The mechanism of curcumin to protect mouse ovaries from oxidative damage by regulating AMPK/mTOR mediated autophagy.

BACKGROUND: Oxidative stress is considered the main cause of granulosa cell apoptosis in ovarian disease. Curcumin has various biological roles, but its potential role in protecting granulosa cells from oxidative damage remains unidentified. PURPOSE: The study revealed the protective effect of curcumin on granulosa cell survival under oxidative stress, and explored its mode of action. STUDY DESIGN: The protective effect of curcumin on oxidative stress-induced ovarian cell apoptosis was evaluated in vivo and in vitro, and the role of autophagy and AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway in this process was also demonstrated. METHODS: First, mice were injected to 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NPA, 20 mg/kg/day) for 14 consecutive days to establish the ovarian oxidative stress model, at same time, curcumin (50, 100, 200 mg/kg/day) was given orally. Thereafter, functional changes, cell apoptosis, and autophagy in ovarian tissue were evaluated by hematoxylin-eosin staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting, TUNEL assays, and transmission electron microscopy. Finally, oxidative stress model of granulosa cells was established with H2O2in vitro and treated with curcumin. The underlying mechanisms of curcumin to protect the apoptosis under oxidative stress in vitro were determined using western blotting and TUNEL assays. RESULTS: In our study, after curcumin treatment, the mouse ovarian function disorder under 3-nitropropionic acid-induced oxidative stress recovered significantly, and ovarian cell apoptosis decreased. H2O2 induced granulosa cell apoptosis in vitro, and curcumin antagonized this process. Autophagy contributes to tissue and cell survival under stress. We therefore examined the role of autophagy in this process. According to the in vivo and in vitro results, curcumin restored autophagy under oxidative stress. The autophagy inhibitor (chloroquine) exhibited the same effect as curcumin, whereas the autophagy activator (rapamycin) antagonized the effect of curcumin. In addition, the study found that the AMPK/mTOR pathway plays a crucial role in curcumin- mediated autophagy to protect against oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Our findings for the first time systematically revealed a new mechanism through which curcumin protects ovarian granulosa cells from oxidative stress-induced damage through AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy and suggested that it can be a new therapeutic direction for female ovarian diseases.

A soil fumigant increases American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) survival and growth under continuous cropping by affecting soil microbiome assembly: a 4-year in situ field experiment.

IMPORTANCE: Numerous reports of soil fumigants and fungicides on annual crops exist; however, it is unclear whether the single application to perennial plants persistently improves plant growth and controls disease or whether it has a long-lasting impact on soil microbes. We found that soil fumigation enhances ginseng growth and suppresses root rot disease by reshaping the soil microbial community. Our findings benefit the agricultural development of ginseng and provide a theoretical basis for the prevention of ginseng diseases.

Prognostic nutritional index and serum lactate dehydrogenase predict the prognosis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients who received intensity-modulated radiation therapy.

PURPOSE: This research aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of baseline prognostic nutritional index (PNI) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) for the outcome of individuals diagnosed with non-metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was conducted on data from 810 patients with non-metastatic NPC who underwent intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) with or without chemotherapy. The best cut-offs for PNI and LDH were identified by X-tile software to be 48.5 and 150, respectively. To find the independent prognostic factors for survival outcomes, univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted, and AUCs were used to compare their prognostic values. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis revealed that patients with PNI > 48.5 had better overall survival (OS) (HR: 0.502, P < 0.001), progression-free survival (PFS) (HR: 0.618, P < 0.001), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) (HR: 0.637, P = 0.005). Higher LDH was associated with poorer OS (HR: 1.798, P < 0.001), PFS (HR: 1.671, P < 0.001), and DMFS (HR: 1.756, P < 0.001). The combination of low PNI and high LDH in non-metastatic NPC patients was correlated with poor OS (P < 0.001), PFS (P < 0.001), and DMFS (P < 0.001). The combination of PNI and LDH had the highest AUCs for predicting OS, PFS, and DMFS. CONCLUSIONS: PNI and LDH might become valuable predictors of the prognosis of non-metastatic NPC patients undergoing IMRT with or without chemotherapy. Prognostic accuracy can be enhanced by combining PNI and LDH.

Effect of the Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Anxiety and Depression Status of COVID-19 Patients Treated in Fangcang Hospitals: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: As the focal point of epidemic prevention and control, the mental health of COVID-19 patients cannot be ignored. Online Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) allows for the provision of conveniently accessible, effective and low-cost interventions on a large scale. We aim to evaluate the effectiveness of an online MBSR intervention in alleviating anxiety and depression among asymptomatic/mild patients limited by COVID-19-related restrictions. Methods: Fifty-eight patients treated in Sanya Fangcang hospital were randomly allocated to either to the experimental group (n = 29) following daily, for 5 days, an online-based mindfulness intervention or to the control group (n = 29). Patients from both groups underwent online questionnaires including assessment of anxiety and depression status at pre- and post-tests using Self-rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Results: After the online-based MBSR program, the anxiety and depression scores of the patients in the MBSR group decreased significantly in comparison to the scores of those in the control group (respectively η2 = 0.175, η2 = 0.215, p < 0.001). And the proportion of severe anxiety and depression patients in the MBSR group decreased to 0% which lower than the control group, and the proportion of light anxiety and depression patients was significantly more than that in the control group after the MBSR intervention. Conclusion: The online-based MBSR intervention appears to be an effective way of alleviating anxiety and depression symptoms among COVID-19 patients with associated quarantine in Fangcang hospital. Given the seriousness of mental health threat that could be posed by this ongoing pandemic, our study provides a new idea and method for cost-effective and time-efficient interventions in the future of epidemic prevention and control.

Synergistic analysis of performance, functional genes, and microbial community assembly in SNDPR process under Zn(II) stress.

One of the most prevalent heavy metals found in rural sewage is Zn(II), while its effect on simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal (SNDPR) remains unclear. In this work, the responses of SNDPR performance to long-term Zn(II) stress were investigated in a cross-flow honeycomb bionic carrier biofilm system. The results indicated that Zn(II) stress at 1 and 5 mg L-1 could increase nitrogen removal. Maximum ammonia nitrogen, total nitrogen, and phosphorus removal efficiencies of up to 88.54%, 83.19%, and 83.65% were obtained at Zn(II) concentration of 5 mg L-1. The functional genes, such as archaeal amoA, bacterial amoA, NarG, NirS, NapA, and NirK, also reached the highest value at 5 mg L-1 Zn(II), with the absolute abundances of 7.73 × 105, 1.57 × 106, 6.68 × 108, 1.05 × 109, 1.79 × 108, and 2.09 × 108 copies·g-1 dry weight, respectively. The neutral community model demonstrated that deterministic selection was responsible for the system's microbial community assembly. Additionally, response regimes with extracellular polymeric substances and cooperation among microorganisms facilitated the stability of the reactor effluent. Overall, the findings of this paper contribute to improving the efficiency of wastewater treatment.

Progress in Mechanism of Astragalus membranaceus and Its Chemical Constituents on Multiple Sclerosis.

The primary chemical components of Astragalus membranaceus include polysaccharides, saponins, flavonoids, and amino acids. Recent studies have shown that Astragalus membranaceus has multiple functions, including improving immune function and exerting antioxidative, anti-radiation, anti-tumor, antibacterial, antiviral, and hormone-like effects. Astragalus membranaceus and its extracts are widely used in clinical practice because they have obvious therapeutic effects against various autoimmune diseases and relatively less adverse reaction. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of central nervous system (CNS), which mainly caused by immune disorder that leads to inflammatory demyelination, inflammatory cell infiltration, and axonal degeneration in the CNS. In this review, the authors analyzed the clinical manifestations of MS and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) and focused on the efficacy of Astragalus membranaceus and its chemical components in the treatment of MS/EAE.

Simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal: What have we done so far and how do we need to do in the future?

Nitrogen and phosphorus contamination in wastewater is a serious environmental concern and poses a global threat to sustainable development. In this paper, a comprehensive review of the studies on simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus removal (SNPR) during 1986-2022 (538 publications) was conducted using bibliometrics, which showed that simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and phosphorus removal (SNDPR) is the most promising process. To better understand SNDPR, the dissolved oxygen, carbon to nitrogen ratio, carbon source type, sludge retention time, Cu2+ and Fe3+, pH, salinity, electron acceptor type of denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (DPAOs), temperature, and other influencing factors were analyzed. Currently, SNDPR has been successfully implemented in activated sludge systems, aerobic granular sludge systems, biofilm systems, and constructed wetlands; sequential batch mode of operation is a common means to achieve this process. SNDPR exhibits a significant potential for phosphorus recovery. Future research needs to focus on: (1) balancing the competitiveness between denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms (DGAOs) and DPAOs, and countermeasures to deal with the effects of adverse conditions on SNDPR performance; (2) achieving SNDPR in continuous flow operation; and (3) maximizing the recovery of P during SNDPR to achieve resource sustainability. Overall, this study provides systematic and valuable information for deeper insights into SNDPR, which can help in further research.

Response of aerobic granular sludge under polyethylene microplastics stress: Physicochemical properties, decontamination performance, and microbial community.

Microplastics are widely detected in sewage and sludge in wastewater treatment plants and can thereby influence biological processes. In this study, the overall impacts of polyethylene microplastics (PE MPs) and their toxicity mechanisms on aerobic granular sludge (AGS) were investigated. Particle structure, settling properties, particle size distribution, and extracellular polymeric substance characteristics of AGS were significantly affected by PE MPs with concentrations of 20 and 200 n/L. Increased relative contents of reactive oxygen species (ROS) (146.34% and 191.43%) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (185.71% and 316.67%) under PE MPs (20 and 200 n/L) exposure resulted in disruption of cellular structure. The activities of enzymes related to denitrification and phosphorus removal were greatly decreased, while ammonia monooxygenase (AMO) was stable, supporting the high efficiency removal of ammonia nitrogen. High-throughput sequencing demonstrated that the relative abundance of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria (Nitrospira, Thermomonas, Flavobacterium), and PAOs (Comamonas and Rhodocyclus) were significantly reduced from 4.47%, 3.57%, 2.02%, 9.38%, and 5.45%-2.95%, 2.88%, 1.77%, 8.01%, and 4.86% as the concentration of PE MPs increased from 0 to 200 n/L, respectively. Those findings were consistent with the deterioration in decontamination capability.

The interactions between traditional Chinese medicine and gut microbiota: Global research status and trends.

Background: There is a crosstalk between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and gut microbiota (GM), many articles have studied and discussed the relationship between the two. The purpose of this study is to use bibliometric analysis to explore the research status and development trends of the TCM/GM research, identify and analyze the highly cited papers relating to the TCM/GM. Methods: A literature search regarding TCM/GM publications from 2004 to 2021 was undertaken on August 13, 2022. The main information (full record and cited references) of publications was extracted from the Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-E) of Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC). The Bibliometrix of R package, CiteSpace and VOSviewer were used for bibliometric analysis. Results: A total of 830 papers were included. The publication years of papers were from 2004 to 2021. The number of papers had increased rapidly since 2018. China had the most publications and made most contributions to this field. Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine and Beijing University of Chinese Medicine were in the leading productive position in TCM/GM research, Chinese Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences had the highest total citations (TC). Duan Jin-ao from Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine had the largest number of publications, and Tong Xiao-lin from China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences had the most TC. The Journal of Ethnopharmacology had the most published papers and the most TC. The main themes in TCM/GM included the role of GM in TCM treatment of glucolipid metabolism diseases and lower gastrointestinal diseases; the mechanism of interactions between GM and TCM to treat diseases; the links between TCM/GM and metabolism; and the relationship between GM and oral bioavailability of TCM. Conclusion: This study gained insight into the research status, hotspots and trends of global TCM/GM research, identified the most cited articles in TCM/GM and analyzed their characteristics, which may inform clinical researchers and practitioners' future directions.

[Effect of light intensity on growth, accumulation of ginsenosides, and expression of related enzyme genes of Panax quinquefolius].

Appropriate light intensity is favorable for the photosynthesis, biomass accumulation, key enzyme activity, and secondary metabolite synthesis of medicinal plants. This study aims to explore the influence of light intensity on growth and quality of Panax quinquefolius. To be specific, sand culture experiment was carried out in a greenhouse under the light intensity of 40, 80, 120, and 160 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1), respectively. The growth indexes, photosynthetic characteristics, content of 6 ginsenosides of the 3-year-old P. quinquefolius were determined, and the expression of ginsenoside synthesis-related enzyme genes in leaves, main roots, and fibrous roots was determined. The results showed that the P. quinquefolius growing at 80 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) light intensity had the most biomass and the highest net photosynthetic rate. The total biomass of P. quinquefolius treated with 120 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) light intensity was slightly lower than that with 80 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1). The root-to-shoot ratio in the treatment with 120 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) light intensity was up to 6.86, higher than those in other treatments(P<0.05),and the ginsenoside content in both aboveground and underground parts of P. quinquefolius in this treatment was the highest, which was possibly associated with the high expression of farnesylpyrophosphate synthase(FPS), squalene synthase(SQS), squalene epoxidase(SQE), oxidosqualene cyclase(OSC), dammarenediol-Ⅱ synthase(DS), and P450 genes in leaves and SQE and DS genes in main roots. In addition, light intensities of 120 and 160 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) could promote PPD-type ginsenoside synthesis in leaves by triggering up-regulation of the expression of upstream ginsenoside synthesis genes. The decrease in underground biomass accumulation of the P. quinquefolius grown under weak light(40 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)) and strong light(160 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1)) was possibly attributed to the low net photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and transpiration rate in leaves. In the meantime, the low expression of SQS, SQE, OSC, and DS genes in the main roots might led to the decrease in ginsenoside content. However, there was no significant correlation between the ginsenoside content and the expression of synthesis-related genes in the fibrous roots of P. quinquefolius. Therefore, the light intensity of 80 and 120 µmol·m~(-2)·s~(-1) is beneficial to improving yield and quality of P. quinquefolius. The above findings contributed to a theoretical basis for reasonable shading in P. quinquefolius cultivation, which is of great significance for improving the yield and quality of P. quinquefolius through light regulation.

A novel cross-flow honeycomb bionic carrier promotes simultaneous nitrification, denitrification and phosphorus removal in IFAS system: Performance, mechanism and keystone species.

Simultaneously achieving efficient nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) removal without adding external carbon source is vital for carbon-neutral wastewater treatment. In this study, a novel cross-flow honeycomb bionic microbial carrier (CF) was developed to improve the efficiency of simultaneous nitrification, denitrification, and P removal (SNDPR) in an integrated fixed-film activated sludge (IFAS) system. A parallel laboratory-scale sequencing batch reactor with the commercialized microbial carriers (CM) (CM-IFAS) was performed as the comparative system for over 233 d The results demonstrated that CF-IFAS exhibited a more consistent N removal efficiency and better performance than CM-IFAS. In the CF-IFAS, the highest N and P removal efficiencies were 95.40% and 100%, respectively. Typical cycle analysis revealed that nitrate was primarily removed by the denitrifying glycogen-accumulating organisms in the CF-IFAS and by denitrifying phosphate-accumulating organisms in the CM-IFAS. The neutral community model showed that the microbial community assembly in both the reactors was driven by deterministic selection rather than stochastic factors. Compared to those in CM-IFAS, the microorganisms in CF-IFAS were more closely related to each other and had more keystone species: norank_f_norank_o_norank_c_OM190, SM1A02, Defluviicoccus, norank_f_ Saprospiraceae, and norank_f_Rhodocyclaceae. The absolute contents of the genes associated with N removal (bacterial amoA, archaeal amoA, NarG, NapA, NirS, and NirK) were higher in CF-IFAS than in CM-IFAS; the N cycle activity was also stronger in the CF-IFAS. Overall, the microecological environment differed between both systems. This study provides novel insights into the potential of bionic carriers to improve SNDPR performance by shaping microbial communities, thereby providing scientific guidance for practical engineering.

First Report of the Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne enterolobii infecting Acalypha australis in China.

Copperleaf (Acalypha australis; Euphorbiaceae), widely cultivated in China, is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine that is used for clearing heat and detoxifying, astringency and hemostasis (Zhang and Zhang 1994). In September 2021, wild Asian copperleaf plants showed leaf yellowing in a corner outside a greenhouse (22°50' N; 108°17' E), Guangxi Province, China. Galls and egg masses were observed on the plant roots on approximately 60% of plants. Females and second-stage juveniles (J2) were dissected and extracted from roots with galls. The perineal pattern of females was dorsal-ventrally oval with low and round dorsal arches, lacking clear lateral lines. Morphological measurements of females (n=20; mean ± standard error) were body length (BL) 697.7 ± 17.3 µm, maximum body width (BW) 521.5 ± 18.3 µm, stylet length 14.8 ± 0.3 µm, and dorsal pharyngeal gland orifice to stylet base (DGO) 5.1 ± 0.2µm. J2s (n = 20) were vermiform, had a slender tail, with a tapering to rounded tip with distinct hyaline region at the tail terminus and had the following morphological measurements: BL 475.5 ± 32.7 µm, BW 16.7 ± 0.6 µm, stylet length 14.4 ± 1.4 µm, DGO 3.9 ± 0.1 µm, hyaline tail length 18.0 ± 0.6 µm, and tail length 50.1 ± 1.2 µm. These morphological characteristics fit the description for Meloidogyne enterolobii (Yang and Eisenback 1983). In order to confirm species identification, genomic DNA was extracted from 12 single J2 (Luo et al. 2020). Species identity was further explored by the rDNA-internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region using primers V5367/26S (Vrain et al. 1992), and the D2-D3 fragment of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene using primers D2A/D3B (De Ley et al. 1999). The sequences for the target genes were 733 bp (GenBank accession no. OM168996) and 734 bp (GenBank accession no. OM177195), respectively. Homologies were 99 to 100% identical with those in GenBank for known sequences of M. enterolobii. Furthermore, species identification was confirmed using PCR to amplify a portion of the rDNA-IGS2 with M. enterolobii-specific primers Me-F/Me-R (Long et al. 2006). Koch's postulates was tested in a greenhouse at 25 to 28˚C temperature. Eggs were multiplied on tomato in the greenhouse using a single egg mass hand-picked from originally natural infected A. australis roots. Fifteen A. australis seedlings maintained in 14.5-cm diameter and 10-cm high pots containing autoclaved sandy soil (sand/soil = 3:1), one seedling/pot, inoculated with 5,000 eggs/plant, and five noninoculated seedlings were used as controls. After 60 days, all inoculated plants showed galling root symptoms and the control plants displayed no symptoms. The reproduction factor (Rutter et al. 2021) on A. australis was 4.3. Furthermore, the morphological and molecular characterization of the nematode was identical to the original samples. To our knowledge, this is the first report of M. enterolobii infecting Asian copperleaf that is cultivated in 29 provinces/regions of China. The growers should be aware of this nematode and take measures to avoid spread and serious economic losses.

Intravenous Administration of Scutellarin Nanoparticles Augments the Protective Effect against Cerebral Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Rats.

This study investigates the protective effect of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) loaded with scutellarin (SCU), a flavone isolated from the traditional Chinese medicineErigeron breviscapus (Vant.) Hand.-Mazz., in reducing cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in vivo. The focal cerebral I/R injury model was established by occluding the middle cerebral artery for 1 h in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Our SCU-PLGA NPs exhibited an extended in vitro release profile and prolonged blood circulation in rats with cerebral ischemia. More importantly, when administered intravenously once a day for 3 days, SCU-PLGA NPs increased the SCU level in the ischemic brain, compared to free SCU, resulting in a significant reduction of the cerebral infarct volume after cerebral I/R. Furthermore, SCU-PLGA NPs reversed the histopathological changes caused by cerebral I/R injury, as well as attenuated cell apoptosis in the brain tissue, as confirmed by hematoxylin and eosin, and TUNEL staining. Our findings have revealed that our injectable SCU-PLGA NPs provide promising protective effects against cerebral I/R injury, which could be used in combination with the existing conventional thrombolytic therapies to improve stroke management.

A bZIP transcription factor, PqbZIP1, is involved in the plant defense response of American ginseng.

American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L.) is a perennial medicinal plant that has a long usage history in China. However, root rot, which is mainly caused by Fusarium solani can severely reduce the yield and quality of American ginseng, but no disease-resistant variety of American ginseng exists, and the resistance against this disease is not yet well understood. Thus, it is very urgent to analyze the interaction mechanism regulating the interactions between American ginseng and F. solani to mine disease resistance genes. Using transcriptome data and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we screened the transcription factor PqbZIP1 in response to induction by chitin. Yeast self-activation and subcellular localization experiments proved that PqbZIP1 showed transcriptional activity and was localized in the plant nucleus. In addition, qPCR showed that the highest relative expression level was in the roots, wherein chitin and F. solani inhibited and activated the expression of PqbZIP1, respectively, in American ginseng. Additionally, PqbZIP1 significantly inhibited the growth of the Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato D36E strain in Nicotiana benthamiana, where expressing PqbZIP1 in N. benthamiana increased the jasmonic acid, salicylic acid, and abscisic acid content. Furthermore, PqbZIP1 expression was continually increased upon inoculation with F. solani. Hence, this study revealed that the PqbZIP1 transcription factor might mediate multiple hormonal signaling pathway to modulate root rot disease resistance in American ginseng, and provided important information to breed disease-resistant American ginseng.

(Micro) nanoplastics promote the risk of antibiotic resistance gene propagation in biological phosphorus removal system.

Microplastics (MPs), nanoplastics (NPs) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), as emerging pollutants, have been frequently detected in wastewater treatment plants. However, the behavior of phosphorus and ARGs under MP and NP (MP/NP) pressure in biological phosphorus removal (BPR) system is still unknown. This study investigated the effects of MP/NPs on phosphorus removal and ARGs propagation in BPR system. Results showed that MP/NPs had no influence on phosphorus removal, but significantly promoted the amplification of tetracycline resistance genes (TRGs). Moreover, the TRG abundance were more facilitated by MPs than NPs, and the TRGs of efflux pump and enzymatic modification mechanism were mainly enriched. Meanwhile, MP/NPs increased the transmission risk of multiple resistance genes and mobile gene elements (MGEs). Microbial communities demonstrated the main polyphosphate accumulating organisms shifted from Acinetobacter to unclassified_Gammaproteobacteria, which explained why phosphorus removal efficiency was unaffected with MP/NP addition. Correlation analysis revealed there was no significant correlation between ARGs and MGEs (intI1 and intI2), but the abundances of potential hosts of ARGs were significantly increased with MP/NP addition, implying microbial community structure changes rather than gene horizontal transfer was the main factor promoting ARG propagation under MP/NP pressure.

A review of clay based photocatalysts: Role of phyllosilicate mineral in interfacial assembly, microstructure control and performance regulation.

Over the past decades, inspired by the outstanding properties of clay minerals such as abundance, low-cost, environmental benignity, high stability, and regularly arranged silica-alumina framework, researchers put much efforts on the interface assembly and surface modification of natural minerals with bare photocatalysts, i.e. TiO2, g-C3N4, ZnO, MoS2, etc. The clay-based hybrid photocatalysts have resulted in a rich database for their tailor-designed microstructures, characterizations, and environmental-related applications. Therefore, in this study, we took a brief introduction of three representative minerals, i.e. kaolinite, montmorillonite and rectorite, and discussed their basic merits in photocatalysis applications. After that, we summarized the recent advances in construction of stable visible-light driven photocatalysts based on these minerals. The structure-activity relationships between the properties of clay types, pore structure, distribution/dispersion and light absorption, carrier separation efficiency as well as redox performance were illustrated in detail. Such representative information would provide theoretical basis and scientific support for the application of clay based photocatalysts. Finally, we pointed out the major challenges and future directions at the end of this review. Undoubtedly, control and preparation of novel photocatalysts based on clays will continue to witness many breakthroughs in the arena of solar-driven technologies.

Parcellation of the thalamus by using a dual-segment method based on resting-state functional connectivity: An application on autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests thalamus is a key "information relay" center and all cortical areas receive inputs from the thalamus and each of the main nuclei of thalamus connects a single one or a few cortical areas. The traditional "winner-takes-all" thalamus parcellation method was then proposed based on this assumption. However, this method is based on the structural segments of the cortex which is not suitable for the functional parcellation of the thalamus. METHOD: Here we proposed a dual-segment method for thalamus functional parcellation based on the resting-state fMRI data. The traditional "winner-takes-all" and the proposed dual-segment methods were both applied to the dataset of 76 healthy controls (HCs) and 34 subjects with autism spectrum disorder. RESULTS: The results showed that the thalamus was subdivided into two sub-regions by using the dual-segment method: one is located in the dorsomedial part of thalamus which connects the high-level cognitive cortical regions; the other is located in the ventrolateral part of thalamus which connects the low-level sensory cortical areas. The functional connectivity strength between thalamus sub-regions and the corresponding cortical regions based on the dual-segment method was higher than that of results from the traditional "winner-takes-all" method. The thalamo-cortical functional connectivity based on our proposed method also showed higher classification ability to distinguish subjects with autism spectrum disorder from HCs. CONCLUSION: Our study will provide a new method for functional thalamus parcellation which might help understand the sub-regions functions of thalamus in neuroscience studies.

Biodegradation of Polyethylene and Polystyrene by Greater Wax Moth Larvae (Galleria mellonella L.) and the Effect of Co-diet Supplementation on the Core Gut Microbiome.

Plastics waste and microplastics including polyethylene (PE) and polystyrene (PS) have been an environmental concern for years. Recent research has revealed that larvae of Galleria mellonella are capable of biodegrading low density PE film. In this study, we tested the feasibility of enhancing larval survival and the effect of supplementing the co-diet on plastic degradation by feeding the larvae beeswax or wheat bran as a co-diet. Significant mass loss of plastic was observed over a 21-day period, i.e., with respective consumption of 0.88 and 1.95 g by 150 larvae fed only either PS or PE. The formation of C═O and C-O containing functional groups and long chain fatty acids as the metabolic intermediates of plastics in the residual polymers indicated depolymerization and biodegradation. Supplementing beeswax and bran increased the survival rates but decreased the consumption of plastic. The changes in the gut microbiome revealed that Bacillus and Serratia were significantly associated with the PS and PE diets. Beeswax and bran showed different shaping effects on the core gut microbiome of larvae fed the PE and PS. These results suggest that supplementing the co-diet affected the physiological properties of the larvae and plastic biodegradation and shaped the core gut microbiome.

An influent responsive control strategy with machine learning: Q-learning based optimization method for a biological phosphorus removal system.

Biological phosphorus removal (BPR) is an economical and sustainable processes for the removal of phosphorus (P) from wastewater, achieved by recirculating activated sludge through anaerobic and aerobic (An/Ae) processes. However, few studies have systematically analyzed the optimal hydraulic retention times (HRTs) in anaerobic and aerobic reactions, or whether these are the most appropriate control strategies. In this study, a novel optimization methodology using an improved Q-learning (QL) algorithm was developed, to optimize An/Ae HRTs in a BPR system. A framework for QL-based BPR control strategies was established and the improved Q function, Qt+1(st,st+1)=Qt(st,st+1)+k·[R(st,st+1)+γ·maxatQt(st,st+1)-Qt(st,st+1)] was derived. Based on the improved Q function and the state transition matrices obtained under different HRT step-lengths, the optimum combinations of HRTs in An/Ae processes in any BPR system could be obtained, in terms of the ordered pair combinations of the . Model verification was performed by applying six different influent chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations, varying from 150 to 600 mg L-1 and influent P concentrations, varying from 12 to 30 mg L-1. Superior and stable effluent qualities were observed with the optimal control strategies. This indicates that the proposed novel QL-based BPR model performed properly and the derived Q functions successfully realized real-time modelling, with stable optimal control strategies under fluctuant influent loads during wastewater treatment processes.