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For buildings with shallow foundations embedded in natural soil sediments, the underexcavation method is often used to correct building inclination. Relying on engineering experience and close field monitoring, rectification has been conducted successfully. However, theoretical studies are relatively scarce, resulting in an inadequately informed rectification design and procedure. Assuming the soil is an ideal elastic-plastic body, a simplified analysis was adopted to study the issue theoretically. First, the redistribution of the base contact pressure after building inclination was deduced. Second, according to the force balance between the total contact pressure of the base and the total stress on the horizontal plane at the excavation hole, the limit hole spacing at the critical state of building back tilt was obtained, which was also the preferable hole spacing for soil strip collapse. Third, because the amount of anticipated forced settlement at a certain section of soil excavation is equal to the volume of soil hole collapse, an accurate formula for the hole diameter was obtained. Combined with engineering experience, suggestions for the design procedure were proposed. Finally, two case histories were introduced to verify the correctness and practicability of the theoretical formula for hole spacing and diameter. These two key parameters provide a strong theoretical basis for building rectification in future engineering practice.

As a green sustainable material, lignin-derived porous carbon (LPC) exhibits great application potential when used as the anode material in lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), but the applications are limited by the heterogeneity of the lignin precursor. Therefore, it is crucial to reveal the relationship among lignin properties, porous carbon structure and the kinetics of lithium-ion storage. Herein, LPCs from fractionated lignin have been prepared by an eco-friendly and recyclable activator. The structure of the LPCs was regulated by adjusting the molecular weight, linkage abundance and glass transition temperature (T

The novel spectral changes from the coordination polymers of Ag+ with a chiral cysteine-based ligand containing a TPE AIEgen.

To clarify the interface melting mechanism, a unified analytical expression was developed to describe the depression and superheating of

Pb2Al2B3O8F3 has finite chain-like [B3O8]7− groups, which enriches the structural chemistry of borates. Calculations show that Pb2Al2B3O8F3 has moderate birefringence, and it also has a short UV cutoff edge and a large band gap.

Aim: We investigated the efficacy and safety of hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy (HAIC) combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Method: This retrospective study included HCC patients treated with HAIC, TKIs and anti-PD-1 antibodies between May 2019 and November 2020 in our hospital. Primary end points were progression-free survival and safety. Results: Twenty-seven advanced HCC patients were analyzed. The median follow-up was 12.9 months (range: 4.0–24.0 months) and the median progression-free survival was 10.6 months. The objective response rate and disease control rate were 63.0 and 92.6%, respectively. No treatment-related deaths occurred. Conclusion: In patients with advanced HCC, treatment with HAIC, anti-PD-1 antibodies and oral TKIs was effective and safe.

Under the background of China’s continuous promotion of urbanization, urban underground integrated pipeline corridor has become an inevitable trend of future urban integrated management. After the completion of the pipeline corridor, how to effectively manage its risks in operation and maintenance management has become a topic at this stage. In this paper, through the combination of the classical AHP method and DSM method, based on a large number of literature studies, the risk relationship system of the integrated pipe corridor is constructed. AnyLogic software is applied to simulate the system dynamics, analyze the impact of dynamic changes of each risk factor on the risk accident of the integrated pipe corridor, carry out uncertainty reasoning from multiple perspectives, and realize the evaluation and analysis of the accident risk of the integrated pipe corridor. The results of the study could provide targeted support tools for integrated pipeline corridor risk operation and maintenance management.

As a marker of inflammation, calprotectin has potential application value in a variety of inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis and bacterial infections. Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an infectious disease that causes intestinal damage and inflammation. This systematic review aims to determine whether fecal calprotectin has application value in CDI. Nine databases were searched from inception to 6 June 2022, and 17 studies were included. These studies were divided into four groups according to their content. Generally speaking, fecal calprotectin is not an ideal indicator for the diagnosis and prognosis prediction of CDI but may serve as a potential indicator for assessing disease severity and as a readily detectable marker for CDI screening. In addition, patients in need of treatment or with detectable toxins in stool may tend to have higher levels of fecal calprotectin. In summary, fecal calprotectin has some potential application value in CDI. However, further studies are needed to verify these findings and determine the reliability of calprotectin as a biomarker for CDI.

Deoxynivalenol (DON) is universally detected trichothecene in most cereal commodities, which is considered as a major hazardous material for human and animal health. Intestine is the most vulnerable organ with higher concentration of DON than other organs, owing to the first defense barrier function to exogenous substances. However, the underling mechanisms about DON-induced intestinal toxicity remain poorly understood. Here, DON poisoning models of IPEC-J2 cells was established to explore adverse effect and the potential mechanism of DON-induced enterotoxicity. Results showed that DON exposure destroyed IPEC-J2 cells morphology. Results showed that DON exposure destroyed IPEC-J2 cells morphology. Intestinal epithelial barrier injury was caused by DON with increasing LDH release, decreasing cell viability as well decreasing tight junction protein expressions (Occludin, N-Cad, ZO-1, Claudin-1 and Claudin-3). Moreover, DON caused mitochondrial dysfunction by opening mitochondrial permeability transition pore and eliminating mitochondrial membrane potential. DON exposure upregulated protein and mRNA expression of mitochondrial fission factors (Drp1, Fis1, MIEF1 and MFF) and mitophagy factors (PINK1, Parkin and LC3), downregulated mitochondrial fusion factors (Mfn1, Mfn2, except OPA1), resulting in mitochondrial dynamics imbalance and mitophagy. Overall, these findings suggested that DON induced tight junction dysfunction in IPEC-J2 cells was related to mitochondrial dynamics-mediated mitophagy.

A high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC) method was established to analyze the components in Shengjiang Powder(SJP) such as emodin and curcumin and explore its therapeutic effect on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis(EAE) mice. To be specific, HPLC was performed to determine the content of compounds in SJP such as emodin and curcumin. A total of 72 female SPF C57 BL/6 mice were randomized into control group(equivalent volume of ultrapure water, ig), model group(equivalent volume of ultrapure water, ig), low-, medium-, and high-dose SJP groups(SJP, ig), and positive control group(prednisone acetate, ig), 12 each group. EAE was induced in mice except the control group. Administration began from the first day after immunization. The general conditions, symptom score, and body weight of the mice were recorded. On the 21 st day, mouse brain tissues were separrated. Then hematoxylin-eosin(HE) staining and Luxol Fast Blue(LFB) staining were used to detect the pathological changes of brain tissues. Immunohistochemistry(IHC) was employed to determine the myelin basic protein(MBP) level, and Western blot the expression of occludin and claudin-5, as well as the levels of interleukin-6(IL-6) and proteins in the Janus kinase 2(JAK2)/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3(STAT3) pathway and their phosphorylation levels. The mRNA expression of IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3 was detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction(qPCR). Finally, molecular docking of six main active components in SJP, including emodin and curcumin, with IL-6, JAK2 and STAT3 was performed, and the binding affinity was evaluated. The results showed that the established HPLC method demonstrated high precision, reproducibility, stability, and high recovery of samples. Compared with the model group, SJP reduced the clinical symptom score and alleviate the inflammatory infiltration of brain white matter and demyelination of EAE mice. At the same time, SJP increased the expression of occludin and claudin-5, down-regulated the mRNA expression of IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3, as well as the levels of IL-6/JAK/STAT3 proteins and the phosphorylation levels, with significant difference. Molecular docking suggested that the six active components in SJP had high binding energy with IL-6, JAK2, and STAT3 proteins. The established HPLC method is simple, accurate, and highly sensitive, which can simultaneously determine the content of emodin and curcumin in SJP. SJP may alleviate the clinical symptoms of EAE by inhibiting IL-6/JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, protecting the blood-brain barrier, and relieving the inflammatory response and demyelinization of brain tissue.

Na+, Cl− and K+ are the most abundant electrolytes present in biological fluids that are essential to the regulation of pH homeostasis, membrane potential and cell volume in living organisms. Herein, we report synthetic crown ether-thiourea conjugates as a cation/anion symporter, which can transport both Na+ and Cl− across lipid bilayers with relatively high transport activity. Surprisingly, the ion transport activities were diminished when high concentrations of K+ ions were present outside the vesicles. This unusual behavior resulted from the strong affinity of the transporters for K+ ions, which led to predominant partitioning of the transporters as the K+ complexes in the aqueous phase preventing the transporter incorporation into the membrane. Synthetic membrane transporters with Na+, Cl− and K+ transport capabilities may have potential biological and medicinal applications. [Figure not available: see fulltext.]

We report a new scheme for chiral recognition using coordination polymers of Ag+ with a chiral thiol ligand that contains a binding group. N-Benzoyl-l-cysteine ethyl ester equipped with a boronic acid group at the para position of the phenyl ring forms coordination polymers with Ag+ in alkaline aqueous solutions that exhibit excellent selectivity toward a d-glucose enantiomer over l-glucose, while the coordination polymers from the d-cysteine-based thiol ligand are specific for l-glucose. It is assumed that a conformation change occurs upon interaction of a saccharide molecule with the polymeric chain receptor, for which the next binding is promoted, leading to the highly effective chiral recognition, despite the flexible nature of the polymeric receptor.

We report a supramolecular nanosphere with a diameter of 8.65 nm built in an aqueous solution via dynamic binding of glucose to a thiol ligand bearing a phenylboronic acid group, 4-mercaptophenylboronic acid (4-MPBA), as a hydrophilic component in combination with a hydrophobic thiol ligand, 1-octanethiol (n-C8H17SH), in the presence of Ag+. Highly hydrophilic glucose binding to two neighboring boronic acid groups from 4-MPBA ligands on their Ag+ coordination polymeric backbone, on which the hydrophobic n-C8H17SH ligands locate inwards, drives the coordination polymers into nanospheres. The supramolecular nanospheres are of small diameters with narrow size distribution characteristic of glucose among the tested monosaccharides including fructose and xylose.

We propose to create nanospheres in aqueous solutions from coordination polymers of Ag+ with a combination of a hydrophilic and a hydrophobic thiol, of diameter ca. 2.7 nm in the case of using cysteine and n-butanethiol. A spectral probe for the formation of the nanospheres is a reversal of the CD signal at 253 nm from negative in the case of cysteine alone to positive when cysteine and n-BuSH are both employed, together with an amplification.

Supramolecular helices from helical building blocks represent an emerging analogue of the α-helix. In cases where the helicity of the helical building block is well propagated, the head-to-tail intermolecular interactions that lead to the helix could be enhanced to promote the formation and the stability of the supramolecular helix, wherein homochiral elongation dominates and functional helical channel structures could also be generated. This feature article outlines the supramolecular helices built from helical building blocks, i.e., helical aromatic foldamers and helical short peptides that are held together by intermolecular π-π stacking, hydrogen/halogen/chalcogen bonding, metal coordination, dynamic covalent bonding and solvophobic interactions, with emphasis on the influence of efficient propagation of helicity during assembly, favouring homochirality and channel functions.

Zero-order wave plates play an important role in the polarization measurements and laser industry, wherein few materials can satisfy both the requirements of small birefringence and a deep-ultraviolet (DUV; λ < 200 nm) transparency range. In this study, a new sulfate Li5Cs(SO4)3, crystallized in the centrosymmetric P21/c (no. 14), was obtained by the high temperature melt method. Its single crystal structure features a three-dimensional framework consisting of [SO4], [LiO4] and [LiO5] tetrahedra, and is a congruent-melting compound with a reversible phase transition. The transmission range of Li5Cs(SO4)3 shows that the crystal has a UV cutoff edge below 180 nm, and the theoretical calculations reveal that it has a minimal birefringence of 0.0046 @ 1064 nm. The optical properties indicate that Li5Cs(SO4)3 is a potential zero-order wave plate material.

We report supramolecular helical assembly in water of β-turn structured bis(N-amidothioureas) containing Br-substitutes of moderate halogen bonding ability, promoted by stronger hydrophobic interaction. The helical polymers show an unusual negative nonlinear CD-ee dependence.

The 2,5-thiophenediamide motif that contains two intramolecular S⋯OC chalcogen bonds was taken to maintain cis-conformation of β-turn structured helical azapeptide that is good to form a supramolecular helix via intermolecular halogen bonding.

Spontaneous resolution leading to conglomerate crystals remains a significant challenge. Here we propose the formation of orthogonal homochiral supramolecular helices in at least two dimensions to allow spontaneous resolution. We suggest the design rationale that the chiral species is made into helical building blocks to allow the helix formation. As a proof-of-concept, acetylalanine was made into a helical short azapeptide, its N-amidothiourea derivative containing a β-turn structure, to which a halogen atom was further introduced at the phenylthiourea aromatic ring. The resultant folded species undergoes both intermolecular hydrogen and halogen bonding across the turn structure to form orthogonal intermolecular hydrogen-bonded and halogen-bonded supramolecular helices in two dimensions, and undergoes chiral resolution upon crystallization. Meanwhile, counterparts containing either an F-substituent with weak halogen bonding or no halogen atom crystallize as racemic compounds.

PurposeSupply chain finance (SCF) is a promising financing solution for small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The study aims to highlight the determinants of the adoption of SCF and the theoretical implications for SCF in SMEs.Design/methodology/approachDrawing on the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), the authors develop a model and test hypotheses about the factors (1) SE, (2) attitude toward SCF, (3) social influence (SI), (4) adoption intention (AI) and (5) actual adoption (AA) of SCF. Data collected from a survey of 211 managers in SMEs in China were used to conduct a partial least squares (PLS) estimation.FindingsThe empirical results indicate that attitude toward SCF and SI positively affect AI towards SCF, whereas AI positively affects the AA of SCF. Specifically, the authors find that AI plays a mediating role in the relationship between SE and AA of SCF, whereas attitude toward SCF plays a mediating role between SI and AI.Originality/valueFirst, the authors use the TPB to study the adoption of SCF in SMEs. Second, the authors apply PLS to clarify the influence mechanism of behavioural factors on the adoption of SCF. The authors provide a useful approach for practitioners in examining the adoption of SCF by SMEs.

As an important growth curve model, Weibull regression model has been widely used in biological science, modern commerce, production industry and so on. However, due to technical constraints, loss of information, limited knowledge and other factors, and sometimes it is hard or impossible to accurately obtain enough observed data, which may make the classical Weibull regression models arrive at wrong conclusions in that these models ignored expressing such uncertainties behind the observed data. By considering this circumstance, a new modification of Weibull regression model for variables with imprecise observations is constructed to finish off this issue based on uncertainty theory. In addition, the parameter estimation method, residual analysis and confidence interval for the uncertain Weibull regression model are further presented, followed by leave-one-out cross-validation for model evaluation, to make the prediction or inference more reliable. Moreover, a numerical example is documented to illustrate how we construct the uncertain Weibull regression model step by step.

Supramolecular chirality of aggregates can be described in terms of the CD signals of the aggregates as a function of the enantiomeric excess of the chiral building block or chiral inducer. While many examples have been reported that show a positive nonlinear CD- ee relationship, indicating chiral amplification, the negative nonlinear dependence has rarely been observed. We recently proposed to build such supramolecular aggregates by using the mesomer of the enantiomeric inducers. Indeed we found that in the presence of enantiomeric dibenzoyltartaric acids (DboTar), achiral perylenebisimide (PBI) dye equipped with two terminal guanidinium groups in alkaline aqueous buffer solution is induced to form chiral supramolecular aggregates, via the known guanidinium-carboxylate salt bridge, that show a positive nonlinear CD- ee relationship, and is turned into negatively nonlinear when 40% or more molar fraction of meso -DboTar was introduced. Absorption and CD spectral titrations suggest that the aggregates led by enantiomers and by mesomer are similar in terms of the supramolecular structure and stability, and when the two kinds of aggregates are mixed no molecular exchange occurs between them. Fluorescence spectral traces of the aggregates show that the mesomer is more powerful in inducing the aggregation of the PBI dyes, and thus dominates the aggregation. Our findings that the mesomer of the enantiomeric inducer could lead to aggregates to exhibit a negative nonlinear CD- ee relationship provide a promising approach to such supramolecular aggregates, which could be of significance for better insight into the mechanism leading to the negative nonlinear dependence and eventually a comprehensive understanding of the supramolecular chirality.

The two-stage network DEA models based on the framework that the efficiency of the whole stage is equal to the product of the efficiencies of two sub-stages can not only turn the ‘black box’ into the ‘glass box’ to identify the root causes of the inefficiency of the network system, but also consider the relationship between the two sub-stages within the whole stage. Nowadays, the two-stage network DEA models have been widely applied in the field of economy and management, such as green supply chain and reverse supply chain. Due to the novelty of evaluation indexes, these emerging research objects with network structure, such as green supply chain, involve not only traditional evaluation indexes such as cost and time, but also some novel evaluation indexes such as customer satisfaction and flexibility. However, these new evaluation indexes are difficult to quantify accurately, which will lead to the failure of the traditional two-stage network DEA models. Therefore, this paper attempts to extend the traditional two-stage network DEA models to the uncertain two-stage network DEA models with the application of uncertainty theory. In the new models, inputs, intermediates and outputs are considered to be uncertain variables to deal with the problem of inaccurate data. Finally, a numerical example of the uncertain two-stage network DEA models will be presented for illustration.

A C-terminal amidothiourea motif is shown to promote a β-turn-like folded conformation in a series of β-amino acid-based short peptides in both the solid state and solution phase by an intramolecular 11-membered ring hydrogen bond.

Conventionally, z-direction modulation of two-dimensional covalent organic frameworks (2D-COFs) is difficult to achieve because they rely on spontaneous π-π interactions to form 3D architectures. Herein, we report a facile construction of a novel intercalated covalent organic framework (Intercalated-COF) by synchronizing operations of supramolecular donor-acceptor (D-A) interactions (A unit: 2,5,8,11-tetra(p-formylphenyl)-perylene diimide (PDI) 1; D unit: perylene 3, as intercalator) in the vertical directions, with polymerizations (by only reacting 1 with p-phenylenediamine 2) in the lateral directions. In this Intercalated-COF, the PDI-based covalent 2D layers are uniformly separated by perylene guest layers. This supramolecular strategy opens the possibility for z-direction modulation of 2D-COFs through "intercalating" various guest molecules and thus may contribute to the exploration of advanced applications of these porous and crystalline frameworks.

Proline based receptors (1-14) attached with phenylboronic acid and benzaldehyde binding groups at the N-/C- or C-/N-termini of the proline residue were created for chiral recognition of l-/d-DOPA, in an attempt to examine if balancing the two binding events would influence the recognition. By changing the positions of boronic acid and aldehyde groups substituted on the phenyl rings (1-4, 5-8) and the site at which phenylboronic acid and benzaldehyde moieties attached respectively to the N- and C-termini or C- and N-termini of the proline residue (1-4vs.5-8), and by introducing an electron-withdrawing fluorine atom in the phenyl ring of the weaker binder the benzaldehyde moiety (11vs.1, 14vs.5), we were able to show that a better balance of the two binding events does improve the chiral recognition. This finding can only be made with the current version of receptors that were equipped with two different binding groups. Together with the finding that the chiral recognition performance in mixed organic-aqueous solutions is tunable by varying the solvent composition, we have now arrived at a protocol for designing proline based receptors for extended applications in chiral recognition.

We propose using the formation of coordination polymers of Ag+ to probe differences between the perfluorinated alkyl chain and the alkyl chain by deriving a thiol ligand, N-(perfluoroalkanoyl)cysteine. Rapid formation in EtOH of P-/M-helical nanofibrils of high thermostability was found for N-(perfluorooctanoyl)-L-/D-cysteine ethyl esters at the μM level upon mixing with Ag+, but not for the octanoyl counterpart. This difference was also observed in terms of circular dichroism-enantiomeric excess dependence.

A new fluoroaluminoborate, Pb

Calcium is one of the essential minerals that enhances various biological activities, including the regulation of blood pressure, the prevention of osteoporosis and colorectal adenomas. Calcium-enriched edible mushrooms can be considered as one of the important daily sources of calcium in foods. Calcium accumulation in edible mushrooms is an effective way to enhance its activities because the organic state of calcium metabolites in edible mushrooms can be formed from the original inorganic calcium. The main calcium sources for calcium-enriched edible mushrooms’ cultivation are CaCO3, CaCl2 or Ca(NO3)2. The growth and metabolic process of edible mushrooms are significantly influenced by calcium enrichment. Generally, Ca at low levels is good for the production of edible mushrooms, whereas the reverse phenomenon for the growth of edible mushrooms at high Ca contents is observed. In addition, metabolites, for example, phenolics, flavonoids, polysaccharides, enzymes, minerals, etc., are improved when edible mushrooms are enriched at a moderate level of calcium. This review summarized the literature regarding the influence of calcium enrichment on edible mushrooms’ growth and major metabolites. Furthermore, the mechanisms of calcium enrichment in edible mushrooms were highlighted. Understanding calcium-enriched mechanisms in edible mushrooms would not only be beneficial to manipulate the cultivation of edible mushrooms having excellent biological activities and high levels of active Ca, but it would also contribute to the applications of calcium enrichment products in food industries.

Government intervention and structural transformation play an important role in both the economy and carbon emissions. Based on provincial panel data from China from 2003 to 2020, this paper employs econometric models to investigate the impact of government intervention and structural transformation on carbon emissions. In particular, structural transformation is divided into two indicators: The rationalization of the industrial structure and the upgrading of the industrial structure. According to the research findings, government intervention has significantly promoted carbon emissions and structural transformation has had dual effects on carbon emissions; meanwhile, the rationalization of the industrial structure has significantly increased carbon emissions, while the upgrading of the industrial structure has slowed down carbon emissions, with these findings passing the corresponding robustness test. The relationship between government intervention, structural transformation, and carbon emissions varies significantly over time and across regions. Further investigations revealed that government intervention and structural transformation have a significant impact on carbon emissions in various panel quantiles. Finally, the paper makes policy recommendations in order to provide empirical support for promoting China’s high-quality economic development and achieving the “double carbon” goal.