Microplastics and microbiota:Unraveling the hidden environmental challenge

This editorial explores the intricate relationship between microplastics(MPs)and gut microbiota,emphasizing the complexity and environmental health implications.The gut microbiota,a crucial component of gastrointestinal health,is examined in the context of potential microbial degradation of MPs.Furthermore,dysbiosis induced by MPs emerges as a consensus,disrupting the balance of gut microbiota and decreasing diversity.The mechanisms triggering dysbiosis,including physical interactions and chemical composition,are under investigation.Ongoing research addresses the consequences of MPs on immune function,nutrient metabolism,and overall host health.The bidirectional relationship between MPs and gut microbiota has significant implications for environmental and human health.Despite uncertainties,MPs negatively impact gut microbiota and health.Further research is essential to unravel the complex interactions and assess the long-term consequences of MPs on both environmental and human well-being.

Formal Verification Platform as a Service:WebAssembly Vulnerability Detection Application

In order to realize a general-purpose automatic formal verification platform based on WebAssembly technology as a web service(FVPS),which aims to provide an automated report of vulnerability detections,this work builds a Hyperledger Fabric blockchain runtime model.It proposes an optimized methodology of the functional equivalent translation from source program languages to formal languages.This methodology utilizes an external application programming interface(API)table to replace the source codes in compilation,thereby pruning the part of housekeeping codes to ease code inflation.Code inflation is a significant metric in formal language translation.Namely,minor code inflation enhances verification scale and performance efficiency.It determines the efficiency of formal verification,involving launching,running,and memory usage.For instance,path explosion increases exponentially,resulting in out-of-memory.The experimental results conclude that program languages like golang severely impact code inflation.FVPS reduces the wasm code size by over 90%,achieving two orders of optimization magnitude,from 2000 kilobyte(KB)to 90 KB.That means we can cope with golang applications up to 20 times larger than the original in scale.This work eliminates the gap between Hyperledger Fabric smart contracts and WebAssembly.Our approach is pragmatic,adaptable,extendable,and flexible.Nowadays,FVPS is successfully applied in a Railway-Port-Aviation blockchain transportation system.

Gut microbiota imbalance and colorectal cancer

The gut microbiota acts as a real organ. The symbiotic interactions between resident micro-organisms and the digestive tract highly contribute to maintain the gut homeostasis. However, alterations to the microbiome caused by environmental changes(e.g., infection, diet and/or lifestyle) can disturb this symbiotic relationship and promote disease, such as inflammatory bowel diseases and cancer. Colorectal cancer is a complex association of tumoral cells, non-neoplastic cells and a large amount of micro-organisms, and the involvement of the microbiota in colorectal carcinogenesis is becoming increasingly clear. Indeed, many changes in the bacterial composition of the gut microbiota have been reported in colorectal cancer, suggesting a major role of dysbiosis in colorectal carcinogenesis. Some bacterial species have been identified and suspected to play a role in colorectal carcinogenesis, such as Streptococcus bovis, Helicobacter pylori, Bacteroides fragilis, Enterococcus faecalis, Clostridium septicum, Fusobacterium spp. and Escherichia coli. The potential pro-carcinogenic effects of these bacteria are now better understood. In this review, we discuss the possible links between the bacterial microbiota and colorectal carcinogenesis, focusing on dysbiosis and the potential pro-carcinogenic properties of bacteria, such as genotoxicity and other virulence factors, inflammation, host defenses modulation, bacterial derived metabolism, oxidative stress and anti-oxidative defenses modulation. We lastly describe how bacterial microbiota modifications could represent novel prognosis markers and/or targets for innovative therapeutic strategies.

Alfapump®implantable device in management of refractory ascites:An update

Refractory ascites(RA)is a frequent and life-threatening complication of cirrhosis.In selected patients with RA,transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt(TIPS)placement and liver transplantation(LT)are currently considered the best therapeutic alternatives to repeated large volume paracentesis.In patients with a contraindication to TIPS or LT,the alfapump®system(Sequana Medical,Ghent,Belgium)has been developed to reduce the need for iterative paracentesis,and consequently to improve the quality of life and nutritional status.We report here recent data on technical progress made since the first implantation,the efficacy and tolerance of the device,the position of the pump in the therapeutic arsenal for refractory ascites,and the grey areas that remain to be clarified regarding the optimal selection of patients who are potential candidates for this treatment.

Factors associated with DAA virological treatment failure and resistance-associated substitutions description in HIV/HCV coinfected patients

AIMTo describe factors associated with treatment failure and frequency of resistance-associated substitutions （RAS）.METHODSHuman immunodefciency virus （HIV）/hepatitis C virus （HCV） coinfected patients starting a first direct-acting antiviral （DAA） regimen before February 2016 and included in the French ANRS CO13 HEPAVIH cohort were eligible. Failure was defned as： （1） non-response [HCV-RNA remained detectable during treatment, at end of treatment （EOT）]; and （2） relapse （HCV-RNA suppressed at EOT but detectable thereafter）. Sequencing analysis was performed to describe prevalence of drug class-specifc RAS. Factors associated with failure were determined using logistic regression models.RESULTSAmong 559 patients, 77% had suppressed plasmaHIV-RNA 〈 50 copies/mL at DAA treatment initiation41% were cirrhotic, and 68% were HCV treatmentexperienced. Virological treatment failures occurred in22 patients and were mainly relapses （17, 77%） thenundefined failures （3, 14%） and non-responses （29%）. Mean treatment duration was 16 wk overall. Posttreatment NS3, NS5A or NS5B RAS were detected in10/14 patients with samples available for sequencinganalysis. After adjustment for age, sex, ribavirin useHCV genotype and treatment duration, low platelecount was the only factor signifcantly associated with ahigher risk of failure （OR： 6.5; 95%CI： 1.8-22.6）. CONCLUSIONOnly 3.9% HIV-HCV coinfected patients failed DAAregimens and RAS were found in 70% of those failingLow platelet count was independently associated withvirological failure.

GEOMETRY ON THE WASSERSTEIN SPACE OVER A COMPACT RIEMANNIAN MANIFOLD

We revisit the intrinsic differential geometry of the Wasserstein space over a Riemannian manifold,due to a series of papers by Otto,Otto-Villani,Lott,Ambrosio-Gigli-Savaré,etc.

The catalytic properties of DNA G‐quadruplexes rely on their structural integrity

The influence of the G‐quartet structural integrity on the catalytic activity of the G‐quadruplex(G4)was investigated by comparing the G4‐DNAzyme performances of a series of G4s with a G‐vacancy site and a G‐triplex(G‐tri).The results presented herein not only confirm that the structural integrity of the 3'‐end G‐quartet is necessary for G4s to be catalytically competent but also show how to remediate G‐vacancy‐mediated catalytic activity losses via the addition of guanine surrogates in an approach referred to as G‐vacancy complementation strategy that is applicable to parallel G4s only.Furthermore,this study demonstrates that the terminal G‐quartet could act as a proximal coordinating group and cooperate with the flanking nucleotide to activate the hemin cofactor.

NOTES ON REAL INTERPOLATION OF OPERATOR L_(p)-SPACES

Let M be a semifinite von Neumann algebra.We equip the associated noncommutative Lp-spaces with their natural operator space structure introduced by Pisier via complex interpolation.On the other hand,for L_(p),p(M)=(L_(∞)(M),L_(1)(M)_(1/p,p)be equipped with the operator space structure via real interpolation as defined by the second named author(J.Funct.Anal.139(1996),500–539).We show that Lp,p(M)=Lp(M)completely isomorphically if and only if M is finite dimensional.This solves in the negative the three problems left open in the quoted work of the second author.We also show that for 1<p<∞and 1≤q≤∞with p 6=q,(L_(∞)(M;l_(q)),L_(1)(M;l_(q)_(1/p,p)=L_(p)(M;l_(q)with equivalent norms,i.e.,at the Banach space level if and only if M is isomorphic,as a Banach space,to a commutative von Neumann algebra.Our third result concerns the following inequality:||(∑iixtq)^(1/q)||lp(M)≤||(∑iixit)^(1/q)||lp(M),for any finite sequence(xi)⊂L+p(M),where 0<r<q<∞and 0<p≤∞.If M is not isomorphic,as a Banach space,to a commutative von Meumann algebra,then this inequality holds if and only if p≥r.

Respiratory protein-driven selectivity during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction

Extinction selectivity determines the direction of macroevolution,especially during mass extinction;however,its driving mechanisms remain poorly understood.By investigating the physiological selectivity of marine animals during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction,we found that marine clades with lower O2-carrying capacity hemerythrin proteins and those relying on O2 diffusion experienced significantly greater extinction intensity and body-size reduction than those with higher O2-carrying capacity hemoglobin or hemocyanin proteins.Our findings suggest that animals with high O2-carrying capacity obtained the necessary O2 even under hypoxia and compensated for the increased energy requirements caused by ocean acidification,which enabled their survival during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction.Thus,high O2-carrying capacity may have been crucial for the transition from the Paleozoic to the Modern Evolutionary Fauna.

Distribution of atrial cardiomyopathy markers and association with atrial fibrillation detected after ischaemic stroke in the SAFAS study

Background Atrial cardiomyopathy(AC)is an emerging concept explaining the pathophysiology of cardioembolic strokes in absence of atrial fibrillation(AF).A definition based on the presence of electrical abnormality(P-wave terminal force in lead V1(PTFV1)>5000µV×ms),N-Terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide(NT pro BNP)>250pg/mL and/or indexed left atrial diameter(LADI)>3cm/m^(2)is currently tested in the ARCADIA(AtRial Cardiopathy and Antithrombotic Drugs In prevention After cryptogenic stroke)trial.We set out to estimate the prevalence of AC as defined in the ARCADIA trial,its determinants and its association with AF detected after stroke(AFDAS).Methods Stepwise screening for silent Atrial Fibrillation After Stroke(SAFAS)study prospectively included 240 ischaemic stroke patients.AC markers were complete for 192 of them and 9 were not included in this analysis because AF had been diagnosed on admission.Results A total of 183 patients were analysed,of whom 57%(104 patients)met the AC criteria(79 NT-proBNP,47 PTFV1,4 LADI).In the multivariate logistic regression,C reactive protein>3mg/L(OR(95%CI)2.60(1.30 to 5.21),p=0.007)and age(OR(95%CI)1.07(1.04 to 1.10),p<0.001)were found to be independently associated with AC.After 6 months of follow-up,AFDAS was detected in 33%of AC patients and in 14%of the remaining ones(p=0.003).However,AC was not independently associated with AFDAS,contrary to left atrial volume index(>34mL/m^(2),OR 2.35(CI 1.09 to 5.06)p=0029).Conclusion AC as defined in ARCADIA is mostly based on NT pro BNP elevation(76%of patients)and is associated with age and inflammation.Moreover,AC was not independently associated with AFDAS at follow-up.The ARCADIA trial,which compares aspirin to apixaban in patients with embolic strokes of undetermined source with AC markers and must,therefore be analysed in the light of these limitations.

Using multi-criteria decision-making and machine learning for football player selection and performance prediction:a systematic review

Evaluating and selecting players to suit football clubs and decision-makers (coaches, managers, technical, and medical staff) is a difficult process from a managerial-financial and sporting perspective. Football is a highly competitive sport where sponsors and fans are attracted by success. The most successful players, based on their characteristics (criteria and sub-criteria), can influence the outcome of a football game at any given time. Consequently, the D-day of selection should employ a more appropriate approach to human resource management. To effectively address this issue, a detailed study and analysis of the available literature are needed to assist practitioners and professionals in making decisions about football player selection and hiring. Peer-reviewed journals were selected for collecting published papers between 2018 and 2023. A total of 66 relevant articles (journal articles, conference articles, book sections, and review articles) were selected for evaluation and analysis. The purpose of the study is to present a systematic literature review (SLR) on how to solve this problem and organize the published research papers that answer our four research questions.

Control of light emission of quantum emitters coupled to silicon nanoantenna using cylindrical vector beams

Light emission of europium(Eu^(3+))ions placed in the vicinity of optically resonant nanoantennas is usually controlled by tailoring the local density of photon states(LDOS).We show that the polarization and shape of the excitation beam can also be used to manipulate light emission,as azimuthally or radially polarized cylindrical vector beam offers to spatially shape the electric and magnetic fields,in addition to the effect of silicon nanorings(Si-NRs)used as nanoantennas.The photoluminescence(PL)mappings of the Eu^(3+)transitions and the Si phonon mappings are strongly dependent of both the excitation beam and the Si-NR dimensions.The experimental results of Raman scattering and photoluminescence are confirmed by numerical simulations of the near-field intensity in the Si nanoantenna and in the Eu^(3+)-doped film,respectively.The branching ratios obtained from the experimental PL maps also reveal a redistribution of the electric and magnetic emission channels.Our results show that it could be possible to spatially control both electric and magnetic dipolar emission of Eu^(3+)ions by switching the laser beam polarization,hence the near field at the excitation wavelength,and the electric and magnetic LDOS at the emission wavelength.This paves the way for optimized geometries taking advantage of both excitation and emission processes.

Fur glowing under ultraviolet:in situ analysis of porphyrin accumulation in the skin appendages of mammals

Examples of photoluminescence(PL)are being reported with increasing frequency in a wide range of organisms from diverse ecosystems.However,the chemical basis of this PL remains poorly defined,and our understanding of its potential ecological function is still superficial.Among mammals,recent analyses have identified free-base por-phyrins as the compounds responsible for the reddish ultraviolet-induced photoluminescence(UV-PL)observed in the pelage of springhares and hedgehogs.However,the localization of the pigments within the hair largely remains to be determined.Here,we use photoluminescence multispectral imaging emission and excitation spec-troscopy to detect,map,and characterize porphyrinic compounds in skin appendages in situ.We also document new cases of mammalian UV-PL caused by free-base porphyrins in distantly related species.Spatial distribution of the UV-PL is strongly suggestive of an endogenous origin of the porphyrinic compounds.We argue that reddish UV-PL is predominantly observed in crepuscular and nocturnal mammals because porphyrins are photodegradable.Con-sequently,this phenomenon may not have a specific function in intra-or interspecific communication but rather represents a byproduct of potentially widespread physiological processes.

Stimulated generation of deterministic platicon frequency microcombs

Dissipative Kerr soliton generation in chip-scale nonlinear resonators has recently observed remarkable advances,spanning from massively parallel communications, to self-referenced oscillators, and to dual-comb spectroscopy.Often working in the anomalous dispersion regime, unique driving protocols and dispersion in these nonlinear resonators have been examined to achieve the soliton and soliton-like temporal pulse shapes and coherent frequency comb generation. The normal dispersion regime provides a complementary approach to bridge the nonlinear dynamical studies, including the possibility of square pulse formation with flattop plateaus, or platicons.Here we report observations of square pulse formation in chip-scale frequency combs through stimulated pumping at one free spectral range and in silicon nitride rings with +55 fs~2∕mm normal group velocity dispersion.Tuning of the platicon frequency comb via a varied sideband modulation frequency is examined in both spectral and temporal measurements. Determined by second-harmonic autocorrelation and cross correlation, we observe bright square platicon pulse of 17 ps pulse width on a 19 GHz flat frequency comb. With auxiliary-laser-assisted thermal stabilization, we surpass the thermal bistable dragging and extend the mode-locking access to narrower 2 ps platicon pulse states, supported by nonlinear dynamical modeling and boundary limit discussions.

Atomic scale memristive photon source

Memristive devices are an emerging new type of devices operating at the scale of a few or even single atoms.They are currently used as storage elements and are investigated for performing in-memory and neuromorphic computing.Amongst these devices,Ag/amorphous-SiO_(x)/Pt memristors are among the most studied systems,with the electrically induced filament growth and dynamics being thoroughly investigated both theoretically and experimentally.In this paper,we report the observation of a novel feature in these devices:The appearance of new photoluminescent centers in SiO_(x) upon memristive switching,and photon emission correlated with the conductance changes.This observation might pave the way towards an intrinsically memristive atomic scale light source with applications in neural networks,optical interconnects,and quantum communication.

All-optical regeneration of polarization of a 40 Gbit/s return-to-zero telecommunication signal[Invited]

We report all-optical regeneration of the state of polarization of a 40 Gbit∕s return-to-zero telecommunication signal.The device discussed here consists of a 6.2-km-long nonzero dispersion-shifted fiber,with low polarization mode dispersion,pumped from the output end by a backward propagating wave coming from either an external continuous source or a reflection of the signal.An initially scrambled signal acquires a degree of polarization close to 100%toward the polarization generator output.All-optical regeneration is confirmed by means of polarization and bit-error-rate measurements as well as real-time observation of the eye diagrams.We show that the physical mechanism underlying the observed four-wave-mixing-based polarization attraction phenomenon can be described in terms of the geometric approach developed for the study of Hamiltonian singularities.

A Push–Pull Mechanism Helps Design Highly Competent G-Quadruplex-DNA Catalysts

Massive efforts are currently being invested to improve the performance,versatility,and scope of applications of nucleic acid catalysts.G-quadruplex(G4)/hemin DNAzymes are of particular interest owing to their structural programmability and chemical robustness.However,optimized catalytic efficiency is still bottleneck and the activation mechanism is unclear.Herein,we have designed a series of parallel G4s with different proximal cytosine(dC)derivatives to fine-tune the hemin-binding pocket for G4-DNAzymes.