Relationship of black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) gut microbiota and bioconversion efficiency with properties of substrates.

Treating food waste using black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) is widely regarded as a promising nature-based measure. This study explored the influence of food waste particle sizes on substrate properties and its subsequent effects on bioconversion efficiency and gut microbiota. The results indicated that particle sizes mainly ranging from 4 mm to 10 mm (T1) significantly increased the weight loss rate of food waste by 35 % and larval biomass by 38 % compared to those in T4 (particle sizes mostly less than 2 mm) and promoted the bioconversion of carbon and nitrogen into larvae and gases. Investigation of substrates properties indicated that the final pH value of T1 was 7.79 ± 0.10, with Anaerococcus as the predominant substrate microorganism (relative abundance: 57.4 %), while T4 exhibited a final pH value of 5.71 ± 0.24, with Lactobacillus as the dominant microorganism (relative abundance: 95.2 %). Correlation analysis between substrate chemical properties and microbial community structure unveiled a strong relationship between substrate pH and the relative abundance of Anaerococcus and Lactobacillus. Furthermore, beneficial microorganisms such as Lactobacillus and Enterococcus colonized the BSFL gut of T1, while pathogenic bacterium Morganella, detrimental to BSFL gut function, was enriched in T4 (relative abundance: 60.9 %). Nevertheless, PCA analysis indicated that alterations in the gut microbial community structure may not be attributed to the substrate microorganisms. This study establishes particle size as a crucial parameter for BSFL bioconversion and advances understanding of the relationship between gut microbiota and substrate microbiota.

Leptin receptor Gln223Arg and Lys109Arg polymorphisms may be associated with HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma risk: A system review and meta-analysis.

Increasing evidence has suggested a strong association of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) susceptibility and Gln223Arg (rs1137101) and Lys109Arg (rs1137100) polymorphisms in leptin receptor (LEPR) genes. To provide a quantitative assessment for such correlation, we reviewed all related systems and conducted meta-analysis for case and control researches. A literature search of Web of Science, EMBASE, PubMed, Scopus as well as China National Knowledge Infrastructure databases was collected. 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) together with odds ratios (ORs) were calculated. Five case-control researches consisting of 1323 cases and 1919 control cases were incorporated into meta-analysis. Researches indicated A-allelic and AA genotype of rs1137101 were substantially related to boosted susceptibility of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related HCC (mutant model, OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.36-2.41, p < .001; allelic model, OR = 1.55, 95% CI = 1.32-1.83, p < .001). On the contrary, we observed GG genotype of rs1137101 substantially related to reduced risk of HBV-related HCC (wild model, OR 0.59, 95%CI = 0.46-0.75, p < .001). We observed AA genotype of rs1137100 relevant to boosted HCC risk (mutant model, OR = 1.51, 95%CI = 1.14-2.01, p = .005) as well as in those with HBV-related HCCs (homozygous model, OR = 2.12, 95%CI = 1.49-3.02, p < .001; mutant model, OR = 1.67, 95%CI = 1.23-2.26, p = .001). G-allele and AA genotype of rs1137101 might be in connection with boosted HBV-related HCC susceptibility, and wild-type GG genotype might prevent diseases. AA genotype of rs1137100 might also improve HBV-related HCC susceptibility. Such conclusions ought to be validated by larger and better-designed researches.

Combining bulk and scRNA-seq to explore the molecular mechanisms governing the distinct efferocytosis activities of a macrophage subpopulation in PDAC.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a very aggressive tumour, is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Unfortunately, many patients face the issue of inoperability at the diagnostic phase leading to a quite dismal prognosis. The onset of metastatic processes has a crucial role in the elevated mortality rates linked to PDAC. Individuals with metastatic advances receive only palliative therapy and have a grim prognosis. It is essential to carefully analyse the intricacies of the metastatic process to enhance the prognosis for individuals with PDAC. Malignancy development is greatly impacted by the process of macrophage efferocytosis. Our current knowledge about the complete range of macrophage efferocytosis activities in PDAC and their intricate interactions with tumour cells is still restricted. This work aims to resolve communication gaps and pinpoint the essential transcription factor that is vital in the immunological response of macrophage populations. We analysed eight PDAC tissue samples sourced from the gene expression omnibus. We utilized several software packages such as Seurat, DoubletFinder, Harmony, Pi, GSVA, CellChat and Monocle from R software together with pySCENIC from Python, to analyse the single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data collected from the PDAC samples. This study involved the analysis of a comprehensive sample of 22,124 cells, which were classified into distinct cell types. These cell types encompassed endothelial and epithelial cells, PDAC cells, as well as various immune cells, including CD4+ T cells, CD8+ T cells, NK cells, B cells, plasma cells, mast cells, monocytes, DC cells and different subtypes of macrophages, namely C0 macrophage TGM2+, C1 macrophage PFN1+, C2 macrophage GAS6+ and C3 macrophage APOC3+. The differentiation between tumour cells and epithelial cells was achieved by the implementation of CopyKat analysis, resulting in the detection and categorization of 1941 PDAC cells. The amplification/deletion patterns observed in PDAC cells on many chromosomes differ significantly from those observed in epithelial cells. The study of Pseudotime Trajectories demonstrated that the C0 macrophage subtype expressing TGM2+ had the lowest level of differentiation. Additionally, the examination of gene set scores related to efferocytosis suggested that this subtype displayed higher activity during the efferocytosis process compared to other subtypes. The most active transcription factors for each macrophage subtype were identified as BACH1, NFE2, TEAD4 and ARID3A. In conclusion, the examination of human PDAC tissue samples using immunofluorescence analysis demonstrated the co-localization of CD68 and CD11b within regions exhibiting the presence of keratin (KRT) and alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). This observation implies a spatial association between macrophages, fibroblasts, and epithelial cells. There is variation in the expression of efferocytosis-associated genes between C0 macrophage TGM2+ and other macrophage cell types. This observation implies that the diversity of macrophage cells might potentially influence the metastatic advancement of PDAC. Moreover, the central transcription factor of different macrophage subtypes offers a promising opportunity for targeted immunotherapy in the treatment of PDAC.

Revealing the effects of fermented food waste on the growth and intestinal microorganisms of black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae.

The escalating global food waste (FW) issues necessitate sustainable management strategies. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) offer a promising solution for FW management by converting organic matter into insect protein. However, the fermentation of FW during production, collection, and transportation induces changes in FW's physicochemical properties and bacterial communities, requiring further exploration of its impact on BSFL growth and gut microbiota. The results showed that feeding FW fermented for different durations (0-10 d) slightly affected the BSFL yield. Feeding FW fermented for 8 d, characterized by a lower pH and higher biodiversity, resulted in a slight increase in larval biomass (222 mg/larvae). Nearly all groups harvested the peak larval biomass after 10 day's bioconversion. The fermentation significantly altered the microbial community of FW, with an increase in the abundance of unclassified_f_Clostridiaceae and a decrease in Lactobacillus abundance. As bioconversion progressed, intricate and mutualistic microbial interactions likely occurred between the BSFL gut and FW substrate, restructuring each other's microbial community. Specifically, the abundance of unclassified_f_Clostridiaceae increased in the BSFL gut, while its abundance in the initial larval gut was extremely low (<1 %). Despite the substrate microbial changes and interactions, a stable core gut microbiota was identified across all BSFL samples, primarily composed of nine genera dominated by Enterococcus and Klebsiella. This core gut microbiome may play a crucial role in facilitating the adaptation of BSFL to various environmental conditions and maintaining efficient FW bioconversion. These findings enhance our understanding of the role of BSFL gut microbiota in FW bioconversion.

Mechanistic insights into Fe3O4-modified biochar relieving inhibition from erythromycin on anaerobic digestion.

Anaerobic digestion (AD) of antibiotic manufacturing wastewater to degrade residual antibiotics and produce mixture of combustible gases has been investigated actively in the past decades. However, detrimental effect of residual antibiotic to microbial activities is commonly faced in AD process, leading to the reduction of treatment efficiency and energy recovery. Herein, the present study systematically evaluated the detoxification effect and mechanism of Fe3O4-modified biochar in AD of erythromycin manufacturing wastewater. Results showed that Fe3O4-modified biochar had stimulatory effect on AD at 0.5 g/L erythromycin existence. A maximum methane yield of 327.7 ± 8.0 mL/g COD was achieved at 3.0 g/L Fe3O4-modified biochar, leading to the increase of 55.7% compared to control group. Mechanistic investigation demonstrated that different levels of Fe3O4-modified biochar could improve methane yield via different metabolic pathways involved in specific bacteria and archaea. Low levels of Fe3O4-modified biochar (i.e., 0.5-1.0 g/L) led to the enrichment of Methanothermobacter sp., strengthening the hydrogenotrophic pathway. On the contrary, high levels of Fe3O4-modified biochar (2.0-3.0 g/L) favored the proliferation of acetogens (e.g., Lentimicrobium sp.) and methanogen (Methanosarcina sp.) and their syntrophic relations played vital role on the simulated AD performance at erythromycin stress. Additionally, the addition of Fe3O4-modified biochar significantly decreased the abundance of representative antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs), benefiting the reduction of environmental risk. The results of this study verified that the application of Fe3O4-modified biochar could be an efficient approach to detoxify erythromycin on AD system, which brings high impacts and positive implications for biological antibiotic wastewater treatment.

Antiviral drugs in wastewater are on the rise as emerging contaminants: A comprehensive review of spatiotemporal characteristics, removal technologies and environmental risks.

Antiviral drugs (ATVs) are widely used to treat illnesses caused by viruses. Particularly, ATVs were consumed in such large quantities during the pandemic that high concentrations were detected in wastewater and aquatic environment. Since ATVs are not fully absorbed by the human or animal body, this results in large amounts of them being discharged into the sewage through urine or feces. Most ATVs can be degraded by microbes at wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), while some ATVs either require deep treatment to reduce concentration and toxicity. Parent and metabolites residing in effluent posed a varying degree of risk when entering the aquatic environment, while increasing the potential of natural reservoirs for environmentally acquired antiviral drug resistance potential. There is a rising research on the behavior of ATVs in the environment has surged since the pandemic. In the context of multiple viral diseases worldwide, especially during the current COVID-19 pandemic, a comprehensive assessment of the occurrence, removal, and risk of ATVs is urgently needed. This review aims to discuss the fate of ATVs in WWTPs from various regions in the world with wastewater as the main analyzing object. The ultimate goal is to focus on ATVs with high ecological impact and regulate their use or develop advanced treatment technologies to mitigate the risk to the environment.

Comparison of doublet and triplet therapies for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Background: The best choice of first-line treatment for metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) is unclear. We aimed to compare the effectiveness and safety determined in randomized clinical trials of doublet and triplet treatments for mHSPC. Methods: Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception through July 01, 2022. Eligible studies were phase III randomized clinical trials evaluating androgen deprivation treatment (ADT) alone, doublet therapies [ADT combined with docetaxel (DOC), novel hormonal agents (NHAs), or radiotherapy (RT)], or triplet therapies (NHA+DOC+ADT) as first-line treatments for mHSPC. Outcomes of interest included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS) and grades 3-5 adverse events (AEs). Subgroup analyses were performed based on tumor burden. The effects of competing treatments were assessed by Bayesian network meta-analysis using R software. Results: Ten trials with 12,298 patients comparing nine treatments were included. Darolutamide (DARO) +DOC+ADT ranked best in terms of OS benefits (OR 0·52 [95% CI 0·39-0·70]), but its advantages were all statistically insignificant compared with other therapy options except for DOC+ADT (OR 0·68 [95% CI 0·53-0·88]) and RT+ADT (OR 0·57 [95% CI 0·40-0·80]). In terms of PFS, enzalutamide(ENZA)+DOC+ADT (OR 0·32 [95% CI 0·24-0·44]) and abiraterone and prednisone (AAP) +DOC+ADT (OR 0·33 [95% CI 0·25-0·45]) ranked best. For patients with high volume disease (HVD), low volume disease (LVD), and visceral metastases, the optimal therapies were AAP+DOC+ADT (OR 0·52 [95% CI 0·33-0·83]), apalutamide+ADT (OR 0·52 [95% CI 0·26-1·05]) and DARO+DOC+ADT (OR 0·42 [95% CI 0·13-1·34]), respectively. For safety, AAP+DOC+ADT (OR 3·56 [95% CI 1·51-8·43]) ranked worst with the highest risk of grade 3-5 AEs. Conclusions: Triple therapies may further improve OS and PFS but may be associated with a decrease in safety. Triplet therapies could be suggested for HVD patients, while doublet combinations should still be preferred for LVD patients. Systematic Review Registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPEROFILES/303117_STRATEGY_20220202.pdf, identifier CRD4202303117.

Research on Risk Assessment and Contamination Monitoring of Potential Toxic Elements in Mining Soils.

Potentially toxic element (PTE) contamination in soils has serious impacts on ecosystems. However, there is no consensus in the field of assessment and monitoring of contaminated sites in China. In this paper, a risk assessment and pollution monitoring method for PTEs was proposed and applied to a mining site containing As, Cd, Sb, Pb, Hg, Ni, Cr, V, Zn, Tl, and Cu. The comprehensive scoring method and analytical hierarchical process were used to screen the priority PTEs for monitoring. The potential ecological risk index method was used to calculate the risk index of monitoring point. The spatial distribution characteristics were determined using semi-variance analysis. The spatial distribution of PTEs was predicted using ordinary kriging (OK) and radial basis function (RBF). The results showed that the spatial distribution of As, Pd, and Cd are mainly influenced by natural factors, while Sb and RI are influenced by both natural and human factors. OK has higher spatial prediction accuracy for Sb and Pb, and RBF has higher prediction accuracy for As, Cd, and RI. The areas with high ecological risk and above are mainly distributed on both sides of the creek and road. The optimized long-term monitoring sites can achieve the monitoring of multiple PTEs.

Pyrolysis of antibiotic mycelial residue for biochar: Kinetic deconvolution, biochar properties, and heavy metal immobilization.

The safe disposal of antibiotic mycelial residue (AMR), a hazardous waste, is a pressing problem owing to the spread of antibiotic and heavy metal pollution. In this study, AMR pyrolysis at different temperatures and heating rates was investigated to prepare valuable biochar for heavy metal immobilization. The results showed that AMR decomposition mainly involved three pseudo-reactions, with average activation energies of 252.4, 149.8, and 219.7 kJ/mol, that fitted a three-dimensional diffusion model. Increasing the pyrolysis temperature and heating rate decreased the yield and volatile matter content of biochar, but the ash content, fixed carbon content, and aromaticity increased. The AMR-derived biochar had a favorable fuel property (18.1-19.8 MJ/kg) and stability against degradation in soil. Calcium oxalate hydrate, a major mineral in AMR, degraded during biochar formation. Furthermore, high pyrolysis temperature promoted the residual fractions of Cr, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb in biochar, more so than did the heating rate, inducing a low potential ecological risk. In particular, the leaching rate of Zn decreased from 46.9% in AMR to 0.3% in biochar obtained at 700 °C with a heating rate of 10 °C/min. This study elucidates the formation process and physicochemical properties of AMR biochar, which helps in the harmless utilization of AMR as a carbon resource.

Inoculating indoleacetic acid bacteria promotes the enrichment of halotolerant bacteria during secondary fermentation of composting.

The secondary fermentation stage is critical for stabilizing composting products and producing various secondary metabolites. However, the low metabolic rate of mesophilic bacteria is regarded as the rate-limiting stage in composting process. In present study, two indoleacetic acid (IAA)-producing bacteria (Bacillus safensis 33C and Corynebacterium stationis subsp. safensis 29B) were inoculated to strengthen the secondary fermentation stage to improve the plant-growth promoting potential of composting products. The results showed that the addition of IAA-producing bacteria promoted the assimilation of soluble salt, the condensation and aromatization of humus, and the accumulation of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) and dissolved organic carbon (DOC). The bioaugmentation strategy also enabled faster microbial community succession during the medium-late phase of secondary fermentation. However, the colonization of Bacillus and Corynebacterium could not explain the disproportionate increase of IAA yield, which reached up to 5.6 times compared to the control group. Deeper analysis combined with physicochemical properties and microbial community structure suggested that IAA-producing bacteria might induce the increase of salinity, which enriched halotolerant bacteria capable of producing IAA, such as Halomonas, Brachybacterium and Flavobacterium. In addition, the results also proved that it was necessary to shorten secondary fermentation time to avoid IAA degradation without affecting composting maturity. In summary, enhancing secondary fermentation of composting via adding proper IAA-producing bacteria is an efficient strategy for upgrading the quality of organic fertilizer.

Highly Foldable, Super-Sensitive, and Transparent Nanocellulose/Ceramic/Polymer Cover Windows for Flexible OLED Displays.

Polymer cover windows are important components of flexible OLED displays but they easily generate wrinkles because of their weak folding resistance. Increasing the polymer thickness can improve the folding resistance but it decreases the touch sensitivity. Thus, fabricating highly foldable and supersensitive polymer cover windows is still challenging. Here, by incorporating cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and zirconia (ZrO2) into colorless polyimide (CPI), we developed a highly foldable and supersensitive hybrid cover window. Inspired by the theory of elasticity, we added rigid CNCs into CPI to improve the elastic modulus and hence the foldability. ZrO2 was introduced to improve dielectric properties, which leads to improved touch sensitivity. After these modifications, the elastic modulus of the cover windows was increased from 1432 to 2221 MPa, whereas its dielectric constant was increased from 2.95 to 3.46 (@1 × 106 Hz), resulting in significantly enhanced foldability and sensitivity. Meanwhile, because of the nano size of CNCs and ZrO2, the hybrid cover windows exhibit excellent optical properties with the transmittance of ∼88.1%@550 nm and haze of 2.39%. With improved and balanced mechanical, dielectric, and optical properties, these hybrid cover windows overcome current cover windows' defects and could be widely used in next-generation flexible displays.

Co-pyrolysis of sewage sludge and food waste digestate to synergistically improve biochar characteristics and heavy metals immobilization.

Food waste digestate (FWD) is a desirable additive in sewage sludge (SS)-based biochar preparation owing to its high contents of intrinsic inorganic minerals and lignocellulosic compounds. In this study, we investigated the co-pyrolysis of SS with FWD at different mixing ratios (4:0, 3:1, 2:2, 1:3, and 0:4; SS:FWD w/w) at 550 °C to synergistically improve the biochar characteristics and immobilize the heavy metals in the SS. The results showed that co-pyrolysis of SS with FWD greatly increased the aromaticity and pH (by 13.22-26.56%) of the blended biochar, and significantly reduced the contents of total and bioavailable heavy metals. The addition of FWD effectively enhanced the conversion of heavy metals from less stable fractions to more stable forms, but led to the transformation of Cr from the residual fraction (F4) to the oxidizable fraction (F3) when the FWD:SS ratio was ≥ 3:1. Overall, the formation of co-crystal compounds, stable kaolinite, and metal oxides together with the enhancement of biochar characteristics during co-pyrolysis significantly reduced the heavy metal-associated ecological risk (potential ecological risk index lower than 15.51) and phytotoxicity (germination index higher than 139.41%) of the blended biochar. These findings suggest that high levels of mineral components in FWD greatly immobilize more heavy metals in biochar.

Highly Soluble and Stable, High Release Rate Nanocellulose Codrug Delivery System of Curcumin and AuNPs for Dual Chemo-Photothermal Therapy.

As a natural antitumor drug, curcumin (CUR) has received increasing attention from researchers and patients due to its various medicinal properties. However, currently CUR is still restricted due to its low and stand-alone therapeutic effects that seriously limit its clinical application. Here, by using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) as a nanocarrier to load CUR and AuNPs simultaneously, we developed a hybrid nanoparticle as a codrug delivery system to enhance the low and stand-alone therapeutic effects of CUR. Aided with the encapsulation of ß-cyclodextrin (ßCD), both the solubility and the stability of CUR are greatly enhanced (solubility increased from 0.89 to 131.7 µg/mL). Owing to the unique rod-like morphology of CNCs, the system exhibits an outstanding loading capacity of 31.4 µg/mg. Under the heat effects of coloaded AuNPs, the system demonstrates a high release rate of 77.63%. Finally, with CNC as a bridge nanocarrier, all aforementioned functions were integrated into one hybrid nanoparticle. The all-in-one integration ensures CUR to have enhanced therapeutic effects and enables the delivery system to exhibit combined chemo-photothermal therapy outcomes. This work presents a significant step toward CUR's clinical application and provides a new strategy for effective and integrative treatment of tumor disease.

pH and hydraulic retention time regulation for anaerobic fermentation: Focus on volatile fatty acids production/distribution, microbial community succession and interactive correlation.

Enriching suitable fermentative products by optimizing operation conditions could effectively improve the efficiency of anaerobic digestion. In the present study, pH (5.0-6.0) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) (2 h-12 h) were regulated for volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production during glucose fermentation in acidogenic continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR). Results showed that acetate and butyrate dominated during pH regulation. HRT reduction favored butyrate production and formate retainment. Maximum total VFAs production with highest acetate content was achieved at pH of 6.0 and HRT of 6 h. Microbial analysis revealed that Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 was predominant butyrate producer during pH regulation, and Bacteroides was main contributor when HRT shorter than 6 h. In addition to acetyl-CoA pathway, acetate could also be produced via homoacetogenesis by Parabacteroides, UCG-004 and norank_f__Acidaminococcaceae. These results would give guidance for enhancing targeted VFAs products by optimizing operational parameters or bio-augmentation with specific bacteria.

Compost-derived indole-3-acetic-acid-producing bacteria and their effects on enhancing the secondary fermentation of a swine manure-corn stalk composting.

Composting, as an effectively bio-oxidative process, has been widely used for converting organic waste to organic fertilizer. However, the low fertilizer efficiency of composting product limited its application in agriculture. To improve the growth-promoting effect of composting product, the present study investigated the bioaugmentation strategy of inoculating indole-3-acetic-acid (IAA)-producing bacteria. Firstly, two IAA-producing bacteria (Bacillus safensis 33C and Rhodococcus rhodochrous YZ) were isolated from composting products with high IAA yields of 39.18 and 16.32 µg mL-1, respectively. Secondly, the microbial inoculants were prepared with 33C, YZ and a previously isolated IAA-producing strain Corynebacterium stationis 29B. To increase the accumulation of microbial secondary metabolites, microbial inoculants were amended at the secondary fermentation stage of composting. Physicochemical characterization showed that the maturity of composting product was significantly promoted by inoculating microbial inoculants prepared with 33C and 29B (single and combined inoculants). Finally, bioaugmentation with 33C and 29B increased the IAA contents of composting products by 2.9-5.2 times, which benefited the germination and early vegetative growth of plants. In summary, inoculating proper IAA-producing bacteria during secondary fermentation of composting could improve the quality of composting product and expand its application.

Study on the Correlation Between Ischemic Leukoaraiosis and Cerebral Large Artery Stenosis Using the Stages of the Preinfarction Period Based on the Result of Computed Tomography Perfusion.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The influence of cerebral large artery stenosis (CLAS) on ischemic leukoaraiosis (LA) remains elusive. Based on the proposed stages of the preinfarction period, this study aimed to adopt the staging system to assess the correlation between ischemic LA and CLAS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with unilateral CLAS ≥50% and without cerebral stroke were screened. The severity and distribution of stenosis were evaluated on computed tomography angiography images. The degree of regional cerebral perfusion was rated according to the stages of preinfarction period: 0=normal, 1=stage Ia, 2=stage Ib, 3=stage IIa, 4=stage IIb. Stage I included stage Ia and stage Ib. Stage II included stage IIa and stage IIb. LA was scored with Fazakas scale on T2-weighted image and/or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery sequences. RESULTS: The cohort consisted of 212 patients (mean age, 66.89±11.39 y), including 145 (68.40%) males. CLAS severity and distribution did not differ between patients with and without LA (P>0.05). Normal, stage I, and stage II had significantly different incidences of LA and hemispheric LA scores in the left and right hemispheres (P<0.05). The degree of regional cerebral perfusion was independently associated with LA in the left (P=0.0094) and right hemispheres (P=0.0091). CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic LA is not directly related to CLAS but is independently associated with the degree of CLAS-induced cerebral hypoperfusion. The stages of the preinfarction period are helpful in identifying people at high risk of LA progression.

Manganese and dysprosium codoped carbon quantum dots as a potential fluorescent/T1/T2/CT quadri-modal imaging nanoprobe.

It has been challenging to integrate various medical imaging modalities into an ultra-small nanoparticle with good biocompatibility to build highly efficient multimodal imaging nanoprobes. A new manganese and dysprosium codoped carbon quantum dots (Mn,Dy-CQDs) with a mean diameter of 1.77 nm was synthesized for fluorescence imaging,T1/T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (T1/T2-weighted MRI), and x-ray computed tomography (CT) imaging using a simple one-step hydrothermal approach. The obtained Mn,Dy-CQDs showed good water solubility, long-term stability, strong stable fluorescence property (fluorescence quantum yield of 31.62%), and excellent biocompatibility. The cell imaging verified that the Mn,Dy-CQDs have high efficiency of fluorescence imaging. The Mn,Dy-CQDs, on the other hand, had a superior x-ray absorption performance (47.344 HU l g-1), a higher longitudinal relaxivity (r1 = 7.47 mM-1s-1), a higher transverse relaxivity (r2 = 42.686 mM-1s-1).In vitroT1/T2-weighted MRI and CT imaging showed that Mn,Dy-CQDs can produce a strong contrast enhancement impact. To summarise, the Mn,Dy-CQDs may be used as aT1/T2-weighted MRI/CT/fluorescent quadri-modal imaging nanoprobe, indicating that they have a lot of uses in biomedical multimode imaging and clinics.

Syngas biomethanation: effect of biomass-gas ratio, syngas composition and pH buffer.

The concept of syngas biomethanation is attractive, however, it still needs improvement in optimizing the operational conditions. In the present study, syngas fermentations under different carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) compositions were conducted under two different biomass-gas ratio (BGR) systems. The results showed that high BGR enhanced the CO consumption rate, achieving a 60% enhancement with CO as the sole substrate. Stoichiometric H2 addition could successfully convert all the CO and CO2 to pure methane, however, higher H2 partial pressure might decline the CO consumption due to pH inhibition from consumption of bicarbonate. Microbial analysis showed different syngas composition could affect the bacteria community, while, archaea community was only slightly affected with Methanothermobacter as the dominant methanogen. This study provided strategy for efficient syngas biomethanation and deeper insight into effect of H2 addition on CO conversion under different BGR systems.

Flexible, transparent and tough silver nanowire/nanocellulose electrodes for flexible touch screen panels.

Flexible touch screen panel (f-TSP) has been emerging recently and metallic nanowire transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) are its key components. However, most metallic nanowire (MNW) TCEs suffer from weak bonding strength between metal nanowire electrode layers and polymer substrates, which causes delamination of TCEs and produces serious declines in durability of f-TSPs. Here, we introduce AgS bonding and develop tough and strong electrode-substrate bonded MNW TCEs, which can enhance durability of f-TSPs significantly. We used silver nanowires (AgNWs) as metal conductive electrode and thiol-modified nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC-HS) nanopaper as substrates. Because of the existence of Ag from AgNWs and S from NFC-HS, strong AgS bonding was generated and tough TCEs were obtained. The TCEs exhibit excellent electrical stability, outstanding optical and electrical properties. The f-TSP devices integrated with the TCEs illustrate striking durability. This technique may provide a promising strategy to produce flexible and tough TCEs for next-generation high-durability f-TSPs.

Multi-functional biochar preparation and heavy metal immobilization by co-pyrolysis of livestock feces and biomass waste.

Biomass waste is a desirable additive in livestock feces biochar preparation due to its easy access, better moisture adjustment, and abundant organic content. In the present study, co-pyrolysis of livestock feces (PM: pig manure, CM: chicken manure) and biomass wastes (WC: wood chips, BS: bamboo sawdust, RH: rice husk, and CH: chaff) with different blending ratios was conducted at 600 °C to investigate the biochar characteristic and Cu/Zn immobilization performances. The results showed that WC and BS have more significant effect on the increase in fixed carbon content and heating value and the decrease in ash content of biochar. The biochar with lower pH and electrical conductivity is obtained from co-pyrolysis of manure with RH and CH. Compared with CM-based biochar, PM-based biochar presented better potential as fuel and soil remediation considering the higher heating value and lower aromatic H/C ratio. Specially, the residual fractions of Cu and Zn in PM biochar increased from 73.09% and 65.54% to 90.68% and 72.31% after 10 wt% BS addition and those in CM biochar increased from 81.07% and 73.57% to 88.87% and 84.11% after 10 wt% WC addition, which induced the lowest environmental risk of biochar. This work provided a strategy and direction for targeted enhancement in biochar characteristics with selective biomass addition during manure pyrolysis, which is beneficial to the local treatment and utilization of farm wastes.