogurt and the risks of microvascular complications. Moreover, substituting half units/day of ASBs or SSBs with tea or coffee was associated with a 16% to 28% lower risk of microvascular complications. CONCLUSION: Higher consumption of ASBs and SSBs was linearly associated with an increased risk of microvascular complications in adults with T2D.

Voluntary blood donation preferences in China: A discrete choice experiment among experienced and inexperienced donors.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Due partly to an ageing population, China faces an increasingly dire blood shortage crisis requiring greater voluntary blood donations. A better understanding of blood donation preferences can inform blood donation policies and potentially increase donations. We used an online survey and discrete choice experiment to achieve our study objective: identify the most influential structural facilitators and barriers to voluntary blood donation in China. MATERIALS AND METHODS: First, we identified six structural attributes (travel time, venue, donation volume, paid leave, scheduling and gifts) that were hypothesized to influence voluntary blood donation; attribute selection was based on a literature review and qualitative interviews. Second, a d-efficient design with 36 choice sets and 9 blocks was developed. Participants were asked to complete four choice sets, and in each choice set, they were asked to choose from three options: two voluntary blood donation scenarios and a 'Do not donate blood' option. Study participants were recruited through an online survey platform company in China. Voluntary blood donation preferences and preferences by blood donation history were estimated with random-parameter logit models and interaction terms. RESULTS: In 2022, 1185 individuals enrolled in the study. Most participants had college education (92%). Generally, participants preferred longer paid leave, lower blood donation volumes and gifts after donation. Based on interaction analyses, experienced and inexperienced donors exhibited similar preferences. CONCLUSION: Campaigns to increase voluntary blood donation rates in China should consider implementing paid leave after voluntary blood donation, lower blood donation volumes and small gifts conferred after donation.

Pattern recognition of microcirculation with super-resolution ultrasound imaging provides markers for early tumor response to anti-angiogenic therapy.

Rationale: Cancer treatment outcome is traditionally evaluated by tumor volume change in clinics, while tumor microvascular heterogeneity reflecting tumor response has not been fully explored due to technical limitations. Methods: We introduce a new paradigm in super-resolution ultrasound imaging, termed pattern recognition of microcirculation (PARM), which identifies both hemodynamic and morphological patterns of tumor microcirculation hidden in spatio-temporal space trajectories of microbubbles. Results: PARM demonstrates the ability to distinguish different local blood flow velocities separated by a distance of 24 µm. Compared with traditional vascular parameters, PARM-derived heterogeneity parameters prove to be more sensitive to microvascular changes following anti-angiogenic therapy. Particularly, PARM-identified "sentinel" microvasculature, exhibiting evident structural changes as early as 24 hours after treatment initiation, correlates significantly with subsequent tumor volume changes (|r| > 0.9, P < 0.05). This provides prognostic insight into tumor response much earlier than clinical criteria. Conclusions: The ability of PARM to noninvasively quantify tumor vascular heterogeneity at the microvascular level may shed new light on early-stage assessment of cancer therapy.

The efficacy and safety of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) Program in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Although ERAS Program had some advantages in laparoscopic distal gastrectomy (LDG), its efficacy and safety remained unclear. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of the ERAS group and the traditional care (TC) group in LDG. METHODS: Multiple databases were retrieved from 1 January 2000 to 30 April 2023. The risk ratio (RR), standardized mean difference (SMD) and their 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to estimate the results. RESULTS: Our meta-analysis contained 17 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies, which comprised 1468 patients. Regarding efficacy, the ERAS group had significantly shorter postoperative time to first flatus (SMD = -1.29 [95% CI: -1.68, -0.90]), shorter time to first defecation (SMD = -1.26 [95% CI: -1.90, -0.61]), shorter hospital stays (SMD = -0.99 [95% CI: -1.34, -0.63]), and lower hospitalization costs (SMD = -1.17 [95% CI: -1.86, -0.48]) compared to the TC group. Furthermore, in the ERAS group, C-reactive protein levels were lower on postoperative days 1, 3 or 4, and 7; albumin levels were higher on postoperative days 3 or 4 and 7; and interleukin-6 levels were lower on postoperative days 1 and 3. Regarding safety, the overall postoperative complication rate was lower in the ERAS group (RR: 0.76 [95% CI: 0.60, 0.97]), but there was no significant difference in the individual postoperative complication rate. Other indicators were also not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: The combination of ERAS Program with laparoscopy surgery was safe and effective for the perioperative management of patients with distal gastric cancer.

Vibration Analysis and Damping Effect of Blade-Hard Coating Composite Structure Based on Base Excitation.

Hard coatings are widely employed on blades to enhance impact resistance and mitigate fatigue failure caused by vibration. While previous studies have focused on the dynamic characteristics of beams and plates, research on real blades remains limited. Specifically, there is a lack of investigation into the dynamic characteristics of hard-coated blades under base excitation. In this paper, the finite element model (FEM) of blade-hard coating (BHC) composite structure is established based on finite element methods in which the hard coating (HC) material and the substrate are considered as the isotropic material. Harmonic response analysis is conducted to calculate the resonance amplitude of the composite under base excitation. Numerical simulations and experimental tests are performed to examine the effects of various HC parameters, including energy storage modulus, loss factors, coating thickness, and coating positions, on the dynamic characteristics and vibration reduction of the hard-coated blade composite structures. The results indicate that the difference in natural frequency and modal loss factor of blades increases with higher storage modulus and HC thickness. Moreover, the vibration response of the BHC decreases with higher storage modulus, loss factor, and coating thickness of the HC material. Blades with a complete coating exhibit superior damping effects compared to other coating distributions. These findings are significant for establishing accurate dynamic models of HC composite structures, assessing the effectiveness of HC vibration suppression, and guiding the selection and preparation of HC materials.

Monoallelic variation in DHX9, the gene encoding the DExH-box helicase DHX9, underlies neurodevelopment disorders and Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

DExD/H-box RNA helicases (DDX/DHX) are encoded by a large paralogous gene family; in a subset of these human helicase genes, pathogenic variation causes neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD) traits and cancer. DHX9 encodes a BRCA1-interacting nuclear helicase regulating transcription, R-loops, and homologous recombination and exhibits the highest mutational constraint of all DDX/DHX paralogs but remains unassociated with disease traits in OMIM. Using exome sequencing and family-based rare-variant analyses, we identified 20 individuals with de novo, ultra-rare, heterozygous missense or loss-of-function (LoF) DHX9 variant alleles. Phenotypes ranged from NDDs to the distal symmetric polyneuropathy axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT2). Quantitative Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) analysis demonstrated genotype-phenotype correlations with LoF variants causing mild NDD phenotypes and nuclear localization signal (NLS) missense variants causing severe NDD. We investigated DHX9 variant-associated cellular phenotypes in human cell lines. Whereas wild-type DHX9 was restricted to the nucleus, NLS missense variants abnormally accumulated in the cytoplasm. Fibroblasts from an individual with an NLS variant also showed abnormal cytoplasmic DHX9 accumulation. CMT2-associated missense variants caused aberrant nucleolar DHX9 accumulation, a phenomenon previously associated with cellular stress. Two NDD-associated variants, p.Gly411Glu and p.Arg761Gln, altered DHX9 ATPase activity. The severe NDD-associated variant p.Arg141Gln did not affect DHX9 localization but instead increased R-loop levels and double-stranded DNA breaks. Dhx9-/- mice exhibited hypoactivity in novel environments, tremor, and sensorineural hearing loss. All together, these results establish DHX9 as a critical regulator of mammalian neurodevelopment and neuronal homeostasis.

A novel nomogram for predicting microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: In hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the prognosis of patients with microvascular invasion (MVI) is poor. Therefore, in this study, we established and evaluated the performance of a novel nomogram to predict MVI in patients with HCC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively obtained clinical data of 497 patients with HCC who underwent hepatectomy at Liaoning Cancer Hospital from November 1, 2018, to November 4, 2021. The patients (n = 497) were randomized in a 7:3 ratio into the training cohort (TC, n = 349) and the validation cohort (VC, n = 148). We performed Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) and univariate as well as multivariate logistic regression analyses (ULRA, MRLA) on patients in the TC to identify factors independently predicting MVI. RESULTS: Preoperative FIB-4, AFU, AFP levels, liver cirrhosis, and non-smooth tumor margin were independent risk factors for preoperative MVI prediction. The C-index of the TC, VC, and the entire cohort was 0.846, 0.786, and 0.829, respectively. The calibration curves demonstrated the outstanding agreement between predicted MVI incidences by our model and the actual MVI risk. Decision curve analysis (DCA) confirmed the significance of our predictive model in clinical settings. The Kaplan-Meier (KM) survival curve showed that the recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) of patients in the high-MVI risk group were poor compared to those in the low-MVI risk group. CONCLUSIONS: We constructed and evaluated the performance of the novel nomogram for predicting MVI risk. Our predictive model could adequately predict MVI risk and aid clinicians in selecting appropriate therapeutic strategies for patients.

Flowthrough Capture of Microplastics through Polyphenol-Mediated Interfacial Interactions on Wood Sawdust.

Nano-/microplastics accumulate in aquatic bodies and raise increasing threats to ecosystems and human health. The limitation of existing water cleanup strategies, especially in the context of nano-/microplastics, primarily arises from their complexity (morphological, compositional, and dimensional). Here, highly efficient and bio-based flowthrough capturing materials (bioCap) are reported to remove a broad spectrum of nano-/microplastics from water: polyethylene terephthalate (anionic, irregular shape), polyethylene (net neutral, irregular shape), polystyrene (anionic and cationic, spherical shape), and other anionic and spherical shaped particles (polymethyl methacrylate, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride). Highly efficient bioCap systems that adsorb the ubiquitous particles released from beverage bags are demonstrated. As evidence of removal from drinking water, the in vivo biodistribution of nano-/microplastics is profiled, confirming a significant reduction of particle accumulation in main organs. The unique advantage of phenolic-mediated multi-molecular interactions is employed in sustainable, cost-effective, and facile strategies based on wood sawdust support for the removal of challenging nano-/microplastics pollutions.

Shaddock peel-derived N-doped carbon quantum dots coupled with ultrathin BiOBr square nanosheets with boosted visible light response for high-efficiency photodegradation of RhB.

In the present work, we constructed a serials of novel shaddock peel-derived N-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) coupled with BiOBr composites. The result showed that the as-synthesized BiOBr (BOB) was composed of ultrathin square nanosheets and flower-like structure, and NCQDs were uniformly dispersed on the surface of BiOBr. Furthermore, the BOB@NCQDs-5 with optimal NCQDs content displayed the top-flight photodegradation efficiency with ca. 99% of removal rate within 20 min under visible light and possessed excellent recyclability and photostability after 5 cycles. The reason was attributed to relatively large BET surface area, the narrow energy gap, inhibited recombination of charge carriers and excellent photoelectrochemical performances. Meanwhile, the improved photodegradation mechanism and possible reaction pathways were also elucidated in detail. On this basis, the study opens a novel perspective to obtain a highly efficient photocatalyst for practical environment remediation.

Mitigation of exogenous melatonin on photoinhibition of tomato seedlings under chilling stress.

To understand the mitigation effects of melatonin on the chilling-induced photoinhibition in tomato, four groups of seedlings were labelled: NW (normal temperature + water), NM (normal temperature + melatonin), CW (chilling + water) and CM (chilling+ melatonin). We measured chlorophyll fluorescence, key photosynthetic parameters and the cycle efficiency for chloroplast ascorbic acid-glutathione (AsA-GSH). The results showed that, compared with the NW control, photosynthesis rate in CW was decreased by 50.3%-72.6%, chloroplast malondialdehyde content was decreased by 17.5%-132.7%, superoxide anion production was increased by 86.5%-235.9%, and H2O2 was increased by 96.6%-208.4%. These trends were significantly alleviated by exogenous melatonin, with photosynthetic rates in CM being increased by 22.7%-24.7% compared with in CW, malondialdehyde content being decreased by 16.6%-29.0%, the rate of superoxide anion production being decreased by 14.9%-22.7%, H2O2 content being decreased by 10.7%-27.1%. Compared with CW, the quantum yield of photochemical energy in PS Ⅱ was increased by 15.8% in CM, the quantum yield of regulated non-photochemical energy loss was increased by 7.2%, the quantum yield of non-regulated non-photochemical energy loss was decreased by 24.7%, and the activities of key metabolic enzymes in the AsA-GSH cycle were increased to different degrees. We concluded that exogenous melatonin application could alleviate photoinhibition in tomato seedlings under chilling by balancing the partitioning of absorption energy in PS Ⅱ and by enhancing the ROS scavenging efficiency of the AsA-GSH cycle in the chloroplast.