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A method for the selective construction of S–N/C(sp2)-S bonds using N-substituted O-thiocarbamates and indoles as substrates is reported. This protocol features good atom utilization, mild conditions, short reaction time, and wide substrate scope, which can provide a convenient path for the functionalization of indoles. In addition, the reaction could be scaled up on gram scale, showing potential application value in industry synthesis.

Secure two-party scalar product (S2SP) is a promising research area within secure multiparty computation (SMC), which can solve a range of SMC problems, such as intrusion detection, data analysis, and geometric computations. However, existing quantum S2SP protocols are not efficient enough, and the complexity is usually close to exponential level. In this paper, a novel secure two-party quantum scalar product (S2QSP) protocol based on Fourier entangled states is proposed to achieve higher efficiency. Firstly, the definition of unconditional security under malicious models is given. And then, an honesty verification method called Entanglement Bondage is proposed, which is used in conjunction with the modular summation gate to resist malicious attacks. The property of Fourierentangled states is used to calculate the scalar product with polynomial complexity. The unconditional security of our protocol is proved, which guarantees the privacy of all parties. In addition, we design a privacy-preserving quantum matrix multiplication protocol based on S2QSP protocol. By transforming matrix multiplication into a series of scalar product processes, the product of two private matrices is calculated without revealing any privacy. Finally, we show our protocol’s feasibility in IBM Qiskit simulator.

In this paper, a series of partially sulfurized iron–cobalt oxide (FCOS) nanoparticles were embedded in carbon nanofibers (FCOS@CNF) via a simple electrospinning method and followed by a hydrothermal sulfurization process. The sulfurization degree of iron–cobalt oxide nanoparticles can be further controlled by tuning the hydrothermal reaction time. The self-supported FCOS@CNF samples with hierarchical nanostructure can not only effectively prevent the detaching of the FCOS nanoparticles but also provide abundant electrochemical active sites. When used as a supercapacitor electrode, the FCOS@CNF-10 electrode presents a high specific capacitance (1039 F⋅g−1at 1 A⋅g−1), a good rate performance (over 69.4% of capacitance retention from 1 to 15 A⋅g−1), and a long cycle lifespan (88.3% of capacitance retention after 4000 cycles at 10 A⋅g−1). A unique (FCOS@CNF-10//F-RGO) asymmetric supercapacitor device was assembled using the FCOS@CNF-10 sample as the positive electrode and the freeze-dried reductive graphene oxide (F-RGO) as the negative electrode. The hybrid device exhibits excellent electrochemical properties, including a high specific capacity, a long cycle life (86% after 5000 cycles at 10 A⋅g−1), and a maximum energy density of 24.2 Wh⋅kg−1@725.4 W⋅kg−1.

Development of thermal storage material utilizing recycled solid wastes resources can enhance the economic and environmental benefits of thermal energy storage systems. This report focused on the processing technology and performance of composite phase change thermal storage materials, which were fabricated by direct impregnation method with the solar salt and a novel eco-friendly steel slag-coal gangue porous ceramic as phase change and skeleton material, respectively. The experiments results indicated after impregnation with the solar salt for 90 min, a high infiltration efficiency of 96.1–98.0 % could be obtained in vacuum infiltration, which should be attributed to the interconnected pore structure in the prepared skeleton material. Meanwhile, the as-prepared composite showed a compressive strength of 146.9 MPa, compact latent heat storage with an energy storage density of up to 692.6 kJ/kg, and thermal conductivity of 3.16 W·m−1·K−1for rapid thermal transport simultaneously. Moreover, differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) result implied that changes in the melting temperature and thermal enthalpy are less than 3.6 °C and 5.0 %, respectively after 100 times thermal cycles. All the results indicated that the as-prepared composite materials might be a good candidate to be applied in thermal energy storage fields.

Private set intersection (PSI) has important application value, however, current quantum PSI protocols are either unsuitable for multi-party scenarios or inefficient. Recently, Imran (arXiv:2303.17196v3, 2023) proposed two quantum secure multi-party greatest common divisor (GCD) protocols that can be used for PSI, but with the downside of information leakage and resource consumption. In this paper, we propose a novel quantum secure multi-party GCD protocol that has higher security and lower complexity. To hide privacy, each party randomly selects a coefficient within a range determined by his input integer, and with the assistance of a semi-honest third party TP, all parties secretly calculate the linear combination of their inputs under these coefficients. Once enough linear combinations are collected, TP calculates the GCD of these combinations, which is equal to the GCD of all input integers. To verify the honesty of participants, a quantum zero-knowledge proof sub-protocol is designed. Analysis shows that our GCD protocol is correct and has security against malicious attacks. Moreover, its complexity is polynomial level and lower than Imran’s. Furthermore, we demonstrate the scalability of our GCD protocol in private set operations, such as private set intersection, private set intersection cardinality, private multi-set intersection, etc.

Pea protein isolate nanoparticles (PPINs) were successfully prepared by potassium metabisulfite (K2S2O5). The disulfide bonds were disrupted by K2S2O5, and then the PPINs were formed through self-assembly. The average diameter of PPINs increased from 124.7 to 297.5 nm as the concentration of K2S2O5was increased from 2 to 8 mM, and the PPINs showed higher ζ-potentials (−32.2 to −35.8 mV) and unimodal distribution. The content of free sulfhydryl groups first increased and then decreased with the fracture and reformation of disulfide bonds. Subsequently, the increase of the β-sheet, which has considerable hydrophobicity, promoted the formation of PPINs. The formation mechanism of PPINs was explored by dissociation tests: hydrophobic interactions maintained the basic skeleton of PPINs, disulfide bonds stabilized the internal structure, and hydrogen bonds existed on the exterior of the particles. This study provided a simple and economical method to fabricate nanoparticles.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic, incurable disease that causes great suffering to patients. High internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) are promising carriers of curcumin (Cur), which has a beneficial effect on UC. The retention rate of Cur encapsulated in HIPEs prepared by pea protein isolated nanoparticles/octenyl succinic anhydride-modified linear dextrin composite particles (PPINs/OSA-LD) or PPINs reached 84.85% and 85.98%, respectively, which was significantly higher than that of Cur dissolved in corn oil (73.84%) due to the superior protection of the emulsion interfacial structure. The HIPEs showed higher bioaccessibility of Cur (31.16%) due to the higher degree of free fatty acid release. After emulsion treatment, the symptoms of UC were ameliorated, mainly manifested by the recovery of body weight, growth of the colon, down-regulation of pro-inflammatory factors, up-regulation of anti-inflammatory factors, and balance of gut microbiota composition. The Cur-loaded HIPEs show an outstanding improvement in UC.

Curcumin is a polyphenol compound that presents an anti-colitis effect. However, oral curcumin exhibits limited in vivo biological efficacy, which may be solved by the use of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs) that show remarkable abilities: bioactive compounds delivery, high chemical stability and loading capacity, as well as controlled release, etc. The objective of this study was to investigate the preventive effect of curcumin-loaded HIPEs using a dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis C57BL/6J mice model. After 30 mg/ml DSS treatment, all mice exhibited weight loss and shortening of colon tissues to different extents. Compared to the DSS group, the disease activity index and weight loss were considerably suppressed in the curcumin-loaded corn oil and curcumin-loaded HIPEs groups. These groups also exhibited reduced colonic crypt damage, mucosal inflammation and cellular infiltration in the histopathological sections of the colon. Dietary curcumin-loaded HIPEs inhibited the inflammatory response via reducing the contents of inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β) and increasing the content of anti-inflammatory factor (IL-10) significantly. And the relative abundances of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were highly reduced and increased, respectively. These findings provide insights into expanding the utilization of curcumin and HIPEs in food systems for the treatment of colon inflammation and related diseases.

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL), which is a member of the C-type lectin (CTL) family, plays crucial roles in non-self recognition and the clearance of invading microorganisms. In this study, an MBL (designated as PcMBL) was cloned and characterized from the crayfish Procambarus clarkii. PcMBLcDNA consisted of 816 bp encoding a protein with 271 amino acid residues. The deduced PcMBL contained a signal peptide, three low-complexity regions, and a carbohydrate-recognition domain, as found in most CTLs. The mRNA encoding PcMBLwas detected in all the examined tissues. PcMBLexpression in hemocytes and intestines was significantly upregulated after stimulation with Vibrio parahaemolyticusand Staphylococcus aureus. RNA interference studies revealed that PcMBLsilencing remarkably downregulated the transcription of five antimicrobial peptide genes, namely, Anti-lipopolysaccharide factor 1(ALF-1), ALF-4, ALF-10, Crustin 1(Crus-1), and Crus-4. Recombinant PcMBL protein was used for the functional analysis. The results showed that rPcMBL had the capacity to bind to all seven tested microorganisms and three carbohydrates. rPcMBL facilitated the clearance of V. parahaemolyticusand S. aureusand inhibited the formation of biofilms and growth of the two bacteria. In addition, rPcMBL could reduce the mortality of crayfish infected with V. parahaemolyticusor S. aureus. All these results suggest that PcMBL may be involved in immune recognition and pattern elimination in the innate immunity of P. clarkii.

Background: Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an important enzyme in purine metabolism and is known as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of lymphoproliferative disorders and cancer. Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine (TCHM) is widely used alone or in combination with chemotherapy to treat cancer, due to its ability to deliver a broad variety of bioactive secondary metabolites as promising sources of novel organic natural agents. Objective: In the present study, 29 varieties of medicinal plants were screened for the presence of ADA inhibitors. Results: Extracts from Reynoutria japonica, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Lithospermum erythrorhizon, Magnolia officinalis, Gardenia jasminoides, Stephania tetrandra, Commiphora myrrha, Raphanus sativus and Corydalis yanhusuo demonstrated strong ADA inhibition with rates greater than 50%. However, Reynoutria japonica possessed the highest ADA inhibitory activity at 95.26% and so was used in our study for isolating the ADA inhibitor to be further studied. Eight compounds were obtained and their structures were identified. The compound H1 had strong ADA inhibitory activity and was deduced to be emodin by 1H and 13C-NMR spectroscopic analysis with an IC50 of 0.629 mM. The molecular docking data showed that emodin could bind tightly to the active site of ADA. Our results demonstrated that emodin displayed a new biological activity which is ADA inhibitory activity with high cytotoxic activity against K562 leukemia cells. The bioactivity of cordycepin was significantly increased when used in combination with emodin. Conclusion: Emodin may represent a good candidate anti-cancer therapy and adenosine protective agent.

Graphene quantum dots (GQDs), with stable photoluminescence (PL) and electrocatalytic activity, have potential application in sensor field. Herein, a facile novel electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on GQDs and glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was developed to detect Butyl hydroxy anisd (BHA) and Gallic acid. The optimization of ECL detection conditions were investigated. Hence, the sensor exhibited relatively strong luminescence intensity even without the modification of the GCE, which make this sensor system easy to implement. The developed sensor exhibited a linear response ranging from 5 to 160 μM under the optimum conditions. The method displayed the advantages of high sensitivity, good selectivity, wide linear range, low detection limit and fine reproducibility. Moreover, the practicability of the ECL sensing platform in real water samples had shown the satisfactory results, which holds a great potential in the field of pharmaceutical analysis.

Ni-doped copper nitride films have been prepared by co-sputtering of Ni and Cu targets. The addition of Ni to Cu3N films reduced the intensity of the (111) diffraction peak, and lead a little angular shifts of the peaks. The films showed a large difference in reflectance in the infrared and visible before and after thermal decomposition, which is applicable to optical recording media. The films change from a semiconductor to a conductor with the increased ratio of Ni in Cu3N films.

The plutonium material within the nuclear devices would be aerosolized and cause intense respirable hazards in the scenes of nuclear test and nuclear accident. The assessment of plutonium aerosol resuspension according to the typical radioactive contaminated sites would provide instructional data for the resuspended aerosol fluctuation study and edaphic cleanup, which can remedy the uselessness of aerosol diffusion model in the study of plutonium contaminated regions. The empirical model of plutonium aerosol resuspension is based on the aerophysics, the geognosy and the radiochemistry. This method was applied to analyze the representative plutonium contaminated regions. The results indicate that soil erosion is the intrinsic factor of resuspension process. The resuspended concentrations of plutonium aerosols in nuclear test sites are much less severe than those in the “non-nuclear” test sites (safety shots and simulated nuclear accident tests). Short-term, orders-of-magnitude fluctuations of the airborne concentrations are observed due to the natural and man-made disturbances. After systematic soil cleanup the resuspended plutonium aerosol concentration could fall down to the public allowable level.

In the field of the flash radiography scattering is one of the most important affecting factors in determining the object information. A state-of-the-art optical component called anti-scatter grid has been used in high energy X-ray radiography. But the application for such kind of module in sub-megavolt (100 keV ~ 1MeV) flash radiography has not been mentioned yet. Recently our group has designed a new grid which was different with the products either in high energy X-ray radiography or in low energy mammography. The grid was manufactured and then tested in a 450 keV flash radiography source. The experimental results indicated that the grid’s anti-scatter capability was superexcellent. The Monte Carlo simulation also confirmed the experimental conclusion and the scattered to primary ratios with and without the grid were evaluated quantificationally.

Switched reluctance machine (SRM) has many outstanding advantages, and can be widely used in many electromechanical applications. However, it’s relatively difficult to analyze the control performance of SRM due to strong nonlinearity of the electromagnetic field. In this paper, the performance of SRM is analyzed by finite element method (FEM). Firstly, the simulation model of a 4-phase 8/6 pole SRM is built, and then the steady-state and dynamic simulation are carried out. In steady-state simulation, the magnetization and torque characteristics are obtained by parametric method. In dynamic simulation, the performance, include current and torque curve, under both motoring and generating mode are given. The simulation and analysis results are useful for performance optimization of SRM.

The plutonium material in weapons grade nuclear device would be aerosolized and dispersed into the atmosphere if the device was involved in a high explosive detonation. It is significant to investigate the environmental and public hazard caused by the possible dispersion of plutonium. The original work is to determine the source terms of plutonium aerosol in certain nuclear accident scenario. In such scenario the inhalation of plutonium aerosols is the main human hazard source. Only the plutonium aerosols with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm are respirable and may ultimately lead to fatal human death. The field detonation test with plutonium by U.S. government is reviewed and the results indicate that for expected high explosive detonation scenario the plutonium source terms are 100 % aerosolization and 20 % respirable fraction. In order to find the aerosolized similarity of plutonium and several conventional metals, two detonation experiments in which the stannum foil and the vanadium powder are used as the replacement of plutonium respectively have been conducted by our group. After the detonation the metal aerosols are collected and analyzed. It has been found that the metallic powder is much easier to be aerosolized than the foil while the integrated aerosol source terms (respirable mass fractions) of stannum and vanadium are quite different with plutonium. Unlike the integrated aerosol data, the differential source terms (cumulative mass fractions via particle size) of the simulative samples are partially similar with plutonium.

The plutonium material within the nuclear devices would be aerosolized, released from the source-term and deposited in the soil after nuclear tests or accidents. Due to the natural and artificial disturbances the plutonium aerosols deposited in the soil would resuspend into the air. The hazard analysis of plutonium aerosol resuspension in typical dated nuclear-polluted regions is significative for radiation assessment and post-accident depuration in contaminated regions. The analysis shows that the soil eroding is the intrinsic factor of plutonium aerosol resuspension. The airborne contaminated concentration in non-nuclear source-term is much higher than nuclear source-term. The soil cleanup would lead to short-term rise of the airborne concentration. From the estimation of the equivalent dose, it is clear that the radiation hazards of the resuspended particulates in typical dated nuclear-polluted regions are extremely limited. After soil cleanup the annual effective doses of the contaminated regions are far below the radiation protection standards.

Assessment of soil quality and its direction of change with time is a primary indicator of sustainable agricultural land management. In this study, the temporal changes in soil physical and chemical properties were determined after conversion of native desert soils to irrigated croplands in a marginal oasis of the arid region, northwest China. Soil samples were collected from seven closely located farm fields that had been cultivated for 3, 5, 10, 14, 23, 30, and 40 years after agricultural cultivation, from adjacent remnant uncultivated sandy land (0 year), and from farm fields in an old oasis cultivated for more than 50 years. All the soils in the study were Psamments that derived from the deposition of aeolian sand. After cultivation, significant changes in particle size distribution and aggregate size distribution and stability in the 0- to 20-cm surface soil only occurred in soils cultivated for more than 10 years, showing a consistently increasing pattern with increasing duration of cultivation. The result indicated that soil did not contain enough coarse aggregates to control wind erosion, suggesting the need to maintain residues on the soil surface to aid wind erosion control for these newly cultivated sandy soils. As cultivation time increased, soil organic carbon (SOC), total and available N and P, cation exchange capacity, and CaCO3concentrations all increased. Soil organic carbon and total N concentrations increased by 6.4 times and 5.9 times, respectively, after 40 years of continuous cropping. The increased silt and clay content caused by irrigation with silt-laden river water plays an important role in the aggregate formation and SOC and nutrient accumulation and retention. The results also indicated that the evolution of desert soil toward the sustainable agricultural soil requires at least 50 years. The absolute amounts of soil aggregate, SOC, and nutrients are still low after 40 years of cropping and were insufficient to support sustaining crop production. Therefore, improved land management such as conservation tillage and crop and grass rotation is imperative to accelerate soil structure and fertility improvement and maintain long-term productivity of the farmlands.

Herein, the electron–hole wave function overlaps as well as the carrier confinement are both improved by an inversely graded Al‐composition design in the multiple‐quantum‐well (MQW) active region of deep‐ultraviolet light‐emitting diodes (DUV–LEDs). Simulation results show that at a current of 250 mA, the light output power (LOP) of the DUV–LEDs with graded composition MQWs has achieved a remarkable enhancement of 38.7% as compared to that with conventional MQWs, and the efficiency droop is significantly reduced from 32.2% to 9.3%. The enhanced performance is attributed to the increased wave function overlap of the electrons and holes due to the alleviated polarization electric field. Furthermore, the depth of quantum wells (QWs) is increased by the increased polarization‐induced charges and results in a better carrier confinement in the well layers. In addition, the LOP is further enhanced by 20.5% and the efficiency droop is reduced to 6.2% by engineering the last quantum barrier in the graded MQWs, which is attributed to the further reduction in the electron leakage. The proposed structure provides a valuable guideline for the high‐efficiency DUV–LEDs. An inversely graded Al‐composition design in the multiple‐quantum‐well (MQW) active region for deep‐ultraviolet light‐emitting diodes (DUV–LEDs) is proposed. The wave function overlaps of electrons and holes as well as the carrier confinement are both improved. In addition, the light output power is further enhanced and the efficiency droop is reduced by engineering the last quantum barrier in the graded MQWs.

In this study, the influence of pH on the conformational state of EHT, which was obtained from the enzymatic hydrolysis of trypsin, and the stabilizing properties of high internal phase emulsions have been demonstrated. Critical micelle concentration and transmission electron microscopy results exhibited the formation of micellar nanoparticles with mean diameters ranging from 108 to 1359.5 nm. The results of solubility, surface hydrophobicity, and conformations indicated that EHT tended to act as particulate emulsifiers at pH 3, 5, and 7, while at alkaline pH, it was more like a polymeric emulsifier, which could be proven by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The EHT at pH 7 exhibited better stabilizing properties than those at pH 9 and 11 as influenced by storage, temperature, and ionic strength. These findings might be of great importance for broadening the range of sustainable applications of amphiphilic peptides in foods and pharmaceuticals.

To develop a high‐resolution paleoclimate proxy record facilitating adaptation measures on drought impacts, we constructed a regional composite tree‐ring chronology of teak (Tectona grandis) by combining three local site chronologies from southern Myanmar. Our regional tree‐ring record is strongly correlated with the November–April self‐calibrated Palmer drought severity index and enabled us to reconstruct drought variability for the period 1802–2016. The reconstruction explained 46.5% of the actual self‐calibrated Palmer drought severity index variance. Over the past two centuries, we detected one extreme (1812) and six severe drought years (1810, 1811, 1816, 1852, 1887, and 1980). Dry periods coincided with six major famines that occurred in India. Spatial correlation analyses revealed that drought occurrence is linked to broader‐scale atmospheric circulations of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, especially during the positive phase of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation. Our reconstruction provides a useful historical perspective for assessing adaptation measures intent on mitigating future drought impacts in Myanmar. We developed a 226‐year‐long ring‐width regional chronology of teak by combining three site chronologies from southern Myanmar. Teak growth is mainly controlled by moisture availability during the dry season, making teak a suitable species for assessing drought variation in southern Myanmar. We reconstructed a 215‐year drought history and find prolonged droughts occurred in 1808–1823, 1837–1843, 1863–1876, 1883–1891, 1895–1901, 1908–1912, 1922–1930, 1941–1945, 1952–1963, 1976–1994, and 2010–2015. We also found a strong association between drought variability in southern Myanmar and sea surface temperatures in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation phenomenon. The results are useful to devise necessary policies and strategies for coping with the adverse impacts of drought and protecting the livelihoods of regional populations. The radial growth of teak in southern Myanmar is mainly limited by moisture availability during the dry seasonDry episodes in the past 200 years in southern Myanmar coincided with six major famines in India and other regional drought reconstructionsDrought variations in southern Myanmar may be linked to large‐scale climate drivers, mainly tropical SST variations and El Niño events

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

ChemInform is a weekly Abstracting Service, delivering concise information at a glance that was extracted from about 200 leading journals. To access a ChemInform Abstract, please click on HTML or PDF.

For Abstract see ChemInform Abstract in Full Text.

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This paper investigates the time-varying mechanical performance of partially embedded pile groups subjected to vertical loads in multilayered cross-anisotropic fractional viscoelastic saturated soils. Piles are considered as one-dimensional compression bars and the stiffness matrix of a single pile and the global stiffness matrix of partially embedded pile groups are obtained by the finite element method. Based on the boundary element method, the soil stiffness matrix is deduced by expanding the extended precise integration solution. Then, the solution for partially embedded pile groups in multilayered fractional viscoelastic saturated soils is derived by employing the boundary element-finite element coupling method. Comparisons with existing solutions and an ABAQUS model prove the correctness of the proposed method. Numerical analyses are carried out to evaluate the influences of fractional derivative order, free length, pile spacing, pile-soil stiffness ratio as well as soil stratification on the time effect of partially embedded pile groups under vertical loads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]