Current Progress in Expansion Microscopy: Chemical Strategies and Applications.

Expansion microscopy (ExM) is a newly developed super-resolution technique, allowing visualization of biological targets at nanoscale resolution on conventional fluorescence microscopes. Since its introduction in 2015, many efforts have been dedicated to broaden its application range or increase the resolution that can be achieved. As a consequence, recent years have witnessed remarkable advances in ExM. This review summarizes recent progress in ExM, with the focus on the chemical aspects of the method, from chemistries for biomolecule grafting to polymer synthesis and the impact on biological analysis. The combination of ExM with other microscopy techniques, in search of additional resolution improvement, is also discussed. In addition, we compare pre- and postexpansion labeling strategies and discuss the impact of fixation methods on ultrastructure preservation. We conclude this review with a perspective on existing challenges and future directions. We believe that this review will provide a comprehensive understanding of ExM and facilitate its usage and further development.

Identification of prognostic biomarkers for cholangiocarcinoma by combined analysis of molecular characteristics of clinical MVI subtypes and molecular subtypes.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) is widely noted for its high degree of malignancy, rapid progression, and limited therapeutic options. This study was carried out on transcriptome data of 417 CCA samples from different anatomical locations. The effects of lipid metabolism related genes and immune related genes as CCA classifiers were compared. Key genes were derived from MVI subtypes and better molecular subtypes. Pathways such as epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell cycle were significantly activated in MVI-positive group. CCA patients were classified into three (four) subtypes based on lipid metabolism (immune) related genes, with better prognosis observed in lipid metabolism-C1, immune-C2, and immune-C4. IPTW analysis found that the prognosis of lipid metabolism-C1 was significantly better than that of lipid metabolism-C2 + C3 before and after correction. KRT16 was finally selected as the key gene. And knockdown of KRT16 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of CCA cells.

FGCNSurv: dually fused graph convolutional network for multi-omics survival prediction.

MOTIVATION: Survival analysis is an important tool for modeling time-to-event data, e.g. to predict the survival time of patient after a cancer diagnosis or a certain treatment. While deep neural networks work well in standard prediction tasks, it is still unclear how to best utilize these deep models in survival analysis due to the difficulty of modeling right censored data, especially for multi-omics data. Although existing methods have shown the advantage of multi-omics integration in survival prediction, it remains challenging to extract complementary information from different omics and improve the prediction accuracy. RESULTS: In this work, we propose a novel multi-omics deep survival prediction approach by dually fused graph convolutional network (GCN) named FGCNSurv. Our FGCNSurv is a complete generative model from multi-omics data to survival outcome of patients, including feature fusion by a factorized bilinear model, graph fusion of multiple graphs, higher-level feature extraction by GCN and survival prediction by a Cox proportional hazard model. The factorized bilinear model enables to capture cross-omics features and quantify complex relations from multi-omics data. By fusing single-omics features and the cross-omics features, and simultaneously fusing multiple graphs from different omics, GCN with the generated dually fused graph could capture higher-level features for computing the survival loss in the Cox-PH model. Comprehensive experimental results on real-world datasets with gene expression and microRNA expression data show that the proposed FGCNSurv method outperforms existing survival prediction methods, and imply its ability to extract complementary information for survival prediction from multi-omics data. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: The codes are freely available at https://github.com/LiminLi-xjtu/FGCNSurv.

Anxiolytic effect of antidiabetic metformin is mediated by AMPK activation in mPFC inhibitory neurons.

Diabetic patients receiving the antidiabetic drug metformin have been observed to exhibit a lower prevalence of anxiety disorders, yet the precise mechanism behind this phenomenon is unclear. In our study, we found that anxiety induces a region-specific reduction in AMPK activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Concurrently, transgenic mice with brain-specific AMPK knockout displayed abnormal anxiety-like behaviors. Treatment with metformin or the overexpression of AMPK restored normal AMPK activity in the mPFC and mitigated social stress-induced anxiety-like behaviors. Furthermore, the specific genetic deletion of AMPK in the mPFC not only instigated anxiety in mice but also nullified the anxiolytic effects of metformin. Brain slice recordings revealed that GABAergic excitation and the resulting inhibitory inputs to mPFC pyramidal neurons were selectively diminished in stressed mice. This reduction led to an excitation-inhibition imbalance, which was effectively reversed by metformin treatment or AMPK overexpression. Moreover, the genetic deletion of AMPK in the mPFC resulted in a similar defect in GABAergic inhibitory transmission and a consequent hypo-inhibition of mPFC pyramidal neurons. We also generated a mouse model with AMPK knockout specific to GABAergic neurons. The anxiety-like behaviors in this transgenic mouse demonstrated the unique role of AMPK in the GABAergic system in relation to anxiety. Therefore, our findings suggest that the activation of AMPK in mPFC inhibitory neurons underlies the anxiolytic effects of metformin, highlighting the potential of this primary antidiabetic drug as a therapeutic option for treating anxiety disorders.

Water-enabling strategies for asymmetric catalysis.

Water possesses unique advantages, including abundance, environmental friendliness and mild effects. Undoubtedly, it is an ideal solvent or reagent in chemical syntheses. Water also shows unique abilities in catalytic asymmetric synthesis. It can accelerate reaction rates, improve diastereo- or enantioselectivities, initiate reactions, diversify chemo, diastereo- or enantioselectivities through various effects (hydrophobic, hydrogen bonding, protonation). Several reviews have demonstrated the positive effects of water in asymmetric synthesis. In this review, we summarize water-enabling strategies in the last decade, and focus on advances which reveal how water affects a reaction.

Induced crystallization for the simultaneous removal of hardness-iron-manganese in groundwater: An experimental study.

Hardness, iron, and manganese are common groundwater pollutants, that frequently surpass the established discharge standard concentrations. They can be effectively removed, however, through induced crystallization. This study has investigated the effectiveness of the simultaneous removal of hardness-iron-manganese and the crystallization kinetics of calcium carbonate during co-crystallization using an automatic potentiometric titrator. The impacts pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), and ion concentration on the removal efficiency of iron and manganese and their influence on calcium carbonate induced crystallization were assessed. The results suggest that pH exerts the most significant influence during the removal of hardness, iron, and manganese, followed by DO, and then the concentration of iron and manganese ions. The rate of calcium carbonate crystallization increased with pH, stabilizing at a maximum of 10-10 m/s. Iron and manganese can be reduced from an initial level of 4 mg/L to <0.3 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L, respectively. The removal rate of iron, however, was notably higher than that of manganese. The DO concentration correlates positively with the removal of iron and manganese but has minimal impact on the calcium carbonate crystallization process. During the removal of iron and manganese, competitive interactions occur with the substrate, as increases in the concentration of one ion will inhibit the removal rate of the other. Characterization of post-reaction particles and mechanistic analysis reveals that calcium is removed through the crystallization of CaCO3, while most iron is removed through precipitation as Fe2O3 and FeOOH. Manganese is removed via two mechanisms, crystallization of manganese oxide (MnO2/Mn2O3) and precipitation. Overall, this research studies the removal efficiency of coexisting ions, the crystallization rate of calcium carbonate, and the mechanism of simultaneous removal, and provides valuable data to aid in the development of new removal techniques for coexisting ions.

Stratified control of chemical crystallization in a pellet fluidized bed for pH-Adjusted fluoride and phosphate reduction: An experimental study.

Chemical crystallization granulation in a fluidized bed offers an environmentally friendly technology with significant promise for fluoride removal. This study investigates the impact of stratified pH control in a crystallization granulation fluidized bed for the removal of fluoride and phosphate on a pilot scale. The results indicate that using dolomite as a seed crystal, employing sodium dihydrogen phosphate (SDP) and calcium chloride as crystallizing agents, and controlling the molar ratio n(F):n(P):n(Ca) = 1:5:10 with an upflow velocity of 7.52 m/h, effectively removes fluoride and phosphate. Stratified pH control-maintaining weakly acidic conditions (pH = 6-7) at the bottom and weakly alkaline conditions (pH = 7-8) at the top-facilitates the induction of fluoroapatite (FAP) and calcium phosphate crystallization. This approach reduces groundwater fluoride levels from 9.5 mg/L to 0.2-0.6 mg/L and phosphate levels to 0.1-0.2 mg/L. Particle size analysis, scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction physical characterizations reveal significant differences in crystal morphology between the top and bottom layers, with the lower layer primarily generating high-purity FAP crystals. Further analysis shows that dolomite-induced FAP crystallization offers distinct advantages. SDP not only dissolves on the dolomite surface to provide active sites for crystallization but also, under weakly acidic conditions, renders both dolomite and FAP surfaces negatively charged. This allows for the effective adsorption of PO43-, HPO42-, and F- anions onto the crystal surfaces. This study provides supporting data for the removal of fluoride from groundwater through induced FAP crystallization in a chemical crystallization pellet fluidized bed.

Comparing Mn-based oxides filters started by KMnO4 versus K2FeO4 for ammonium and manganese removal: Formation mechanism of active species.

A pilot-scale filtration system was adopted to prepare filter media with catalytic activity to remove manganese (Mn2+) and ammonium (NH4+-N). Three different combinations of oxidants (KMnO4 and K2FeO4) and reductants (MnSO4 and FeCl2) were used during the start-up period. Filter R3 started up by KMnO4 and FeCl2 (Mn7+→MnOx) exhibited excellent catalytic property, and the NH4+-N and Mn2+ removal efficiency reached over 80% on the 10th and 35th days, respectively. Filter R1 started up by K2FeO4 and MnSO4 (MnOx←Mn2+) exhibited the worst catalytic property. Filter R2 started up by KMnO4 and MnSO4 (Mn7+→MnOx←Mn2+) were in between. According to Zeta potential results, the Mn-based oxides (MnOx) formed by Mn7+→MnOx performed the highest pHIEP and pHPZC. The higher the pHIEP and pHPZC, the more unfavorable the cation adsorption. However, it was inconsistent with its excellent Mn2+ and NH4+-N removal abilities, implying that catalytic oxidation played a key role. Combined with XRD and XPS analysis, the results showed that the MnOx produced by the reduction of KMnO4 showed early formation of buserite crystals, high degree of amorphous, high content of Mn3+ and lattice oxygen with the higher activity to form defects. The above results showed that MnOx produced by the reduction of KMnO4 was more conducive to the formation of active species for catalytic oxidation of NH4+-N and Mn2+ removal. This study provides new insights on the formation mechanisms of the active MnOx that could catalytic oxidation of NH4+-N and Mn2+.

Water-Stabilized Vanadyl Phosphate Monohydrate Ultrathin Nanosheets toward High Voltage Al-Ion Batteries.

Al ion batteries (AIBs) are attracting considerable attention owing to high volumetric capacity, low cost, and high safety. However, the strong electrostatic interaction between Al3+ and host lattice leads to discontented cycling life and inferior rate capability. Herein, a new strategy of employing water molecules contained VOPO4 ·H2 O to boost Al3+ migration via the charge shielding effect of water is reported. It is revealed that VOPO4 ·H2 O with water lubrication effect and smaller steric hindrance owns high capacity and fast Al3+ diffusion, while the loss of unstable water upon cycling leads to a rapid performance degradation. To address this problem, ultrathin VOPO4 ·H2 O@MXene nanosheets are fabricated via the formed TiOV bond between VOPO4 ·H2 O and MXene. The MXene aided exfoliation results in enhanced VOwater bond strength between H2 O and VOPO4 that endows the obtained composite with strong water holding ability, contributing to the extraordinary cycling stability. Consequently, the VOPO4 ·H2 O@MXene delivers a high discharge potential of 1.8 V and maintains discharge capacities of 410 and 374.8 mAh g-1 after 420 and 2000 cycles at the current densities of 0.5 and 1.0 A g-1 , respectively. This work provides a new understanding of water-contained AIBs cathodes and vital guidance for developing high-performance AIBs.

Hybrid MOF Template-Directed Construction of Hollow-Structured In2 O3 @ZrO2 Heterostructure for Enhancing Hydrogenation of CO2 to Methanol.

Direct hydrogenation of CO2  to methanol using green hydrogen has emerged as a promising method for carbon neutrality, but qualifying catalysts represent a grand challenge. In2 O3 /ZrO2  catalyst has been extensively applied in methanol synthesis due to its superior activity; however, the electronic effect by strong oxides-support interactions between In2 O3  and ZrO2  at the In2 O3 /ZrO2  interface is poorly understood. In this work, abundant In2 O3 /ZrO2  heterointerfaces are engineered in a hollow-structured In2 O3 @ZrO2  heterostructure through a facile pyrolysis of a hybrid metal-organic framework precursor MIL-68@UiO-66. Owing to well-defined In2 O3 /ZrO2  heterointerfaces, the resultant In2 O3 @ZrO2  exhibits superior activity and stability toward CO2  hydrogenation to methanol, which can afford a high methanol selectivity of 84.6% at a conversion of 10.4% at 290 °C, and 3.0 MPa with a methanol space-time yield of up to 0.29 gMeOH  gcat -1  h-1 . Extensive characterization demonstrates that there is a strong correlation between the strong electronic In2 O3 -ZrO2  interaction and catalytic selectivity. At In2 O3 /ZrO2  heterointerfaces, the electron tends to transfer from ZrO2  to In2 O3  surface, which facilitates H2  dissociation and the hydrogenation of formate (HCOO*) and methoxy (CH3 O*) species to methanol. This study provides an insight into the In2 O3 -based catalysts and offers appealing opportunities for developing heterostructured CO2  hydrogenation catalysts with excellent activity.

Weak-value amplified surface plasmon resonance sensor based on joint detection of optical activity and refractive index.

A versatile system combining surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and weak value amplification (WVA) is presented, which can measure the optical activity and refractive index of chiral/achiral molecules, ionic compounds, and their mixture in solution individually or simultaneously. The variations in output light intensity directly exhibit high sensitivity to changes in optical activity and refractive index of the aforementioned substances. Furthermore, by examining the correlation between the intensity variation trend and the optical activity of the chiral molecule, the molecule's absolute configuration can be ascertained. Utilizing this instrument, optical rotation with a resolution of 3.04 × 10-6 rad and refractive index with a resolution of 5.57 × 10-9 RIU were obtained. As an attempt at practical application, this sensor was used to detect the adulteration of glucose and fructose in pure honey. Not only can such compromised honey be distinguished from pure honey using the refractive index or optical rotation, but the difference in optical activity can also be employed to effectively differentiate between adulterated honey samples containing glucose and fructose separately.

Keyframe-aided resolution enhancement network for dynamic super-resolution structured illumination microscopy.

Deep learning has been used to reconstruct super-resolution structured illumination microscopy (SR-SIM) images with wide-field or fewer raw images, effectively reducing photobleaching and phototoxicity. However, the dependability of new structures or sample observation is still questioned using these methods. Here, we propose a dynamic SIM imaging strategy: the full raw images are recorded at the beginning to reconstruct the SR image as a keyframe, then only wide-field images are recorded. A deep-learning-based reconstruction algorithm, named KFA-RET, is developed to reconstruct the rest of the SR images for the whole dynamic process. With the structure at the keyframe as a reference and the temporal continuity of biological structures, KFA-RET greatly enhances the quality of reconstructed SR images while reducing photobleaching and phototoxicity. Moreover, KFA-RET has a strong transfer capability for observing new structures that were not included during network training.

Xanthones from securidaca inappendiculata antagonizes the anti-rheumatic effect of methotrexate by inhibiting reduced folate carrier 1.

BACKGROUND: The first-line anti-rheumatic drug methotrexate (MTX) is used in the combination. Because of the unpredictable adverse reactions, optimization of relevant regimens is necessary and meaningful. This study aimed to study the possible interaction between Securidaca inappendiculate Hassk. Derived xanthones and MTX. METHODS: We established adjuvant-induced arthritis (AIA) model, which was treated with MTX and MTX + xanthone-rich fraction (XRF). The clinical efficacy was evaluated by histopathological examination, and LC-MS was used to monitor the blood concentration of MTX. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to detect protein expression. In vitro, we assessed the activity of related transporters by cellular uptake assay based on HEK-293T cells. RESULTS: Compared with MTX-treated rats, inflammation in the immunized rats in the MTX + XRF group was obvious, indicating that XRF antagonized the anti-rheumatic effect of MTX. Meanwhile, XRF reduced liver and kidney injuries caused by MTX in addition to MTX. Results from immunohistochemical and nappendiculat assays suggested that XRF may reduce uptake of MTX by down-regulating reduced folate carrier 1 (RFC1). CONCLUSION: This study indicated that XRF could reduce the plasma concentration of MTX by inhibiting the expression of RFC1, antagonize the therapeutic effect of MTX on AIA rats, and reduce its oral bioavailability. The combination of S. inappendiculate and MTX should be further optimized to achieve the goal of increasing efficiency and reducing toxicity.

Urban stormwater disinfection, quality variability during storage and influence on the freshwater algae: Implications for reuse safety.

Stormwater reuse is one of the most important ways to mitigate water resource shortage. However, urban stormwater contains many bacteria species, which threaten the reuse safety. Therefore, stormwater disinfection is highly needed. Although disinfection has been widely conducted in the drinking water and reclaimed water, it is rarely carried out for stormwater. This study collected the roof stormwater and undertook chlorination disinfection. Two typical bacteria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) were selected in this study to investigate the disinfection efficiency. It is found that bacteria species present in the stormwater had an important influence on disinfection efficiency while the original stormwater quality did not show an obvious affect. However, when the disinfected stormwater was stored, the stormwater quality was highly variable during its storage process and the variability was affected by bacteria species. The S.aureus containing stormwater showed a high variability of quality and S.aureus significantly regrew. However, the E.coli containing stormwater quality had a relatively low variability and E.coli did not significantly regrew. Additionally, it is noted that after storage, the dissolved form of stormwater was more positive to the freshwater algae's growth while the particulate form (including bacteria and other particulate matters) was less. This implies that a further treatment such as filtration is needed before the stored stormwater is recharged into receiving waters in order to remove particulate forms. These research outcomes can provide useful insight to effective stormwater disinfection and ensure reuse safety.

Improved Dye Survival in Expansion Microscopy through Stabilizer-Conjugated Linkers.

Expansion microscopy (ExM) has been widely used to detect biomolecules in cultured cells and tissue samples due to its enablement of super resolution imaging with conventional microscopes, via physical expansion of samples. However, reaction conditions inherent to the process bring about strong fluorescent signal loss during polymerization and digestion and thus limit the brightness of the signal obtained post expansion. Here, we explore the impact of stabilizer-containing organic fluorophores in ExM, as a mitigation strategy for this radical-induced dye degradation. Through direct conjugation of 4-nitrophenylalanine (NPA) to our previously developed trifunctional reagents, we validate and demonstrate that these multifunctional linkers enable visualization of different organelles with improved fluorescent intensity, owning to protection of the dyes to radical induced degradation as well as to photoprotection upon imaging. At this point, we cannot disentangle the relative contribution of both mechanisms. Furthermore, we report anchoring linkers that allow straightforward application of NPA or Trolox to commercially available fluorophore-conjugated antibodies. We show that these anchoring linkers enable complete retention of biological targets while increasing fluorophore photostability. Our results provide guidance in exploring these stabilizer-modified agents in ExM and methods for increased signal survival through the polymerization steps of the ExM protocols.

Transcriptional regulator CTR9 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression and metastasis via increasing PEG10 transcriptional activity.

Cln Three Requiring 9 (CTR9), a scaffold protein of the polymerase-associated factor-1 (PAF1) complex (PAF1c), is primarily localized in the nucleus of cells. Recent studies show that CTR9 plays essential roles in the development of various human cancers and their occurrence; however, its regulatory roles and precise mechanisms in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the roles of CTR9 using in vitro assays and a xenograft mouse model. We found that CTR9 protein is upregulated in tumor tissues from HCC patients. Knockdown of CTR9 substantially reduced HCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, whereas its overexpression promoted these activities. In addition, in vitro results revealed that CTR9 silencing dramatically increased cell cycle regulators, p21 and p27, but markedly decreased matrix metalloproteinases, MMP2 and MMP9, with these outcomes reversed upon CTR9 overexpression. Furthermore, the underlying molecular mechanism suggests that CTR9 promoted the oncogene paternally expressed gene 10 (PEG10) transcription via its promoter region. Finally, the oncogenic roles of CTR9 were confirmed in a xenograft mouse model. This study confirms that CTR9, an oncoprotein that promotes HCC cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, increases tumor growth in a xenograft mouse model. CTR9 could be a novel therapeutic target. Further investigation is warranted to verify CTR9 potential in novel therapies for HCC.

Study on thermophoretic deposition of micron-sized aerosol particles by direct numerical simulation and experiments.

Thermophoresis is of common interest due to its influence on the deposition of particles. Present research on thermophoretic deposition mainly focused on the sub-micron particles, whereas the particle size during the radioactive aerosol monitoring process usually exceeds the range. In order to study the effect of thermophoresis on the deposition characteristics of aerosols ranging from 1 to 10 µm, direct numerical simulation (DNS) and experiments of particle deposition are performed in this paper aiming at still and turbulent flow respectively. The results obtained by DNS coupled with Lagrangian particle tracking (LPT) are validated by the experimental data and the theoretical values. The results indicate that thermophoresis has an influence on the deposition of micron-sized particles, and the effect of thermophoresis on deposition velocity depends on particle size. In the still air, when the temperature gradient is 3000 K/m, the deposition velocity of 1 and 10 µm particles will be increased by 87% and 4.8% respectively when compared with gravitational deposition velocity. In the turbulent flow, the motion of particles is dominated by turbulent motion. In the region near the wall, thermophoresis can increase the deposition rate on the cold wall.

Effects of flood discharge on the water quality of a drinking water reservoir in China - Characteristics and management strategies.

Stormflow runoff is an important non-point source of pollution in drinking water reservoirs. Rationally managed flood discharge processes at estuaries can reduce the high concentration of pollutants carried by runoff, and thus their impacts on water plant operations. In this study, the physical and chemical water quality parameters upstream from a dam were measured for a flood discharge process in the Jinpen Reservoir of Northwest China. The results showed that the time needed for the flood to reach the reservoir was ∼9 h after flooding began, and this lag effect meant that water in the metalimnion and hypolimnion were vented in advance. Consequently, the undercurrent intruded into the hypolimnion. The water temperature increased by 1.83 °C, and the Schmidt stability index decreased from 3291.37 J m-2 to 2496.32 J m-2. Flood discharge can effectively reduce the volume of pollutants; however, it cannot completely prevent the deterioration of water quality in the main reservoir. The turbidity of the reservoir still exceeded 300 NTU after the flood discharge. When the outflow discharge decreased, the critical height of aspiration also decreased, and dissolved pollutants could neither be vented nor precipitated quickly, not allowing their concentration within the reservoir to decrease further. A three-dimensional hydrodynamic model was successfully used to simulate flood processes and determine an optimal flood discharge plan. We found that the elevations of the outlet and undercurrent layer are essential to determine the efficiency of flood discharge, while appropriate timing and outflow discharge volumes may further enhance the results. Therefore, using a hydrodynamic model to predict the position of an undercurrent layer, and opening spillways near the elevation of the undercurrent layer can improve the efficacy of flood discharge. Our findings provide novel insights that may be used to improve the operation and management of source water reservoirs.

Extending improvements of eutrophication and water quality via induced natural mixing after artificial mixing in a stratified reservoir.

Induced (natural) mixing proposed by our teams can solve a big problem of low-energy water situation improvement of stratified reservoirs by minimizing operating periods of water-lifting aerators (WLAs) to advance a complete natural mixing. Here, the mechanisms influencing water situation via induced mixing were systematically explored using a combination of multi-water-environment assessment methods including trophic level index (TLI), water quality index (WQI), and minimum WQI (WQImin) based on long-term field data (i.e., non-operational and operational years of WLAs). The results showed that induced mixing after WLA deactivation improved the levels of eutrophication and water quality (into "light-eutrophic" and "good" status) with a decrease in TLI values (56.0-56.2) and increase in WQI (79.0-79.9) and WQImin (81.5-89.3) values, compared to mixing of the non-operational year (TLI: 69.6, WQI: 73.4, WQImin: 76.1). Induced mixing was launched by deactivating the WLAs in cooling seasons (i.e., in late September within a subtropical monsoon climate zone), which advanced and prolonged the periods of naturally complete mixing by 2-3 months. Water temperature (WT), Dissolved oxygen (DO), relative water column stability (RWCS) and inflow were primary drivers for the water situation succession in the study years. Induced mixing extended the well-oxygenated and mixed conditions (temperature difference <1.0 °C, DO > 8.5 mg/L, RWCS< 20) following artificial mixing to improve the water status from single index level (improvement of 18.8%-73.7% than mixing before the operational years) to integrated evaluation results by changing WT, DO, and RWCS. This study presents a successful case for energy-saving pollution control using mixing systems.

Polyphenol and Anthocyanin Composition and Activity of Highland Barley with Different Colors.

In this research, the composition of free phenols, bound phenols, and anthocyanins and their in vitro antioxidant activity and in vitro α-glucosidase inhibiting activity were observed in different barley colors. The outcomes revealed that the contents of total phenols (570.78 mg/100 gDW), total flavonoids (47.08 mg/100 gDW), and anthocyanins (48.07 mg/100 g) were the highest in purple barley. Furthermore, the structure, composition, and concentration of phenolics differed depending on the colors of barley. The types and contents of bound total phenolic acids and flavonoids were greater than those of free total phenolic acids and flavonoids. The main phenolic acids in blue barley were cinnamic acid polyphenols, whereas in black, yellow, and purple barley, benzoic acid polyphenols were the main phenolic acids, and the main types of flavonoids in black and blue barley were chalcones and flavanones, respectively, whereas flavonol was the main type of flavonoid in yellow and purple barley. Moreover, cornflower pigment-3-glucoside was the major anthocyanin in blue, yellow, and purple barley, whereas the main anthocyanin in black barley was delphinidin-3-glucoside. The dark color of barley indicated richness in the anthocyanins. In addition, the free polyphenol fractions had stronger DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging capacity as compared to the bound ones. In vitro α-glucosidase-inhibiting activity was greater in bound polyphenols than in free polyphenols, with differences between different varieties of barley. Purple barley phenolic fractions had the greatest ABTS radical scavenging and iron ion reduction capacities, as well as the highest α-glucosidase-inhibiting activity. The strongest DPPH radical scavenging capacity was found in yellow barley, while the strongest in vitro α-glucosidase-inhibiting activity was found in anthocyanins isolated from black barley. Furthermore, in different colors of barley, there was a strong association between the concentration of specific phenolic compounds and antioxidant and α-glucosidase-inhibiting activities. The outcomes of this study revealed that all colored barley seeds tested were high in phenolic compounds, and had a good antioxidant impact and α-glucosidase-inhibiting activity. As a result, colored barley can serve as an antioxidant and hypoglycemic food. Polyphenols extracted from purple barley and anthocyanins extracted from black barley stand out among them.