Mesoscale to nanoscale three-dimensional (3D) fabrication mostly requires complicated industry processing techniques. Here, we present a protocol for 3D shaping control by solidifying a water-based TiO2 nanofluid drop on a polygonal wettability-patterned surface. We detail the steps for preparing stable TiO2 nanofluid and wettability-patterned surfaces. We then describe the experimental procedure to obtain various and precise 3D morphologies by adjusting the deposited TiO2 nanofluid drop volume. This protocol provides a promising technique for future 3D manufacturing. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Jiang et al.1.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the effects of nutritional therapy in adult patients with severe burns.
METHODS: Sixty adult patients with severe burns were enrolled. Data on nutritional intake through enteral nutrition (EN) or parenteral nutrition (PN) on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 post-injury were collected. Patients were divided into target and non-target groups according to whether their energy or protein intake reached the target. Age, length of ventilation, and total bilirubin (TBIL), albumin (ALB), prealbumin (pALB), and C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations of patients were recorded.
RESULTS: The percentage of protein targets with protein delivery was lower than that of energy target with energy delivery. The ratio of PN protein to total protein was lower than that of PN energy to total energy on days 7, 14, 21, and 28 (p<0.001, p<0.001, p=0.001, and p=0.003, respectively). Compared to the non-target group on day 21, the target group was younger, had lower TBIL on day 7, higher ALB and pALB on day 21, and lower CRP on day 14 (p=0.025, p=0.021, p=0.028, p=0.029, and p=0.049, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that older age and longer ventilation were independent risk factors in patients who did not meet the nutritional target on day 21 (p=0.026 and p=0.043, respectively).
CONCLUSIONS: The protein intake of adult patients with severe burns was low. Compared to the non-target group, the target group had better laboratory test results. Older age and longer ventilation were independent risk factors for patients not meeting the nutritional target.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the differences in estimated food, energy, and nutrient intakes between the consecutive 3 days 24-hour dietary recall(24HR)(referred to as the 3-day method) and consecutive 2 days 24HR(referred to as the 2-day method) to provide a basis for the use of consecutive 2 days 24HR in China nutrition surveillance.
METHODS: Using objective sampling to select participants in northern and southern provinces, dietary data were obtained through consecutive 3 days 24HR, and the average intakes of food, energy and nutrients were calculated for three days from Thursday to Saturday and two days on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The 3-day method was considered as the reference standard method to evaluate the performance of the 2-day method for estimating food, energy and nutrient intakes.
RESULTS: Among 778 participants aged 18-60 years in urban and rural areas of two provinces, the errors of the mean and median of 2-day method for estimating the intake of four major food categories less than 6% compared with the 3-day method, and there were significant equivalencies(P<0.025) and no significant differences in four major food categories group(P>0.05). Of the 24 food groups estimated by the 2-day method, 17 had mean errors within 5%, the largest error was in animal offal(13.45%) and the smallest in fruit(0.15%), and there were significant equivalencies(P<0.025) and no significant differences in seven food groups(P>0.05). For energy and nutrients, the mean and median errors of energy were less than 0.5% and there were significant equivalencies(P<0.025) and no significant differences for energy(P>0.05). Among the 25 nutrients, except sodium, iodine and vitamin E, the mean and median errors of the other 22 nutrients were less than 5%, and there were significant equivalencies(P<0.025) and no significant differences in 16 nutrients(P>0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: There was little difference between the two survey method in assessing the intake of high consumption frequency foods, energy and most nutrients at group level, the 2-day method can be used as an alternative to the 3-day method to collect dietary intake data with high consumption rates in the population.

Preparation of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with long-lasting passivation effectiveness is challenging. Here, we present a protocol for fabricating efficient and stable passivated perovskite solar cells. We describe steps for preparing the electron transporting layer (ETL) via chemical bath deposition and perovskite film. We then detail procedures for passivating the surface defects with excess terpyridine ligands and stability characterization. This protocol features a passivator-terpyridine whose passivation effect is independent of concentration, which greatly improves the durability of the passivation. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Wang et al.1.

Leber\'s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a debilitating mitochondrial disease associated with mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Unfortunately, the available treatment options for LHON patients are limited due to challenges in mitochondrial replacement. In our study, we reprogramming LHON urine cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and differentiating them into neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and neurons for disease modeling. Our research revealed that LHON neurons exhibited significantly higher levels of mtDNA mutations and reduced mitochondrial function, confirming the disease phenotype. However, through co-culturing LHON iPSC-derived NPCs with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), we observed a remarkable rescue of mutant mtDNA and a significant improvement in mitochondrial metabolic function in LHON neurons. These findings suggest that co-culturing with MSCs can enhance mitochondrial function in LHON NPCs, even after their differentiation into neurons. This discovery holds promise as a potential therapeutic strategy for LHON patients.

The project aimed to develop porous materials for sustainable energy applications, namely, hydrogen storage, and valorization of biomass to renewable fuels. At the core of the project was a training programme for Africa-based researchers in (i) the exploitation of renewable locally available raw materials; (ii) the use of advanced state-of-the-art techniques for the design and synthesis of porous materials (zeolites and metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)) for energy storage; and (iii) the valorization of sustainable low-value feedstock to renewable fuels. We found that compaction of the UiO-66 MOF at high pressure improves volumetric hydrogen storage capacity without any loss in gravimetric uptake, and experimentally demonstrated the temperature-dependent dynamic behaviour of UiO-66, which allowed us to propose an activation temperature of ≤ 150°C for UiO-66. Co-pelletization was used to fabricate UiO-66/nanofibre monoliths as hierarchical porous materials with enhanced usable (i.e. deliverable) hydrogen storage capacity. We clarified the use of naturally occurring kaolin as a source of silica and alumina species for zeolite synthesis. The kaolin-derived zeolite X was successfully used as a catalyst for the transesterification of Jatropha curcas oil (from non-edible biomass) to biodiesel. We also prepared porous composites (i.e. carbon/UiO-66, organoclay/UiO-66 and zeolite/carbon) that were successfully applied in electrochemical sensing.

Neurons, exhibiting unique polarized structures, rely primarily on the mitochondrial production of ATP to maintain their hypermetabolic energy requirements. To maintain a normal energy supply, mitochondria are transported to the distal end of the axon. When mitochondria within the axon are critically damaged beyond their compensatory capacity, they are cleared via autophagosomal phagocytosis, and the degradation products are recycled to replenish energy. When the mitochondria are dysfunctional or their transport processes are blocked, axons become susceptible to degeneration triggered by energy depletion, resulting in neurodegenerative diseases. As the final checkpoint for mitochondrial quality control, axonal mitophagy is vital for neuronal growth, development, injury, and regeneration. Furthermore, abnormal axonal mitophagy is crucial in the pathogenesis of optic nerve-related diseases such as glaucoma. We review recent studies on axonal mitophagy and summarize the progress of research on axonal mitophagy in optic nerve-related diseases to provide insights into diseases associated with axonal damage in optic ganglion cells.

Tobacco, a widely cultivated crop, has been extensively utilized by humans for an extended period. However, the tobacco industry generates a significant amount of organic waste, and the effective utilization of this tobacco waste has been limited. Currently, most tobacco waste is either recycled as reconstituted tobacco sheets or disposed of in landfills. However, tobacco possesses far more potential value than just these applications. This article provides an overview of the diverse uses of tobacco waste in agriculture, medicine, chemical engineering, and energy sectors. In the realm of agriculture, tobacco waste finds primary application as fertilizers and pesticides. In medical applications, the bioactive compounds present in tobacco are fully harnessed, resulting in the production of phenols, solanesol, polysaccharides, proteins, and even alkaloids. These bioactive compounds exhibit beneficial effects on human health. Additionally, the applications of tobacco waste in chemical engineering and energy sectors are centered around the utilization of lignocellulosic compounds and certain fuels. Chemical platform compounds derived from tobacco waste, as well as selected fuel sources, play a significant role in these areas. The rational utilization of tobacco waste represents a promising prospect, particularly in the present era when sustainable development is widely advocated. Moreover, this approach holds significant importance for enhancing energy utilization.

Our previous clinical metabolomics study illustrated that energy metabolism disorder is an underlying pathogenesis mechanism for the development of alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Supplementation of nicotinamide (NAM), the precursor of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+), may restore the energy metabolism homeostasis of ALD and thus serves as potential therapeutics to treat ALD. In this bedside-to-bench study, the protective effect of NAM against ALD was investigated by using the NIAAA mice model (chronic-plus-binge ethanol), and the liver regeneration boosting capability of NAM was evaluated by the partial hepatectomy mice model. Our results showed that NAM supplements not only protected the liver from alcohol-induced injury and improved alcohol-induced mitochondrial structure and function change, but also boosted liver regeneration in postpartial hepatectomy mice by increasing liver NAD+ content. These findings suggested that NAM, a water-soluble form of vitamin B3, can promote liver regeneration and improves liver function by alleviating alcohol-induced energy metabolism disorder.

Due to the heterogeneity of recycled paper materials and the production conditions, pollutants in papermaking wastewater fluctuate sharply over time. Quality control of the papermaking wastewater treatment process (PWTP) is challenging and costly. As regulations are also growing about the environmental effects of the PWTP on greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, energy consumption, etc., the PWTP formulates a complex multiobjective optimization problem. This research established a multiagent deep reinforcement learning framework to simultaneously optimize process cost, energy consumption, and GHG emission in the PWTP, subjected to the effluent quality, to realize economic, energy, and environmental (3E) goals. The biological treatment process of wastewater in paper mills was simulated using benchmark simulation model no. 1 (BSM1). The data generated based on the BSM manual was utilized for model training, and real data acquired from a local papermaking factory was used to estimate the model performance. The results show that the proposed method outperforms conventional techniques in identifying the best control strategies for multiple targets.