Impact analysis of hydraulic residence time and dissolved oxygen on performance efficiency and microbial community in N, N-dimethylformamide wastewater treated by an AnSBR-ASBR.

Suitable operating parameters are one of the key factors to efficient and stable biological wastewater treatment of N, N-dimethylformamide (DMF) wastewater. In this study, an improved AnSBR-ASBR reactor (anaerobic sequencing batch reactor, AnSBR, and aerobic SBR, ASBR, run in series) was used to investigated the effects of operating conditions such as hydraulic residence time (HRT), AnSBR stirring speed and ASBR dissolved oxygen (DO) for DMF wastewater treatment. When HRT decreased from 24 h to 12 h, the average removal rates of COD by the AnSBR were 34.59% and 39.54%, respectively. Meanwhile, the removal rate of NH4+-N by ASBR decreased from 88.38% to 62.81%. The DMF removal rate reached the best at 18 h and the expression of dehydrogenase was the highest in the AnSBR. The abundance of Megasphaera, the dominant sugar-degrading bacteria in the AnSBR, continued to decline due to the decrease of HRT. The relative abundance of Methanobacterium gradually increased to 80.2% with the decrease of HRT and that hydrotrophic methanogenesis dominated the methanogenic process. The HRT decrease promoted butyrate and pyruvate metabolism in anaerobic sludge, but the proportion of glycolysis and methane metabolism decreased. The AnSBR-ASBR reactor had the best operation performance when HRT was 18 h, AnSBR speed was 220 r/min, and ASBR DO content was 3-4 mg/L. This study provided an effective reference for the reasonable selection of operating parameters in the treatment of DMF-containing wastewater by the AnSBR-ASBR.

Quantitative Relaxometry Assessment of Brain Microstructural Abnormality of Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder With Synthetic Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to perform an assessment of brain microstructure in children with autism aged 2 to 5 years using relaxation times acquired by synthetic magnetic resonance imaging. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-four children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (ASD group) and 17 children with global developmental delay (GDD) (GDD group) were enrolled, and synthetic magnetic resonance imaging was performed to obtain T1 and T2 relaxation times. The differences in brain relaxation times between the 2 groups of children were compared, and the correlation between significantly changed T1/T2 and clinical neuropsychological scores in the ASD group was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the GDD group, shortened T1 relaxation times in the ASD group were distributed in the genu of corpus callosum (GCC) ( P = 0.003), splenium of corpus callosum ( P = 0.002), and right thalamus (TH) ( P = 0.014), whereas shortened T2 relaxation times in the ASD group were distributed in GCC ( P = 0.011), left parietal white matter ( P = 0.035), and bilateral TH (right, P = 0.014; left, P = 0.016). In the ASD group, the T2 of the left parietal white matter is positively correlated with gross motor (developmental quotient [DQ] 2) and personal-social behavior (DQ5), respectively ( r = 0.377, P = 0.028; r = 0.392, P = 0.022); the T2 of the GCC was positively correlated with DQ5 ( r = 0.404, P = 0.018); and the T2 of the left TH is positively correlated with DQ2 and DQ5, respectively ( r = 0.433, P = 0.009; r = 0.377, P = 0.028). All significantly changed relaxation values were not significantly correlated with Childhood Autism Rating Scale scores. CONCLUSIONS: The shortened relaxometry times in the brain of children with ASD may be associated with the increased myelin content and decreased water content in the brain of children with ASD in comparison with GDD, contributing the understanding of the pathophysiology of ASD. Therefore, the T1 and T2 relaxometry may be used as promising imaging markers for ASD diagnosis.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging combined with Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis of Multiple Myeloma and the Killing Effect of Doxorubicin Nano-drug Delivery System on Myeloma Cells.

It was to adopt magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) combined with computed tomography (CT) to diagnose multiple myeloma (MM) and evaluate the therapeutic effect of the doxorubicin nano-drug delivery system on MM, providing a more effective method for the treatment of MM. For this aim, eighty-eight patients with MM admitted to our Hospital from June 2019 to July 2020.7 were selected as study subjects and divided into a control group (treated with doxorubicin) and an observation group (treated with doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticles) according to the random number table, 44 cases for each group. MRI and CT were used to examine the two groups of patients to assess the clinical efficacy and side effects of the two treatments and to compare the myeloma cell survival rate and apoptosis rate. Results showed that the diameter of nanoparticles was about 50 nm, the particle size was uniform, the distribution was dense, and the stability was good; the lesion was well-circumscribed on CT scan, and a soft tissue mass could be detected on MRI. The number of patients with effective treatment in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (42 cases vs 34 cases) (P< 0.05); the number of patients with small plate reduction, increased myocardial enzymes, alopecia, liver failure, gastrointestinal reactions, peripheral neuritis, and other adverse reactions in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (total number of patients 48 vs 101) (P< 0.05); the survival rate of myeloma cells in the observation group was obviously inferior to that in the control group (61.3 % vs 88.31 %) (P< 0.05). Conclusion: MRI combined with CT examination can be better used for the diagnosis of the disease, and the study shows that doxorubicin nano-drug delivery preparation is safer and more effective in the treatment of MM disease, which is worthy of clinical promotion.

A Robot Platform for Highly Efficient Pollutant Purification.

In this study, we propose a highly efficient robot platform for pollutant adsorption. This robot system consists of a flapping-wing micro aircraft (FWMA) for long-distance transportation and delivery and cost-effective multifunctional Janus microrobots for pollutant purification. The flapping-wing micro air vehicle can hover for 11.3 km with a flapping frequency of approximately 15 Hz, fly forward up to 31.6 km/h, and drop microrobots to a targeted destination. The Janus microrobot, which is composed of a silica microsphere, nickel layer, and hydrophobic layer, is used to absorb the oil and process organic pollutants. These Janus microrobots can be propelled fast up to 9.6 body lengths per second, and on-demand speed regulation and remote navigation are manageable. These Janus microrobots can continuously carry oil droplets in aqueous environments under the control of a uniform rotating magnetic field. Because of the fluid dynamics induced by the Janus microrobots, a highly efficient removal of Rhodamine B is accomplished. This smart robot system may open a door for pollutant purification.

Quantum verification of NP problems with single photons and linear optics.

Quantum computing is seeking to realize hardware-optimized algorithms for application-related computational tasks. NP (nondeterministic-polynomial-time) is a complexity class containing many important but intractable problems like the satisfiability of potentially conflict constraints (SAT). According to the well-founded exponential time hypothesis, verifying an SAT instance of size n requires generally the complete solution in an O(n)-bit proof. In contrast, quantum verification algorithms, which encode the solution into quantum bits rather than classical bit strings, can perform the verification task with quadratically reduced information about the solution in [Formula: see text] qubits. Here we realize the quantum verification machine of SAT with single photons and linear optics. By using tunable optical setups, we efficiently verify satisfiable and unsatisfiable SAT instances and achieve a clear completeness-soundness gap even in the presence of experimental imperfections. The protocol requires only unentangled photons, linear operations on multiple modes and at most two-photon joint measurements. These features make the protocol suitable for photonic realization and scalable to large problem sizes with the advances in high-dimensional quantum information manipulation and large scale linear-optical systems. Our results open an essentially new route toward quantum advantages and extend the computational capability of optical quantum computing.

Open reduction and plate fixation versus sling in treatment of mid-shaft fractures of clavicle: A prospective randomized study protocol.

BACKGROUND: For this prospective randomized clinical trial, it is implemented for the comparison of the outcomes of open reduction and internal fixation versus the sling treatment for mid-shaft clavicle fractures. METHODS: We will evaluate the eligible patients diagnosed with the mid-shaft clavicle fractures in our hospital from December 2020 to December 2021. The outcomes acquired were reported in accordance with the guidelines of Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT). Approval for this prospective randomized clinical trial was obtained from the institution alethics review committee of Wuzhong People's Hospital. The criteria for inclusion included: one third of clavicle fracture with at least 1 axial width displacement (Robinson type 2B2 or 2B1); agreed to take part in our research; over 18 years of age; patients with isolated clavicle fracture. While the criteria for exclusion contained: the medial or lateral segment clavicle fracture; open fracture; injuries related to neurovascular; over 21 days of changes from accident. The primary outcome was described as the evidence of nonunion at 1 year, which was defined as the intact bone bridge without X-ray fracture after more than 6 months. The secondary outcomes included the function of arm, overall health, adverse events, the satisfaction related to appearance, and pain. CONCLUSIONS: It was hypothesized that in the case of clavicular comminuted mid-shaft fracture, for the open reduction and internal fixation, its nonunion rate was lower and satisfaction rate was higher, although there were a variety of complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study protocol was registered in Research Registry (researchregistry6295).

In situ study on interactions between hydroxyl groups in kaolinite and re-adsorption water.

The interactions between O-H groups in kaolinite and re-adsorption water is an important aspect that should be considered in the hydraulic fracturing method for the production of shale gas, because the external water adsorbed by kaolinite in shale would significantly affect the desorption of methane. In this study, the interactions were investigated via changing the amount of O-H groups and re-adsorption water in kaolinite by heating treatment and water re-adsorption. To overcome the overlap of IR vibration bands of the O-H functional groups in H2O and those in parent kaolinite, kaolinite samples with D2O re-adsorption were prepared by drying the H2O from raw kaolinite and soaking the dried kaolinite in D2O. The interactions between O-H groups in kaolinite and D2O molecules were investigated by in situ DRIFT and TG-MS. The results demonstrated that the vibration at 3670 ± 4 cm-1 in the DRIFT spectra could be due to the outer O-H groups of the octahedral sheet on the upper surface of the kaolinite microcrystal structure, rather than a type of inner-surface O-H group. All types of O-H groups, including the inner O-H groups in kaolinite, could be transformed into O-D groups after D2O re-adsorption at room temperature. The inner-surface O-H groups in kaolinite are the most preferred sites for D2O re-adsorption; thus, they would be the key factor for studying the effect of re-adsorption water on methane desorption. When the temperature increased from 100 °C to 300 °C, two layers of kaolinite slipped away from each other, resulting in the transformation of inner-surface O-H groups into outer O-H groups. Thus, the temperature range of 100 to 300 °C was suggested for the heat treatment of kaolinite to decrease the content of inner-surface O-H groups; thereby, the amount of re-adsorption water was reduced. However, to thoroughly remove the re-adsorption water, a temperature higher than 650 °C should be used.

Evolution of Pore Structure during Pressurized Dewatering and Effects on Moisture Readsorption of Lignite.

In this study, pressurized method was used to dry lignite at moderate temperature to change its pore structure but preserve its oxygen-containing functional groups. The effects of drying conditions (time, pressure, and temperature) on equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and pore structure of dewatered coals were investigated, and the correlations between pore structure and EMC were also evaluated. The pore structure parameters of raw coal and dewatered coals were measured by nitrogen adsorption experiments. The EMC of dewatered coals was obtained by gravimetric method. The results indicated that the porous structure of dewatered coal was jointly affected by three factors (drying time, pressure, and temperature) in the initial pressurized drying stage. The drying pressure exhibited obvious effect in the initial stage of drying lignite. Destruction of pores under pressure was prevented due to the water present in these pores. To further improve the pore structures of dehydrated coals obtained by high-pressure treatment, the temperature was increased to above 140 °C under 3 MPa; thus, a large number of macropores were evolved into mesopores. Furthermore, the experiments on water reabsorption by dewatered coals indicated that the EMC (0.15-0.18) of dehydrated coal was the lowest when the pressure was 3 MPa, temperature was 140-160 °C, and the time required was 30 min. The moisture readsorption contents of dehydrated coals were found to be positively correlated with its pore volume at high relative humidity. When the relative humidity was below 20%, they were related to specific surface areas or oxygen-containing functional groups. Therefore, pressure in the process of drying lignite was the main factor influencing the pore structure and the water reabsorption of dewatered coals, and the drying temperature was dominant under the pressurizing conditions.

FMNL1 down-regulation suppresses bone metastasis through reducing TGF-ß1 expression in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Approximately 40% of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) develop bone metastasis. The formin protein formin-like 1 (FMNL1) plays a key role in the pathogenic processes of hematopoietic malignancies, and has been reported to be associated with the progression of multiple types of cancer. In the study, we found that FMNL1 expression was markedly up-regulated in primary NSCLC samples, and stronger expression of FNML1 was detected in bone metastasis. Reducing FMNL1 expression significantly suppressed cell proliferation in NSCLC cells. We also investigated the functional effects of FMNL1 knockdown on the inhibition of migration and invasion by meditating the expression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT)-associated signals in NSCLC cells. The transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1)/SMADs signaling pathway was repressed in FMNL1-knockdown NSCLC cells. Further studies indicated that additional treatment with TGF-ß1 could markedly abrogate FMNL1 knockdown-induced suppression of migration and invasion in NSCLC cells. In addition, NSCLC cell-induced osteoclastogenesis was also inhibited by FMNL1 deletion, as evidenced by the down-regulated expression of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and NFATc1. In vivo studies confirmed the results that FMNL1 knockdown markedly limited tumor growth. Importantly, decreasing FMNL1 reduced bone metastasis ability in vivo. Therefore, our results demonstrated that suppressing FMNL1 expression could inhibit bone metastasis in NSCLC through blocking TGF-ß1 signaling, and FMNL1 might be a novel target for developing effective therapeutic strategy to limit the bone metastasis of NSCLC.

Influence of modifications on the deep desulfurization behavior of NaY and Na13X zeolites in gasoline.

NaY and Na13X zeolites were modified by different modification manners including H+ modification, metal ion modification (Cu2+, Ni2+, or Ce3+), and H+ modification followed by metal ion modification to investigate their deep desulfurization behavior in gasoline. The sorbents were characterized by X-ray diffraction, FTIR of chemisorbed pyridine, N2 adsorption, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The desulfurization performance of these sorbents was evaluated in model gasoline containing thiophene and cyclohexane with thiophene concentration of 500 mg/L, and the results were analyzed to investigate the effect of preparation methods on adsorption desulfurization behavior. The result indicates that H+ modification or metal ion modification could all improve the desulfurization performance of both NaY and Na13X zeolites, except for Na13X modified by Cu2+ and Ni2+. For Cu2+ or Ni2+ ion exchanging, the crystal structure of Na13X would be destroyed, resulting in a much lower desulfurization efficiency than that of the parent Na13X. The desulfurization efficiency of sorbents prepared via H+ modification followed by metal ion modification is higher than that of sorbents prepared by single H+ modification or single metal ion modification, because the former is more conducive to improve the content of metal elements on the sorbents than the latter. In addition, the increase of the specific surface area and pore volume of the sorbents would directly lead to the improvement of desulfurization performance of the sorbents. Compared with Na13X, the H+ modification on NaY zeolite can significantly enhance the desulfurization performance of the sorbents. Among those prepared sorbents, the CuHY has the highest desulfurization efficiency. The influence of thiophene concentration (100-1000 mg/L) on desulfurization efficiency of CuHY sorbent was evaluated. The results indicate that the desulfurization efficiency of CuHY sorbent is nearly 100% at room temperature, when the thiophene concentration is lower than 300 mg/L. Moreover, its desulfurization behavior could be described by Langmuir isothermal equation. Graphic abstract .

Genomic Foundation of Starch-to-Lipid Switch in Oleaginous Chlorella spp.

The ability to rapidly switch the intracellular energy storage form from starch to lipids is an advantageous trait for microalgae feedstock. To probe this mechanism, we sequenced the 56.8-Mbp genome of Chlorella pyrenoidosa FACHB-9, an industrial production strain for protein, starch, and lipids. The genome exhibits positive selection and gene family expansion in lipid and carbohydrate metabolism and genes related to cell cycle and stress response. Moreover, 10 lipid metabolism genes might be originated from bacteria via horizontal gene transfer. Transcriptomic dynamics tracked via messenger RNA sequencing over six time points during metabolic switch from starch-rich heterotrophy to lipid-rich photoautotrophy revealed that under heterotrophy, genes most strongly expressed were from the tricarboxylic acid cycle, respiratory chain, oxidative phosphorylation, gluconeogenesis, glyoxylate cycle, and amino acid metabolisms, whereas those most down-regulated were from fatty acid and oxidative pentose phosphate metabolism. The shift from heterotrophy into photoautotrophy highlights up-regulation of genes from carbon fixation, photosynthesis, fatty acid biosynthesis, the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway, and starch catabolism, which resulted in a marked redirection of metabolism, where the primary carbon source of glycine is no longer supplied to cell building blocks by the tricarboxylic acid cycle and gluconeogenesis, whereas carbon skeletons from photosynthesis and starch degradation may be directly channeled into fatty acid and protein biosynthesis. By establishing the first genetic transformation in industrial oleaginous C. pyrenoidosa, we further showed that overexpression of an NAD(H) kinase from Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) increased cellular lipid content by 110.4%, yet without reducing growth rate. These findings provide a foundation for exploiting the metabolic switch in microalgae for improved photosynthetic production of food and fuels.

Prognostic CT and MR imaging features in patients with untreated extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the head and neck region.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prognostic CT and MR imaging features of extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the head and neck region. METHODS: The clinical data and CT and MR imaging features of 59 patients with histologically confirmed extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the head and neck region were retrospectively reviewed. Subjects included 27 male and 32 female patients between 13 and 81 years of age, with a mean age of 60.3 years. The clinical outcomes were categorized according to whether relapse or metastasis occurred within 2 years after therapy. The association between the clinical outcome and radiologic factors including tumour size, margin, shape, local tumour invasiveness, regional lymph node involvement, number of involvement sites, and contrast enhancement patterns was determined using univariate and multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Radiologic factors including tumour size, margin, shape, and local tumour invasiveness were associated with poor clinical outcomes, as determined by univariate analysis (P < 0.05). Only the lesion margin category (ill-defined) remained an independent risk factor for clinical outcome in multivariate logistic regression analysis, with an OR of 8.14 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ill-defined margin of the primary lesion was indicative of unfavourable survival outcome for patients with extranodal non-Hodgkin lymphoma of the head and neck region. KEY POINTS: • Tumour size, margin, shape and local tumour invasiveness were prognostically relevant. • Tumour margin was an independent risk factor for clinical outcome. • Ill-defined margin of primary lesion was indicative of unfavourable survival outcome.

CT and MR findings in 16 cases of primary neuroendocrine carcinoma in the otolaryngeal region.

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) is a rare malignancy in the otolaryngeal region. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings in 16 patients with primary otolaryngeal NECs were summarized. Most of tumors occurred in the sinonasal cavity (n=9; 56.3%), then supraglottis (n=3; 18.8%). All sinonasal and one hard palate tumors were ill defined, and the other tumors were well defined. All lesions showed moderate to marked enhancement, but homogeneously in well-differentiated tumors while heterogeneously in most of poorly differentiated tumors. Most sinonasal tumors were poorly differentiated and invaded adjacent bones. Primary otolaryngeal NECs might have some distinct features related to their origin and differentiation.

[Determination of polysaccharides of Dendrobium candidum in test-tube culture].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diversities of polysaccharides content of Dendrobium candidum and its test-tube culture. METHODS: The content of polysaccharides was determined by colorimentry. RESULTS: The content of polysaccharides extracted from Dendrobium candidum was higher than that of test-tube culture. CONCLUSION: The content of polysaccharides in protocorm is higher than that in test-tube plantlet.