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Porous frustrated Lewis pairs (FLPs) have been demonstrated as cutting‐edge heterogeneous catalysts in acidic–basic catalysis, which, yet faces great challenges in synthesis. Herein, we propose a one‐step de novo assembly strategy for constructing porous FLPs by capping monodentate ionic liquids (ILs) on metal clusters during the synthesis of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). The capping of ILs makes adjacent metal sites on MOFs transforming to coordinatively‐unsaturated metal Lewis acids, producing FLPs containing Lewis basic Cl− ions from ILs and metal sites. The distribution of ILs on the framework of MOFs endows the catalysts with large surface areas (up to 2125 m2 g−1), open channels and good stability. The porous FLPs behave unprecedented activity for atmospheric CO2 activation and coupling with epoxides (25–40°C, 1 bar, without cocatalyst). This de novo assembly strategy exhibits good universality for synthesizing porous FLPs from different kinds of ILs, paving a facile approach for designing high‐efficiency acidic–basic catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Janus membranes with asymmetric wettability have been considered cutting‐edge for energy/environmental‐sustainable applications like water/fog harvester, breathable skin, and smart sensor; however, technical challenges in fabrication and accurate regulation of asymmetric wettability limit their development. Herein, by using water‐assisted hydrogen‐bonded (H‐bonded) assembly of small molecules at water/oil interface, a facile strategy is proposed for one‐step fabrication of membranes with well‐regulable asymmetric wettability. Asymmetric orderly patterns, beneficial for mass transport based on abundant high‐permeability sites and large surface area, are constructed on opposite membrane surfaces. Upon tuning water‐assisted H‐bonding via H‐sites/configuration design and temperature/pH modulation, double‐hydrophobic, double‐hydrophilic, and hydrophobic‐hydrophilic membranes are facilely fabricated. The Janus membranes show smart vapor‐responsive curling and unidirectional water transport with promising flux of 1158±25 L m−2 h−1 under natural gravity and 31500±670 L·(m−2 h−1 bar−1) at negative pressure. This bottom‐up approach offers a feasible‐to‐scalable avenue to precise‐manipulation of Janus membranes for advanced applications, providing an effective pathway for developing tailor‐made self‐assembled nanomaterials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens), a high lipid containing insect, is considered as a promising candidate for bioconversion of restaurant waste in China. The fresh oil extracted from BSF larvae were refined by degumming, alkaline neutralization, and absorption decolorization. The gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis showed that 12:0, 16:0, 18:1, and 18:2 were the main fatty acids, which accounted for more than 80% of the refined BSF oil. Odorless sulfurized BSF oil was synthesized, and the tribological behaviors of the sulfurized BSF oil as a biodegradable additive in base oil 150 N and pure poly‐alpha‐olefin PAO4 were evaluated in comparison with the commonly used sulfurized lard by means of four‐ball friction and wear testers. The formation of CS bond in the vulcanized oil molecules was confirmed by FTIR analysis. Sulfurized BSF oil showed superior load‐carrying capacity and friction‐reducing ability compared with sulfurized lard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pentacyclic‐[8.2.1.14,702,903,8]‐tetradecane‐5,6,11,12‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride was prepared by norbornene dianhydrides as raw material and acetone as a solvent in a self‐made vertical photo reactor with single wavelength ultraviolet light. Based on the Gaussian Calculation combine with experiments, we studied the optimum wavelength of ultraviolet light and the stable conformation of the target product. The structure of the target compound was determined by HPLC‐MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and X‐ray diffraction. The results showed that the yield of pentacyclic‐[8.2.1.14,702,903,8]‐tetradecane‐5,6,11,12‐tetracarboxylic dianhydride could reach 50.5 %, the reaction temperature was 20 °C, the initial concentration of reactant was 0.15 g/mL, the flow rate of the substrate was 5 mL/min, and the reaction time was 4 h. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cervical lymph node metastasis is a prognostic factor of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Skip metastasis (central lymph node negative and lateral lymph node positive) of PTC is not uncommon. This study aimed to retrospectively investigate the risk factors for skip metastasis in PTC and develop a prediction model for skip metastasis. Methods: A total of 745 PTC patients underwent total thyroidectomy and central plus lateral lymph node dissection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from January 2012 to December 2017. Clinicopathological characteristics were collected and analyzed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to detect the risk factors for skip metastasis. A prediction model was established based on the results of multivariate analyses. Results: The skip metastasis rate was 9.7% (72/745). Age > 55 years (OR 2.63, 95% CI 1.34–5.04, p = 0.004), tumor located in the upper portion (OR 4.15, 95% CI 2.30–7.63, p = 0.001), and unilaterality (OR 2.76, 95% CI 1.14–8.23, p = 0.040) were independent risk factors for skip metastasis. Clinically lymph node-negative (cN0) patients with tumor in the upper portion (24.6%, 43/175) had higher possibility of skip metastasis than those of clinically lateral lymph node-positive (cN1b) patients (5.9%, 10/169) (p = 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of prediction model was 0.734 and 0.740 in derivation group and validation group, respectively. However, skip metastasis was not associated with tumor-free survival rate of PTC patients (p = 0.274). Conclusion: Age > 55 years, tumor located in the upper portion, and unilaterality may increase the risk of skip metastasis. We developed the first prediction model for skip metastasis based on clinicopathological parameters in PTC patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LuxR‐type regulators regulate many bacterial processes and play important roles in bacterial motility and virulence. Acidovorax citrulli is a seedborne bacterial pathogen responsible for bacterial fruit blotch, which causes great losses in melon and watermelon worldwide. We identified a LuxR‐type, nonquorum sensing‐related regulator, AcrR, in the group II strain Aac‐5 of A. citrulli. We found that the acrR mutant lost twitching and swimming motilities, and flagellar formation. It also showed reduced virulence, but increased biofilm formation and growth ability. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that 394 genes were differentially expressed in the acrR mutant of A. citrulli, including 33 genes involved in flagellar assembly. Our results suggest that AcrR may act as a global regulator affecting multiple important biological functions of A. citrulli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to select appropriate low‐toxicity degreasing solvents to degrease black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens L.) larvae to prepare high‐quality protein. Aqueous ethyl acetate was chosen as the solvent to extract BSF protein, and traditional solvents, such as petroleum ether, n‐hexane, and isopropanol, were chosen as controls. RESULTS: The meal degreased by aqueous ethyl acetate (the volume ratio of ethyl acetate to water is 90 to 10, EA + W10) shows a high degreasing rate (29.04%), crude protein content (562.3 g kg−1), essential amino acid index (EAAI, 95.57), and digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS, 85). The digestibility of the degreased meal samples in the simulated in vitro intestine can reach 76.52%. Thermodynamic analysis and the apparent morphology of the protein fragments showed that the meal degreased by EA + W10 exhibited thermodynamic stability, which suggests that using aqueous ethyl acetate as the degreasing solvent did not affect the nutritional value of the degreased meal. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that aqueous ethyl acetate (EA + W10) can be used as a novel solvent in the degreasing of BSF larvae meal to prepare high‐quality protein with high EAAI and DIAAS and good digestibility. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancers are considered different types. Thus, this study aimed to explore differences in risk factors, epidemiological features, clinicopathological features, and treatment modes of premenopausal breast cancer compared to postmenopausal patients in western China. This was a hospital‐based, retrospective, multicenter epidemiological study of patients with breast cancer. Using the Western China Clinical Cooperation Group database, we obtained the records of 15,389 female breast cancers between January 2010 and April 2017. These patients were divided into premenopausal and postmenopausal groups, and their risk factors, epidemiological feature, clinicopathological features, and treatment modes were compared. Chi‐square tests, t‐test, and the multivariate logistic regression analysis were applied for statistical analysis. A total of 8395 patients were categorized as premenopausal, and 6994 patients were categorized as postmenopausal. Their risk factors, epidemiological features, clinicopathological features, and treatment modes were compared. Premenopausal patients with breast cancer had a greater tumor diameter at diagnosis (P = 0.008); higher rates of estrogen receptor (ER) expression (P < 0.0001), progesterone receptor (PR) expression (P < 0.0001), negative human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression (P = 0.015), and negative P53 expression (P < 0.0001); and higher proportions of receiving breast‐conserving surgery and breast reconstruction (P < 0.0001), chemotherapy (P < 0.0001), radiotherapy (P < 0.0001), and endocrine therapy (P < 0.0001). The ethnicity, age at menarche, marital status, number of pregnancies, and number of births were the risk factors for age at diagnosis of breast cancer before or after menopause in western China. We found that the fall in the fertility rate, early menarche age, married, and less breastfeeding might have increased the possibility of premenopausal breast cancer. Significant differences exist in the tumor size, hormone receptor state, HER2 expression, epidemiological features, and treatment modes between premenopausal and postmenopausal female breast cancer patients in western China. Its further implementation requires prospective clinical testing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]