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• The relative importance of four factors influencing drivers' overtaking choices at two-lane highways is investigated. • Both the questionnaire survey approach and the driving simulation experiment approach are adopted. • The distance to opposite vehicle (OPD) is one of the most important factors under consideration. • The type of impeding vehicle (IMT) is more important in drivers' actual operations than in their subjective judgments. • The relative importance of the speed of impeding vehicle (IMV) and the speed of opposite vehicle (OPV) is not consistent. Overtaking at two-lane highways is a common but risky driving behavior, and various factors may influence drivers' overtaking choices. In this study, we adopted both the questionnaire survey approach and the driving simulation experiment approach to analyze the relative importance of four relevant factors, i.e., the speed of impeding vehicle (IMV), the type of impeding vehicle (IMT), the speed of opposite vehicle (OPV) and the distance to opposite vehicle (OPD), and to compare the results of people's subjective judgments and actual operations as well. Based on the data from 313 valid questionnaires (191 males and 122 females) rating these four factors, the importance level of each factor was first ranked by their mean scores. In the simulated driving experiment, a total number of 47 young drivers (28 males and 19 females) completed 356 overtaking scenarios, and the random forest algorithm was used to assess the degree of influence of each factor on drivers' overtaking choices. Afterwards, a post-experiment questionnaire survey regarding the subjective opinion of these four factors was conducted by these 47 drivers, and the Apriori algorithm was used to derive the overall importance ranking of these factors. The results from both the questionnaire surveys and the simulated driving experiments concluded that OPD is relatively the most important influencing factor in drivers' overtaking choices among the set of four factors considered in this study, which provides road safety analysts with valuable guidance on how to reduce overtaking risk at two-lane highways. However, the main difference appears with respect to IMT, which ranks at the bottom in both questionnaire surveys, but is the second most important factor from the driving simulation, which implies that people's subjective judgments may not completely match their actual operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hierarchically porous graphene materials have great potential for applications in energy storage, electrocatalysis, water treatment, etc. Herein, a simple, superfast and effective approach was developed to hierarchically porous graphene with both micron-scale inter-layer pores and nanoscale in-plane holes, where a small amount of graphite acted as microwave absorbent to ignite a so-called reduction propagation process and the first reduced graphene oxide (rGO) acted as new igniter to reduce all the surrounding graphene oxide (GO). It was found that the porous structure and degree of reduction of hierarchically porous rGO could be tailored simply by controlling the microwave irradiation time and power. GO was completely reduced in 5 s of microwave irradiation. When the irradiation time was further extended, more crystalline graphitic domains formed on the rGO, and the number of in-plane holes, which were rare in more shortly irradiated specimens, increased significantly after more than 40 s microwave irradiation. The relationship between these physicochemical characteristics of the obtained hierarchically porous rGO and the microwave irradiation conditions is discussed in detail in this paper, which has great significance in designing hierarchically porous graphene materials required for supercapacitor electrodes, electrocatalysts, and water-treatment membranes. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was optimized to obtain Dolichos bean protein. • UAE increased the yield of Dolicho s bean protein. • UAE changed the structure of Dolichos bean protein. • Ultrasound treatment improved the functional properties of Dolichos bean protein. • Ultrasound treatment enhanced the antioxidant properties of Dolichos bean protein. In this study, the effects of ultrasound-assisted alkali extraction (UAE) on the yield, structural, functional and antioxidant properties of dolichos lablab L. protein (DLP) were investigated. Based on Plackett-Burman design (PBD), the parameters of UAE were screened and then optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). The results showed that, under optimum conditions (ultrasound time of 30 min, pH of 10, and liquid to solid ratio of 60 mL/g), the DLP extraction rate of UAE (69.98 %) was significantly higher than that of traditional alkali extraction (TAE) method (40.95 %). Besides, compared with TAE, UAE significantly altered the protein secondary structure, enhanced the thermal stability and increased the foaming ability and oil holding capacity of DLP by 40 %. Moreover, the DLP extracted by UAE showed higher antioxidant activities. These findings revealed that ultrasound-assisted extraction not only increased the yield of DLP, but also enhanced its functional properties and antioxidant activities, which is probably related to the changes of DLP structure. All these suggest that ultrasound can be applied to augment the functional properties of DLP and make them more suitable for industrial needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Light intensity and sensitizers were negatively correlated with PS photooxidation. • The unsaturated matrix protected PS against photooxidation. • During POPs, 7β-hydroxy derivatives were the most abundant. • The photooxidation of PS was not as strong as its thermal oxidation. Abstract In this work we studied the stability of phytosterols in oil matrix under photooxidation (with different light intensity, existence/absence of photosensitizers and unsaturated lipids). Results revealed that the photooxidation of phytosterols fit a first order kinetic model (R2 > 0.96). When the intensity of light was higher, the rate constants increased and phytosterols oxidized faster. The progress could be also accelerated by photosensitizers, whereas the unsaturated matrix inhibited the formation of oxidation products. Phytosterols oxidation products (POPs) were detected in all model matrix samples. 7β-hydroxy was the main oxidation products in most cases during the whole treatment under light, which represented about one third of the total phytosterol oxides, followed by 7α-hydroxy, 5β,6β-epoxy, 7-keto, 5α,6α-epoxy and 6β-hydroxy. And the oxidation at C7 on the Ring B of steroid nucleus was the most important pathway of phytosterols photooxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene patterned graphene oxide thin films present a promising all-carbon material with potential in a wide range of applications. However, the direct conversion of designed domains of graphene oxide thin films into those of graphene has proven difficult. Herein, a template-assisted microwave conversion of graphene oxide to graphene patterns was developed, where microwave irradiation and chemical template of reduced graphene oxide were for the first time applied to give conductive graphene patterns on an insulating graphene oxide thin film through a reduction transfer mechanism. The characteristics of obtained graphene patterns were found to be closely related to those of templates used, which has, to our best knowledge, not been reported previously. The fast and easy conversion led to graphene patterns of tailorable shapes, clear boundaries and excellent electrical conductivity (36.5 Ω·sq−1), which may open a new avenue to graphene-based all-carbon electronic circuits. Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A series of fully-suspended reduced graphene oxide (RGO) room-temperature THz detectors were fabricated based on low-temperature (from 100 to 350 °C) thermally-reduced free-standing graphene oxide (GO) thin films. The suspended configuration results in a four-fold increase in responsivity and at least one order of magnitude increase in response speed compared to the substrate-supported detector. More importantly, the responsivity can be adjusted over a wide range from 10−2–102 mA W−1 and simultaneously the response speed can be adjusted on the order of tens of milliseconds by only tuning the reduction temperature of GO namely the reduction degree of GO. The regulation mechanism was revealed at the molecular level, i. e., the content of C=O functional group and the O/C ratio inside RGO, which are vary with the reduction degree of GO, are closely related to THz absorbance and electrical conductivity of RGO thin films, respectively. The experimental results demonstrated that the as high as possible content of C=O functional group and simultaneously a moderate O/C ratio can achieve optimal synergy between the THz absorption and electrical conductivity of the RGO thin films, thereby achieving an optimal THz detection performance. Graphical abstract Image 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, a flash-binary geothermal power system using organic Rankine cycle (ORC) as subsystem was modeled under a steady state. An exergoeconomic performance indicator, namely the average levelized cost per unit of exergy products for the overall system ( c system ) , was newly developed to analyze and optimize the system. Parametric analysis was performed to examine the effects of key thermodynamic parameters including flash pressure, ORC turbine inlet pressure and ORC turbine inlet temperature on the system performance. Exergoeconomic optimization for minimum c system was carried out on the system. As comparison, thermodynamic optimization for maximum exergy efficiency was also conducted. Optimization results implied that the most exergoeconomically effective system couldn’t obtain the best system thermodynamic performance and vice versa. It was shown that in exergoeconomics the significant improvement in system’s economy is at the expense of the slight diminishment in system’s thermodynamic performance. Therefore, the exergoeconomic models developed in the current study provide comprehensive understanding of geothermal power systems as well as useful guidelines for designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CCP (combined cooling and power) system, which integrated a flash-binary power generation system with a bottom combined cooling and power subsystem operating through the combination of an organic Rankine cycle and an ejector refrigeration cycle, was developed to utilize geothermal energy. Thermodynamic and exergoeconomic analyses were performed on the system. A performance indicator, namely the average levelized costs per unit of exergy products for the overall system, was developed to assess the exergoeconomic performance of the system. The effects of four key parameters including flash pressure, pinch point temperature difference in the vapor generator, inlet pressure and back pressure of the ORC turbine on the system performance were evaluated through a parametric analysis. Two single-objective optimizations were conducted to reach the maximum exergy efficiency and the minimum average levelized costs per unit of exergy products for the overall system, respectively. The optimization results implied that the most exergoeconomically effective system couldn't obtain the best system thermodynamic performance and vice versa. An exergy analysis based on the thermodynamic optimization result revealed that the biggest exergy destruction occurred in the vapor generator and the next two largest exergy destruction were respectively caused by the steam turbine and the flashing device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Thermal behavior of the kalsilite ore-CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O system was discussed. • The K release ratio and K extraction ratio were simultaneously studied. • The crystal structures of kalsilite, microcline and anorthite were analyzed. • The deconstruction-reconstruction process of kalsilite ore-CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O roasting system was proposed. Economic feasibility is vital factor for the industrialization of the potash production. To effectively recover potassium (K), the integrated roasting process of kalsilite ore-calcium chloride dihydrate (CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O) was studied. The K release ratio and K extraction ratio were simultaneously studied by focusing on the effects of temperature, roasting time and mass ratio of CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O to ore. Thermal behavior of kalsilite ore-CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O system indicated that the volatilization of KCl results in the differences of K extraction ratio and K release ratio, while KCl in the reaction system did not volatilized thoroughly due to the interaction with surrounding molecules. The transformation of phase structure demonstrated the decomposition of the Si(Al)-O-Si bond and the formation of Si-O-Si and Si-O-Al bonds. The crystal structure analysis illustrated that KAlSiO 4 is more attractive in terms of the release of K than KAlSi 3 O 8. Based on the experimental results, the deconstruction-reconstruction process of kalsilite ore-CaCl 2 · 2H 2 O roasting system was proposed, including the invasion of Ca2+, attraction of Cl-, and deconstruction-reconstruction of reaction system. In addition, the potential method to overcome volatilization of KCl was suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study the employs gradient boosting decision trees approach. • It explores nonlinear influences of local, regional, and transit accessibility on car ownership. • Local accessibility is more important than transit access and regional accessibility. • Nonlinear and threshold effects are prevalent. • This study identifies the most effective ranges of accessibility measures. Using a 2017 travel survey dataset and crawled heatmaps and point-of-interests (POIs) data in Beijing, China, this study adopts a gradient boosting decision trees (GBDT) algorithm to measure the relative importance and nonlinear effects of local accessibility, regional accessibility, and transit access on household car ownership. Results show that local accessibility measures such as retail and service density and job density play a more critical role in predicting auto ownership than transit access, while regional access to city centers is the least important. Thus, for reducing car ownership, planning efforts should emphasize improving local accessibility through planning pedestrian-scale neighborhoods (i.e., life-circles). Moreover, nonlinear associations between accessibility measures and car ownership are common. The results suggest that within the 15-min neighborhood life circle, there should be 65–145 retail and service facilities per km2 and block size should be within 150–200 m. Furthermore, residential neighborhoods should be within 400 m of bus stops and 1200 m of metro stations. These findings provide meaningful policy implications for planning pedestrian-scale neighborhoods recently advocated in Chinese cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol dehydrogenase I is encoded by ADH1 in Candida albicans , and is one of the key enzymes in fungal metabolism by which it catalyzes the conversion from acetaldehyde to ethanol. The role of the associated protein Adh1p, encoded by ADH1 in fungal pathogenicity has not been thoroughly studied despite its near ubiquity in the fungal kingdom. Using C. albicans as a model, this study proposes to determine the possible pathogenic roles for ADH1 and its possible underlying mechanisms. The SAT1 flipper strategy was used to construct the ADH1 deletion mutant. Growth curves and spot assay were used to compare growth and cell viability of the mutant to wild type C. albicans. Three host model systems (infected mice, C. elegans , and G. mellonella) were used to investigate the effects of ADH1 deletion in vivo on C. albicans pathogenicity. Then, adhesion, hyphal formation, biofilm formation, cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH) and RT-qPCR were performed to investigate the effects of ADH1 deletion in vitro on C. albicans virulence. Finally, Xfe 96 seahorse assay, ROS level, mitochondrial membrane potential, and intracellular ATP content were used to determine the effects of ADH1 deletion on bioenergetics. ADH1 deletion has no effects on the growth and cell viability of C. albicans , but significantly prolongs survival time in each of the three host models, decreases fungal burden in kidney and liver, and lessens pathological tissue damage (P < 0.05). In addition, ADH1 deletion significantly increases CSH and reduces C. albicans virulence in terms of adhesion, hyphal formation and biofilm formation in accord with the downregulation of virulence-related genes such as ALS1, ALS3, HWP1 , and CSH1 (P < 0.05). For bioenergetics, ADH1 deletion has no obvious effect on glycolysis, but a lack of ADH1 significantly increases ROS levels and decreases mitochondrial membrane potential and intracellular ATP content even through the mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate and NADH/NAD+ ratio are elevated (P < 0.05). Our results suggest that the fermentative enzyme ADH1 is required for the pathogenicity of C. albicans under one of the presumed mechanisms via its effects on oxidative phosphorylation activities in mitochondria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Oxidation of alcohols into corresponding aldehydes and ketones. • 3-BocNH-ABNO and NaNO 2 as the catalysts, and oxygen as the oxidant. • Good to excellent yields can be obtained. • The reactions were performed at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. • Transition-metal-free reaction conditions. A transition-metal-free catalytic system has been developed for selective transformation of alcohol to aldehydes or ketones. The reactions were performed with 3-(tert -butoxycarbonylamino)-9-azabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane N -oxyl (3-BocNH-ABNO) as the catalyst, NaNO 2 as the co-catalyst, molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant, and AcOH as the solvent under room temperature. This catalytic system exhibited broad functional group tolerance. A series of alcohol substrates, including primary and secondary benzylic alcohols, heteroaromatic analogues, primary and secondary aliphatic alcohols, could be converted into their corresponding aldehydes and ketones in good conversions and selectivities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Copper-containing solution was treated by VMD and AGMD process effectively. • A comprehensive analysis of energy consumption was employed on VMD performance. • The permeate flux and SHEC of VMD achieved 21.82 kg/m2-h and 674.5 kWh/m3. • A stable VMD performance was achieved due to membrane stability. This study investigated the performance of VMD and AGMD system for separating water from copper-containing solution. The impacts of various operating parameters and module parameters on VMD performance were studied in terms of permeate flux, rejection rate, total water production, specific thermal (electric) energy consumption, pressure drop and thermal efficiency. A relatively stable VMD performance with high rejection rate was achieved due to the chemical stability and the sponge-like structure of membrane. It was found that enhancing membrane length would increase thermal consumption and pressure drop simultaneously. Moreover, the membrane module with high packing density performed better in utilizing lower thermal energy. The maximum permeate flux and the minimum specific thermal energy consumption of VMD was 21.82 kg/m2-h and 674.5 kWh/m3 respectively. Meanwhile, AGMD was superior for energy saving compared with VMD. In this study, VMD and AGMD process have shown the potential to treat copper-containing solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability and bioavailability of acteoside were improved by encapsulating it with liposomes and chitosan. The liposomes were characterized through transmission electron microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and their particle size, zeta potential, encapsulation efficiency ( EE ), in vitro release, storage stability and oral bioavailability were tested. Results showed that the particles were nanosized and spherical. The average diameter, zeta potential, EE and relative bioavailability ( F rel ) of the acteoside liposome (Ac-Lip) were 78.49 ± 1.44 nm, −4.93 ± 0.79 mV, 81.06 ± 3.48% and 217.62%, respectively. These parameters increased to 92.77 ± 2.99 nm, +19.65 ± 0.90 mV, 88.10 ± 5.36% and 442.84%, respectively, after the surface of Ac-Lip was coated with 2 mg/mL of chitosan (CS-Ac-Lip). In contrast to Ac-Lip, the CS-Ac-Lip showed a reduced in vivo release rate and enhanced storage stability. The chitosan coating increased the diameter, zeta potential, EE , in vivo release time, stability and bioavailability of the Ac-Lip, and the chitosan–liposome is a promising delivery system for transporting acteoside or other bioactive components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the capacitive properties of TiO 2 materials for supercapacitors, the carbon-modified TiO 2 (denoted as C-TiO 2 ) composite films was synthesized by gas thermal penetration of pure Ti plate with methanol as the drop agent under the temperature of 550 °C. The structure and composition of C-TiO 2 was investigated by SEM, XRD, RAMAN, XPS and XANES. The electrochemical performance of C-TiO 2 was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvanostatic charge/discharge (GCD) tests. Results show that the film is composed of a large amount of rutile TiO 2 and a little anatase TiO 2 , and meantime the carbon is deposited on the film through the methanol decomposition during the gas thermal penetration, which greatly influences the electrochemical properties of the composite films. The prepared C-TiO 2 yields the largest specific capacities of 47.46 mC cm −2 at the scan rate of 10 mV s −1 based on the CV curves, and 7.35 mC cm −2 at the current density of 0.075 mA cm −2 based on the galvanostatic charge/discharge curves, which compares favorably with many other similar modified TiO 2 film materials reported nowadays. The excellent large charge storage properties of C-TiO 2 films are attributed to the deposition of a certain amount of graphitized carbon and organic carbon containing hydroxyl groups and carbanyl groups and the formation of Ti 3+ in the form of TiO 1.5 under methanol reductive atmosphere be means of the improvement of the pseudocapacitance property and the conductivity of the composite films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of a non-contact electric field on the sintering behavior of (K 0.5 Na 0.5 )NbO 3 (KNN) ceramics was studied. The results revealed that the electric field can enhance the densification and grain growth, and promote abnormal grain growth in KNN ceramics. The phenomena are likely because the electric field promoted the formation of liquid phase, leading to enhanced mass transport. A simple thermodynamic model was proposed to explain the solid-liquid phase transformation under an electric field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was aimed to classify the varieties and predict the antioxidant activity of Osmanthus fragrans flowers by UPLC–PDA/QTOF–MS and multivariable analysis. The PLS–DA model successfully classified the four varieties based on both the 21 identified compounds and the effective compounds. For the antioxidant activity prediction, PLS performed well to predict the antioxidant activity of O. fragrans flowers. Furthermore, acteoside, suspensaside A, ligustroside, forsythoside A, phillygenin and caffeic acid were selected as effective compounds by UVE–SPA for prediction. On the basis of effective compounds, PLS, MLR and PCR were applied to establish the calibration models. The UVE–SPA–MLR model was the optimal method to predict the antioxidant activity values with R p of 0.9200, 0.9010 and 0.8905 for DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays, respectively. The results revealed that the UPLC–PDA/QTOF–MS combined with chemometrics could be a new method to classify the varieties and predict the antioxidant activity of O. fragrans flowers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a gradient boosting decision tree (GBDT) model to contrast the relative importance of improving regional accessibility versus local land use for reducing driving distance, as well as their nonlinear and threshold effects. The nonlinear analysis allows us to scrutinize the effective impact scopes of urban and suburban centers, which can provide planning guidelines for polycentric development, while threshold effects can help planners determine normative ranges of land use settings for planning pedestrian-scale neighborhoods (e.g., the 15-minute life-circle plan in China). Based on a 2017 travel diary survey in Beijing, empirical findings reveal the synergistic effects of the proximities to urban and suburban centers on driving distance, demonstrating the importance of polycentric development for reduced driving. In addition, many local land use variables have distinctive threshold effects, including local access to daily facilities and density indicators. For driving reduction, effective densities of health, civil, and retail/service facilities are around 15, 10, and 200 establishments (points of interest) per km2, respectively. These findings demonstrate the importance of nonlinear and threshold analysis and suggest incorporating polycentric development and neighborhood life-circle planning would lower vehicle use in Beijing. • Adopting a GBDT model to analyze nonlinear and threshold effects of regional accessibility and local land use on driving. • Estimating the synergistic effective impact scopes of urban and suburban centers for planning polycentric development. • Using threshold effects to determine normative ranges of land use settings for planning neighborhood life circle. • Incorporating polycentric development and neighborhood life-circle planning to lower vehicle use in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An ME DNA-biosensor was developed to detect a common mutated DNA causing β-thalassaemia. • sDNA-AuNPs serve as the signal amplifier. • The sandwich-type structure enables label-free detection. • A low detection limit of 0.571 pM and high sensitivity of 72.7 Hz/nM were obtained. • The DNA-biosensor exhibits excellent sensitivity, selectivity and stability. β-Thalassaemia is an inherited blood disorder with serious complications. Combining the unique advantages of DNA and magnetoelastic (ME) materials, an ME DNA-biosensor was proposed that can wirelessly detect a target DNA sequence (tDNA) that is a 4-bp deletion in codon 41/42 (-TTCT) in the β-globin gene causing β-thalassaemia. The thiolated capture probe (CP) was covalently immobilized on the surface of the gold-plated ME chip and then hybridized to tDNA, and AuNPs modified with thiolated signal probe DNA (sDNA-AuNPs) serve as the signal amplifier and the direct signal indicator, enabling label-free detection. The specific hybridization process of sDNA-AuNPs to tDNA increased the surface load mass and decreased the resonance frequency of the DNA-biosensor. The resonance frequency shift of the DNA-biosensor was linear to the logarithmic concentration of tDNA in the range of 1.0 × 10−8 M to 1.0 × 10−12 M, with a detection limit (LOD) of 0.571 pM (S/N = 3) and sensitivity of 72.7 Hz/nM. The ME DNA-biosensor exhibits excellent selectivity and stability for the detection of the mutated DNA (4-bp deletion in codon 41/42) causing β-thalassaemia, suggesting this is a promising method for the clinical diagnosis of β-thalassaemia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of vacuum membrane distillation process (VMD) including permeate flux and specific heat energy consumption (SHEC) under different feed inlet temperature, feed flow rate and membrane length was modeled by Artificial Neural Network (ANN) based on 36 different experimental VMD tests. It was found that the ANN model could obtain reliable data to forecast the behavior of the hollow membrane module for the whole range of input variables. The binary interaction impacts of the variables on the performance index were discussed and the objective was significantly affected by the interaction impacts of the variables. In this study, ANN model showed the potential to evaluate VMD performance successfully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Both qualitative and quantitative data results indicated the wide intrusion of seawater for thermal water in the studied geothermal fields in GuangDong province. • REEs of geothermal water in the study area presents a differentiation mode characterized by the HREE relative enrichment and significant positive Eu anomaly, and negative Ce anomaly. • The positive Eu anomaly possibly originated from the preferential dissolution of Eu-rich minerals and the negative Ce anomaly was due to the seawater mixing effect to an appreciable extent. • The water salinity was proved to play an important role in modulating the content and speciation of aqueous REEs of thermal water, especially in regions with strong seawater intrusion. Rare earth elements (REEs) are effective indicators in tracking water-rock interactions in the hydrothermal systems. Subject to multiple environmental effects, none a unified conclusion has been achieved to generalize the mechanism of diversifying the REEs in various thermal systems. Low-medium temperature hydrothermal systems occurring in fractured-granite exist widely in South China. However, geochemical behavior of REEs in geothermal water is not well studied though there are lots of REEs deposits. This study focuses on hydrogeochemical characteristics of REEs and constrains from salinity. Results show that the TDS (total dissolved solids) mutation due to transfer of sedimentary environments from coastal to relatively inland areas caused the great differentiation of REEs and their species. When TDS is greater than 1 g/L, Ln3+, LnOH2+, LnSO 4 +, and LnF2+ (Ln represents REEs) prevail and fractions of them except LnOH2+ are positively correlated with TDS. In contrast, when TDS is less than 1 g/L, LnCO 3 + and Ln (CO 3) 2 − constitute the most important part and mutually compete in fluids. A positive Eu anomaly is proved to originate primarily from the preferential dissolution of Eu-rich minerals and the seawater intrusion somewhat contributed to the negative Ce anomaly. This work first proposed the salinity effect on REEs by analysis of the in - situ sampling thermal waters that may have been neglected before and provided a new perspective to comprehensively understand the occurrence and migration mechanisms of REEs in different hydrothermal systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the pursuit of enhancing the property of photocatalytic hydrogen production, strategies for enhancing light absorption and the separation and transport efficiency of photo-induced carriers have been studied. Perovskite photocatalyst has great application potential in the field of photocatalytic hydrogen production due to its special crystal structure. LaMn (1-x) Fe x O 3 (x = 0–0.08) perovskite nanofibers with diameters of 50–200 nm were synthesized by electrospinning, and their photochemical properties were investigated. The results of UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, PL spectroscopy, I-t, and EIS revealed that the doping with Fe could improve light absorption and reduce the recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and improve the separation and transfer efficiency of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, likely due to the increased concentration of oxygen vacancies caused by doping. Through optimization of the Fe doping amount, an improved hydrogen production efficiency of 767.71 μmol h−1 g−1 was achieved for LaMn 0·96 Fe 0·04 O 3 , which is 2.5 times the efficiency of undoped LaMnO 3 (300.74 μmol h−1 g−1). These results provide a new idea for the development of efficient photocatalysts for hydrogen production. • LaMnO3 nanofibers with various Fe-doping ratios were prepared by electrospinning. • Fe doping can adjust the crystal structure; change the oxygen vacancy concentration. • The prepared LaMn (1-x) Fe x O 3 nanofibers exhibited good photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Primary immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a serious medical disorder that has the potential for maternal and fetal mortality. Corticosteroids, intravenous immunoglobulin, or both are the first-line treatments for ITP in pregnancy, but choices are limited if patients fail to respond. Recombinant human thrombopoietin (rhTPO) has been proved effective and safe in management of chronic ITP. However, the efficacy and safety of rhTPO for pregnant ITP patients still need to be explored. Here we developed an ideal murine model that simulated human ITP in pregnancy and evaluated the efficacy and safety of rhTPO in management of ITP in pregnancy. Model mice were subcutaneously administered with 0, 150, 1,500 and 15,000 U/kg rhTPO for 14 days. Significant higher platelet counts were noted in rhTPO-treated groups on Day 7, 10 and 14. On Day 20, half the maternal mice were sacrificed. Frequencies of Tregs in CD4+ T cells in rhTPO-treated groups were statistically higher than control. Significant higher plasma levels of TGF-β1 were observed in rhTPO-treated groups than control. There was no significant abnormality in gross or visceral examination of fetuses. The remaining half maternal mice and their pups were observed for at least three weeks to assess vital signs. No abnormal signs were noted. Furthermore, we investigated the underlying mechanisms. Results showed that Tregs were negative for c-Mpl and rhTPO had no direct effect on Tregs. Additionally, the Treg frequency in splenic CD4+ T cells in LY2109761-treated model mice was statistically lower than control. Thus, rhTPO may be a safe and effective option for treatment of pregnant ITP patients. Highlights • We developed an ideal murine model simulating human ITP in pregnancy. • The efficacy and safety of rhTPO in management of ITP in pregnancy was evaluated. • rhTPO may have immune tolerance-inducing effect associated with Treg stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Context: Different animal models are used in disc degenerative disease research by now. To our knowledge, a functional animal model that mimics ischemic and slowly progressive disc degeneration of humans does not exist.Study Design: This is an experimental animal study of disc degeneration.Purpose: The purpose of this study was to establish an ischemic and slowly progressive intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration model with an injection of pingyangmycin (PYM) into subchondral bone adjacent to the disc, using bone marrow needle guided by computed tomography (CT) scan.Methods: The subchondral bone adjacent to the lumbar IVDs (from L3-L4 to L5-L6) of 18 rabbits was randomly injected with 3 mL PYM solution (1.5 mg/mL PYM), 3 mL phosphate-buffered saline (vehicle control), or exteriorized but not injected with anything (sham), with using bone marrow needle guided by CT scan. The degenerative process was investigated by using radiography and magnetic resonance imaging at 1, 3, and 6 months postoperatively, combined with histological scoring, immunohistochemistry, and real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis.Results: Significant disc space narrowing was observed at 6 months in the discs adjacent to the subchondral bone injected with PYM, compared with the control groups (p<.05). The magnetic resonance imaging assessment also demonstrated a progressive loss of T2-weighted signal intensity postoperatively. The histological score increased significantly compared with that of the control groups from 3 months to the end point (p<.05). The bone tissue area of the end plate increased significantly at the end point, compared with that of the control groups (p<.05). The results of molecular analysis showed significant increase of matrix metalloproteinase-3, a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motif-5, and marked reduction of aggrecan and Type II collagen after 3 months at the messenger RNA levels in the discs of PYM group (p<.05). The von Willebrand factor expression of PYM group also showed a significant reduction after 1 month (p<.05).Conclusions: Percutaneous injection of PYM into the subchondral bone adjacent to the lumbar IVDs of rabbits, using bone marrow needle guided by CT scan, can result in ischemic and slowly progressive disc degeneration model, which mimics the onset of human disc degeneration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structure–activity relationships between 20 sterols and their thermal stabilities were studied in a model oil system. All sterol degradations were found to be consistent with a first-order kinetic model with determination of coefficient ( R 2 ) higher than 0.9444. The number of double bonds in the sterol structure was negatively correlated with the thermal stability of sterol, whereas the length of the branch chain was positively correlated with the thermal stability of sterol. A quantitative structure–activity relationship (QSAR) model to predict thermal stability of sterol was developed by using partial least squares regression (PLSR) combined with genetic algorithm (GA). A regression model was built with R 2 of 0.806. Almost all sterol degradation constants can be predicted accurately with R 2 of cross-validation equals to 0.680. Four important variables were selected in optimal QSAR model and the selected variables were observed to be related with information indices, RDF descriptors, and 3D-MoRSE descriptors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the effect of metal ions on the degradation of phytosterols in oils. The oil was heated at 180 °C for 1 h with/without addition of Fe 3 + , Fe 2 + , Cu 2 + , Mn 2 + , Zn 2 + , Na + , Al 3 + and Mg 2 + . Variations of β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, brassicasterol and their degradation products were confirmed by the GC–MS analysis. In general, the increase of the metal ion concentration resulted in more phytosterol degradation, and the ability of metal ions following decreasing order: Fe 3 + > Fe 2 + > Mn 2 + ≥ Cu 2 + ≥ Zn 2 + > Na + ≥ Mg 2 + > Al 3 + . Metal ions significantly induced phytosterol autoxidation on C5, C6 and C7 on Ring B of steroid nucleus at even a low concentration, and induced dehydration on the C3 hydroxyl to form dienes and trienes at high concentration. The metal ions in oils are accounted for increasing phytosterol degradation, which decreases food nutritional quality and gives rise to the formation of undesirable compounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance Osmanthus fragrans var. thunbergii ( O. fragrans ) flower has been consumed as folk medicine for thousands of years. O. fragrans flower extract is a well-characterized phenylethanoid glycoside-rich extract, which has been used as a natural anti-oxidant. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of O. fragrans flower phenylethanoid glycoside-rich extract (OFFE). Materials and methods The OFFE was extracted by 80% (v/v) aqueous ethanol with 0.01% sodium isoascorbate (w/v) from the O. fragrans flower and purified on HPD300 resins. The total phenylethanoid glycosides content and individual phenylethanoid glycosides was determined by photocolorimetric method and reversed phase UPLC respectively. An acute oral toxicity study, reverse mutation test, bone marrow cell micronucleus test, and sperm abnormality test as well as a 90-day oral toxicity study were performed on experimental animals. Results The total content of phenylethanoid glycosides in OFFE was 73.4 g acteoside equivalent per 100 g of extract, include acteoside (52.5 g per 100 g of extract), salidroside (13.8 g per 100 g of extract), and isoacteoside (2.6 g per 100 g of extract) and so on. No acute lethal effect at the maximal tested OFFE dose of 10 g/kg body weight (bw) in either rats or mice was observed, suggesting that OFFE can be considered nontoxic. No evidence for mutagenicity was detected in any of the three mutagenic tests. Administration at levels of 0.50, 1.00, and 2.00 g/kg bw to rats for 90 days failed to induce any significant hematological, clinical, chemical, or histopathological changes. The no-observed adverse-effect-level for OFFE was >2.00 g/kg bw for the study on subchronic toxicity. Conclusion The results showed that consuming OFFE has no adverse effects and poses no health risk in the acute oral toxicity study, subchronic oral toxicity study, and in the micronucleus test, which may provide supportive evidence for the safety of OFFE powder that has been used in medicine as well as in functional foods, and dietary supplements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flavonoid compounds have anti-diabetic activity, which can control blood glucose levels by inhibiting α-glucosidase activity. In this paper, the inhibition mechanisms between four flavonoid compounds and α-glucosidase were studied by multispectroscopic methods and molecular docking. The results showed that the inhibitory activities of flavonoid compounds were higher than that of acarbose, and the sequence of inhibition effect was scutellarein > nepetin > apigenin > hispidulin > acarbose. Also, the synergistic effects of flavonoid compounds combined with acarbose on inhibiting α-glucosidase activity were observed. The fluorescence results showed that flavonoid compounds combined with α-glucosidase to form a stable complex. And the spectral analysis indicated that the microenvironmental and secondary structure of α-glucosidase were changed. The present study demonstrated that the molecular structure of flavonoid compounds played an important role in the inhibition process, namely, scutellarein with more hydroxyl groups on the A-ring might serve as the most effective α-glucosidase inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Phenolic acids intake of Chinese residents have been assessed for the first time. • 16 phenolic acids in 116 foods from five regions of China were determined. • Free, esterified and bound phenolic acids were determined. • The dietary intake of food refers to the data of 2009–2013 and 2002. Phenolic acids have been reported to have many biological activities, but daily intake information is scarce. In this study, the phenolic acid contents of 116 commonly consumed food in five regions of China (Beijing, Hangzhou, Wuhan, Chongqing and Guangzhou) were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and dietary intakes estimated. Tea had the highest total phenolic acids (TPA) content in all regions investigated. Phenolic acids were in esterified and bound forms, and hydroxycinnamic acids accounted for more than half of TPA content, except in tea and legumes. Average TPA intake was 193.50 mg/ day at the national level but ranged from 157.09 to 263.01 mg/ day among the regions. Rice, tea, and fruits were the main contributors to dietary intakes of TPA. Also, TPA intake in the period 2009–2013 increased 31.65 mg/ day compared with 2002, largely due to increased intakes of fruits, vegetables, and legumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]