Targeting RNA G-quadruplex with repurposed drugs blocks SARS-CoV-2 entry.

The rapid emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, the complexity of infection, and the functional redundancy of host factors, underscore an urgent need for broad-spectrum antivirals against the continuous COVID-19 pandemic, with drug repurposing as a viable therapeutic strategy. Here we report the potential of RNA G-quadruplex (RG4)-targeting therapeutic strategy for SARS-CoV-2 entry. Combining bioinformatics, biochemical and biophysical approaches, we characterize the existence of RG4s in several SARS-CoV-2 host factors. In silico screening followed by experimental validation identify Topotecan (TPT) and Berbamine (BBM), two clinical approved drugs, as RG4-stabilizing agents with repurposing potential for COVID-19. Both TPT and BBM can reduce the protein level of RG4-containing host factors, including ACE2, AXL, FURIN, and TMPRSS2. Intriguingly, TPT and BBM block SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus entry into target cells in vitro and murine tissues in vivo. These findings emphasize the significance of RG4 in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis and provide a potential broad-spectrum antiviral strategy for COVID-19 prevention and treatment.

Suppressing Deep-Level Trap Toward Over 13% Efficient Solution-Processed Kesterite Solar Cell.

Cu2ZnSn (S,Se)4 (CZTSSe), a promising absorption material for thin-film solar cells, still falls short of reaching the balance limit efficiency due to the presence of various defects and high defect concentration in the thin film. During the high-temperature selenization process of CZTSSe, the diffusion of various elements and chemical reactions significantly influence defect formation. In this study, a NaOH-Se intermediate layer introduced at the back interface can optimize Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS)precursor films and subsequently adjust the Se and alkali metal content to favor grain growth during selenization. Through this back interface engineering, issues such as non-uniform grain arrangement on the surface, voids in bulk regions, and poor contact at the back interface of absorber layers are effectively addressed. This method not only optimizes morphology but also suppresses deep-level defect formation, thereby promoting carrier transport at both interfaces and bulk regions of the absorber layer. Consequently, CZTSSe devices with a NaOH-Se intermediate layer improved fill factor, open-circuit voltage, and efficiency by 13.3%. This work initiates from precursor thin films via back interface engineering to fabricate high-quality absorber layers while advancing the understanding regarding the role played by intermediate layers at the back interface of kesterite solar cells.

Interaction between HTR2A rs3125 and negative life events in suicide attempts among patients with major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Both genetic and environmental factors play crucial roles in the development of major depressive disorder (MDD) and suicide attempts (SA). However, the interaction between both items remains unknown. This study aims to explore the interactions between the genetic variants of the serotonin 2 A receptor (HTR2A) and the nitric oxide synthase 1 (NOS1) and environmental factors in patients who experience MDD and SA. METHODS: A total of 334 patients with MDD and a history of SA (MDD-SA) were recruited alongside 518 patients with MDD with no history of SA (MDD-NSA), and 716 healthy controls (HC). The demographic data and clinical characteristics were collected. Sequenom mass spectrometry was used to detect eight tag-single nucleotide polymorphisms (tagSNPs) in HTR2A (rs1328683, rs17068986, and rs3125) and NOS1 (rs1123425, rs2682826, rs3741476, rs527590, and rs7959232). Generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) was used to analyze the gene-environment interactions. RESULTS: Four tagSNPs (rs17068986, rs3125, rs527590, and rs7959232) exhibited significant differences between the three groups. However, these differences were not significant between the MDD-SA and MDD-NSA groups after Bonferroni correction. A logistic regression analysis revealed that negative life events (OR = 1.495, 95%CI: 1.071-2.087, P = 0.018), self-guilt (OR = 2.263, 95%CI: 1.515-3.379, P < 0.001), and negative cognition (OR = 2.252, 95%CI: 1.264-4.013, P = 0.006) were all independently associated with SA in patients with MDD. Furthermore, GMDR analysis indicated a significant interaction between HTR2A rs3125 and negative life events. Negative life events in conjunction with the HTR2A rs3125 CG + GG genotype were associated with a higher SA risk in patients with MDD when compared to the absence of negative life events in conjunction with the CC genotype (OR = 2.547, 95% CI: 1.264-5.131, P = 0.009). CONCLUSION: Several risk factors and a potential interaction between HTR2A rs3125 and negative life events were identified in patients with SA and MDD. The observed interaction likely modulates the risk of MDD and SA, shedding light on the pathogenesis of SA in patients with MDD.

A sensitive ratiometric fluorescence probe with a large spectral shift for sensing and imaging of palladium.

Palladium (Pd) is an important heavy metal with excellent catalytic properties and widely used in organic chemistry and the pharmaceutical industry. Efficient and convenient analytical techniques for Pd are urgently needed due to the hazardous effects of Pd on the environment and human health. Herein, we have developed five new ratiometric probes for the selective detection of Pd0 based on the Pd-catalyzed Tsuji-Trost reaction. Among them, the F-substituted probe PF-Pd showed the largest spectral shift (148 nm) and the most sensitive response (detection limit 2.11 nM). PF-Pd was employed to determine Pd0 in tap water or lake water samples, which presented satisfactory accuracy and precision. In addition, profiting from its distinct colorimetric response, visual detection of Pd0 was performed on PF-Pd loaded test strips or in field soil samples. Furthermore, fluorescence imaging of living 4T1 cells demonstrated that PF-Pd is suitable for imaging of intracellular Pd0. The good analytical performance of PF-Pd may enable it to be widely used in the convenient, rapid, sensitive and selective detection of Pd0 in environmental or biological analysis.

Mitigating the impact of bisphenol A exposure on mortality: Is diet the key? A cohort study based on NHANES.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widespread environmental pollutant linked to detrimental effects on human health and reduced life expectancy following chronic exposure. This prospective cohort study aimed to examine the association between BPA exposure and mortality in American adults and to explore the potential mitigating effects of dietary quality on BPA-related mortality. This study utilized data from 8761 American adults in the 2003-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Urinary BPA levels were employed to assess BPA exposure, and dietary quality was evaluated using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015). All-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality statuses were determined until December 31, 2019, resulting in a cumulative follow-up of 80,564 person-years. The results showed that the highest tertile of urinary BPA levels corresponded to a 36% increase in all-cause mortality and a 62% increase in CVD mortality compared to the lowest tertile. In contrast, the highest tertile of HEI-2015 scores was associated with a 29% reduction in all-cause mortality relative to the lowest tertile. Although no significant interaction was found between HEI-2015 scores and urinary BPA levels concerning mortality, the association between HEI-2015 scores and both all-cause and CVD mortality was statistically significant at low urinary BPA levels. Continuous monitoring of BPA exposure is crucial for evaluating its long-term adverse health effects. Improving dietary quality can lower all-cause mortality and decrease the risk of all-cause and CVD mortality at low BPA exposure levels. However, due to the limited protective effect of dietary quality against BPA exposure, minimizing BPA exposure remains a vital goal.

Double resonance induced by group coupling with quenched disorder.

Results show that the astrocytes can not only listen to the talk of large assemble of neurons but also give advice to the conversations and are significant sources of heterogeneous couplings as well. In the present work, we focus on such regulation character of astrocytes and explore the role of heterogeneous couplings among interacted neuron-astrocyte components in a signal response. We consider reduced dynamics in which the listening and advising processes of astrocytes are mapped into the form of group coupling, where the couplings are normally distributed. In both globally coupled overdamped bistable oscillators and an excitable FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) neuron model, we numerically and analytically demonstrate that two types of bell-shaped collective response curves can be obtained as the ensemble coupling strength or the heterogeneity of group coupling rise, respectively, which can be seen as a new type of double resonance. Furthermore, through the bifurcation analysis, we verify that these resonant signal responses stem from the competition between dispersion and aggregation induced by heterogeneous group and positive pairwise couplings, respectively. Our results contribute to a better understanding of the signal propagation in coupled systems with quenched disorder.

The brassinosteroid signaling component SlBZR1 promotes tomato fruit ripening and carotenoid accumulation.

The plant hormone ethylene is essential for climacteric fruit ripening, although it is unclear how other phytohormones and their interactions with ethylene might affect fruit ripening. Here, we explored how brassinosteroids (BRs) regulate fruit ripening in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and how they interact with ethylene. Exogenous BR treatment and increased endogenous BR contents in tomato plants overexpressing the BR biosynthetic gene SlCYP90B3 promoted ethylene production and fruit ripening. Genetic analysis indicated that the BR signaling regulators Brassinazole-resistant1 (SlBZR1) and BRI1-EMS-suppressor1 (SlBES1) act redundantly in fruit softening. Knocking out SlBZR1 inhibited ripening through transcriptome reprogramming at the onset of ripening. Combined transcriptome deep sequencing and chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by sequencing identified 73 SlBZR1-repressed targets and 203 SlBZR1-induced targets involving major ripening-related genes, suggesting that SlBZR1 positively regulates tomato fruit ripening. SlBZR1 directly targeted several ethylene and carotenoid biosynthetic genes to contribute to the ethylene burst and carotenoid accumulation to ensure normal ripening and quality formation. Furthermore, knock-out of Brassinosteroid-insensitive2 (SlBIN2), a negative regulator of BR signaling upstream of SlBZR1, promoted fruit ripening and carotenoid accumulation. Taken together, our results highlight the role of SlBZR1 as a master regulator of tomato fruit ripening with potential for tomato quality improvement and carotenoid biofortification.

Diversity-induced resonance in a globally coupled bistable system with diversely distributed heterogeneity.

A moderate degree of diversity, in form of quenched noise or intrinsic heterogeneity, can significantly strengthen the collective response of coupled extended systems. As yet, related discoveries on diversity-induced resonance are mainly concentrated on symmetrically distributed heterogeneity, e.g., the Gaussian or uniform distributions with zero-mean. The necessary conditions that guarantee the arise of resonance phenomenon in heterogeneous oscillators remain largely unknown. In this work, we show that the standard deviation and the ratio of negative entities of a given distribution jointly modulate diversity-induced resonance and the concomitance of negative and positive entities is the prerequisite for this resonant behavior emerging in diverse symmetrical and asymmetrical distributions. Particularly, for a proper degree of diversity of a given distribution, the collective signal response behaves like a bell-shaped curve as the ratio of negative oscillator increases, which can be termed negative-oscillator-ratio induced resonance. Furthermore, we analytically reveal that the ratio of negative oscillators plays a gating role in the resonance phenomenon on the basis of a reduced equation. Finally, we examine the robustness of these results in globally coupled bistable elements with asymmetrical potential functions. Our results suggest that the phenomenon of diversity-induced resonance can arise in arbitrarily distributed heterogeneous bistable oscillators by regulating the ratio of negative entities appropriately.

Preparation of a Z-Type g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 Composite Catalyst and Its Mechanism for Degradation of Gaseous and Liquid Ammonia.

In this study, an (A-R)TiO2 catalyst (ART) was prepared via the sol-gel method, and g-C3N4 (CN) was used as an amendment to prepare the g-C3N4/(A-R)TiO2 composite catalyst (ARTCN). X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Raman spectroscopy, N2 adsorption-desorption curves (BET), UV-Vis diffuse absorption spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), and fluorescence spectroscopy (PL) were used to evaluate the structure, morphology, specific surface area, optical properties, and photocarrier separation ability of the catalysts. The results showed that when the modifier CN content was 0.5 g, the dispersion of the ARTCN composite catalyst was better, with stronger light absorption performance, and the forbidden band width was smaller. Moreover, the photogenerated electrons in the conduction band of ART transferred to the valence band of CN and combined with the holes in the valence band of CN, forming Z-type heterostructures that significantly improved the efficiency of the photogenerated electron-hole migration and separation, thus increasing the reaction rate. Gaseous and liquid ammonia were used as the target pollutants to investigate the activity of the prepared catalysts, and the results showed that the air wetness and initial concentration of ammonia had a great influence on the degradation of gaseous ammonia. When the initial concentration of ammonia was 50 mg/m3 and the flow rate of the moist air was 0.9 mL/min, the degradation rate of gaseous ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 reached 88.86%, and it had good repeatability. When the catalytic dose was 50 mg and the initial concentration of NH4+ was 100 mg/L, the degradation rate of liquid ammonia by ARTCN-0.5 was 71.60% after 3 h of reaction, and small amounts of NO3- and NO2- were generated. The superoxide anion radical (·O2-) and hydroxyl radical (·OH) were the main active components in the photocatalytic reaction process.

Treatment of high-concentration phosphorus wastewater based on foamed concrete.

Phosphorus is a nonrenewable resource, and the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater containing high concentrations of phosphorus is of great importance. In this work, a novel method for highly efficient treatment of high-concentration phosphorus-containing wastewater (50 mg/L, 100 mg/L and 150 mg/L) with low energy consumption was developed by using the block waste foam concrete (FC) as a potential phosphorus recovery material. The results showed that acid leaching significantly improved the accumulation efficiency of phosphorus in calcium hydroxyphosphate (HAP) via accelerating the release of calcium in wastewater. The recovery rate of phosphorus could reach 99.0% under the pH value of 9.0 at 25 °C, using 2.0 g FC. It was also found that the microporous structure of the surface of FC provided the adsorption sites for phosphorus, resulting in the adsorption rate in different concentrations of phosphorus-containing wastewater up to 14.5%. It indicated that FC achieved the recovery of phosphorus from high-concentration phosphorus-containing wastewater by coupling HAP crystallization and physical adsorption to polyphosphorus.

Removal of microorganisms and antibiotic resistance genes from swine wastewater: a comparison between polyaluminum chloride (PAC), polyaluminum sulfate (LST), and aluminum hydroxide iron (LT).

The presence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic-resistance genes (ARGs) in swine wastewater may present a threat to the environment and public health. Conventional swine wastewater treatment processes generally fail to effectively reduce the content of ARGs. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a highly efficient and low-cost treatment method to solve this environmental problem. In doing so, we evaluated the application of three common coagulants in the treatment of swine wastewater. Using metagenomics, we evaluated the removal efficiency of ARG loads, as well as the effect of coagulation on the structure and diversity of swine wastewater, and on the bacterial community. The results showed that the three coagulants could effectively reduce the physicochemical pollution indexes of swine wastewater (e.g., TP, NTU, COD). After treatment, the loads of a variety of antibiotics in the swine wastewater were significantly reduced, with the exception of NFX and SMD, which were all close to 100%. At the same time, in evaluating the total number of microbial colonies and the total number of fecal Escherichia coli bacteria under the three conditions, Polyaluminum Chloride (PAC) ranked first among the three coagulants with 89.18%, 93.07%, 89.92%, 98.76%, 99.60%, and 98.68%. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the abundance of cfcC, tetX, mphE, msrE, tet36, and other ARGs in the water sample after the LST treatment was significantly lower than that of the original swine wastewater sample. These findings demonstrate the feasibility of using coagulants to treat swine wastewater, which is of great significance for improving water quality and reducing the potential impacts of ARGs.

Ligustrazine protects against chronic hypertensive glaucoma in rats by inhibiting autophagy via the PI3K-Akt/mTOR pathway.

PURPOSE: Glaucoma is a leading cause of global irreversible blindness, and characterized by the progressive loss of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Ligustrazine (TMP) is a natural product that has shown beneficial effects on various diseases. This study aimed to determine whether ligustrazine produces a therapeutic effect on glaucoma and to investigate its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: A rat chronic hypertensive glaucoma model was induced by episcleral vein cauterization (EVC). Adult Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were intraperitoneally administered TMP at a dose of 80 mg/kg once a day, from two days before EVC to one month after EVC. To elucidate the role of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), TMP-treated experimental rats were co-treated with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin (5 mg/kg) or the PI3K inhibitor Ly294002 (10 mg/kg). The intraocular pressure (IOP) of the experimental and control rats was measured every six days. Retinal cells were examined by hematoxylin-eosin and terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated biotinylated UTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) staining, as well as transmission electron microscopy. Immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis were performed to measure proteins involved in apoptosis and autophagy. RESULTS: Ligustrazine protected retinal cells from death in experimental glaucoma rats, which was not due to the lowering of IOP, but could be attributable to direct suppression of retinal cell apoptosis. In glaucoma rats, autophagy was markedly activated in retina cells, as evidenced by increased numbers of autophagosomes and the expression of autophagy-related proteins (ATG5 and LC3-II/I). Notably, such alterations in glaucoma rats were almost completely reversed by ligustrazine. The suppressive effects of ligustrazine on apoptosis and autophagy of retina cells were markedly attenuated by the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin or the PI3K inhibitor Ly294002. Additionally, ligustrazine significantly increased the protein levels of phosphorylated PI3K (p-PI3K), protein kinase B (p-Akt), and mTOR (p-mTOR) in glaucoma rats, whereas such increases were attenuated by rapamycin or Ly294002. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that ligustrazine is protective in experimental glaucoma by inhibiting autophagy via the activation of the PI3K-Akt/mTOR pathway, providing compelling evidence that ligustrazine is potentially therapeutic for patients with glaucoma.

Association between T-182C, G1287A polymorphism in NET gene and suicidality in major depressive disorder in Chinese patients.

Objective: Previous studies have implicated norepinephrine transporter gene (NET) polymorphisms in the etiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). A functional NET T-182C polymorphism (rs2242446) in the promoter region and a synonymous polymorphisms G1287A in the exon 9 (rs5569) were associated with MDD in different populations. However, few studies have focused on the relationship between these polymorphisms and MDD patients with suicidality. The objective of the present study was to examine whether the two polymorphisms are associated with MDD patients with suicidality in the Han Chinese population. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-three suicidal depressed patients and 241 non-suicidal depressed patients who met DSM-IV criteria for MDD were recruited from our hospital. Three hundred and three unrelated, age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects participated in this case-control study. Suicidality was assessed using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) and the Hamilton rating scale for depression (HAMD). Genotypes of T-182C polymorphism (rs2242446) and G1287A (rs5569) were screened by polymerase chain reaction. Results: No statistical significant differences between patients and controls were found for any of the analysed polymorphisms, either in the genotype or allele distribution. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the investigated polymorphisms are not major susceptibility factors in the etiology of MDD with suicidality. However, the results must be verified in larger samples and different ethnicities.

Solving the Dynamic Correlation Problem of the Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible Model on Networks.

The susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) model is a canonical model for emerging disease outbreaks. Such outbreaks are naturally modeled as taking place on networks. A theoretical challenge in network epidemiology is the dynamic correlations coming from that if one node is infected, then its neighbors are likely to be infected. By combining two theoretical approaches-the heterogeneous mean-field theory and the effective degree method-we are able to include these correlations in an analytical solution of the SIS model. We derive accurate expressions for the average prevalence (fraction of infected) and epidemic threshold. We also discuss how to generalize the approach to a larger class of stochastic population models.

Personalized Radiation Therapy (PRT) for Lung Cancer.

This chapter reviews and discusses approaches and strategies of personalized radiation therapy (PRT) for lung cancers at four different levels: (1) clinically established PRT based on a patient's histology, stage, tumor volume and tumor locations; (2) personalized adaptive radiation therapy (RT) based on image response during treatment; (3) PRT based on biomarkers; (4) personalized fractionation schedule. The current RT practice for lung cancer is partially individualized according to tumor histology, stage, size/location, and combination with use of systemic therapy. During-RT PET-CT image guided adaptive treatment is being tested in a multicenter trial. Treatment response detected by the during-RT images may also provide a strategy to further personalize the remaining treatment. Research on biomarker-guided PRT is ongoing. The biomarkers include genomics, proteomics, microRNA, cytokines, metabolomics from tumor and blood samples, and radiomics from PET, CT, SPECT images. Finally, RT fractionation schedule may also be personalized to each individual patient to maximize therapeutic gain. Future PRT should be based on comprehensive considerations of knowledge acquired from all these levels, as well as consideration of the societal value such as cost and effectiveness.

Antitumor activity of photodynamic therapy with a chlorin derivative in vitro and in vivo.

Chlorin derivatives are promising photosensitive agents for photodynamic therapy (PDT) of tumors. The aim of the current study is to investigate the PDT therapeutic effects of a novel chlorin-based photosensitizer, meso-tetra[3-(N,N-diethyl)aminomethyl-4-methoxy]phenyl chlorin (TMPC) for gliomas in vitro and in vivo. Physicochemical characteristics of TMPC were recorded by ultraviolet visible spectrophotometer and fluorescence spectrometer. The rate of singlet oxygen generation of TMPC upon photo-excitation was detected by using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran (DPBF). The accumulation of TMPC in gliomas U87 MG cells was measured by fluorescence spectrometer. The efficiency of TMPC-PDT in vitro was analyzed by MTT assay and clonogenic assay. The biodistribution and clearance of TMPC were determined by fluorescence measuring. Human gliomas U87 MG tumor-bearing mice model was used to evaluate the antitumor effects of TMPC-PDT. TMPC shows a singlet oxygen generation rate of 0.05 and displays a characteristic long wavelength absorption peak at 653 nm (ε = 15,400). The accumulation of TMPC increased with the increase of incubation time. In vitro, PDT using TMPC and laser showed laser dose- and concentration-dependent cytotoxicity to U87 MG cells. In U87 MG tumor-bearing mice, TMPC-PDT significantly reduced the growth of the tumors. Both in vitro and in vivo, TMPC showed little dark toxicity. In vitro and in vivo studies, it found that TMPC has excellent antitumor activities. It suggests that TMPC is a potential photosensitizer of photodynamic therapy for cancer.

Effect of vaccination strategies on the dynamic behavior of epidemic spreading and vaccine coverage.

The transmission of infectious, yet vaccine-preventable, diseases is a typical complex social phenomenon, where the increasing level of vaccine update in the population helps to inhibit the epidemic spreading, which in turn, however, discourages more people to participate in vaccination campaigns, due to the "externality effect" raised by vaccination. We herein study the impact of vaccination strategies, pure, continuous (rather than adopt vaccination definitely, the individuals choose to taking vaccine with some probabilities), or continuous with randomly mutation, on the vaccination dynamics with a spatial susceptible-vaccinated-infected-recovered (SVIR) epidemiological model. By means of extensive Monte-Carlo simulations, we show that there is a crossover behavior of the final vaccine coverage between the pure-strategy case and the continuous-strategy case, and remarkably, both the final vaccination level and epidemic size in the continuous-strategy case are less than them in the pure-strategy case when vaccination is cheap. We explain this phenomenon by analyzing the organization process of the individuals in the continuous-strategy case in the equilibrium. Our results are robust to the SVIR dynamics defined on other spatial networks, like the Erdos-Rényi and Barabási-Albert networks.

An Experimental Study of a Composite Wick Structure for Ultra-Thin Flattened Heat Pipes.

As the thickness of an ultra-thin flattened heat pipe (UTHP) decreases, the fabrication difficulty increases exponentially, and the thermal performance deteriorates rapidly. In this study, three types of composite wicks were developed for UTHPs with a 0.6 mm thickness: copper foam and mesh wick (CFMW), two layers of different mesh wick (TDMW), and three layers of the same mesh wick (TSMW). The startup and steady-state performances of the UTHPs with liquid filling ratios of 60% to 120% were investigated. The findings indicated that the CFMW UTHP with a filling ratio of 100% exhibited the best startup performance, with the highest equilibrium temperature of 58.37 °C. The maximum heat transport capacities of the CFMW, TDMW, and TSMW UTHP samples were 9, 8, and 8.5 W, respectively, at their corresponding optimum filling ratios of 110%, 90%, and 100%. The CFMW UTHP exhibited the lowest evaporation and condensation thermal resistances of 0.151 and 0.189 K/W, respectively, which were 24.67% and 41.85% lower than those of the TSMW UTHP. CFMW can be used to improve the thermal performance of UTHPs. This study provides important guidelines for the structural design, fabrication technology, and performance improvement of high-performance UTHPs used in portable electronic devices.

Effects of Cu (II) on the Growth of Chlorella vulgaris and Its Removal Efficiency of Pollutants in Synthetic Piggery Digestate.

C. vulgaris has a positive effect on the removal of nutrients from pig farm biogas slurry. However, swine wastewater often contains heavy metal ions, such as Cu (II), which may have impacts on the nutrient removal performance of C. vulgaris. Additionally, the heavy metal ions in wastewater can be adsorbed by microalgae. In this study, the stress effect of Cu (II) on the growth of Chlorella vulgaris, the Cu (II) removal by microalgae, and the effect of different concentrations of Cu (II) on the nutrient removal efficiency of C. vulgaris in biogas slurries were explored. The results showed that the microalgae biomass of microalgae on the sixth day of the experiment was the highest in the treatment with a Cu (II) concentration of 0.5 mg/L, which was 30.1% higher than that of the 2.5 mg/L group. C. vulgaris had higher removal efficiencies of Cu (II) at a Cu (II) concentration of 0.1~1.5 mg/L. The-OH, C=O, -COOH, and C-O groups on the surface of the algal cells play a significant role in the removal of Cu (II). The removal rates of COD, NH3-N, TN, and TP by C. vulgaris at a Cu (II) concentration of 0.5 mg/L were the highest, which were 89.0%, 53.7%, 69.6%, and 47.3%, respectively.

Water saving irrigation mediates bioactive pigments metabolism and storage capacity in tomato fruit.

Tomato fruit consumption is influenced by flavor and nutrient quality. In the present study, we investigate the impact of water saving irrigation (WSI) as a pre-harvest management on flavor and nutrient quality of tomato fruit. Our results demonstrate that WSI-treated tomato fruit exhibited improved sensory scores as assessed by a taste panel, accompanied by elevated levels of SlGLK2 expression, sugars, acids, and carotenoid contents compared to non-treated fruit. Notably, WSI treatment significantly enhanced the development of chloroplast and plastoglobulus in chromoplast, which served as carotenoid storage sites and upregulated the expression of carotenoid biosynthetic genes. Furthermore, integrated transcriptome and metabolome analysis revealed heightened expression of sugar and flavonoid metabolism pathways in WSI-treated tomato fruit. Remarkably, the master regulator SlMYB12 displayed a substantially increased expression due to WSI. These findings suggest that WSI is an effective and sustainable approach to enhance the pigments metabolism and storage capacity as well as the organoleptic characteristics and nutritional value of tomato fruit, offering a win-win solution for both water conservation and quality improvement in agro-food production.