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Increasing evidences showed that ovulatory dysfunction, possibly caused by luteinized unruptured follicular follicle syndrome (LUFS), is one of the reasons for endometriosis-related infertility. The present study was conducted to explore the potential effect of elevated progesterone in follicular fluid (FF) on ovulation in endometriosis. A prospective study including 50 ovarian endometriosis patients and 50 control patients with matched pairs design was conducted with alterations in FF and peritoneal fluid (PF) components identified by metabolomics analyses and differentially expressed genes in granulosa cells (GCs) identified by transcriptome analysis. Patients with endometriosis exhibited a significantly higher progesterone level in serum, FF, and PF. Granulosa cells from endometriosis patients revealed decreased expression of HPGD, COX-2, and suppressed NF-ĸB signaling. Similarly, progesterone treatment in vitro downregulated HPGD and COX2 expression and suppressed NF-ĸB signaling in granulosa tumor-like cell line KGN (Bena Culture Collection, China) and primarily cultured GCs, as manifested by decreased expressions of IL1R1, IRAK3, reduced pIĸBα/IĸBα ratio, and nucleus translocation of p65. On the contrary, TNF-α treatment increased expression of IL1R1, IRAK3, pIĸBα, p65, and HPGD in GCs. One potential p65 binding site was identified in the promoter region of HPGD by chromatin immunoprecipitation. In conclusion, we found that intrafollicular progesterone might downregulate HPGD and COX-2 in GCs via suppressing the NF-ĸB signaling pathway, shedding light on the mechanism underlying the endometriosis-related ovulatory dysfunction.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) has become the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths. CRC occurs because of abnormal growth of cells that can invade other tissues and cause distant metastases. Researchers have suggested that aberrant microRNA (miRNA) expression is involved in the initiation and progression of cancers. However, the key miRNAs that regulate the growth and metastasis of CRC remain unclear. The circulating miRNAs from BALB/c mice with CRC CT26 cell implantation were assayed by microarray. Then, Mus musculus (house mouse) mmu-miR-762 mimic and inhibitor were transfected to CT26 cells for analysis of cell viability, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), cell cycle, and regulatory molecule expression. Human subjects were included for comparison the circulating Homo sapiens (human) has-miR-762 levels in CRC patients and control donors, as well as the patients with and without distant metastasis. The result for miRNA levels in mice with CRC cell implantation indicated that plasma mmu-miR-762 was upregulated. Transfection of mmu-miR-762 mimic to CT26 cells increased cell viability, invasion, and EMT, whereas transfection of mmu-miR-762 inhibitor decreased the above abilities. Cells treated with high-concentration mmu-miR-762 inhibitor induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. However, mmu-miR-762 did not cause apoptosis of cells. Western blot analysis showed that mmu-miR-762 mimic transfection upregulated the expression of Wnt-1 and β-catenin, as well as increased the nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Further analysis was performed to demonstrate the correlation of miR-762 with CRC, and blood samples were collected from CRC patients and control donors. The results showed that serum has-miR-762 levels in CRC patients were higher than in control donors. Among the CRC patients (n= 20), six patients with distant metastasis showed higher serum has-miR-762 levels than patients without distant metastasis. Conclusions, the present study suggests that circulating miR-762 might be a potential biomarker for upregulation of CRC cell growth and invasion, and may be accompanied by the Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

The utilization of CO

Metal species deposited on catalyst supports play a significant role during the catalytic reduction or oxidation of organic compounds. In this study, we successfully prepared Ag- and Cu-supported Fe3O4 aerogels with high specific area (∼130–140 m2 g−1) and mesoporosity (pore size = 2–4 nm) and used them as catalysts for the photoassisted reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) and the oxidation of benzoic acid (BA). The Ag-supported Fe3O4 aerogels exhibited high activity for the oxidation of BA because Ag metal could attract photoexcited electrons and facilitate the production of superoxide radicals, hydroxyl radicals, and holes during the reaction. Conversely, the Cu-supported Fe3O4 aerogels could enhance the photoassisted reduction of 4-NP by forming an interfacial CuFe2O4/Fe3O4 junction to promote charge separation. Ag and Cu species on the surface of the Fe3O4 aerogel played different roles, which indicated that photoassisted catalytic performance could be tailored using different metals. Our results suggested that metal-supported Fe3O4 aerogels could be functional and promising materials for different catalytic oxidation or reduction reactions.

Highly stable all-inorganic perovskite quantum dot/polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogel (CsPbBr3/PMSQ AG) composites were first produced using two-step hot-injection and encapsulation processes by embedding green-emitting CsPbBr3 PQDs into modified hydrophobic mesoporous silica AGs. The unique structure of the composites not only considerably enhances the chemical stability of CsPbBr3 PQDs against moisture, humidity, and blue-light irradiation in air but also prevents anion exchange reactions during light-emitting diode (LED) manufacturing processes. In addition, the composition-optimized CsPbBr3/PMSQ AG exhibited excellent stability when soaked in water for more than 14 days and retained half of its initial intensity. Finally, white LED devices were fabricated by combining a blue-emitting GaN-based chip, green-emitting CsPbBr3/PMSQ AG, and red-emitting K2SiF6:Mn4+ phosphors.

As a special class of coordinated frameworks comprised of various metal species, Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have received increasing attention for catalytic applications. Nevertheless, few studies have been performed to investigate catalytic activities of PBAs for hydrogen generation (HG) from NaBH4 hydrolysis. No researches have been implemented to examine effects of different MII and MIII of PBAs (MII3[MIII(CN)6]2) (MII = Co, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn; MIII = Fe, Co) on NaBH4 hydrolysis for HG. Thus, the aim of the study is to explore and compare catalytic activities of various PBAs for HG from NaBH4 hydrolysis. While two hexacyano-metalates and different metals are used to obtain various PBAs, Co3[Co(CN6)]2 (Co–Co) is the most effective PBA for HG from NaBH4 hydrolysis. Furthermore, Co–Co has a much lower Ea of 37.6 kJ/mol for HG from NaBH4 hydrolysis in comparison to Ea values by other reported catalysts. Besides, HG by Co–Co could be optimized in the presence of 5% NaOH concentration, which leads to an even lower Ea of 28.6 kJ/mol. Co–Co is also reusable and stable for multiple cycles of HG. These features reveal that Co-containing PBAs can be a promising heterogeneous catalyst to facilitate HG from NaBH4 hydrolysis.

This study presents two 3-D atmospheric plasma spray models, namely, internal and external powder injections, by using the computational fluid dynamics technique to study the status of the melting of a particle and its in-flight velocity during a porous ceramic layer fabrication process. A bulk fluid model, which solves the time-dependent standard ${k}$ - $\varepsilon $ model, is used in combination with a Lagrangian to track the trajectories of alumina particles. The results of the fluid-analytical models are compared with experimental measurements, and it is seen that the spray angle increases as the flow rate of the carrier gas increases, which is more significant for an internal than for an external powder injector. Internal powder injection gives a particle a greater in-flight velocity and particle surface temperature because of the location of the powder injector. It is seen that the particle injection velocity and the particle penetration depth vary with the particle size and the flow rate of the carrier gas and that the dispersion for the internal type is more concentrated than that for the external type because of the momentum. The surrounding setup also plays an important role in the process of plasma spraying.

Hematological malignancies are increasingly treated with allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT). Unfortunately, iron overload is a frequent adverse effect of allo‐HSCT and is associated with poor prognosis. In the present study, we investigated hematopoiesis in iron‐overloaded mice and elucidated the effects of iron overload on the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment. Iron‐overloaded BALB/C mice were generated by injecting 20 mg/mL saccharated iron oxide intraperitoneally. Hematoxylin‐eosin staining was performed to evaluate the effects of an iron overload in mice. BM cells obtained from C57BL/6 mice were transplanted into irradiated BALB/C mice (whole‐body irradiation of 4 Gy, twice with a 4‐hours interval) by tail vein injection. Two weeks after allo‐HSCT, the hematopoietic reconstitution capacity was evaluated in recipients by colony‐forming assays. Histopathological examinations showed brown‐stained granular deposits, irregularly arranged lymphocytes in the liver tissues, and blue‐stained blocks in the BM collected from mice received injections of high‐dose saccharated iron oxide (20 mg/mL). Iron‐overloaded mice showed more platelets, higher‐hemoglobin (HGB) concentration, fewer granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐forming units (CFU‐GM), erythrocyte colony‐forming units (CFU‐E), and mixed granulocyte/erythrocyte/monocyte/megakaryocyte colony‐forming units (CFU‐mix) than healthy mice. Iron‐overloaded recipients presented with reduced erythrocytes and HGB concentration in peripheral blood, along with decreased marrow stroma cells, CFU‐GM, CFU‐E, and CFU‐mix relative to healthy recipients. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that iron overload might alter the number of red blood cells after transplantation in mice by destroying the BM microenvironment, thereby affecting the recovery of BM hematopoietic function.

Summary Designing materials that combine surface superhydrophobicity, high surface areas, large and uniform pore sizes, and excellent stability is a very challenging area for synthetic chemists. Here, we demonstrate a bioinspired encapsulation-rearrangement strategy to construct superhydrophobic mesoporous metal-organic framework (MOF) systems by selectively modifying the external surface of an internal lattice-rearranged mesoporous MOF. The surface of a defective MOF with limited porosity named AlTz-53 is initially modified by hydrophobic alkyl chains through click reactions. Subsequently, the internal framework undergoes lattice rearrangement upon solvent desorption, leading to a significantly improved internal porosity and material crystallinity. Functionalizing the surface of AlTz-68 with octadecene (AlTz-68-C18) induces superhydrophobicity with a water contact angle of 173.6°. AlTz-68-C18 also exhibits one of the largest Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface areas among all reported superhydrophobic framework materials. Furthermore, we illustrate that both superhydrophobic AlTz-68-C18 and the corresponding modified sponge exhibit excellent performance toward oil/water separation.

In this review, we introduce advanced synthetic methods for functional nanostructured materials (in powder form) bridging to the development in emerging energy and environmental applications. Three types of synthetic methods (aerosol-based, aerogel-based, and de novo methods) are introduced, all of which have shown to be extensively investigated as novel routes to create nanostructured materials with designed material properties (i.e., controlled size, shape, porosity, and chemical composition are to be achievable). The typical experimental setup and the general experimental procedure for material preparation via the above three synthesis routes are discussed. Complementary characterization approaches are employed to study material properties of the synthesized nanostructured materials via the three synthesis routes. Here we investigate: (1) CuxO-CeO2, Ni-CeO2, and CuxO nanoparticle-encapsulating metal–organic framework (MOF) hybrid nanoparticles synthesized via the aerosol-based method; (2) Cr-encapsulating MOF (Cr-MOF-199), Au-encapsulating MOF (Au@ZIF-8), and MOF-derived nanocomposites (CuO/CuCr2O4) produced via the de novo route; (3) a variety of aerogels (carbon, metal oxide, polymer) with high porosity created by the aerogel-based approach. Finally, several examples of emerging energy and environmental applications are introduced using these functional nanostructured materials, including (1) catalytic transformation to chemicals by using precious metal nanoparticles-embedded MOFs and the MOF-derived nanocomposites as the catalysts; (2) methane combustion using CuxO-CeO2 hybrid nanoparticles as catalyst, (3) methane dry reforming with CO2 using Ni-CeO2 hybrid nanoparticles as catalyst; (4) CO2 capture by fluoroalkyl silane-modified mesoporous silica and polymethylsilsesquioxane (PMSQ) aerogel membranes; (5) adsorption of organic solvent, dye, and oil by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-modified PMSQ aerogel.

Even though Co3O4 is the most conventional heterogeneous catalyst for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS), Co3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) aggregate severely, especially in water, losing their catalytic activities. In the present study, an electrospinning technique is employed to prepare Co3O4 nanofiber (CONF), in which severe aggregation of Co3O4 NPs can be prevented as Co3O4 NPs are specifically configured into fibers, rendering a much higher surface area and porosity than conventional Co3O4 NPs. When decolorization of Acid Red 27 (AR) is employed as a model test for PMS activation, CONF exhibits considerably higher catalytic activities than the commercial Co3O4 NPs for activating PMS to decolorize AR completely in 15 min with a rate constant of 0.210 min−1. The Ea of AR decolorization by CONF-activated PMS is 43.5 kJ/mol, which is also lower than several reported studies. CONF can be also re-used to activate PMS over multiple cycles. AR degradation is confirmed to involve with sulfate radicals via examining effects of radical scavengers and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance analysis. The findings obtained in this study successfully demonstrate that the electrospinning technique can be utilized to prepare nanoscale fibrous Co3O4 with improved physical and chemical properties for catalytic advanced oxidation applications.

Wolbachia are among the most prevalent and widespread endosymbiotic bacteria on earth. Wolbachia’ s success in infecting an enormous number of arthropod species is attributed to two features: the range of phenotypes they induce in their hosts, and their ability to switch to new host species. Whilst much progress has been made in elucidating the phenotypes induced by Wolbachia, our understanding of Wolbachia host shifting is still very limited: we lack answers to even fundamental questions concerning Wolbachia’s routes of transfer and the importance of factors influencing host shifts. Here, we investigate the diversity and host-shift patterns of Wolbachia in scale insects, a group of arthropods with intimate associations with other insects that make them well-suited to studying host shifts. Using Illumina pooled amplicon sequencing of Wolbachia-infected scale insects and their direct associates we determined the identity of all Wolbachia strains, revealing that 32% of samples were multiply infected (with up to five distinct strains per species). We then fitted a Generalised Additive Mixed Model (GAMM) to our data to estimate the influence of factors such as the host phylogeny and the geographic distribution of each species on Wolbachia strain sharing among scale insect species. The model predicts no significant contribution of host geography but strong effects of host phylogeny, with high rates of Wolbachia sharing among closely related species and a sudden drop-off in sharing with increasing phylogenetic distance. We also detected the same Wolbachia strain in scale insects and several intimately associated species (ants, wasps, beetles, and flies). This indicates putative host shifts and potential routes of transfers via these associates and highlights the importance of ecological connectivity in Wolbachia host-shifting.

Paracetamol (APAP) represents a critical emerging contaminant in various water bodies and sulfate radical (SO4 −)-involved Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) using Oxone are proven as promising approaches for degrading APAP. While Co3O4 is the benchmark catalyst for activating Oxone, Co3O4 nanoparticles are usually found to aggregate severely, losing their catalytic activities. In this study, a facile but convenient protocol is developed to prepare a unique Co3O4 material, which exhibits a morphology of nanoflower. More importantly, the flower petals of this Co3O4 nanoflower (CNF) are needle-shaped and comprised of numerous fine Co3O4 particles which are separated, enabling this CNF to exhibit high surface areas and large pore volumes. CNF also shows significantly higher catalytic activities than the commercial Co3O4 NPs for activating Oxone to degrade APAP. APAP degradation is confirmed to involve with sulfate radicals via examining effects of radical probe reagents and EPR analysis. CNF is reusable over several continuous cycles. The APAP degradation pathway is also investigated according to the degradation products determined using LC-MS/MS. The findings of this study are valuable to advance treatments of APAP in water by sulfate-radical-based processes, and also insightful to determine catalytic characteristics of Co3O4 with such a unique morphology of nanoflower.

In this study, tetraethyl orthosilicate-derived (TEOS-derived) siloxanes were successfully incorporated into chitosan (CS) membranes to form siloxane/CS mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs) via a drying-free and one-step process. Compared with the two-step process for the formation of MMMs in the previous literature, the one-step process of membrane preparation has the advantages of a decrease in the membrane formation time and the prevention of particle aggregation to form uniform and smooth MMMs. The siloxane/CS MMMs were used to separate a mixture of ethanol/water in the pervaporation process at 25 °C. MMMs with different siloxane concentrations, such as 0.025, 0.05, 0.15, 0.3 and 0.5 wt%, have been investigated, and MMMs with 0.05 wt% siloxanes (0.05 wt% MMMs) have the best pervaporation performance, with flux, separation factor and pervaporation separation index (PSI) values of 468 g/m2h, 2182 and 1021 kg/m2h, respectively. The pervaporation performance of 0.05 wt% siloxane/CS MMMs is better than that of CS-based membranes and other MMMs, as reported in the previous literature. As a result, the as-prepared siloxane/CS MMMs with 0.05 wt% siloxane loading show great potential for future industrial pervaporation applications.

The main aim of this study was to prepare polyaniline (PANI) nanocomposites. The CdO nanoparticles were obtained by the sol–gel method. The PANI-CdO nanocomposites were synthesized by in situ chemical oxidative polymerization technique. The chemical structure of CdO, PANI and PANI nanocomposites were confirmed by FTIR and XRD techniques. The surface morphology of CdO and PANI nanocomposites was investigated using SEM. The TEM analysis was used to confirm the actual particle size of the CdO nanoparticles. The morphology and surface roughness of the prepared composites were examined with the help of atomic force microscopy. The band gap values of PANI and PANI nanocomposites were determined using Tauc’s plot. The thermal properties of PANI nanocomposites were assessed using thermogravimetric analysis. The non-isothermal degradation kinetic study was carried out to comprehend the degradation rate and determine the energy of activation (Ea). The dc electrical conductivity study was also carried out for the prepared composites.

Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3), a precursor with a low industrial material cost was successfully used to prepare silica aerogels via a sol–gel process and was coated onto a macroporous Al2O3 membrane. After hydrophobic modification, the sodium silicate-derived silica aerogel membranes were used for CO2 absorption in membrane contactors. The experimental results demonstrated that the sodium silicate-derived hydrophobic silica aerogel membranes exhibited a high CO2 absorption flux of 1.5 mmol/m2s and could be used continuously for at least 4 days. Sodium silicate-derived hydrophobic silica aerogel membranes show great potential for large-scale CO2 absorption in industrial power plants due to their low-cost and high CO2 absorption flux properties.

An eco-friendly catalyst system was synthesized using three step reaction. The Cu nanoparticles bridged aminoclay catalyst was analyzed using various analytical techniques. The structure of the cat...

BiOI decorated electrospun SrTiO3 nanofibers (BE) with a spiky club structure were fabricated using a rapid microwave-assisted solvothermal method. The exposed (102) plane of BiOI preferentially coupled with the electrospun SrTiO3 fibers aiming to achieve charge neutrality. XRD analysis demonstrated that a BE composite coupled with an optimal content of BiOI exhibited few crystal imperfections. The resulting BE samples showed a higher degradation efficiency towards methyl orange dye under visible light irradiation (λ > 400 nm) compared to the individual BiOI and SrTiO3. The BE composite possessed a high degradation rate of 0.015 (kapp, min–1) and a normalized rate constant of 2.46 × 10–3 (kapp/surface area), which was 7.7 and 1120 times higher than those of BiOI and SrTiO3 alone, and a degradation level over 94.6% within 3 h of irradiation under visible light. The high photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the heterostructure formation, p-n junction at the BE interface, high contact between water and dye molecules with the BiOI covered surface, and extended visible light absorption. This work provides an effective approach to produce BE nanofibers for dealing with methyl orange dye and proves that BE composites have the potential to serve as visible-light-driven photocatalysts.

In this study, I-deficient BiOI is subjected to heterostructural design by coupling with SrTiO3 (BiOI/SrTiO3, BS) or modification with (3-aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (APTMS) to enhance the photocatalytic and catalytic activity, respectively. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and elemental analyses demonstrated the presence of I− vacancies in BiOI, which acted as electron traps in the photocatalytic reaction, and the absence of Lewis basic sites in the catalytic CO2 reaction to limit the conversion efficiency. After modification, the BS composite exhibited high activity for photocatalytic methyl orange decoloration under visible light irradiation because of facile charge separation resulting from the I− vacancies of BiOI and the intimate heterojunction at the BiOI/SrTiO3 interface. On the other hand, modification of BiOI with APTMS could greatly strengthen the Lewis basicity to enhance the catalytic CO2-to-polycarbonate (PC) conversion activity. In summary, I− vacancies play a vital role in determining the activity of I-deficient BiOI both in photocatalysis and catalysis. Hence, I-deficient BiOI would be a facile catalyst and upon a certain degree of modification, may find promising applications in photocatalysis and catalysis for CO2 conversion and environmental remediation.

Highly stable all-inorganic perovskite quantum dot/polymethylsilsesquioxane aerogel (CsPbBr

Cellulosic biomass waste from municipal solid and agricultural biomass residue are Second Generation energy source, mainly contain glucose and xylose monomers, were`extensively studied in present research for fermentable sugar hydrolysate in biohydrogen production. Scrap paper cup (SPC), bamboo stem wall (BSW), sugar cane bagasse (SCB) and oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) were dissolved in laboratory prepared imidazole ionic liquids; 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Amim]Cl) and 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl). A comparative study on biomass composition was presented by Van Soest and thermalgravimetric analysis (TGA) method. TGA was proved as comparative, cheaper and faster method in measuring the lignoellulose composition. Experimental result show that the ionic liquids were completely dissolved the SPC, BSW, SCB and OPEFB with high cellulose recovery; 96.00%, 91.34% 87.16% and 99.51% respectively. The used ionic liquids were highly recovered from the mixture at 94% to 99% recovery rate and FTIR analysis proofed that the recycled ionic liquid is principally consistent with the original. The regenerated cellulose was undergo acid hydrolysis to reducing sugars (glucose/xylose) hydrolysate to be used as feedstock fermentation for biohydrogen production. Acid hydrolysis of the recovered cellulose resulted up to 96% sugar conversion. IL-SPC hydrolysate reported higher total sugar conversion compare to SPC (control) due to higher surface area and disintegration of the cellulosic fibril structure resulted from the dissolution process. IL-SPC, IL-BSW, IL-SCB and IL-OPEFB hydrolysate contained higher total sugar compared to SPC hydrolysate even though their cellulose recovery are lower that the SPC (control). Biohydrogen fermentability test of this hydrolysate was carried out using biohydrogen producing bacterium Clostridia sp. Almost 85% of biomass waste hydrolysate substrate was utilized by the bacteria. Up to 196 ml H 2 / 100 ml cumulative bioydrogen production was collected for fermentation using the biomass hydrolysate while 174.91 ml H 2 / 100 ml was produced from the control.

Background A number of microRNAs (miRNAs) have been demonstrated to be correlated with the diagnosis, progression and prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the key miRNAs and the associated signaling pathways that regulate the growth and metastasis of CRC remain unclear. Methods miRNA array was analyzed in CRC CT26 cell-transplanted BALB/c mice. The effects of miR-762 mimics and inhibitors on the growth, invasion, cell cycle, and regulatory pathways of CRC CT26 cells were assessed. Cell cycle and sub-G1 assay were collected from the treated CT26 cells. Finally, blood samples were collected from patients with CRC. Further analysis to compare miR-762 levels in blood samples collected from CRC patients and normal control donors. Patients’ basic data were retrieved from electronic medical records and analyzed for age, gender, tumor staging, and survival. Results The miRNA levels in mice with CRC cell implantation indicated that plasma mmu-miR-762 was upregulated. Transfection of mmu-miR-762 mimic to CT26 cells increased cell viability, invasion, and EMT, whereas transfection of mmu-miR-762 inhibitor decreased the above abilities. Cells treated with high-concentration mmu-miR-762 inhibitor induced cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase. However, mmu-miR-762 did not cause apoptosis of cells. Western blot analysis showed that mmu-miR-762 mimic transfection upregulated the expression of Wnt-1 and β-catenin, as well as increased the nuclear translocation of β-catenin. Further analysis was performed to demonstrate the correlation of has-miR-762 with CRC, and blood samples were collected from CRC patients and control donors. The results showed that serum has-miR-762 levels in CRC patients were higher than in control donors. Among the CRC patients, patients with distant metastasis showed higher serum has-miR-762 levels than patients without distant metastasis. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that circulating miR-762 might be a biomarker with upregulation of CRC cell growth and invasion through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

Hearing loss, the most common sensory abnormality, is caused by the death of or damage to inner ear hair cells. Genetic mutations are the main cause of hearing loss. We used nex-generation sequencing data released by the Taiwan Biobank to investigate the GJB2 mutation spectrum in 1517 patients. We compared hearing function in Taiwanese patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss (NSHL) caused by the two most common GJB2 mutations c.109G>A (p.V37I) and c.235delC. We extracted DNA from the oral mucosa of patients with NSHL and performed Sanger sequencing to confirm the genotype. Of 240 patients with NSHL, we identified 25 with GJB2 c.109G>A and 9 with GJB2 c.235delC mutations, after excluding patients aged >10 years, in whom hearing loss may have been caused due to age-related degeneration. We investigated genotype-phenotype correlations in patients harboring GJB2 c.109G>A and c.235delC mutations. Furthermore, we described the GJB2 mutation spectrum in the Taiwanese population and identified the role of homozygous and heterozygous GJB2 mutations associated with hearing phenotypes in patients with NSHL. Thus, our study provides insights into the complexity of GJB2 genetics. Our data indicate that GJB2 c.109G>A heterozygotes had poorer hearing than did homozygotes. The mechanism underlying the more severe phenotype in heterozygotes and whether the phenotype is caused by GJB2 heterozygotes or compound heterozygotes warrant future investigation.

This study presents the topology of a three-phase LLC resonant converter with matrix transformers. The three-phase LLC resonant converter has the advantages of conventional LLC resonant converters, including zero-voltage switching at the primary side, zero-current switching at the secondary side, high-frequency feasibility, and high efficiency. Moreover, it has additional advantages that differ from conventional LLC, including low output capacitor current ripple, natural current sharing in three resonant currents, and a high power level. As a result of the above mentioned characteristics, LLC topology has been used in many electric vehicle charging systems, server power systems, and other high-power applications. However, as the power level becomes higher and higher, the input voltage is usually too high to reduce conduction loss, and the output current also increases. This situation makes transformer design more difficult. The increasing current means more core and copper loss, and the heat dissipation of the transformer becomes more difficult. Matrix transformer technology can improve this problem directly and simply. By utilizing matrix transformers, which are primary series connected and secondary parallel connected, the primary voltage stress and secondary current stress of the transformers can be reduced, and the output current can be distributed. The analysis of the proposed converter in this study includes a circuit operation introduction, a time-domain analysis, calculation of the transfer ratio curve in the frequency domain, and a loss analysis. The theoretical analysis and performance of the proposed converter are verified. A three-phase LLC resonant converter with matrix transformers prototype is built with a high input voltage of 800-VDC and high output current of 200-A. The output voltage is 100-VDC. The waveform and efficiency data will be shown in the experimental results.

Mesoporous SiO2 aerogels are multi-functional porous materials with diverse applications. However, the fragile characteristics and low mechanical strength of mesoporous SiO2 aerogels limits their development for use in industrial applications. The mechanical strength of SiO2 aerogels can be greatly enhanced by the addition of tri-epoxy cross-linkers. Tri-epoxy cross-linked SiO2 aerogels with tri-epoxy concentrations of 7.5%, 15%, 30% and 45% were coated on macroporous Al2O3 membrane supports. The surface of the tri-epoxy cross-linked SiO2 aerogel membranes became superhydrophobic after fluoroalkylsilane (FAS) modification. Compared to native SiO2 aerogel membranes in the absence of tri-epoxy cross-linker, the pore size of the tri-epoxy cross-linked SiO2 aerogel membranes with tri-epoxy concentrations of 15% and 30% increased to approximately 6 nm, resulting in an increase in the CO2 absorption flux. The highest CO2 absorption flux of 1.4 mmol/m2s was reached for the tri-epoxy cross-linked SiO2 aerogel membrane with a tri-epoxy concentration of 15%. The durability of the as-prepared SiO2 aerogel membranes for CO2 absorption is also demonstrated in this work. Consequently, the mechanically robust tri-epoxy cross-linked SiO2 aerogel membranes have potential applications in membrane contactor systems for CO2 capture.

In this work, a novel electrochromic device (ECD), consisting of phenyl viologen (PV) as the cathodically coloring material and 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-1-piperidinyloxy (TEMPO) as the stable radical provider for charge balance, was proposed. Nanofibers (NFs) obtained by electrospinning, using poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) and poly(oxyethylene)-imide imidazolium tetrafluoroborate (POEI-IBF4), were introduced into the electrolyte to absorb tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate and propylene carbonate, so as to form a solid-state electrolyte for the ECD. The NFs were characterized by distribution of their diameters, or histograms, based on the scanning electron microscope (SEM) images; their physical properties, including electrolyte uptake, ionic conductivity, and porosity were studied. The proposed ECDs were characterized by cyclic voltammetry (CV), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), UV–visible spectra, and dynamic transmittance curves. The pertinent N15P10-ECD exhibited a high transmittance change (ΔT) of 68.7% at 590 nm, while maintaining a good cycling stability (95.5% of its original ΔT) after continuous 1000 switching cycles of operation at room temperature.

A new two-dimensional microporous metal organic framework (MOP), Al-MOF, [Al(OH)(MBA)] (CYCU-7, MBA = diphenylmethane-4,4'-dicarboxylate anion) and its reported analogue, [Al(OH)(SBA)] (CAU-11, SBA = 4,4'-sulfonyldibenzoate anion), have been synthesized using hydrothermal and solvothermal methods, respectively, and their structural crystallinities and defect porosities were carefully controlled and characterized by N-2 sorption isotherms and Al-27 solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance measurements. Interestingly, the MOF synthesized by the ethanol-based solvothermal method (CYCU-7) show a significant degree of linker-missing defects compared to that synthesized by the water-based hydrothermal method (CAU-11). We further incorporated the synthesized CYCU-7 and CAU-11 with chitosan (CS) biopolymer to make CYCU-7@CS and CAU-11@CS mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with the loading amount of MOF 2.5, 5.0, or 10 wt%. The as-prepared CYCU-7@CS and CAU-11@CS MMMs were applied for separation of water/ethanol mixtures through the pervaporation process, and the effects of the structural properties (e.g. crystallinity and defects) of CYCU-7 and CAU-11 on the separation performance are studied. It is found that defect-rich CYCU-7@CS MMMs exhibit higher flux, while CAU-11@CS MMMs with higher crystallinity exhibit a higher separation factor. In addition, the CAU-11@CS MMM with 5.0 wt% loading of CAU-11 displays the best separation performance (separation factor = 2741 and flux = 458 g/m(2) h). (C) 2017 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Membrane contactors are one of many CO2 capture techniques, and they combine chemical absorption and membrane separation. A hydrophobic membrane with high porosity, i.e., a waterproof breathable membrane, is necessary in the CO2 absorption process of membrane contactors. Fluorinated hydrophobic membranes are commonly used in the CO2 absorption process of membrane contactors. However, fluorinated hydrophobic membranes are toxic and harmful to our environment. Consequently, in this study, environmentally friendly, fluorine-free and waterproof breathable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)/polystyrene (PS) nanofibrous membranes with a high porosity of 89% are successfully fabricated using an electrospinning process. Compared with pristine PS nanofibrous membranes, PDMS doping in PS nanofibrous membranes successfully prevents liquid droplets from adhering on their surfaces, resulting in the successful fabrication of an anti-wetting membrane surface. The CO2 absorption flux of the as-prepared PDMS/PS nanofibrous membrane is approximately 1.85 mmol m−2 s−1, which is comparable with other previously reported membranes. Furthermore, the fluorine-free hydrophobic PDMS/PS nanofibrous membranes exhibited not only durability but also reusability. As a result, the environmentally friendly, fluorine-free and waterproof breathable PDMS/PS nanofibrous membrane is promising for use in large-scale CO2 absorption applications, such as in membrane contactors for post-combustion CO2 capture in power plants.

Perovskite SrTiO3 nanofibers were successfully fabricated using a facile electrospinning method followed by calcination in air. The structures, morphologies, and photocatalytic performance of the one-dimensional SrTiO3 nanofibers were determined through X-ray diffraction, UV-visible spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and degradation of organic dye under light irradiation. The nanofibrous SrTiO3 exhibited enhanced photocatalytic activity after photodeposition of Ag on its surface to degrade methylene orange dye. The nanofibrous structure of Ag-deposited SrTiO3 was well preserved after photocatalytic degradation, revealing that the electrospun SrTiO3 nanofiber exhibited high stability. The improved photocatalytic activity can be attributed to the extension of the visible light absorption edge and efficient charge separation on the Ag-deposited SrTiO3 nanofibers.

This paper presents the fabrication of polyaniline and graphene oxide aerogel composite (PGA) thin film-based sensors for H2S gas sensing application. The optical and morphological properties of these composite films were characterised correspondingly by UV–visible spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. To prepare the gas sensors, thin films of PANI and PGA composites were deposited onto interdigitated electrodes by spin coating method. The response of these sensors towards H2S gas was evaluated by monitoring the change in electrical conductivity at room temperature under two relative humidity values of 60% RH and 80% RH. The PGA composite thin film-based gas sensors showed a higher response compared with the pure PANI-based sensor. The gas sensor made of PGA-3 showed a good response of 3.87 in 67 s (60% RH), which is 4.6 times higher than that of pure PANI and 2.5 times higher than that of PGA-1 at 1 ppm. The first-principles simulations were carried out to investigate the H2S sensing mechanism of PGA heterostructure. The adsorption of H2S at different locations of pure PANI and PGA composites was analysed. The band gap for PGA showed more significant change after adsorption than that of pure PANI, which indicated the higher sensitivity for detecting H2S.

Emulsions are very challenging to separate due to their small droplet size. Recent attention has been drawn to gravity-driven filtration using membranes due to their simple, easy and yet efficient way of separating emulsions. To achieve this, membranes with high porosity and high selectivity must be prepared. Nanofibrous membranes prepared through electrospinning are recently being explored for their excellent bulk properties such as high porosity and tunable wettability. In this study, a fluorine-free hydrophobic/oleophilic matrix was fabricated through electrospinning of the blend poly(methyl methacrylate)/ polydimethylsiloxane (PMMA/PDMS) to form highly porous nanofibrous membranes for gravity-driven separation of oil-rich emulsions is first investigated. The combination of high porosity (77.6%), large pore size (5.8 µm), and high hydrophobicity (154°) of the composite membranes (PMMA blended with 60 wt% PDMS) allowed it to breakdown and separate a variety of oil-rich emulsions such as water-in-hexane, water-in-hexadecane, water-in-diesel, and water-in-soybean with separation efficiency of 99.0%, 99.5%, 99.25% and 97.75%, respectively. The presence of methyl groups endowed the membrane with the ability to efficiently repel water droplets from passing through the membrane thus, allowing the successful breakdown of complex oils (although at a slower permeation rate). All aspects considered, PMMA/PDMS nanofibrous membrane appear to be a promising material for effective and fast gravity-driven filtration of oil-rich emulsions.

Zeolitic imidazole framework-78 (ZIF-78) hexagonal prisms, a combination of Zn metal and imidazolate linkers, were successfully synthesized using a facile hydrothermal process. The as-prepared ZIF-78 hexagonal prisms possessed a bifunctional property with dual Lewis acidic (Zn atom) and basic sites (-NH groups of the imidazolate linkers). This bifunctional property allowed the ZIF-78 crystals to be a potential heterogeneous catalyst in the CO 2 /propylene oxide (PO) cycloaddition reaction for the synthesis of propylene carbonate (PC). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work to use microporous ZIF-78 crystals as a catalyst for the CO 2 /PO cycloaddition reaction without the addition of any co-catalyst or solvent. The effects of reaction temperature, pressure and reaction time on the PO conversion, PC selectivity and yield were also investigated in this work. The highest PC yield of 54% was obtained at a reaction temperature of 150 °C, pressure of 10 kg/cm 2 and reaction time of 15 h. Moreover, a possible mechanism of the cycloaddition reaction was also proposed in this study.

A new simulation scheme was established for strategically constructing cross-linked organic-inorganic mixed matrix membrane materials. This is a multiscale method using customized programming to effectively model complicated nanostructures. The effects of hybrid fillers in the chitosan/graphene oxide composite membranes are systematically elucidated at the molecular scale. Observed from the radial distribution function analysis, the significant enhancement of the separation performance in the dehydration of alcohols can be attributed to the stabilized polymer chains and the conspicuous increase in the water adsorption from mixing with graphene oxide sheets. Results show that the simulated models agree well with the experimental works in membrane density and transfer behavior of vapor molecules, which demonstrate that the modeling tools can be applied to evaluate the performance of cross-linked mixed matrix membranes, and to design various combination of hybrid membranes.

The increasing number of bacteria-related problems and presence of trace amounts of phosphate in treated wastewater effluents have become a growing concern in environmental research. The use of ant...

A cobalt-embedded carbon nanofiber (CoCNF) is developed in this study by electrospinning techniques. Through one-step carbonization, the electrospun Co-polyacrylonitrile nanofiber is converted to CoCNF. The resulting CoCNF consists of cobalt nanoparticles quite evenly distributed over CNF and also exhibits magnetically controllability, making it a suitable heterogeneous catalyst for activating Oxone (OX) to degrade organic contaminants. As degradation of Acid Red 27 (AR) is employed as a model reaction, CoCNF is validated to activate OX for generating sulfate radicals and then degrading AR. While a higher dosage of CoCNF and OX enhances AR degradation, CoCNF plays a more influential role in CoCNF-OX. AR degradation by CoCNF-OX is much enhanced at elevated temperature, and also favorable under the neutral condition. CoCNF-OX still remains quite effective for AR degradation even in the presence of salts and surfactants. The mechanism of AR degradation is elucidated by evaluating the effects of radical scavengers and the degradation is attributed to sulfate and derivative hydroxyl radicals. CoCNF is shown to activate OX for multiple times to degrade AR even without regeneration treatments. These results and findings validate that CoCNF can be a promising and advantageous heterogeneous for activating OX in advanced oxidation processes. The preparation method shown here can be also employed for fabricating other functional metal-embedded CNF for various applications.

While several iron ions and chelated iron species are employed for activating sodium percarbonate (SPC), heterogeneous iron-based catalysts are more advantageous because they can be easily recovered and separated from solutions. However, existing heterogeneous catalysts for activating SPC are limited and their preparation usually involves complexed procedures and reagents. Thus, there is still a need for developing simple but effective heterogeneous catalyst for activating SPC. Herein, ferrocene (Fc) is proposed as a readily available, non-expensive and Fe2+-containing catalyst for activating SPC. While SPC and Fc could not degrade amaranth individually, the combination of SPC and Fc rapidly and effectively degrade amaranth, indicating that Fc can activate SPC. The activation of SPC by Fc can be attributed to Fe2+ contained in Fc; Fe2+@Fc reacted with H2O2 derived from SPC to generate OH•, which decolorize amaranth. The amaranth degradation by Fc-activated SPC can be further improved by elevating reaction temperature and lowering solution pH. Through investigating effects of radical scavengers, the mechanism of amaranth degradation was primarily attributed to OH• and other reactive oxygen species to a lesser extent. Fc was also reusable and remained highly effective for activating SPC to degrade amaranth even without regeneration treatments. These features validate that Fc, a readily available Fe2+-containing organometallic compound, can be a promising heterogeneous catalyst for activating SPC in advanced oxidation processes.

As perovskite-type metal oxides are attractive catalysts for activating peroxymonosulfate (PMS), cobalt titanate (CoTiO 3 (CTO)) is particularly promising as CTO consists of earth-abundant Ti and Co is the most effective metal for PMS activation. However, conventional preparation methods of CTO result in large CTO aggregates, leading to very low surface area and porosity, and also limiting its performance. In the present study, an electrospinning technique is employed to prepare CTO nanoscale fiber (CTONF), which can exhibit a consistent nanoscale fibrous morphology, enabling CTO to exhibit a relatively large surface area and porosity, as well as mesoporous structures. Thus, CTONF shows a higher catalytic activity than the bulk CTO for activating PMS to degrade a model toxicant, Amaranth (AR) dye. The PMS activation behaviors are further investigated by examining the effects of temperature, pH, and NaCl on AR degradation by CTONF-activated PMS (CTONF-PMS). Through the effects of probe reagents, the AR degradation mechanism can be attributed primarily to sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals to a lesser extent. CTONF was also proven to activate PMS over multiple cycles without regeneration. These results reveal that CTONF is a high effective and recyclable heterogeneous catalyst for PMS activation as it outperforms the conventional bulk CTO. The findings obtained in this study also demonstrate that the electrospinning technique can be utilized to prepare perovskites with enhanced physical and chemical properties for catalytic advanced oxidation applications.

Heterogeneous catalytic ozonation is a promising technique to improve ozonation for degrading organic contaminants. Preparation of heterogeneous catalysts ( e.g. , substrate-supported metals and metal oxides) for ozonation typically involves multiple steps and reagents. Because iron (Fe) is an abundant and non-noble metal, Fe-based heterogeneous catalysts are attractive for ozonation. Therefore, it is critical to develop a readily-available, stable and non-toxic Fe-based heterogeneous catalyst. To this end, we propose ferrocene (Fc), consisting of two cyclopentadienyl rings bound on opposite sides of a central Fe 2 + atom, as a catalyst for ozonation. Degradation of the toxic dye amaranth was employed as a model test. The presence of Fc significantly improved amaranth degradation extent and kinetics, and Fc did not adsorb amaranth in water. Factors influencing amaranth degradation were investigated including Fc and ozone dosages, temperature, pH, and addition of NaCl and humic acid. Effects of radical inhibitors were also examined to provide insights into the occurrence of radical species during Fc-catalyzed ozonation. Degradation of amaranth was primarily attributed to derivative reactive oxygen species, as well as direct degradation by ozone to a lesser extent. A pathway of amaranth degradation is proposed based on degradation intermediates detected using LC/MS/MS. Fc was also re-used over multiple cycles for catalyzing ozonation to degrade amaranth without a loss of efficiency. These results indicate that Fc is a promising commercially available nanoscale heterogeneous catalyst for catalytic ozonation.

Although perovskites are extensively investigated in many areas, studies using perovskites as catalysts to activate oxidants for chemical oxidations are still quite limited. While various transition metals can be inserted into perovskites to form different perovskites, it is critical to investigate the effects of various transition metallic substituents on the activation of oxidants in chemical oxidation reactions. In this study, we propose to evaluate various metallic substituents in Lanthanum (La)-based perovskites (LaMO 3 (M: Co, Cu, Fe and Ni)) for activating a strong oxidant, peroxymonosulfate (POMS), in order to degrade organic contaminants. Rhodamine B (RB) decolorization is used as a model test to evaluate generation of sulfate radicals from activation of POMS by LaMO 3 . LaCoO 3 was found to exhibit the highest catalytic activity, followed by LaNiO 3 , LaCuO 3 and then LaFeO 3 . LaCoO 3 was then selected as a representative LaMO 3 to be further investigated for the behavior of POMS activation under various conditions. LaCoO 3 -activated POMS was favorable under neutral conditions and at high temperatures, but less effective in the presence of NaCl. The mechanism of RB decolorization by LaCoO 3 -activated POMS was elucidated by examining the effects of radical inhibitors and attributed primarily to sulfate radicals and hydroxyl radicals to a lesser extent. We also found that both La 3+ and Co 3+ /Co 2+ ions contribute to catalytic decomposition of POMS for yielding sulfate radicals. LaCoO 3 was also shown to activate POMS for RB decolorization over multiple trials without losing efficiency. These results reveal that LaCoO 3 is a recyclable and effective La-based perovskite for POMS activation, which can be used for degradation of organic contaminants.