ChatCAD+: Towards a Universal and Reliable Interactive CAD using LLMs.

The integration of Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) with Large Language Models (LLMs) presents a promising frontier in clinical applications, notably in automating diagnostic processes akin to those performed by radiologists and providing consultations similar to a virtual family doctor. Despite the promising potential of this integration, current works face at least two limitations: (1) From the perspective of a radiologist, existing studies typically have a restricted scope of applicable imaging domains, failing to meet the diagnostic needs of different patients. Also, the insufficient diagnostic capability of LLMs further undermine the quality and reliability of the generated medical reports. (2) Current LLMs lack the requisite depth in medical expertise, rendering them less effective as virtual family doctors due to the potential unreliability of the advice provided during patient consultations. To address these limitations, we introduce ChatCAD+, to be universal and reliable. Specifically, it is featured by two main modules: (1) Reliable Report Generation and (2) Reliable Interaction. The Reliable Report Generation module is capable of interpreting medical images from diverse domains and generate high-quality medical reports via our proposed hierarchical in-context learning. Concurrently, the interaction module leverages up-to-date information from reputable medical websites to provide reliable medical advice. Together, these designed modules synergize to closely align with the expertise of human medical professionals, offering enhanced consistency and reliability for interpretation and advice. The source code is available at GitHub.

Novel immune cross-talk between inflammatory bowel disease and IgA nephropathy.

The mechanisms underlying the complex correlation between immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) remain unclear. This study aimed to identify the optimal cross-talk genes, potential pathways, and mutual immune-infiltrating microenvironments between IBD and IgAN to elucidate the linkage between patients with IBD and IgAN. The IgAN and IBD datasets were obtained from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). Three algorithms, CIBERSORTx, ssGSEA, and xCell, were used to evaluate the similarities in the infiltrating microenvironment between the two diseases. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was implemented in the IBD dataset to identify the major immune infiltration modules, and the Boruta algorithm, RFE algorithm, and LASSO regression were applied to filter the cross-talk genes. Next, multiple machine learning models were applied to confirm the optimal cross-talk genes. Finally, the relevant findings were validated using histology and immunohistochemistry analysis of IBD mice. Immune infiltration analysis showed no significant differences between IBD and IgAN samples in most immune cells. The three algorithms identified 10 diagnostic genes, MAPK3, NFKB1, FDX1, EPHX2, SYNPO, KDF1, METTL7A, RIDA, HSDL2, and RIPK2; FDX1 and NFKB1 were enhanced in the kidney of IBD mice. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis showed 15 mutual pathways between the two diseases, with lipid metabolism playing a vital role in the cross-talk. Our findings offer insights into the shared immune mechanisms of IgAN and IBD. These common pathways, diagnostic cross-talk genes, and cell-mediated abnormal immunity may inform further experimental studies.

Study on the Effect of Different Concentrations of SO2 on the Volatile Aroma Components of 'Beibinghong' Ice Wine.

SO2 plays an important role in wine fermentation, and its effects on wine aroma are complex and diverse. In order to investigate the effects of different SO2 additions on the fermentation process, quality, and flavor of 'Beibinghong' ice wine, we fermented 'Beibinghong' picked in 2019. We examined the fermentation rate, basic physicochemical properties, and volatile aroma compound concentrations of 'Beibinghong' ice wine under different SO2 additions and constructed a fingerprint of volatile compounds in ice wine. The results showed that 44 typical volatile compounds in 'Beibinghong' ice wine were identified and quantified. The OAV and VIP values were calculated using the threshold values of each volatile compound, and t the effect of SO2 on the volatile compounds of 'Beibinghong' ice wine might be related to five aroma compounds: ethyl butyrate, ethyl propionate, ethyl 3-methyl butyrate-M, ethyl 3-methyl butyrate-D, and 3-methyl butyraldehyde. Tasting of 'Beibinghong' ice wine at different SO2 additions revealed that the overall flavor of 'Beibinghong' ice wine was the highest at an SO2 addition level of 30 mg/L. An SO2 addition level of 30 mg/L was the optimal addition level. The results of this study are of great significance for understanding the effect of SO2 on the fermentation of 'Beibinghong' ice wine.

Adaptive prediction for effluent quality of wastewater treatment plant: Improvement with a dual-stage attention-based LSTM network.

The accurate effluent prediction plays a crucial role in providing early warning for abnormal effluent and achieving the adjustment of feedforward control parameters during wastewater treatment. This study applied a dual-staged attention mechanism based on long short-term memory network (DA-LSTM) to improve the accuracy of effluent quality prediction. The results showed that input attention (IA) and temporal attention (TA) significantly enhanced the prediction performance of LSTM. Specially, IA could adaptively adjust feature weights to enhance the robustness against input noise, with R2 increased by 13.18%. To promote its long-term memory ability, TA was used to increase the memory span from 96 h to 168 h. Compared to a single LSTM model, the DA-LSTM model showed an improvement in prediction accuracy by 5.10%, 2.11%, 14.47% for COD, TP, and TN. Additionally, DA-LSTM demonstrated excellent generalization performance in new scenarios, with the R2 values for COD, TP, and TN increasing by 22.67%, 20.06%, and 17.14% respectively, while the MAPE values decreased by 56.46%, 63.08%, and 42.79%. In conclusion, the DA-LSTM model demonstrated excellent prediction performance and generalization ability due to its advantages of feature-adaptive weighting and long-term memory focusing. This has forward-looking significance for achieving efficient early warning of abnormal operating conditions and timely management of control parameters.

Based on HPLC and HS-GC-IMS Techniques, the Changes in the Internal Chemical Components of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill. Fruit at Different Harvesting Periods Were Analyzed.

Schisandra chinensis, as a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, has clear pharmacological effects such as treating asthma, protecting nerves and blood vessels, and having anti-inflammatory properties. Although the Schisandra chinensis fruit contain multiple active components, the lignans have been widely studied as the primary pharmacologically active compound. The volatile chemical components of Schisandra chinensis include a large amount of terpenes, which have been proven to have broad pharmacological activities. However, when to harvest to ensure the highest accumulation of pharmacologically active components in Schisandra chinensis fruits is a critical issue. The Schisandra chinensis fruit trees in the resource nursery were all planted in 2019 and began bearing fruit in 2021. Their nutritional status and tree vigor remain consistently good. The content of lignans and organic acids in the fruits of Schisandra chinensis over seven different harvest periods was tested, and the results of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) indicated that the lignan content was higher, at 35 mg/g, in late July, and the organic acid content was higher, at 72.34 mg/g, in early September. If lignans and organic acids are to be selected as raw materials for pharmacological development, the harvest can be carried out at this stage. Using HS-GC-IMS technology, a total of 67 volatile flavor substances were detected, and the fingerprint of the volatile flavor substances in the different picking periods was established. It was shown by the results that the content of volatile flavor substances was the highest in early August, and 16 flavor substances were selected by odor activity value (OAV). The variable importance in projection (VIP) values of 16 substances were further screened, and terpinolene was identified as the key volatile flavor substance that caused the aroma characteristics of Schisandra chinensis fruit at different harvesting periods. If the aroma component content of Schisandra chinensis fruit is planned to be used as raw material for development and utilization, then early August, when the aroma component content is higher, should be chosen as the time for harvest. This study provides a theoretical basis for the suitable harvesting time of Schisandra chinensis for different uses, and promotes the high-quality development of the Schisandra chinensis industry.

GeSe ovonic threshold switch: the impact of functional layer thickness and device size.

Three-dimensional phase change memory (3D PCM), possessing fast-speed, high-density and nonvolatility, has been successfully commercialized as storage class memory. A complete PCM device is composed of a memory cell and an associated ovonic threshold switch (OTS) device, which effectively resolves the leakage current issue in the crossbar array. The OTS materials are chalcogenide glasses consisting of chalcogens such as Te, Se and S as central elements, represented by GeTe6, GeSe and GeS. Among them, GeSe-based OTS materials are widely utilized in commercial 3D PCM, their scalability, however, has not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we explore the miniaturization of GeSe OTS selector, including functional layer thickness scalability and device size scalability. The threshold switching voltage of the GeSe OTS device almost lineally decreases with the thinning of the thickness, whereas it hardly changes with the device size. This indicates that the threshold switching behavior is triggered by the electric field, and the threshold switching field of the GeSe OTS selector is approximately 105 V/µm, regardless of the change in film thickness or device size. Systematically analyzing the threshold switching field of Ge-S and Ge-Te OTSs, we find that the threshold switching field of the OTS device is larger than 75 V/µm, significantly higher than PCM devices (8.1-56 V/µm), such as traditional Ge2Sb2Te5, Ag-In-Sb-Te, etc. Moreover, the required electric field is highly correlated with the optical bandgap. Our findings not only serve to optimize GeSe-based OTS device, but also may pave the approach for exploring OTS materials in chalcogenide alloys.

Decoupling between the genetic potential and the metabolic regulation and expression in microbial organic matter cleavage across microbiomes.

Metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics are used to explore the microbial capability of enzyme secretion, but the links between protein-encoding genes and corresponding transcripts/proteins across ecosystems are underexplored. By conducting a multi-omics comparison focusing on key enzymes (carbohydrate-active enzymes [CAZymes] and peptidases) cleaving the main biomolecules across distinct microbiomes living in the ocean, soil, and human gut, we show that the community structure, functional diversity, and secretion mechanisms of microbial secretory CAZymes and peptidases vary drastically between microbiomes at metagenomic, metatranscriptomic, and metaproteomic levels. Such variations lead to decoupled relationships between CAZymes and peptidases from genetic potentials to protein expressions due to the different responses of key players toward organic matter sources and concentrations. Our results highlight the need for systematic analysis of the factors shaping patterns of microbial cleavage on organic matter to better link omics data to ecosystem processes. IMPORTANCE: Omics tools are used to explore adaptive mechanism of microbes in diverse systems, but the advantages and limitations of different omics tools remain skeptical. Here, we reported distinct profiles in microbial secretory enzyme composition revealed by different omics methods. In general, the predicted function from metagenomic analysis decoupled from the expression of corresponding transcripts/proteins. Linking omics results to taxonomic origin, functional capability, substrate specificity, secretion preference, and enzymatic activity measurement suggested the substrate's source, concentration and stoichiometry impose strong filtering on the expression of extracellular enzymes, which may overwrite the genetic potentials. Our results present an integrated perspective on the need for multi-dimensional characterization of microbial adaptation in a changing environment.

The intervention of cannabinoid receptor in chronic and acute kidney disease animal models: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: Cannabinoid receptors are components of the endocannabinoid system that affect various physiological functions. We aim to investigate the effect of cannabinoid receptor modulation on kidney disease. METHODS: PubMed, Web of Science databases, and EMBASE were searched. Articles selection, data extraction and quality assessment were independently performed by two investigators. The SYRCLE's RoB tool was used to assess the risk of study bias, and pooled SMD using a random-effect model and 95% CIs were calculated. Subgroup analyses were conducted in preselected subgroups, and publication bias was evaluated. We compared the effects of CB1 and CB2 antagonists and/or knockout and agonists and/or genetic regulation on renal function, blood glucose levels, body weight, and pathological damage-related indicators in different models of chronic and acute kidney injury. RESULTS: The blockade or knockout of CB1 could significantly reduce blood urea nitrogen [SMD,- 1.67 (95% CI - 2.27 to - 1.07)], serum creatinine [SMD, - 1.88 (95% CI - 2.91 to - 0.85)], and albuminuria [SMD, - 1.60 (95% CI - 2.16 to - 1.04)] in renal dysfunction animals compared with the control group. The activation of CB2 group could significantly reduce serum creatinine [SMD, - 0.97 (95% CI - 1.83 to - 0.11)] and albuminuria [SMD, - 2.43 (95% CI - 4.63 to - 0.23)] in renal dysfunction animals compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that targeting cannabinoid receptors, particularly CB1 antagonists and CB2 agonists, can improve kidney function and reduce inflammatory responses, exerting a renal protective effect and maintaining therapeutic potential in various types of kidney disease.

Experimental study on damage of slope under drying and wetting cycle based on DC electric method.

In order to investigate the seepage law and crack development characteristics of dump slopes, as well as the impact on slope stability during drying and wetting cycles, a simulation test slope system was constructed in a rainfall environment, specifically designed to mimic the engineering conditions of dump slope. The apparent resistivity response formula for the seepage and crack development processes was derived based on the three-phase medium theory of rock-soil bodies and Maxwell's conductivity formula. The geoelectric field characteristics pertaining to slope damage and the corresponding patterns of alteration were comprehensively investigated. The results demonstrate a negative correlation between resistivity and slope water content, with resistivity increasing as cracks develop and decreasing with water infiltration. The progression of crack formation in a rainfall environment on a dump slope can be categorized into three stages: The initial phase involves the saturation of the slope as water content increases. Subsequently, the second phase entails the initiation and expansion of capillary zones, along with the formation of dominant waterways. Lastly, the third phase encompasses the formation and expansion of cracks within the dumping site. The occurrence of sudden changes and abnormal fluctuations in apparent resistivity within a saturated slope signifies the presence of cracks and weak surfaces, leading to gradual and irreversible damage. This phenomenon serves as an indicator of slope damage and can be utilized for the early prediction of slope instability.

Preparation of amphiphilic polyquaternium nanofiber films with antibacterial activity via environmentally friendly microfluidic-blow-spinning for green food packaging applications.

Green food packaging plays an important role in environmental protection and sustainable development. Therefore, it is advisable to employ low-energy consumption manufacturing techniques, select environmentally friendly materials, and focus on cost-effectiveness with high production yields during the production process. In this study, an amphiphilic polyquaternium called PBzCl was proposed and synthesized by free radical polymerization of cost-efficient quaternary ammonium salts and methacrylate monomers. Then, biodegradable PCL and PVP were used to rapidly prepare the PBzCl@PCL/PVP nanofiber films via environmentally friendly microfluidic-blow-spinning (MBS). The best antibacterial effect was observed at a PBzCl loading concentration of 13.5%, and the PBzCl@PCL/PVP nanofiber films had 91% and 100% antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. Besides, the loading of PBzCl improved the water stability of the PCL/PVP nanofiber films, and the films also showed excellent biocompatibility. Overall, PBzCl@PCL/PVP nanofibre films have promising food packaging potential.

Toxic gas sensing performance of arsenene functionalized by single atoms (Ag, Au): a DFT study.

The detection and removal of toxic gases from the air are imminent tasks owing to their hazards to the environment and human health. Based on DFT calculations with VdW correction, adsorption configurations, adsorption energies, and electronic properties were compared for the adsorption of toxic gas molecules (CO, NO, NO2, SO2, NH3 and H2S) on pure arsenene (p-arsenene) and Ag/Au-doped arsenene (Ag/Au-arsenene). Our calculations show that all molecules considered to chemisorb on Ag/Au-arsenene and the substitution of noble metal, particularly Ag, could remarkably enhance the interactions and charge transfer between the gas molecules and Ag/Au-arsenene. Thus, Ag/Au-arsenene is expected to show higher sensitivity in detecting CO, NO, NO2, SO2, NH3 and H2S molecules than p-arsenene. Furthermore, the changes in the vibrational frequencies of gas molecules and the work functions of Ag/Au-arsenene substrates upon adsorption are shown to be closely related to the adsorption energies and charge transfer between the molecules and Ag/Au-arsenene, which is dependent on the molecules. Therefore, Ag/Au-arsenene-based gas sensors are expected to show good selectivity of molecules. The analysis of theoretical recovery time suggested that Ag-arsenene shows high reusability while detecting H2S, CO, and NO, whereas Au-arsenene has high selectivity to sensing NO at room temperature. With the increase in work temperature and decrease in recovery times, Ag/Au-arsenene could be used to detect NH3 and NO2 from factory emission and automobile exhaust with quite good reusability. The above results indicated that Ag/Au-arsenene shows good performance in toxic gas sensing with high sensitivity, selectivity, and reusability at different temperatures.

Rosmarinic Acid Liposomes Downregulate Hepcidin Expression via BMP6-SMAD1/5/8 Pathway in Mice with Iron Overload.

The objective of this study is to examine the potential protective effect of rosmarinic acid (RosA) encapsulated within nanoliposomes (RosA-LIP) on hepatic damage induced by iron overload. The characteristics, stability, and release of RosA-LIP in vitro were identified. The mice were randomly assigned to five groups: Control, Model, Model+DFO (DFO), Model+RosA (RosA), and Model+RosA-LIP (RosA-LIP). The iron overload model was induced by administering iron dextran (i.p.). The DFO, RosA, and RosA-LIP groups received iron dextran and were subsequently treated with DFO, RosA, and RosA-LIP for 14 days. We developed a novel formulation of RosA-LIP that exhibited stability and controlled release properties. Firstly, RosA-LIP improved liver function and ameliorated pathological changes in a mouse model of iron overload. Secondly, RosA-LIP demonstrated the ability to enhance the activities of T-SOD, GSH-Px, and CAT, while reducing the levels of MDA and 4-HNE, thereby effectively mitigating oxidative stress damage induced by iron overload. Thirdly, RosA-LIP reduced hepatic iron levels by downregulating FTL, FTH, and TfR1 levels. Additionally, RosA-LIP exerted a suppressive effect on hepcidin expression through the BMP6-SMAD1/5/8 signaling pathway. Furthermore, RosA-LIP upregulated FPN1 expression in both the liver and duodenum, thereby alleviating iron accumulation in these organs in mice with iron overload. Notably, RosA exhibited a comparable iron chelation effect, and RosA-LIP demonstrated superior efficacy in mitigating liver damage induced by excessive iron overload. RosA-LIP exhibited favorable sustained release properties, targeted delivery, and efficient protection against iron overload-induced liver damage. A schematic representation of the proposed protective mechanism of rosmarinic acid liposome during iron overload. Once RosA-LIP is transported into cells, RosA is released. On the one hand, RosA attenuates the BMP6-SMAD1/5/8-SMAD4 signaling pathway activation, leading to inhibiting hepcidin transcription. Then, the declined hepcidin contacted the inhibitory effect of FPN1 in hepatocytes and duodenum, increasing iron mobilization. On the other hand, RosA inhibits TfR1 and ferritin expression, which decreases excessive iron and oxidative damage.

Quantification of Hypsarrhythmia in Infantile Spasmatic EEG: A Large Cohort Study.

Infantile spasms (IS) is a neurological disorder causing mental and/or developmental retardation in many infants. Hypsarrhythmia is a typical symptom in the electroencephalography (EEG) signals with IS. Long-term EEG/video monitoring is most frequently employed in clinical practice for IS diagnosis, from which manual screening of hypsarrhythmia is time consuming and lack of sufficient reliability. This study aims to identify potential biomarkers for automatic IS diagnosis by quantitative analysis of the EEG signals. A large cohort of 101 IS patients and 155 healthy controls (HC) were involved. Typical hypsarrhythmia and non-hypsarrhythmia EEG signals were annotated, and normal EEG were randomly picked from the HC. Root mean square (RMS), teager energy (TE), mean frequency, sample entropy (SamEn), multi-channel SamEn, multi-scale SamEn, and nonlinear correlation coefficient were computed in each sub-band of the three EEG signals, and then compared using either a one-way ANOVA or a Kruskal-Wallis test (based on their distribution) and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The effects of infant age on these features were also investigated. For most of the employed features, significant ( ) differences were observed between hypsarrhythmia EEG and non-hypsarrhythmia EEG or HC, which seem to increase with increased infant age. RMS and TE produce the best classification in the delta and theta bands, while entropy features yields the best performance in the gamma band. Our study suggests RMS and TE (delta and theta bands) and entropy features (gamma band) to be promising biomarkers for automatic detection of hypsarrhythmia in long-term EEG monitoring. The findings of our study indicate the feasibility of automated IS diagnosis using artificial intelligence.

Chalcogenide Ovonic Threshold Switching Selector.

Today's explosion of data urgently requires memory technologies capable of storing large volumes of data in shorter time frames, a feat unattainable with Flash or DRAM. Intel Optane, commonly referred to as three-dimensional phase change memory, stands out as one of the most promising candidates. The Optane with cross-point architecture is constructed through layering a storage element and a selector known as the ovonic threshold switch (OTS). The OTS device, which employs chalcogenide film, has thereby gathered increased attention in recent years. In this paper, we begin by providing a brief introduction to the discovery process of the OTS phenomenon. Subsequently, we summarize the key electrical parameters of OTS devices and delve into recent explorations of OTS materials, which are categorized as Se-based, Te-based, and S-based material systems. Furthermore, we discuss various models for the OTS switching mechanism, including field-induced nucleation model, as well as several carrier injection models. Additionally, we review the progress and innovations in OTS mechanism research. Finally, we highlight the successful application of OTS devices in three-dimensional high-density memory and offer insights into their promising performance and extensive prospects in emerging applications, such as self-selecting memory and neuromorphic computing.

Bacterial degradation of ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi organic matter.

Blooms of gelatinous zooplankton, an important source of protein-rich biomass in coastal waters, often collapse rapidly, releasing large amounts of labile detrital organic matter (OM) into the surrounding water. Although these blooms have the potential to cause major perturbations in the marine ecosystem, their effects on the microbial community and hence on the biogeochemical cycles have yet to be elucidated. We conducted microcosm experiments simulating the scenario experienced by coastal bacterial communities after the decay of a ctenophore (Mnemiopsis leidyi) bloom in the northern Adriatic Sea. Within 24 h, a rapid response of bacterial communities to the M. leidyi OM was observed, characterized by elevated bacterial biomass production and respiration rates. However, compared to our previous microcosm study of jellyfish (Aurelia aurita s.l.), M. leidyi OM degradation was characterized by significantly lower bacterial growth efficiency, meaning that the carbon stored in the OM was mostly respired. Combined metagenomic and metaproteomic analysis indicated that the degradation activity was mainly performed by Pseudoalteromonas, producing a large amount of proteolytic extracellular enzymes and exhibiting high metabolic activity. Interestingly, the reconstructed metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) of Pseudoalteromonas phenolica was almost identical (average nucleotide identity >99%) to the MAG previously reconstructed in our A. aurita microcosm study, despite the fundamental genetic and biochemical differences of the two gelatinous zooplankton species. Taken together, our data suggest that blooms of different gelatinous zooplankton are likely triggering a consistent response from natural bacterial communities, with specific bacterial lineages driving the remineralization of the gelatinous OM.IMPORTANCEJellyfish blooms are increasingly becoming a recurring seasonal event in marine ecosystems, characterized by a rapid build-up of gelatinous biomass that collapses rapidly. Although these blooms have the potential to cause major perturbations, their impact on marine microbial communities is largely unknown. We conducted an incubation experiment simulating a bloom of the ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi in the Northern Adriatic, where we investigated the bacterial response to the gelatinous biomass. We found that the bacterial communities actively degraded the gelatinous organic matter, and overall showed a striking similarity to the dynamics previously observed after a simulated bloom of the jellyfish Aurelia aurita s.l. In both cases, we found that a single bacterial species, Pseudoalteromonas phenolica, was responsible for most of the degradation activity. This suggests that blooms of different jellyfish are likely to trigger a consistent response from natural bacterial communities, with specific bacterial species driving the remineralization of gelatinous biomass.

Pectin-based double network hydrogels as local depots of celastrol for enhanced antitumor therapy.

In this study, A double-network (DN) hydrogel composed of a physical glycyrrhizic acid (GA) network and a chemically crosslinked pectin-based network was fabricated as a local depot of celastrol (CEL) for cancer treatment. The obtained DN hydrogel possessed excellent mechanical performance, flexibility, biocompatibility, biodegradability and self-healing property. Furthermore, the release profile of CEL loaded DN hydrogel maintained a controlled and sustained release of CEL for a prolonged period. Finally, in vivo animal experiments demonstrated that the DN hydrogel could significantly enhance the therapeutic efficiency of CEL in CT-26 tumor-bearing mice upon intratumoral injection while effectively alleviate the toxicity of the CEL. In summary, this injectable pectin-based double network hydrogels are ideal delivery vehicle for tumor therapy.

Ionic Hyperbranched Poly(amido-amine)-Incorporated Nanofiltration Membranes for High-Efficiency Dye Desalination.

High-efficiency dye desalination is crucial in the textile industry, considering its importance for human health, safe aquatic ecological systems, and resource recovery. In order to solve the problem of effective separation of univalent salt and ionic dye under the condition of high salt, ionic hyperbranched poly(amido-amine) (HBPs) were synthesized based on a simple and scalable one-step polycondensation method and then incorporated into the polyamide (PA) selective layers to construct charged nanochannels through interfacial polymerization (IP) on the surface of a polyvinyl chloride ultrafiltration (PVC-UF) hollow fiber membrane. Both the internal nanopores of HBPs (internal nanochannels) and the interfacial voids between HBPs and the PA matrix (external nanochannels) can be regarded as a fast water molecule transport pathway, while the terminal ionic groups of ionic HBPs endow the nanochannels with charge characteristics for improving ionic dye/salt selectivities. The permeate fluxes and dye/salt selectivities of HBP-TAC/PIP (57.3 L m-2 h-1 and rhodamine B (RB)/NaCl selectivity of 224.0) and HBP-PS/PIP (63.7 L m-2 h-1 and lemon yellow (LY)/NaCl selectivity of 664.0) membranes under 0.4 MPa operation pressure are much higher than PIP-only and HBP-NH2/PIP membranes. At the same time, this project also studied the membrane desalination process in a simulated high-salinity dye/salt mixture system to provide a theoretical basis and technical support for the actual dye desalination process.

Strategies of chemolithoautotrophs adapting to high temperature and extremely acidic conditions in a shallow hydrothermal ecosystem.

BACKGROUND: Active hydrothermal vents create extreme conditions characterized by high temperatures, low pH levels, and elevated concentrations of heavy metals and other trace elements. These conditions support unique ecosystems where chemolithoautotrophs serve as primary producers. The steep temperature and pH gradients from the vent mouth to its periphery provide a wide range of microhabitats for these specialized microorganisms. However, their metabolic functions, adaptations in response to these gradients, and coping mechanisms under extreme conditions remain areas of limited knowledge. In this study, we conducted temperature gradient incubations of hydrothermal fluids from moderate (pH = 5.6) and extremely (pH = 2.2) acidic vents. Combining the DNA-stable isotope probing technique and subsequent metagenomics, we identified active chemolithoautotrophs under different temperature and pH conditions and analyzed their specific metabolic mechanisms. RESULTS: We found that the carbon fixation activities of Nautiliales in vent fluids were significantly increased from 45 to 65 °C under moderately acidic condition, while their heat tolerance was reduced under extremely acidic conditions. In contrast, Campylobacterales actively fixed carbon under both moderately and extremely acidic conditions under 30 - 45 °C. Compared to Campylobacterales, Nautiliales were found to lack the Sox sulfur oxidation system and instead use NAD(H)-linked glutamate dehydrogenase to boost the reverse tricarboxylic acid (rTCA) cycle. Additionally, they exhibit a high genetic potential for high activity of cytochrome bd ubiquinol oxidase in oxygen respiration and hydrogen oxidation at high temperatures. In terms of high-temperature adaption, the rgy gene plays a critical role in Nautiliales by maintaining DNA stability at high temperature. Genes encoding proteins involved in proton export, including the membrane arm subunits of proton-pumping NADH: ubiquinone oxidoreductase, K+ accumulation, selective transport of charged molecules, permease regulation, and formation of the permeability barrier of bacterial outer membranes, play essential roles in enabling Campylobacterales to adapt to extremely acidic conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides in-depth insights into how high temperature and low pH impact the metabolic processes of energy and main elements in chemolithoautotrophs living in hydrothermal ecosystems, as well as the mechanisms they use to adapt to the extreme hydrothermal conditions. Video Abstract.

Approaching national climate targets in China considering the challenge of regional inequality.

Achievement of national climate targets and the corresponding costs would entirely depend on regional actions within the country. However, because of substantial inequalities and heterogeneities among regions, especially in developing economies, aggressive or uniform actions may exacerbate inequity and induce huge economic losses, which in turn challenges the national climate pledges. Hence, this study extends prior research by proposing economically optimal strategies that can achieve national climate targets and ensure the greatest local and national benefits as well as regional equality. Focusing on the biggest developing country China, we find this strategy can avoid up to 1.54% of cumulative GDP losses for approaching carbon neutrality, and more than 90% of regions would obtain economic gains compared either with existing independently launched targets or with the uniform strategy that all regions achieve peak carbon emissions before 2030. We also provide optimal carbon mitigation pathways to regional peak carbon, carbon intensity and energy consumption.

Short-term duration of diabetic retinopathy as a predictor for development of diabetic kidney disease.

Background: Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a risk factor for diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Whether the duration, especially the short-term duration, of DR is associated with the development and progression of DKD remains unclear. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study and two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis were conducted. Kidney disease was defined by the urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (ACR) and the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). DR was diagnosed by an expert ophthalmologist by using a digital fundus camera. Binary and ordinal logistic regression analyses were performed. A restricted cubic spline was utilized to detect nonlinear associations. Summary statistics for DR- and DKD-associated single-nuclear polymorphisms (SNPs) were extracted from the FinnGen and the UK Biobank consortia. Results: A total of 2674 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and type 2 diabetic kidney disease (T2DKD) were included. The prevalence and mean duration of DR increased with elevation of ACR and decline in eGFR. Renal function was significantly reduced in patients with DR in the fifth year of life. Binary and ordinal logistic regression showed that each 1-year increase in DR duration was associated with a 19% risk increase in the development of DKD, 16% in the elevation of ACR, and 21% in the decline of renal function. MR estimates indicated that DR was causally associated with DKD development, with an odds ratio of 2.89. Conclusions: DR and the duration of DR were independent risk factors for the development and progression of DKD. The short-term duration of DR may be associated with DKD development. DR had a statistically significant effect on DKD.