Water decoction of Pericarpium citri reticulatae and Amomi fructus ameliorates alcohol-induced liver disease involved in the modulation of gut microbiota and TLR4/NF-κB pathway.

Introduction: Alcohol consumption alters the diversity and metabolic activities of gut microbiota, leading to intestinal barrier dysfunction and contributing to the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD), which is the most prevalent cause of advanced liver diseases. In this study, we investigated the protective effects and action mechanism of an aqueous extraction of Pericarpium citri reticulatae and Amomi fructus (PFE) on alcoholic liver injury. Methods: C57BL/6 mice were used to establish the mouse model of alcoholic liver injury and orally administered 500 and 1,000 mg/kg/d of PFE for 2 weeks. Histopathology, immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing were used to analyze the mechanism of action of PFE in the treatment of alcohol-induced liver injury. Results: Treatment with PFE significantly improved alcohol-induced liver injury, as illustrated by the normalization of serum alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, total triglyceride, and cholesterol levels in ALD mice in a dose-dependent manner. Administration of PFE not only maintained the intestinal barrier integrity prominently by upregulating mucous production and tight junction protein expressions but also sensibly reversed the dysregulation of intestinal microecology in alcohol-treated mice. Furthermore, PFE treatment significantly reduced hepatic lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and attenuated oxidative stress as well as inflammation related to the TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway. The PFE supplementation also significantly promoted the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in the ALD mice. Conclusion: Administration of PFE effectively prevents alcohol-induced liver injury and may also regulate the LPS-involved gut-liver axis; this could provide valuable insights for the development of drugs to prevent and treat ALD.

Characteristics and aging of microplastics in waste activated sludge under persulfate and hydrothermal co-treatment: Impact of solid content and temperature.

Activated persulfate and hydrothermal treatment (HTT) are often employed to treat waste activated sludge, which can improve the efficiency of subsequent sludge treatment and change the distribution of pollutants in the sludge. However, the impact of sludge solid content and temperature on the occurrence and aging of microplastics (MPs) during HTT remains poorly understood. This study investigated the effects of persulfate-HTT (SPS-HTT) co-treatment on the migration, occurrence, and aging of MPs in sludge with different solid contents (2% and 5% solid content). The results indicated that SPS-HTT co-treatment triggers both the disruption of sludge flocs and the melting deformation of MPs at high temperatures, leading to variations in the increasing trend of MP concentration in the solid-liquid phase at different solid contents. 5% solid content sludge showed a weak release of MPs from the solid phase. The proportion of fiber MPs first increased and then decreased with increasing temperature, while no significant changes were observed in the color and type of MPs. Higher temperature and solid content induced the melting deformation of MPs, exacerbated the aging of polypropylene MPs, and resulted in rough surfaces, higher carbonyl index, and variations in crystallinity. Moreover, the correlation between the carbonyl index and aging indicators increased with increasing solid content. The MP-derived dissolved organic matter under HTT primarily comprised soluble microbial by-products and humic acid-like substances. These findings underscore the significance of sludge solid content in affecting the migration and aging of MPs during HTT, and offer novel insights into the application of HTT to MP management in sludge treatment.

Ripening and rot: How ripening processes influence disease susceptibility in fleshy fruits.

Fleshy fruits become more susceptible to pathogen infection when they ripen; for example, changes in cell wall properties related to softening make it easier for pathogens to infect fruits. The need for high-quality fruit has driven extensive research on improving pathogen resistance in important fruit crops such as tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). In this review, we summarize current progress in understanding how changes in fruit properties during ripening affect infection by pathogens. These changes affect physical barriers that limit pathogen entry, such as the fruit epidermis and its cuticle, along with other defenses that limit pathogen growth, such as preformed and induced defense compounds. The plant immune system also protects ripening fruit by recognizing pathogens and initiating defense responses involving reactive oxygen species production, mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascades, and jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, ethylene, and abscisic acid signaling. These phytohormones regulate an intricate web of transcription factors (TFs) that activate resistance mechanisms, including the expression of pathogenesis-related genes. In tomato, ripening regulators, such as RIPENING INHIBITOR and NON_RIPENING, not only regulate ripening but also influence fruit defenses against pathogens. Moreover, members of the ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR (ERF) family play pivotal and distinct roles in ripening and defense, with different members being regulated by different phytohormones. We also discuss the interaction of ripening-related and defense-related TFs with the Mediator transcription complex. As the ripening processes in climacteric and non-climacteric fruits share many similarities, these processes have broad applications across fruiting crops. Further research on the individual contributions of ERFs and other TFs will inform efforts to diminish disease susceptibility in ripe fruit, satisfy the growing demand for high-quality fruit and decrease food waste and related economic losses.

Polymer Microspheres and Their Application in Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment.

Cancer is a significant global public health issue with increasing morbidity and mortality rates. To address this challenge, novel drug carriers such as nano-materials, liposomes, hydrogels, fibers, and microspheres have been extensively researched and utilized in oncology. Among them, polymer microspheres are gaining popularity due to their ease of preparation, excellent performance, biocompatibility, and drug-release capabilities. This paper categorizes commonly used materials for polymer microsphere preparation, summarizes various preparation methods (emulsification, phase separation, spray drying, electrospray, microfluidics, and membrane emulsification), and reviews the applications of polymer microspheres in cancer diagnosis, therapy, and postoperative care. The current status and future development directions of polymer microspheres in cancer treatment are analyzed, highlighting their importance and potential for improving patient outcomes.

Burkholderia pseudomallei BipD modulates host mitophagy to evade killing.

Mitophagy is critical for mitochondrial quality control and function to clear damaged mitochondria. Here, we found that Burkholderia pseudomallei maneuvered host mitophagy for its intracellular survival through the type III secretion system needle tip protein BipD. We identified BipD, interacting with BTB-containing proteins KLHL9 and KLHL13 by binding to the Back and Kelch domains, recruited NEDD8 family RING E3 ligase CUL3 in response to B. pseudomallei infection. Although evidently not involved in regulation of infectious diseases, KLHL9/KLHL13/CUL3 E3 ligase complex was essential for BipD-dependent ubiquitination of mitochondria in mouse macrophages. Mechanistically, we discovered the inner mitochondrial membrane IMMT via host ubiquitome profiling as a substrate of KLHL9/KLHL13/CUL3 complex. Notably, K63-linked ubiquitination of IMMT K211 was required for initiating host mitophagy, thereby reducing mitochondrial ROS production. Here, we show a unique mechanism used by bacterial pathogens that hijacks host mitophagy for their survival.

KCNK1 promotes proliferation and metastasis of breast cancer cells by activating lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA) and up-regulating H3K18 lactylation.

Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy and the most significant contributor to mortality in female oncology patients. Potassium Two Pore Domain Channel Subfamily K Member 1 (KCNK1) is differentially expressed in a variety of tumors, but the mechanism of its function in breast cancer is unknown. In this study, we found for the first time that KCNK1 was significantly up-regulated in human breast cancer and was correlated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. KCNK1 promoted breast cancer proliferation, invasion, and metastasis in vitro and vivo. Further studies unexpectedly revealed that KCNK1 increased the glycolysis and lactate production in breast cancer cells by binding to and activating lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA), which promoted histones lysine lactylation to induce the expression of a series of downstream genes and LDHA itself. Notably, increased expression of LDHA served as a vicious positive feedback to reduce tumor cell stiffness and adhesion, which eventually resulted in the proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of breast cancer. In conclusion, our results suggest that KCNK1 may serve as a potential breast cancer biomarker, and deeper insight into the cancer-promoting mechanism of KCNK1 may uncover a novel therapeutic target for breast cancer treatment.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi improve the competitive advantage of a native plant relative to a congeneric invasive plant in growth and nutrition.

Plant invasions severely threaten natural ecosystems, and invasive plants often outcompete native plants across various ecosystems. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi, serving as beneficial microorganisms for host plants, can greatly influence the competitive outcomes of invasive plants against native plants. However, it remains unclear how AM fungi alter the competitive balance between native and invasive species. A competitive experiment was conducted using an invasive Eupatorium adenophorum paired with a native congener Eupatorium lindleyanum. Specifically, both species were inoculated with (M+) or without (M-) the fungus Glomus etunicatum under intraspecific (Intra-) and interspecific (Inter-) competition. Plant traits were measured and analyzed regarding the growth and nutrition of both species. The results exhibited that the AM fungus significantly increased the height, diameter, biomass, C, N, and P acquisition of both the invasive E. adenophorum and the native E. lindleyanum. The root mycorrhizal colonization and the mycorrhizal dependency of native E. lindleyanum were greater than those of invasive E. adenophorum. Under M+, the Inter-competition inhibited the growth and nutrition of invasive E. adenophorum compared to the Intra- competition. Further, native E. lindleyanum exhibited higher competitiveness than invasive E. adenophorum in growth and nutrition. Meanwhile, the AM fungus significantly improved the competitiveness of native E. lindleyanum over invasive E. adenophorum. In conclusion, AM fungus improved the competitive advantage of native E. lindleyanum over invasive E. adenophorum in growth and nutrition, potentially contributing to native species competitively resisting the invasion of exotic species. These findings emphasize the importance of AM fungi in helping native plants resist the invasion of exotic plants and further contribute to understanding plant invasion prevention mechanisms.

Anti-coronavirus and anti-pulmonary inflammation effects of iridoids, the common component from Chinese herbal medicines for the treatment of COVID-19.

The practice of Chinese herbal medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 in China played an essential role for the control of mortality rate and reduction of recovery time. The iridoids is one of the main constituents of many heat-clearing and detoxifying Chinese medicines that were largely planted and frequently used in clinical practice. Twenty-three representative high content iridoids from several staple Chinese medicines were obtained and tested by a SARS-CoV-2 pseudo-virus entry-inhibition assay on HEK-293 T/ACE2 cells, a live HCoV-OC43 virus infection assay on HRT-18 cells, and a SARS-CoV-2 3CL protease inhibitory FRET assay followed by molecular docking simulation. The anti-pulmonary inflammation activities were further evaluated on a TNF-α induced inflammation model in A549 cells and preliminary SARs were concluded. The results showed that specnuezhenide (7), cornuside (12), neonuezhenide (15), and picroside III (21) exhibited promising antiviral activities, and neonuezhenide (15) could inhibit 3CL protease with an IC50 of 14.3 µM. Docking computation showed that compound 15 could bind to 3CL protease through a variety of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interactions. In the anti-pulmonary inflammation test, cornuside (12), aucubin (16), monotropein (17), and shanzhiside methyl ester (18) could strongly decrease the content of IL-1ß and IL-8 at 10 µM. Compound 17 could also upregulate the expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 significantly. The iridoids exhibited both anti-coronavirus and anti-pulmonary inflammation activities for their significance of existence in Chinese herbal medicines, which also provided a theoretical basis for their potential utilization in the pharmaceutical and food industries.

Hydrochemical fingerprints of karst underground river systems impacted by urbanization in Guiyang, Southwest China.

Karst groundwater plays an irreplaceable role in the formation and development of urban areas, and land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) and the input of pollutants during the urbanization process would pose potential environmental risks to underground rivers. We analysed the relationship between urbanization processes and underground river hydrochemistry over nearly 35 years in Guiyang city, southwest of China, it was found that concentrations of various cations and anions, as well as total dissolved solids (TDS), gradually increased with the urbanization process, with significant fluctuations during the rapid urbanization periods. The Hydrochemical Facies Evolution Diagram (HFED) clearly showed the influence of urbanization on the hydrochemistry of the underground rivers. The ion ratios of γMg2+/γCa2+-γHCO3-, γNa+/γCl-, Ca2+/Mg2+-Ca2+ or Mg2+/Σ cations, HCO3-/SO42--HCO3- or SO42-/Σ anions revealed two distinct phases in the hydrochemical evolution of the underground river system, highly consistent with the urbanization process. Before the rapid urbanization, acid deposition and agricultural activities affected the hydrochemistry, with HCO3-Ca·Mg and HCO3·SO4-Ca·Mg as the dominant types controlled by limestone and dolomite dissolution in water-rock interactions. As acid deposition diminished, the input of SO42- from urban sewage compensated for the reduced impact, but the increased impermeable surfaces reduced the infiltration of atmospheric precipitation, leading to a reduced dissolution of dolomite minerals in water-rock interactions, resulting in a decrease in Mg2+ and a change in the hydrochemical type. The hydrochemical type evolved from a single HCO3·SO4-Ca·Mg type and HCO3-Ca·Mg type to multiple types, such as HCO3·Cl-Ca, HCO3·SO4-Ca, HCO3-Ca, and HCO3·SO4-Ca·Mg, and was highly unstable. With changes in land use, the proportions of various cations and anions in the hydrochemistry changed, especially NH4+, NO3-, SO42-, Na+, and Cl-, which were more sensitive to human activities. This study indicated the impact of urbanization on the hydrochemistry of the underground river system, with the input of SO42- from human activities and the increase in paved surfaces due to urbanization collectively altering the hydrochemical types of the underground river system. The rapid response of karst underground river system hydrochemistry indicates a potential impact on groundwater system by urbanization that should not be ignored.

Piezoresistive Porous Composites with Triply Periodic Minimal Surface Structures Prepared by Self-Resistance Electric Heating and 3D Printing.

Three-dimensional flexible piezoresistive porous sensors are of interest in health diagnosis and wearable devices. In this study, conductive porous sensors with complex triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS) structures were fabricated using the 3D printed sacrificial mold and enhancement of MWCNTs. A new curing routine by the self-resistance electric heating was implemented. The porous sensors were designed with different pore sizes and unit cell types of the TPMS (Diamond (D), Gyroid (G), and I-WP (I)). The impact of pore characteristics and the hybrid fabrication technique on the compressive properties and piezoresistive response of the developed porous sensors was studied. The results indicate that the porous sensors cured by the self-resistance electric heating could render a uniform temperature distribution in the composites and reduce the voids in the walls, exhibiting a higher elastic modulus and a better piezoresistive response. Among these specimens, the specimen with the D-based structure cured by self-resistance electric heating showed the highest responsive strain (61%), with a corresponding resistance response value of 0.97, which increased by 10.26% compared to the specimen heated by the external heat sources. This study provides a new perspective on design and fabrication of porous materials with piezoresistive functionalities, particularly in the realm of flexible and portable piezoresistive sensors.

Antimony and arsenic migration in a heterogeneous subsurface at an abandoned antimony smelter under rainfall.

While antimony (Sb) and arsenic (As) co-contamination in subsurface soil systems due to the legacy of Sb smelting wastes has been documented, the role of inherent heterogeneity on pollutant migration is largely overlooked. Herein this study investigated Sb and As migration in a slag impacted, vertically stratified subsurface at an abandoned Sb smelter. A 2-dimensional flume was assembled as a lab-scale analogue of the site and subject to rainfall and stop-rain events. Reactive transport modeling was then performed by matching the experimental observations to verify the key factors and processes controlling pollutant migration. Results showed that rainfall caused Sb and As release from the shallow slag layer and promoted their downward movement. Nevertheless, the less permeable deeper layers limited physical flow and transport, which led to Sb and As accumulation at the interface. The re-adsorption of Sb and As onto iron oxides in the deeper, more acidic layers further retarded their migration. Because of the large difference between Sb and As concentrations, Sb re-adsorption was much less effective, which led to higher mobility. Our findings overall highlight the necessity of understanding the degree and impacts of physicochemical heterogeneity for risk exposure assessment and remediation of abandoned Sb smelting sites.

Reinforcing oxygen reduction reaction and accelerating charge migration kinetics on In4SnS8 by polypyrrole for photocatalytic hydrogen peroxide production.

Solar light-driven hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production through the two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) from the earth-abundant O2 and water is a potential alternative to the energy-consuming anthraquinone oxidation process, although the activity of the common photocatalysts is still insufficient to satisfy the industrial demands. Poor accessibility of O2 to surface/interface and fast carrier recombination is the limiting-factor for catalytic systems. Herein, we develop a nanohybrid photocatalysts by introducing 1D conducting polymer of polypyrrole (PPy) nanotube on In4SnS8 to promote H2O2 evolution under visible light, obtaining up to 254.8 µM in 2 h, which is 2.4- and 13-fold larger than that of individual In4SnS8 and PPy. The detailed characterizations of hybrid structure, O2 adsorption behaviors, charge carrier dynamics over PPy/In4SnS8 in conjunction with computational calculations corroborate that the modification of PPy could enlarge the amount of O2 adsorption amount, expedite the cycle of O2 adsorption/desorption and accelerate the transportation of electrons from In4SnS8 to the interface, eventually speeding up H2O2 photoproduction via indirect 2e- ORR pathway. This work establishes a paradigm of regulating the interfacial microenvironment by polymer for boosting H2O2 photogeneration through high selectivity of ORR.

The study of double-network carboxymethyl chitosan/sodium alginate based cryogels for rapid hemostasis in noncompressible hemorrhage.

Developing an injectable hemostatic dressing with shape recovery and high blood absorption ratio for rapid hemostasis in noncompressible hemorrhage maintains a critical clinical challenge. Here, double-network cryogels based on carboxymethyl chitosan, sodium alginate, and methacrylated sodium alginate were prepared by covalent crosslinking and physical crosslinking, and named carboxymethyl chitosan/methacrylated sodium alginate (CM) cryogels. Covalent crosslinking was achieved by methacrylated sodium alginate in the freeze casting process, while physical crosslinking was realized by electrostatic interaction between the amino group of carboxymethyl chitosan and the carboxyl group of sodium alginate. CM cryogels exhibited large water swelling ratios (8167 ± 1062 %), fast blood absorption speed (2974 ± 669 % in 15 s), excellent compressive strength (over 160 kPa for CM100) and shape recovery performance. Compared with gauze and commercial gelatin sponge, better hemostatic capacities were demonstrated for CM cryogel with the minimum blood loss of 40.0 ± 8.9 mg and the lowest hemostasis time of 5.0 ± 2.0 s at hemostasis of rat liver. Made of natural polysaccharides with biocompatibility, hemocompatibility, and cytocompatibility, the CM cryogels exhibit shape recovery and high blood absorption rate, making them promising to be used as an injectable hemostatic dressing for rapid hemostasis in noncompressible hemorrhage.

A sensitive, portable, and smartphone-based whole-cell biosensor device for salicylic acid monitoring.

Considerable effort has been invested in developing salicylic acid (SA) biosensors for various application purposes. Here, by engineering the sensing modules and host cell chassis, we have gradually optimized the NahR-Psal/Pr-based SA biosensor, increasing the sensitivity and maximum output by 17.2-fold and 9.4-fold, respectively, and improving the detection limit by 800-fold, from 80 µM to 0.1 µM. A portable SA sensing device was constructed by embedding a gelatin-based hydrogel containing an optimized biosensor into the perforations of tape adhered to glass slide, which allowed good determination of SA in the range of 0.1 µM-10 µM. Then, we developed a customized smartphone App to measure the fluorescence intensity of each perforation and automatically calculate the corresponding SA concentration so that we could detect SA concentrations in real cosmetic samples. We anticipate that this smartphone-based imaging biosensor, with its compact size, higher sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, and easy data transfer, will be useful for long-term monitoring of SA.

Quality of life, sleep and anxiety status among patients with rosacea in the Yunnan plateau region: A 2-year retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the life, sleep quality and anxiety of rosacea patients in Yunnan and the improvement of these aspects after treatment. METHODS: A total of 141 patients with rosacea and 123 healthy controls were included in our study. The quality of life, sleep quality and anxiety of patients with rosacea and healthy controls were investigated by the Rosacea Severity Scores (RSSs), the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS). The quality of life, sleep quality and anxiety of patients with rosacea were assessed again after treatment. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, patients with rosacea had significantly lower physical component scores (PCS) and mental component scores (MCS) but higher PSQI and SAS scores. After treatment, rosacea patients showed significantly higher MCS but lower PSQI and SAS scores. Correlation analysis showed a significant correlation between PCS, MCS, PSQI, SAS and RSSs. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with rosacea have a lower quality of life and sleep quality and tend to be more anxious than healthy controls. In addition, the mental quality of life, sleep quality and anxiety of rosacea patients can be significantly improved after treatment. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the psychological status of rosacea patients. Psychological counseling and intervention are necessary to better prevent and treat rosacea.

In Situ Growth Reaction on Photoelectrodes of Single-Atom Fe Incorporated Bi4O5I2: A General Photoelectrochemical Immunoassay Toward Sensitive Protein Analysis.

As one of the interesting signaling mechanisms, the in situ growth reaction on a photoelectrode has proven its powerful potential in photoelectrochemical (PEC) bioanalysis. However, the specific interaction between the signaling species with the photoactive materials limits the general application of the signal mechanism. Herein, on the basis of an in situ growth reaction on a photoelectrode of single-atom-based photoactive material, a general PEC immunoassay was developed in a split-type mode consisting of the immunoreaction and PEC detection procedure. Specifically, a single-atom photoactive material that incorporates Fe atoms into layered Bi4O5I2 (Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs) was used as a photoelectrode for PEC detection. The sandwich immunoreaction was performed in a well of a 96-well plate using Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) as signal tracers. In the PEC detection procedure, the Ag+ converted from Ag NPs were transferred onto the surface of the Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs photoelectrode and thereafter AgI was generated on the Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs in situ to form a heterojunction through the reaction of Ag+ with Bi4O5I2-Fe SAs. The formation of heterojunction greatly promoted the electro-hole separation, boosting the photocurrent response. Exemplified by myoglobin (Myo) as the analyte, the immunosensor achieved a wide linear range from 1.0 × 10-11 to 5.0 × 10-8 g mL-1 with a detection limit of 3.5 × 10-12 g mL-1. This strategy provides a general PEC immunoassay for disease-related proteins, as well as extends the application scope of in situ growth reaction in PEC analysis.

CobB-mediated deacetylation of the chaperone CesA regulates Escherichia coli O157:H7 virulence.

Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 is a common food-borne pathogen that can cause acute diseases. Lysine acetylation is a post-translational modification (PTM) that occurs in various prokaryotes and is regulated by CobB, the only deacetylase found in bacteria. Here, we demonstrated that CobB plays an important role in the virulence of EHEC O157:H7 and that deletion of cobB significantly decreased the intestinal colonization ability of bacteria. Using acetylation proteomic studies, we systematically identified several proteins that could be regulated by CobB in EHEC O157:H7. Among these CobB substrates, we found that acetylation at the K44 site of CesA, a chaperone for the type-III secretion system (T3SS) translocator protein EspA, weakens its binding to EspA, thereby reducing the stability of this virulence factor; this PTM ultimately attenuating the virulence of EHEC O157:H7. Furthermore, we showed that deacetylation of the K44 site, which is deacetylated by CobB, promotes the interaction between CesA and EspA, thereby increasing bacterial virulence in vitro and in animal experiments. In summary, we showed that acetylation influences the virulence of EHEC O157:H7, and uncovered the mechanism by which CobB contributes to bacterial virulence based on the regulation of CesA deacetylation.

Preparation of Oriented Superhydrophobic Surface to Reduce Agglomeration in Preparing Melt Marbles.

Numerous innovative granulation techniques utilizing the concept of liquid marbles have been proposed before. However, these processes frequently encounter issues such as collisions, aggregation, and fragmentation of liquid/melt marble during the granulation process. In this study, the oriented superhydrophobic surface (OSS) was successfully prepared by utilizing copper wire to solve the above problem, facilitating efficient batch production and guided transportation of uniform marbles. The parameters and mechanisms of this process were thoroughly studied. The optimized structure is that the copper wire spacing (d) and height (h) are set as 1.0 and 0.1 mm, respectively. This resulted in a surface contact angle (CA) of 156° and anisotropic sliding (ΔSA) of 16.3 ± 1.34°. Using the prepared substrate, high-quality urea products were successfully obtained through the controlled transport of urea melt marbles. The mechanism of guided and directional drag reduction, based on the solid/solid contact on the surface, is proposed. These findings in this study have significant implications for improving granulation processes.

Dissolved carbon in effluent of wastewater treatment plants and its potential impacts in the receiving karst river.

The dissolved carbon cycling in river system fueled by wastewater treatment plant effluent have been a research hotspot. However, the composition of dissolved carbon (DC) in wastewater effluents from karst regions remains poorly understood, resulting in a lack of clarity regarding its impact on the dynamics of dissolved carbon in karst rivers. To address this knowledge gap, this study investigated variations of dissolved inorganic (DIC) and organic C (DOC) components in effluent in karst regions and preliminarily discussed their influence on the DC cycling in karst rivers. The results showed that bicarbonate (HCO3-) in WWTP effluents makes more than 90% of the total dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). The partial pressure of aqueous CO2 (pCO2) of the effluent reached 14450 ± 10084µtam, and pCO2 level declined with increasing river distance from the effluent discharge, effluent acted as a strong CO2 emitter to the atmosphere. Stable carbon isotope and water chemistry evidence revealed that organic matter degradation made important contributions to the high CO2 concentrations in effluent. PHREEQC mixing simulation together with filed samples data indicated that the DIC species can be changed, and pCO2 increased in receiving karst river water after mixed with effluent. The dissolved organic carbon (DOC) of effluent contained humic-like and protein-tryptophan-like, both of them appeared important and recent autochthonous, which could interfere the distinguish the sources of DOC in receiving karst river water. Thus, these findings highlight that the effluent can be an essential factor for the changes of the karst riverine DC pool, which advance our understanding on karst riverine DC evolution under anthropogenic activities. As more than 30% of the earth surface in China, northern America, and Europe are covered by carbonate rocks, this study has relevant implications for other karst regions as it underscores the influence of WWTP effluents on the carbon cycle in karst rivers. Such information and knowledge are valuable for monitoring and managing effluent-receiving river in other karst regions in the world.