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The diameter of a dispersed‐phase droplet determines the interfacial area in liquid–liquid solvent extraction. Capturing the polydispersity of a liquid–liquid flow is crucial in computational fluid dynamics. In this study, a droplet size probability (DSP) model applied to the Eulerian–Eulerian (E–E) framework is proposed to characterize the droplet size distribution (DSD) at mesoscale. The physical characteristic of the DSP model demonstrates size similarity between the computational cells and droplets. Following the single‐droplet hypothesis, two sub‐models are investigated. The first model is the distribution function of the droplet size, and the second model is Monte Carlo simulation in the computational domain. By sampling randomly from the probability density function of the DSD, the loss of physical information caused by the averaging procedure is avoided. Simulation results of the pulsed disc and doughnut column (PDDC) showed that the CFD‐DSP coupled model accurately predicted the dispersed‐phase holdup and DSD under various conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

NK cells play a role in various cancers, but their role in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) still needs to be explored. All public data are obtained from the Cancer Genome Atlas Program (TCGA) database. All analysis was performed using specific packages in R software. In our study, we quantified the immune microenvironment of HNSCC through multiple algorithms. Next, we identified NK cell‐associated genes by quantifying NK cells, including SSNA1, TRIR, PAXX, DPP7, WDR34, EZR, PHLDA1 and ELOVL1. Then, we explored the single‐cell expression pattern of these genes in the HNSCC microenvironment. Univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that the EZR, PHLDA1 and ELOVL1 were related to the prognosis of HNSCC patients. Following this, we selected EZR for further analysis. Our results showed that the patients with high EZR expression might have a poor prognosis and worse clinical features. Biological enrichment analysis showed that EZR is associated with many oncogenic pathways and a higher tumour stemness index. Meanwhile, we found that EZR can remodel the immune microenvironment of HNSCC. Moreover, we noticed that EZR could affect the immunotherapy and specific drug sensitivity, making it an underlying clinical target. In summary, our results can improve the understanding of NK cell in HNSCC. Meanwhile, we identified EZR as the underlying clinical target of HNSCC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key Clinical Message: Linezolid (LZD) is an efficient addition antibiotic against multidrug‐resistant strains. However, clinicians should pay attention to the adverse reactions such as hypoglycemia and anemia in using LZD, especially in elderly patients and patients with abnormal liver and kidney function who need to use LZD for a long time. Severe hypoglycemia and anemia caused by linezolid (LZD) are rare, with potentially serious adverse effects. The report of LZD‐induced hypoglycemia and anemia is extremely rare. Thus far, this is the first report. We presented LZD‐induced recurrent hypoglycemia and anemia in a 93‐year‐old patient who has been prescribed LZD 600 mg once daily for 42 days for treatment of tuberculosis (TB) pleurisy and pneumonia. The patient began to experience recurrent hypoglycemic episodes and anemia 5 days and 2 weeks after LZD medication, respectively. Using Naranjo's Adverse Drug Reaction Assessment Scale, the patient scored 8 points with the category of "probable". His hypoglycemia and anemia gradually improved 1 month after LZD withdrawal. Clinicians should pay attention to the adverse reactions such as hypoglycemia and anemia in using LZD, especially in elderly patients and patients with abnormal liver and kidney function who need to use LZD for a long time. Patients should regularly monitor blood routine, blood glucose, and liver and kidney functions during LZD exposure, which may avoid adverse reactions and improve their prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Comprehensive Summary: Chiral heteroatom‐containing bicyclic scaffolds are important pharmacophores and prevalent in bioactive natural products and drug molecules. Herein, we report a unified approach for the divergent synthesis of chiral heteroatom‐containing bicyclic derivatives by lanthanide (III)‐catalyzed asymmetric inverse‐electron‐demand Diels–Alder reactions of 2‐pyrones. These reactions occur with various readily available dihydropyrroles and dihydrofurans as dienophiles, providing a step‐economical synthetic platform for densely functionalized cis‐hydroindoles and cis‐hydrobenzofurans with excellent yields and enantioselectivities. The synthetic utility of this approach is demonstrated by the concise synthesis of (–)‐α‐lycorane and (–)‐lycorine alkaloids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The dispersed phase holdup and drop size in solvent extraction columns vary along the column height and this affects the mass transfer coefficient and interfacial area. In this article, mass transfer study was performed experimentally using a 25 mm diameter agitated pulsed column. The axial distribution of mass transfer coefficient was determined by coupling population balance equation and axial dispersion model by taking the longitudinal variation in hydrodynamic performance into consideration. Feasibility of different mass transfer models in predicting concentration profiles was evaluated and a novel correlation based on effective diffusivity was developed. The results showed that both overall and volumetric mass transfer coefficients have significant change along the column height and greatly depends on the agitation speed and pulsation intensity. Increasing dispersed phase velocity also augments the overall mass transfer coefficient. The maximum number of transfer unit was measured to be 10 m−1 at agitation speed of 1000 rpm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)/SaCas9 is the most popular tool for in vivo genome editing due to its high efficiency and small genome. The authors previously developed four SaCas9 orthologs as genome‐editing tools. Here, to expand the targeting scope, they investigate the diversity of protospacer adjacent motifs (PAMs) by screening a list of 16 SaCas9 orthologs, twelve of which display editing activity in mammalian cells. They recognize five types of PAMs: NNGRRT, NNGRRR, NNGRC, NNGA, and NNGR. Importantly, SchCas9 recognizes the simple NNGR PAM, representing the most relaxed PAM preference of compact Cas9s to date. It is further demonstrated that SchCas9 enables efficient genome editing in multiple human cell lines. Altogether, these compact Cas9 tools offer a new option for both basic research and clinical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is highly desirable to develop self‐healing anticorrosion coatings with enhanced antibacterial function to prevent the scratched area to be fouled or corroded in harsh environments. Herein, we report antibacterial self‐healing anticorrosion coatings via the simple incorporation of the easily synthesized single polymer microcapsule system. Well‐defined polymer microcapsules containing isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) as a healing agent and 4,5‐dichloro‐2‐n‐octyl‐4‐isothiazolin‐3‐one (DCOIT) as antibacterial molecules were synthesized by one‐pot polymerization. The diameter and core fraction were around 30 μm and 90%, respectively. The active DCOIT content in the core material could be precisely controlled by adjusting the DCOIT/IPDI feeding ratio. The DCOIT/IPDI microcapsules‐embedded protective coating exhibits an adaptive self‐healing anticorrosion property, as shown by electrochemical test under the condition of the salt‐water immersion. Furthermore, the self‐healing coating showed efficient antibacterial function against Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is due to the released active biocide molecules on the damaged surfaces. In contrast to other systems, this single capsule system without any catalyst is perspective for extending the service time of the antibacterial self‐healing materials in harsh environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To explore a new method of in vitro culture and purification of rat corpus cavernosum endothelial cells (CCECs). Male Sprague‐Dawley rats' penile tissue were digested with elastase or collagenase combined with mechanical extrusion to isolate and culture the CCECs. The fixed‐point digestion method was used to purify the primary cells. High‐purity CCECs were successfully isolated. Following the digestion of the primary CCECs by elastase or collagenase coupled with mechanical extrusion, the cells were paving stone‐ and cobblestone‐shaped over 10 days. The cell purity yielded in the second generation (P2) CCECs after using the fixed‐point digestion method was significantly high. Compared with primary CCECs extracted by elastase digestion combined with the mechanical extrusion method, CCECs cultured by collagenase digestion yielded higher purity and a more stable morphology after fixed‐point digestion and purification. Immunofluorescence staining of the third generation CCECs and the expression results of endothelial cell‐associated marker antibodies CD31 and VWF were positive, and flow cytometry showed the purity of CCECs was 96.9%. Enzymatic digestion combined with mechanical extrusion and fixed‐point digestion is a simple, economical method for in vitro culture and purification of CCECs, which is conducive to studying the pathophysiological mechanisms of endothelial dysfunction and erectile dysfunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agitated‐pulsed column (APC) is expected to exhibit good transfer. The dispersed‐phase holdup and characteristic velocity were measured using a 25‐mm diameter APC. The holdup declined at first and then escalated with the increase of pulsation intensity which was in contrary to the trend of the characteristic velocity change. The pulsation intensity corresponding to minimum holdup was found, and it increased with higher agitation speed. The interfacial area was also calculated. Correlations were developed for the holdup and characteristic velocity prediction within 5.34 % and 9.54 % deviation, respectively. Flooding lines were calculated by the characteristic velocity method and operating regimes were determined by the experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agitated‐pulsed column (APC) is a newly designed extraction column with excellent mass transfer performance. In this work, Sauter mean drop diameter d32 and drop size distribution was investigated under different operation conditions in a 25 mm diameter APC. The results show that with an increase in pulsation intensity and agitation speed the drop size distribution is narrowed and d32 is decreased significantly. With increasing dispersed‐phase velocity, d32 increased and drop size distribution become narrow, while there was no noticeable change with continuous velocity. The cumulative size distribution was found to be predicted well using the Inverse Gaussian function. A new correlation was proposed to predict the experimental d32 data of the APC column used in this study. Furthermore, population balance model was applied to predict the drop size distribution with refitted parameters in the breakage, coalescence kernels functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Urinary particles are particularly important parameters in clinical urinalysis, especially for the diagnosis of nephropathy. Therefore, it is highly important to precisely detect urinary particles in the clinical setting. However, artificial microscopy is subjective and time consuming, and various previous detection algorithms lack the adequate accuracy. In this study, a method is proposed for the analysis of urinary particles based on deep learning. Methods: We used seven cellular components (i.e., erythrocytes, leukocytes, epithelial, low‐transitional epithelium, casts, crystal, and squamous epithelial cells) in the microscopic imaging of urine as the detection targets. After the extraction of features using Resnet50, feature maps of different sizes are obtained in the last few layers of the feature pyramid net (FPN). The feature maps are then input into the classification subnetwork and regression subnetwork for classification and localization respectively, and detection results are obtained. First, we introduce the basic model (RetinaNet) to detect the cellular components in urinary particles, and the features of the objects can then be extracted more effectively by replacing different basic networks. Lastly, the effects of different weight initialization methods and different anchor scales on the performance of the model are investigated. Results: We obtained the optimal network structure based on the adjustment of the loss functional parameters, thereby achieving the best results in the test set of urinary particles. The experimental data yielded an accuracy of 88.65% with a processing time of only 0.2 s for each image on a GeForce GTX 1080 graphics processing unit (GPU). Our results demonstrate that this method cannot only achieve the speed of the first‐stage target detector, but also the accuracy of the two‐stage target algorithm in the analysis of urinary particles. Conclusion: This study developed new automated analysis urinary particles based on deep learning, and this method is expected to be used for the automated analysis and detection of urinary particles. Moreover, our approach will be useful for the detection of other cells in the clinical setting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer‐related death, and there remains a need for novel therapies for this malignancy. Here, we examined the effects of alpha‐lipoic acid (LA), a drug used for treating human diabetic complications, on lung cancer growth. We report that LA limited lung cancer growth in xenograft mice and reduced lung cancer A549 cell viability. We observed autophagy activation in human lung cancers, and report that LA inactivated autophagy in A549 cells. In addition, LA activated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)/p70S6K signaling. Inhibition of mTOR with rapamycin reversed LA‐induced inactivation of autophagy and abolished LA‐induced suppression of A549 cell viability. Altogether, the data suggest that LA exerts an anti‐lung cancer effect through mTOR‐mediated inhibition of autophagy, and thus LA may have therapeutic potential for lung cancer management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Camouflage and wound healing are two vital functions for cephalopods to survive from dangerous ocean risks. Inspired by these dual functions, herein, we report a new type of healable mechanochromic (HMC) material. The bifunctional HMC material consists of two tightly bonded layers. One layer is composed of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) for shielding. Another layer contains supramolecular hydrogen bonding polymers and fluorochromes for healing. The as‐synthesized HMC material exhibits a tunable and reversible mechanochromic function due to the strain‐induced surface structure of composite film. The mechanochromic function can be further restored after damage because of the incorporated healable polyurethane. The healing efficiency of the damaged HMC materials can even reach 98 % at 60 °C for 6 h. The bioinspired HMC material is expected to have potential applications in the information encryption and flexible displays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to investigate the influence of Cl−/SO42− molar ratios and hydrolysis temperature on the hydrolysis process and TiO2 pigment, H2TiO3 was prepared with a low concentration of titanyl sulfuric–chloric acid solution by hydrothermal hydrolysis. Under the optimal hydrolysis conditions, 1.5–2.2 μm of H2TiO3 samples were achieved. After doping and calcination, anatase TiO2 pigments demonstrated excellent performance: the achromic ability of tinctorial strength (TCS) and blue phase index (SCX) were 1,429 and 4.07, respectively. As hydrolysis was a significant step in the process, the structure was simplified to a periodic structure of Ti[OH](H2O)3Cl(SO4) to simulate the cluster structures. Based on experimental results and density functional theory (DFT) calculation, the hydrolysis mechanism was presumed to be a process of anionic (OH−, Cl− and SO42−) competition reaction to explain the formation of anatase‐type H2TiO3, and the crystal growth direction of H2TiO3 was also confirmed to be a (OA) and b (OB). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mixed‐surfactant‐assisted method was developed to synthesize dual‐phase Li4Ti5O12‐TiO2 hierarchical microspheres. The ratio of anionic/cationic surfactant could regulate the primary structure morphology and the dual‐phase ratio of the final product, in which the primary structure morphology could be stacked nanosheets, small nanoparticles, or large nanoparticles. The sample with a primary structure morphology of small nanoparticles had the highest specific surface area of 79.38 m2 g−1 and the best electrochemical performance because of its high Li+ migration rate, low polarization, and appropriate TiO2 content. Its capacity reached 153.5 mA h g−1 at a current rate of 40 C, and it retained nearly 100 % of its capacity after 100 cycles. A self‐assembly mechanism of the mixed surfactant was highlighted to explain the formation of hierarchical microspheres. The physical and electrochemical properties of obtained material were correlated effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A biomimetic (titin protein molecular structure) strategy is reported for preparing transparent and healable elastomers featuring supertoughness (345 MJ m−3) and high tensile strength (44 MPa) after self‐healing enabled by hierarchical (single, double, and quadruple) hydrogen‐bonding moieties in the polymer backbone. The rigid domain containing hierarchical H‐bonds formed with urethane, urea, and 2‐ureido‐4[1H]‐pyrimidinone groups leads to a durable network structure that has enhanced mechanical properties and is also dynamic for rapid self‐healing. Healable polymers with hierarchical hydrogen‐bonding interactions show excellent recoverability and high energy dissipation owing to the durable interaction between polymer chains. This biomimetic strategy of using hierarchical hydrogen bonds as building blocks is an alternative approach for obtaining dynamic, strong, yet smart self‐healing polymers for heavy‐duty protection materials and wearable electronics. Supertough self‐healing elastomers were constructed by a biomimetic synthetic strategy and control of the nanophase structure with hierarchical (single, double, quadruple) hydrogen‐bonding motifs. The successive dynamic interaction of the H‐bonds and increased chain mobility contribute to the self‐healing and supertough mechanical properties. The toughness after self‐healing reached 345 MJ m−3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Pd/C electrocatalysts containing VN with different morphology (particles (Pd‐VN(particles)/C) and plates (Pd‐VN(plates)/C)) were prepared by a simple reduction with sodium borohydride and their electrocatalytic performance for methanol oxidation was investigated. The Pd‐VN(particles)/C and Pd‐VN(plates)/C performed better activity, stronger resistance to CO poisoning and higher stability for methanol oxidation compared with Pd/C by the measurements of cyclic voltammograms (CVs), CO stripping voltammetry and chronoamperometry (CA), respectively. The X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectrums (EIS) tests were conducted for exploring the role of VN. It is found that the promotion effects of VN can be explained by a bifunctional mechanism and the increase in metallic Pd in electrocatalysts containing VN. Furthermore, the different promotive extents between the VN with different morphology are attributed to the differences of the crystallinity and contact situation of Pd and VN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In biological system, early detection and treatment at the same moment is highly required. For synthetic materials, it is demanding to develop materials that possess self‐reporting of early damage and self‐healing simultaneously. This dual function is achieved in this work by introducing an intelligent pH‐responsive coatings based on poly(divinylbenzene)‐graft‐poly(divinylbenzene‐co‐methacrylic acid) (PDVB‐graft‐P(DVB‐co‐AA)) core–shell microspheres as smart components of the polymer coatings for corrosion protection. The key component, synthesized PDVB‐graft‐P(DVB‐co‐AA) core–shell microspheres are porous and pH responsive. The porosity allows for encapsulation of the corrosion inhibitor of benzotriazole and the fluorescent probe, coumarin. Both loading capacities can be up to about 15 wt%. The polymeric coatings doped with the synthesized microspheres can adapt immediately to the varied variation in pH value from the electrochemical corrosion reaction and release active molecules on demand onto the damaged cracks of the coatings on metal surfaces. It leads simultaneously to the dual functions of self‐healing and self‐reporting. The corrosion area can be self‐reported in 6 h, while the substrate can be protected at least for 1 month in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. These pH‐responsive materials with self‐reporting and self‐healing dual functions are highly expected to have a bright future due to their smart, long‐lasting, recyclable, and multifunctional properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Binding energy effects have been considered the main cause behind additives hindering crystal growth. In this study, the effects of the diffusion coefficient between the additive and the crystal surface is further investigated. The influence of the additive sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) on the morphology of ammonium persulfate (APS) crystals is investigated in both experimental procedures and molecular dynamics simulation studies. It is observed that the growth of (10‐2) surface is more significantly inhibited by the addition of SDBS than is the formation of (11‐1) surface, which contributes to an elongated morphology of the APS crystal. The mechanisms of this effect are examined by performing a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The interaction energy and the diffusion coefficient during crystal growth are calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many systems benefit from the ability to autonomously signal the occurrence of damage. The development of smart polymer coatings on metals can address scientific challenges such as nondestructive detection of early corrosion to avoid further destruction of materials. Here, pH-responsive polymer coatings on metals such as steel, aluminum, magnesium, and copper alloys are reported. The defect areas of coatings can gradually exhibit strong fluorescence as the corrosion starts. Based on the fundamental understanding of electrochemical mechanisms in metal corrosion, the designed pH-responsive polymer coating is dormant before crack occurrence. However, the on-demand release of fluorescent molecules from nanocontainers in coatings occurs as corrosion proceeds with increasing pH value by transformation into highly active fluorescence indication from the dormant state at the stage of corrosion commencement. The developed smart polymer coatings can report the corrosion caused by a coating failure which provides a new strategy for nondestructive corrosion detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The caking of roasting products is a serious problem in the activation pretreatment of low-grade Ti-slag by alkali roasting, which could lead to low heat transfer efficiency and low Ti conversion. In this study, an efficient anticaking technique was developed. This technique involved low-grade Ti-slag desilication and anticaking additive introduction. Optimum Ti conversion conditions in alkali roasting with KMnO4 as an anticaking additive were obtained through an orthogonal test. Approximately 99% of titanium in the low-grade Ti-slag could be decomposed at a loosening extent of roasting products of >90% in the presence of 4 wt% KMnO4 as an anticaking additive. Kinetic study showed that an unreacted shrinking core model could be used to describe the decomposition of low-grade Ti-slag in alkali roasting with KMnO4 as an anticaking additive. Decomposition kinetics were characterized in two sequential stages: decomposition occurred relatively fast in the initial stage and became slower in the second stage. A mechanism of two-stage decomposition was proposed, i.e., the reaction rate was controlled by a chemical reaction initially and then was controlled by inner/ash layer diffusion. Apparent activation energies were 53.6 kJ/mol in the first stage and 65.9 kJ/mol in the second stage, respectively. © 2015 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The microstructure and surface chemistry of the as-prepared rGO were systematically investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms. Keywords: mechano-chemistry; reduction; reduced graphene oxide; hierarchical structures; capacitive performance EN mechano-chemistry reduction reduced graphene oxide hierarchical structures capacitive performance 1 5 5 10/06/21 20151101 NES 151101 B A one-step fabrication method is used to make hierarchically structured reduced graphene oxide (rGO) b at relatively low temperatures via a mechano-chemical reduction mechanism. The resulting samples were designated as rGO-A-80, rGO-M-90, rGO-E-110, and rGO-E-120, respectively. [Extracted from the article]

A green process for the production of chromate compounds from chromite ore was simulated using process simulation software. Firstly, the phase equilibria of the KOH-K2CrO4-H2O system were investigated to determine the feasible operating conditions for the separation of K2CrO4 from the KOH alkaline solution. The green process model of chromate production was developed and three cases with different concentrations of alkali solution were simulated based on several assumptions. The mass and energy balances in the three cases were simulated, showing that the energy consumption of the evaporation unit is the largest in the whole process. The simulation results provide important information for the implementation of this green chromate production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the use of natural rutile ore with fine particle size and high contents of MgO and CaO in China, a novel pre-treatment method of natural rutile ore by NaOH roasting to prepare α-Na2TiO3 for TiO2 production was proposed. γ-Na2TiO3 is a stable by-product that can lead to serious caking in the reactor and low titanium yield. Thus, structural control in alkali roasting is necessary. The influence of particle size of natural rutile ore, NaOH-to-ore mass ratio, roasting temperature and roasting time on the crystal forms of Na2TiO3 was systematically investigated. The optimized reaction parameters were as follows: average particle size of natural rutile ore, −9.2 µm; NaOH-to-rutile mass ratio, 1.2; roasting temperature, 550 °C; and roasting time, 70 min. In these conditions, the titanium conversion and the fraction of α-Na2TiO3 exceeded 99.5 % and 98 %, respectively. Moreover, the addition of H2O or as-prepared partial α-Na2TiO3 as crystal seeds into the reaction system could prepare the roasting product with α-Na2TiO3 as its main phase using −45 µm (−325 mesh) natural rutile ore. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, the fossil record of Paleogene bats in Asia primarily included extinct families (i.e. 'Eochiroptera') from the early Eocene of Vastan in India and from the middle-late Eocene of the Liguanqiao and Yuanqu basins in central China. Here, we describe a new fauna of Chiroptera from the middle Eocene Shanghuang fissure fillings of China. The fauna includes abundant material referred to a new rhinolophid ( Protorhinolophus shanghuangensis gen. and sp. n.), one specimen of a possible rhinopomatid and several indeterminate rhinolophoids. This new bat assemblage constitutes the earliest record of extant families of microbats in Asia. Because it lacks representatives of 'Eochiroptera', this Shanghuang bat fauna indicates significant turnover in Asian bat communities. The dental pattern of P. shanghuangensis shows a mosaic of primitive and derived features ('Eochiroptera' vs Rhinolophidae dental characteristics), suggesting that this taxon occupies a basal position among the Rhinolophidae. Rhinolophids were already well diversified at the end of the late Eocene in Europe. Interestingly, many dental characteristics of Protorhinolophus are also found in a primitive rhinolophoid taxon, Vaylatsia, from the middle Eocene to late Oligocene of Europe, supporting a close relationship between these taxa. These affinities testify to the widespread Eurasian distribution of rhinolophoids during the Eocene and are consistent with a westward dispersal of the group from eastern Asia to Europe owing to the greater antiquity of Protorhinolophus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Phase II-III trials in patients with untreated and previously treated locally advanced or non-small cell lung cancer ( NSCLC) suggested that Endostar was able to enhance the effect of platinum-based chemotherapy ( NP regimen) with tolerable adverse effects. Methods Four hundred and eighty six patients were randomized into two arms: study arm A: NP plus Endostar (n = 322; vinorelbine, cisplatin, Endostar), and study arm B: NP plus placebo (n = 164; vinorelbine, cisplatin, 0.9% sodium chloride). Patients were treated every third week for two to six cycles. Results: Overall response rates were 35.4% in arm A and 19.5% in arm B (P = 0.0003). The median time to progression was 6.3 months for arm A and 3.6 months for B, respectively (P < 0.001). The clinical benefit rates were 73.3% in arm A and 64.0% in arm B (P = 0.035). Grade 3/4 neutropenia, anemia, and nausea/vomiting were 28.5%, 3.4%, and 8.0%, respectively, in Arm A compared with 28.2%, 3.0%, and 6.6%, respectively, in Arm B (P > 0.05). There were two treatment related deaths in arm A and one in arm B (P > 0.05). The median overall survival was longer in arm A than in arm B (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Long-term follow-up revealed that the addition of Endostar to an NP regimen can result in a significant clinical and survival benefit in advanced NSCLC patients, compared with NP alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TiO2 is a latent anode material for rechargeable lithium batteries. Our simulation models, basing lepidocrocite and λ-MnO2 type TiO2, were investigated by density functional theory (DFT). The key issues are focused on the lithium insertion sites, electronic structures, and the conducting paths of Li+ ions. Our calculated data indicate the calculated voltage of λ-MnO2 type TiO2 is higher than that of lepidocrocite type TiO2. The Li+ ion migration energy barrier of lepidocrocite type TiO2 along the [1 0 0] direction (0.45 eV) is lower than that of along the [1 1 0] direction (0.57 eV). The energy barriers of λ-MnO2 type TiO2 to move a Li+ ion among the adjacent embedded sites ( 16c or 8a sites) is 0.68 eV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The receptor activity-modifying proteins (RAMPs) are a family of three single transmembrane proteins that have been identified as accessory proteins to some G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). They can regulate their pharmacology, forward trafficking and recycling, depending on the GPCR. The best characterized receptor complexes formed by RAMPs and GPCRs are the calcitonin peptide family receptors. The association of RAMP1 with the calcitonin receptor-like receptor (CL) constitutes the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor, whereas RAMP2 or 3 with CL generates adrenomedullin receptors. In this case, the RAMPs substantially alter the pharmacology and trafficking properties of this GPCR. Amylin receptor subtypes are formed from calcitonin receptor (CTR) interactions with RAMPs. Although the RAMPs themselves are not responsive to calcitonin peptide family ligands, there is clear evidence that they participate in ligand binding, although it is still unclear whether this is by directly participating in binding or through allosteric modulation of CL or CTR. A considerable amount of mutagenesis data have now been generated on RAMPs to try and identify the residues that play a role in ligand interactions, and to also identify which residues in RAMPs interact with CL and CTR. This review will focus on RAMP mutagenesis studies with CL, summarizing and discussing the available data in association with current RAMP models and structures. The data reveal key regions in RAMPs that are important for ligand binding and receptor interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A hexagonal mesoporous silica (HMS) and its postfunctionalized counterparts with propyl (P-HMS) and aminopropyl (AMP-HMS) were prepared and characterized by elemental analysis, N2 adsorption, powder x-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared, and surface charge measurements. Batch experiments were further performed to systematically investigate adsorption properties of these materials toward two nonpolar aromatic compounds (pyrene and pentachlorobenzene) and three phenolic compounds (2,4-dichlorophenol, pentachlorophenol, and 4-methyl-2,6-dinitrophenol) in aqueous solutions. The adsorption isotherms were well described by the Freundlich model and varied in adsorption linearity. For HMS and P-HMS, the adsorption of pyrene and pentachlorobenzene was much stronger than that of pentachlorophenol at pH slightly greater than 6. Alternatively, for AMPHMS, pentachlorophenol and 4-methyl-2,6-dinitrophenol showed comparable or stronger adsorption affinity than the other target compounds did, suggesting that a major role is played by electrostatic interactions of the two phenols. Furthermore, adsorption decreased with increasing pH for all adsorbate-adsorbent combinations except that of pentachlorophenol and 4-methyl-2,6-dinitrophenol on AMP-HMS, which showed bell-shaped curves with the maximum adsorption at pH close to the pKa. The advantages of reversible adsorption and fast adsorption/desorption kinetics (<5 min), as compared to commercial microporous activated carbons, make AMP-HMS a promising candidate to remove selected phenolic compounds in water treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: mechanochromic; healable; bioinspired materials; bifunction EN mechanochromic healable bioinspired materials bifunction 270 270 1 04/04/20 20200301 NES 200301 B The Cover Feature b shows biomimetic healable mechanochromic (HMC) polyurethane composite film. The as-synthesized HMC materials exhibit self-healing and mechanochromic bifunctions and are very promising for encryption and advanced protection materials. [Extracted from the article]

Inspired by biological systems, self‐healing coatings have been fabricated to protect metals against corrosion. However, in situ monitoring of the corrosion dynamics for various self‐healing strategies generally remains a big challenge due to different working mechanisms. In the present work, a universal intelligent‐sensing coating (SC) system containing pH‐responsive polymer microspheres with a color probe is developed. When corrosion occurs in the self‐healing system, the color around cracks turns pink gradually over time owing to the increased pH value. For the high‐performance self‐healing coatings, the onset and propagation of corrosion is suppressed, thereby leading to a narrow light‐pink‐color area. With this smart SC approach, the corrosion dynamics is established for three self‐healing strategies by the correlation between the width of color lines with time. The anticorrosion ability in 48 h for the three extrinsic self‐healing strategies are evaluated; that is, the SC with benzotriazole‐loaded poly(divinylbenzene)‐graft‐poly(divinylbenzene‐co‐acrylic acid) microspheres (PDVB‐graft‐P(DVB‐co‐AA)‐BTA) is superior to that with BTA‐loaded halloysite (Halloysite‐BTA), which surpasses that with polyurethane/poly(urea‐formaldehyde) microcapsules filled with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI@PU/PUF). These results are consistent with electrochemical experiments. This smart‐sensing coating system can be a promising alternative for the in situ investigation of the anticorrosion performance of various self‐healing anticorrosion strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a liquid chromatographic column, the transport behaviors of malathion and Cl- in red soil and gray fluvo-aquic soil columns were studied. Malathion was leached with three different solutions (0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2, 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2 + 0.001 mol L-1 citric acid, and 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2 + 0.001 mol L-1 malic acid) at two pore water velocities (0.191 and 0.382 cm min-1). The symmetrical breakthrough curves (BTCs) of Cl-, which were obtained by using the conservative tracer, showed no significant physical nonequilibrium in solution transport. Compared with those of Cl-, the BTCs of malathion were obviously asymmetrical, with a shift to the right and an extended long-time tail, which is typical of sorption nonequilibrium. Using CXTFIT2.1 and continuous time random walk (CTRW) theory, the physical and hydrodynamic parameters were obtained by fitting the experimental results to the measured BTCs. For both the local equilibrium assumption (LEA) model and the nonequilibrium two-site model (TSM), introduction of a decay term improved the fitting of BTCs, which indicated that sorption-desorption influenced malathion transport. On the whole, the TSM fitted the BTCs better than the LEA model because the TSM accounted for either sorption- or transport-related nonequilibrium. Under most experimental conditions, compared with the LEA and TSM, the CTRW described the distal portion, especially the extended long-time tails, of BTCs better because non-Fickian diffusion arose at later transport times. The results suggest that the nonequilibrium TSM is a useful approach to predict malathion transport. At later transport times, however, the CTRW, characterizing non-Fickian transport, better explained the BTC tails. These results are valuable to predict and control the fate of malathion in the environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The self-assembly of the title dinuclear complex, namely (μ- p-phenylenediamine- N, N, N′, N′-tetraacetato)bis[aqua(1,10-phenanthroline)nickel(II)] dodecahydrate, [Ni2(C14H12N2O8)(C12H8N2)2(H2O)2]·12H2O, through intricate noncovalent interactions results in a two-dimensional sheet-like structure. The dimer lies about an inversion centre at the centre of the p-phenylenediamine ring. Uncoordinated water molecules form one-dimensional chains in which cyclic water tetramers act as two types of building blocks. The water molecules play a significant role in the stabilization of the three-dimensional supramolecular framework. Intramolecular `aryl–metal chelate ring' π–π interactions are also observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The title compound, [Cu2(C2H3O2)4(C13H12N2O)2]·2C2H5OH, contains a centrosymmetric dinuclear copper(II) unit bridged by four acetate groups with two pyridine amide ligands occupying the axial positions. Each Cu atom is in a square-pyramidal coordination environment, and is displaced from the basal plane of the O atoms by 0.2071 (3) Å towards the pyridine nitrogen. The Cu...Cu separation is 2.6442 (5) Å. The amide groups of the ligands participate in the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bonds and π–π interactions between the pyridyl and benzene rings of neighbouring molecules [centroid-to-centroid distance 3.640 (4) Å] generate a two-dimensional supramolecular network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the title compound, [Ag(C(12)H(9)ClN(2)O)(2)]NO(3), two N atoms from two pyridine rings of two N-(4-chloro-phen-yl)pyridine-3-carboxamide ligands coordinate to the Ag(I) atom, forming a nearly linear geometry with an N-Ag-N angle of 173.41 (7)°. The crystal structure is stabilized by N-H⋯O, C-H⋯O and C-H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking inter-actions [centroid-centroid distance = 3.5469 (16) Å] between the pyridyl and benzene rings. The shortest Ag⋯Ag distance is 3.2574 (5) Å.

The title compound, C(26)H(24)N(2)O(3), was synthesized by reduction of the corresponding Schiff base. The mol-ecule does not possess crystallographic or non-crystallographic symmetry. The dihedral angle between the oxygen-bridged benzene rings is 67.98 (8)°. Both hydroxyl groups are involved in O-H⋯O intra-molecular hydrogen bonding. The mol-ecules are linked into a two-dimensional network parallel to the (010) plane by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The self-assembly of the title dinuclear complex, namely (mu-p-phenylenediamine-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetato)bis[aqua(1,10-phenanthroline)nickel(II)] dodecahydrate, [Ni(2)(C(14)H(12)N(2)O(8))(C(12)H(8)N(2))(2)(H(2)O)(2)].12H(2)O, through intricate noncovalent interactions results in a two-dimensional sheet-like structure. The dimer lies about an inversion centre at the centre of the p-phenylenediamine ring. Uncoordinated water molecules form one-dimensional chains in which cyclic water tetramers act as two types of building blocks. The water molecules play a significant role in the stabilization of the three-dimensional supramolecular framework. Intramolecular ;aryl-metal chelate ring' pi-pi interactions are also observed.