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SBA-15 was modified via post-treatment with (NH4)2SiF6 and (NH4)3AlF6 solution (NSF-T and NAF-T) and applied as support of Pd catalysts for the hydrogenation of 2-ethyl-anthraquinone (EAQ). The characterization results revealed that F could be incorporated into the framework of SBA-15 by forming Si–F bond and the amount of F increased as the molar ratio of F in treating solution to Si species in SBA-15 (F/Si) increased from 0.1 to 0.4 for NSF-T and 0.3 to 0.6 for NAF-T. At the same F/Si, the incorporated amount of F was larger with NSF-T than with NAF-T, and the latter could simultaneously create acid sites in catalysts. The hydrophobicity of catalysts could be effectively improved by incorporating F into SBA-15 supports, which favored the catalytic performance. The catalyst on SBA-15 treated by NSF with F/Si of 0.3 exhibited the high initial activity (0.24 molH2·gPd−1·min−1) and selectivity (95.5%).

SBA-15 silica was synthesized by adding normal paraffin and alkyl benzene as swelling agents and using a low-temperature gelation procedure. Pd was then impregnated on SBA-15, yielding a catalyst. Characterizations of the catalyst by X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption/desorption, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron micrographs, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, in situ FTIR, and a hydrogenation test of 2-ethyl-anthraquinone reveal that the addition of C6‒C9 normal paraffin and 1,3,5-triisopropylbenzene could enlarge the pore diameter without a significant loss of ordered structure. Moreover, the length of SBA-15 pore channels decreased significantly. However, the sizes of Pd particles increase as the pore diameter is enlarged. The largest pore size (13.6 nm) and short length of pore channels (ca. 0.35 μm) are achieved by adding n-hexane. As a result, this catalyst exhibits the highest hydrogenation activity with an approximately 100% improvement, compared with a conventionally synthesized catalyst in the absence of a swelling agent.

Small molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) targeting at epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) in recent years have made great progress in the treatment of advanced non-small cell cancer (NSCLC). Although as the first-line treatment for sensitizing EGFR mutation-positive metastatic NSCLC, gefitinib has also behaved quite a lot of side effect and EGFR tolerance. Herein, a novel series of 7-bromo-1,4-dihydrothieno[3’,2’:5,6]thiopyrano[4,3-c]pyrazole-3-carboxamide derivatives were designed and synthesized, and screened for their inhibitory activity on the EGFR high-expressing human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and human large cell lung cancer cell line NCI-H460 by using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay. The calculated IC50 values were reported. Compound 8h demonstrated the most potent inhibitory activity (IC50 = 9.57 ± 2.20 μmol L–1 for A549 and IC50 = 13.04 ± 1.21 μmol L–1 for NCI-H460), comparable to the positive-control gefitinib (IC50 = 8.58 ± 1.65 μmol L–1 for A549 and IC50 = 18.66 ± 5.01 μmol L–1 for NCI-H460). Conclusively, 7-bromo- 1,4-dihydrothieno[3’,2’:5,6]thiopyrano[4,3-c]pyrazole-3-carboxamide derivatives as the EGFR–TKIs were discovered, and could be used as potential leading compounds for further research.

Although extensively studied, the exact role of sleep in learning and memory is still not very clear. Sleep deprivation has been most frequently used to explore the effects of sleep on learning and memory, but the results from such studies are inevitably complicated by concurrent stress and distress. Furthermore, it is not clear whether there is a strict time-window between sleep and memory consolidation. In the present study we were able to induce time-locked slow-wave sleep (SWS) in mice by optogenetically stimulating GABAergic neurons in the parafacial zone (PZ), providing a direct approach to analyze the influences of SWS on learning and memory with precise time-windows. We found that SWS induced by light for 30 min immediately or 15 min after the training phase of the object-in-place task significantly prolonged the memory from 30 min to 6 h. However, induction of SWS 30 min after the training phase did not improve memory, suggesting a critical time-window between the induction of a brief episode of SWS and learning for memory consolidation. Application of a gentle touch to the mice during light stimulation to prevent SWS induction also failed to improve memory, indicating the specific role of SWS, but not the activation of PZ GABAergic neurons itself, in memory consolidation. Similar influences of light-induced SWS on memory consolidation also occurred for Y-maze spatial memory and contextual fear memory, but not for cued fear memory. SWS induction immediately before the test phase had no effect on memory performance, indicating that SWS does not affect memory retrieval. Thus, by induction of a brief-episode SWS we have revealed a critical time window for the consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memory.

In this work, we have developed a low-cost and green strategy for nanoscale zero-valent iron (ZVI) in situ encapsulated in lignin-derived hydrochar (Fe@HC) by a facile one-pot synthesis route. The as-synthesized Fe@HC was characterized for physicochemical properties by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscope (TEM), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Further catalytic experiment revealed that phenol could be completely degraded by Fe@HC-800 within 20 min with peroxymonosulfate (PMS) at mild temperatures. Fe@HC-800 catalyst also exhibited stable performance after three runs of regeneration. The XPS and XRD results proved the key role of Fe0 in the degradation of phenol. This approach is of great potential to the development of green materials biomass-derived carbon materials for wastewater treatment applications.

We have developed a biosensor for highly sensitive and selective determination of the endocrinic disruptor bisphenol A (BPA). It is based on glassy carbon electrode modified with calf thymus DNA and a composited prepared from single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) and Nafion. The interaction between BPA and DNA was studied by voltammetry. The binding constant was determined to be 3.55 × 103 M−1, and the binding site has a length of 4.3 base pairs. These electrochemical studies provide further information for a better understanding of the toxicity and carcinogenicity of BPA. Under optimal conditions, the biosensor displays a linear electrochemical response to BPA in the 10 nM to 20 μM concentration range, with a detection limit as low as 5.0 nM (at an S/N of 3). The method was successfully applied to the quantification of BPA in leachates from plastic baby bottles. Recoveries range from 94.0 % to 106.0 % which underpins the excellent performance of this SWNT-based DNA sensor.