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There are many photovoltaic (PV) applications where lighter weight and/or bendable PV power would be beneficial. This includes the curved surfaces of buildings, buildings with weight limitations, boats, automobiles, or other portable applications. In many of these cases, the bending will be only a single occurrence at installation or the amount of bending, even if repeated, is not dramatic. This allows for crystalline silicon modules to be used. For flexible applications, the dominant material for the frontsheet is polyethylene tetrafluoroethylene (PETFE). As a fluoropolymer it resists soiling, is UV stable, and PETFE is a more mechanically durable fluoropolymer. However, in the interests of keeping costs down, less expensive alternative polymers are desirable. In this study, highly accelerated ultraviolet light and heat stresses are applied to candidate materials and the degradation kinetics are determined to provide information to evaluate their suitability for use in a PV application.

Metal-support interface influences the catalytic activity and physical properties of heterocatalysts dramatically. Herein, the effect of cerium on material properties and catalytic activity of cobalt over gamma-alumina applied in dry reforming of methane (DRM) was investigated. The dispersion of cobalt over gamma-alumina was noticeably improved with low cerium dosages ranging from 0.1 to 0.5 wt%. In addition, the presence of Ce promoter on catalyst surface led to an enhancement in reducibility of cobalt oxide to cobalt metal in the catalyst activation. Using CO2-temperature programmed desorption technique, the catalyst basicity was found to increase proportionally with cerium loading. At an optimal dosage of 0.3–0.5 wt%, the cerium promoted cobalt supported on gamma catalyst displayed outstanding performance in DRM with noticeable conversion improvements up to 11% in both methane and carbon dioxide.

There are different types of materials comprising of carbon and nitrogen elements. Typical materials are the cyanogen family, beta carbon nitride, graphitic carbon nitride, azafullerenes, and heterofullerenes, N-containing heterocycles. Except cyanogen (C2N2) is a gas, most others are solid. Among these solids, the graphitic carbon nitride, with the general chemical formula of C3N4, is widely studied in heterogeneous catalysis and energy storage. Such applications exploit the resiliency of the material in different environments due to its labile protons and Lewis acid functionalities, as well as its layered structure. The structure of graphitic C3N4 allows it to store a significant amount of hydrogen. Furthermore, it offers the space for dopants, which are used purposely for tuning the band gap and the electronic properties of C3N4 to make it suitable for water splitting using sun light, or many other applications in waste water treatment under radiation. We think that the material is important and it is not being exploited at its highest capability, especially in hydrogen production via water splitting technique. This review aims to summarize recent outcomes using the carbon nitride material in hydrogen production, and a brief about hydrogen storage. We also highlight future research directions which might worth being persuaded.

Aims: To investigate the efficacy and safety of Cerebrolysin and Cerebrolysin plus nootropics in the routine treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Background: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a leading cause of disability with unmet treatment needs lacking effective drug therapy. Multimodal drugs modulating stroke pathophysiology as Cerebrolysin constitute a good therapeutic option. Objective: In this study, we assessed the effects of Cerebrolysin and Cerebrolysin plus nootropics, in comparison with other nootropic drugs alone, on functional, neurological and cognitive recovery of patients with AIS in Vietnam. Methods.: This non-interventional, controlled, open-label, prospective and multicenter study included 398 AIS patients (234 males) treated with Cerebrolysin (n=190; 20 i.v. infusions of 10 ml), other nootropics (comparator group; n=86), or a combination of both (n=122). The study primary endpoint was the modified Ranking Scale (mRS) score on day 90. Secondary endpoints included study-period change in NIHSS score; percentage of well-recovered (mRS 0-2) patients, the proportion of good NIHSS response (≥6 points) cases, and MoCA scores at day 90; and safety indicators. Results: Compared with other nootropics, both Cerebrolysin and combined therapy induced significant improvements (p11) cases only. No drug-related adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Cerebrolysin alone or combined with other nootropics was effective and safe in routine AIS treatment, during both acute and recovery phases, which supports its use in daily clinical practice. Other: According to the results of this multicenter study, the importance of reducing differences in the treatment regimens of AIS in Vietnam should be further emphasized.

A reconstructed human epidermis (RHE) model, the EpiDerm, was investigated and compared to human skin ex vivo regarding tissue penetration and distribution of two chromium species, relevant in both occupational and general exposure in the population. Imaging mass spectrometry was used in analysis of the sectioned tissue. The RHE model gave similar results compared to human skin ex vivo for skin penetration of Cr

This paper distinguished hydrogen roles to improve electron mobility and carrier concentration in ZnO and Al doped ZnO sputtered films. By combining experimental evidences and theoretical results, we find out that hydrogen located at oxygen vacancy sites (HO) is the main factor gives rise to increase simultaneously mobility and carrier concentration which has not been mentioned before. Introducing appropriate hydrogen content during sputtering not only results in crystalline relaxation but also supports doping Al into ZnO, increasing carrier concentration and electron mobility in the film. First principles calculations confirmed hydrogen substitutional stability for oxygen vacancy, significantly reducing electron conductivity effective mass and hence increasing electron mobility. In particular, 0.8% hydrogen partial pressure ratio achieved 61 cm2V−1s−1 maximum electron mobility, optical transmittance above 82% in visible and near-infrared regions, and 2 × 1020 cm−3 carrier concentrations for H Al co-doped ZnO film. These values approach ideal electrical and optical properties for transparent conducting oxide films. The presence of one maximum electron mobility was attributed to competition between increasing mobility due to restoring effective electron mass and hydrogen passivation of native defects, and decreased electron mobility due to electron-phonon scattering.

A phytochemical investigation of methanol extract from leaves of Pachyrhizus erosus (L.) Urban, a leguminous shrub distributed in Vietnam and other tropical and subtropical countries led to the isolation of a new prenylated chalcone, erosusone (1) and a new megastigmane glycoside epimer, 3-episedumoside F1 (9), together with thirteen known compounds including flavonoids (2-6), a 3-benzoxepine lactone (7), a pyridine-4,5-diol derivative (8), megastigmanes and megastigmane glycosides (10-15). Their structures were elucidated by means of high resolution-electrospray ionization (HR-ESI)-MS, one dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional NMR (2D-NMR) spectroscopy as well as comparison with the data reported in the literature. The cytotoxic effects on LU-1 (lung carcinoma), HepG2 (hepatocellular carcinoma), and MCF7 (breast carcinoma) cell lines were assessed. Prenylated chalcones 1-2 and isoflavone 3 exhibited cytotoxicity against all tested cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 22.04 to 45.03 µM.

Sodium Prussian blue (SPB) with a cubic structure was successfully synthesized by a simple precipitation method in a hot acidic medium. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the as-prepared SPB consisted of many microcubic structures with different morphologies and sizes because of the tailoring of its surface morphology by etching. The Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy results indicated the existence of interstitial water and the replacement of Na+ ions by H+ ions in the SPB material. In addition, when used as a sodium-ion battery (SIB) cathode, the as-prepared SPB showed significantly different electrochemical behaviors in two different alkyl carbonate electrolytes (ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate with 2% fluoroethylene carbonate electrolyte (EC-PC-2% FEC) and PC-2% FEC electrolyte). The results showed that in the PC-2% FEC electrolyte, the as-prepared SPB showed excellent rate capability and cycle stability, and hence was found to be a promising SIB cathode material.

During curcumin production in Vietnam, curcumin-removed turmeric oleoresin (CRTO) has been considered as a by-product. It costs to treat the by-product to prevent environmental pollution. In this study, the by-product was utilized as an active ingredient for preparing a botanical fungicide-based nano-emulsion and evaluated for its in vitro and in vivo control efficacy against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, a causal agent of anthracnose of litchi, in the laboratory as well as a field trial. The nano-emulsion is colloidally stable and uniform with particle sizes of 95–250 nm. CRTO nano-emulsion significantly affected various Colletotrichum species. Notably, this nano-emulsion showed potent inhibition for the mycelial growth of C. gloeosporioides and solidly suppressed the development of anthracnose on litchi fruits. In the in vitro inhibition test, the equivalent half-maximal inhibitory concentration of CRTO in nano-formulation was 0.11 mg·mL−1, which was 3.0× and 6.1× lower than IC50 values of CRTO alone (0.33 mg·mL−1) and a mixture of curcuminoids (0.48 mg·mL−1), respectively. In the field trial, the litchi anthracnose infection was effectively controlled by nano-formulation. These results suggest that CRTO nano-emulsion could be used as an alternative to harmful synthetic fungicides to control anthracnose on litchi fruits.

Functionalized metal–organic frameworks have recently received significant attention in heterogeneous catalysis applications due to their high catalytic activity. In this work, a sulfate-functionalized Hf-cluster-based metal–organic framework was prepared via sulfation of a Hf-MOF, named Hf-BTC, constructed by Hf6 clusters and 1,3,5-tricarboxylate linkers. The Hf-BTC-SO4 material was consequently demonstrated to be an efficiently reusable superacid catalyst for a one-pot three-component reaction of pyrimido[1,2-a]benzimidazoles synthesis. The reaction catalyzed by the sulfated Hf-BTC could be carried out under mild and solvent-free conditions and give superior performance in a wide range of substrates. According to detailed investigation, the good catalytic performance of the sulfated-functionalized MOF likely originates from the high-porosity framework and the high active sites of the functionalized clusters. Importantly, the catalyst could be easy to recover and reuse the functionalized framework several times with minor changes in catalytic efficiency.

Sixteen compounds (1-16) were isolated from Impatiens chapaensis. Chemical structures were determined by spectroscopic analyses and comparisons with previously published data. This report is the first to identify compounds 1, 5–7, 10, 12–14, and 16 from the genus Impatiens. Seven chosen isolates (5, 7, 10, 11, 12, 15, and 16) were submitted for α-glucosidase inhibition assays with acarbose as the positive control (IC50 = 227.14 ± 13.71 µM). Flavonoid 5 exhibited a significant inhibitory effect (IC50 = 101.00 ± 9.01 µM).

In vitro culture establishment is one of the most important stages in micropropagation. The disinfectant effectiveness depends on the type of surface disinfectant, concentration and the time treatment. In this initial study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were used as a disinfectant for petioles, flower stalks and stems of Begonia tuberous. In addition, thin cell layer culture (TCL) technique has been applied for the purpose of somatic embryogenesis. The results showed that AgNPs were effective in eliminating infectious microorganisms on B. tuberous explants; which were identified included 4 species of fungi (Fusarium sp., Aspergillus aculeatus, Trichoderma sp. and Penicillium sp.) and 1 species of bacteria (Pseudomonas sp.). At concentrations of 200 ppm and 300 ppm, AgNPs were not only effective in disinfection but also increased the induction rate of somatic embryogenesis in flower stalk TCL explants (approximately 40.00%); a similar effect was observed in stem TCL explants at the same concentration. Meanwhile, for petiole TCL explants, the induction rate of somatic embryogenesis was optimal when using AgNPs at a concentration of 100 - 300 ppm to disinfected the explant. In contrast, at high (400 ppm) or low (50 ppm) concentrations of AgNPs did not play a disinfecting role and stimulated somatic embryogenesis. In addition, explants derived from AgNPs sterilization did not show any abnormalities in somatic embryogenesis with shapes such as globular, heart, torpedo, and cotyledon. AgNPs showed double efficacy in sterilization of explants and improved efficiency of somatic embryogenesis from TCL petioles, flower stalks and stems explants; thus increasing the efficiency micropropagation of B. tuberous.

A new phenylethyl glycoside (1), (S)-1-phenylethyl-6-α-L-arabinopyranosyl-β-D-glucopyranoside), and a new dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan (7), Kasuracin A, together with seven known compounds, were isolated and identified from the leaves of Kadsura coccinea. Their structures were determined by analysis of multinuclear and multidimensional nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), circular dichroism (CD), mass spectrometry, hydrolysis analysis, or comparison to those reported in the literature. Then, all the isolates 1‒9 were evaluated for their inhibitory eff ;ects against nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells. Among them, compounds 2 and 3 were isolated for the first time from this plant and compounds 3, 7, 8, and 9 significantly inhibited NO production with IC50 values of 36.4, 10.2, 12.3, and 21.7 μM, respectively.

Background Ginseng, officially known as Panax ginseng Meyer, has been traditionally used as a medicinal herb, particularly in Asia. Ginseng is propagated from seeds; however, seed germination is challenging, especially in its natural environment on farms. The seeds typically exhibit morphophysiological dormancy and require release from both morphological and physiological dormancy before germination. Although some studies have proposed methods for increasing seed germination rates, the underlying mechanisms of its dormancy release process remain unclear. Here, we investigated metabolic alterations during dehiscence in P. ginseng to determine their potential roles in dormancy release. Methods We compared the ginseng seed metabolome before and after dehiscence and the ginsenoside and phytosterol compositions of the seeds in both periods in the presence of related enzymes. Results After seed dehiscence, the sugar, amino acid, and squalene concentrations were significantly altered, phytosterols associated with the stigmasterol biosynthesis pathway were increased, while ginsenoside and brassinosteroid levels were not significantly altered. In addition, squalene epoxidase, cycloartenol synthase, 24-methylenesterol C-methyltransferase, and the stigmasterol biosynthesis pathway were activated. Conclusion Overall, our findings suggest that morphological activities that facilitate ginseng seed growth are the primary phenomena occurring during the dehiscence process. This study improves the understanding of P. ginseng germination processes and promotes further research of its germination and cultivation.

Since the early years of the 21st century, the whole world has faced two very urgent problems: the depletion of fossil energy sources and climate change due to environmental pollution. Among the solutions sought, 2,5-Dimethylfuran (DMF) emerged as a promising solution. DMF is a 2nd generation biofuel capable of mass production from biomass. There have been many studies confirming that DMF is a potential alternative fuel for traditional fuels (gasoline and diesel) in internal combustion engines, contributing to solving the problem of energy security and environmental pollution. However, in order to apply DMF in practice, more comprehensive studies are needed. Not out of the above trend, this paper analyzes and discusses in detail the characteristics of DMF's combustible laminar flame and its instability under different initial conditions. The evaluation results show that the flame characteristics of DMF are similar to those of gasoline, although the burning rate of DMF is much higher than that of gasoline. This shows that DMF can become a potential alternative fuel in internal combustion engines.

This study attempted to develop carrageenan/chitosan based microparticles loading α-mangostin which was extracted from Vietnamese mangosteen skin. The carrageenan/chitosan/α-mangostin microparticles were prepared by ionic gelation method by mixing chitosan, carrageenan with α-mangostin and subsequently cross-linking the mixtures with sodium tripolyphosphate crosslinking agent. The content of α-mangostin in microparticles was changed to evaluate the effect of α-mangostin content on physical, morphological properties, particles size and bioactivities of the carrageenan/chitosan/α-mangostin microparticles. The obtained results showed that carrageenan, chitosan was interacted together and with α-mangostin. The presence of polymers matrix improved the release ability of α-mangostin into ethanol/pH buffer solutions. The carrageenan/chitosan/ α-mangostin microparticles have antibacterial (gram (+) strains) and anti-oxidant activities. The results suggested that combination of chitosan and carrageenan in the microparticles can enhance the control release of α-mangostin into solutions as well as keep the bioactivities of α-mangostin.

Background Cashew nut shell is a by-product of cashew (Anacardium occidentale) production, which is abundant in many developing countries. Cashew nut shell liquor (CNSL) contains a functional chemical, cardanol, which can be converted into a hydroxyoxime. The hydroxyoximes are expensive reagents for metal extraction. Methods CNSL-based oxime was synthesized and used to extract Ni, Co, and Mn from aqueous solutions. The extraction potential was compared against a commercial extractant (LIX 860N). Results All metals were successfully extracted with pH0.5 between 4 and 6. The loaded organic phase was subsequently stripped with an acidic solution. The extraction efficiency and pH0.5 of the CNSL-based extractant were similar to a commercial phenol-oxime extractant. The metals were stripped from the loaded organic phase with a recovery rate of 95% at a pH of 1. Conclusions Cashew-based cardanol can be used to economically produce an oxime in a simple process. The naturally-based oxime has the economic potential to sustainably recover valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries. Graphic abstract

Background African swine fever (ASF) is an important disease affecting swine and has a significant economic loss in both the developed and developing world. Aim In this study, we evaluated the potential effects of medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in individual and synergistic forms to prevent and/or reduce ASF virus (ASFV) infection using in vitro feed model. Methods The cytotoxicity of MCFAs on porcine alveolar macrophages cells was evaluated by using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. The potential effects of MCFAs, including C8 (caprylic acid), C8-C6-C10 (caprylic acid-caproic acid-capric acid; 1:1:1 ratio) and C8-C10-C12 (caprylic acid-capric acid-lauric acid; 1:1:1 ratio) against a field ASFV strain isolated in the capital Hanoi of Vietnam, were further examined by real-time PCR and haemadsorption assays in in vitro feed model. Results Our results indicated that all tested products do not induce cytotoxicity at the dose of 100 μg/ml and are suitable for further in vitro examination. These products have shown a strong antiviral effect against ASFV infectivity at doses of 0.375% and 0.5%. Interestingly, the synergistic MCFAs have shown clearly their potential activities against ASFV in which at a lower dose of 0.25%, pre-treatment with product two and three induced significant increases at the level of Cq value when compared to positive control and/or product 1 (p < 0.05). However, the viral titre was not changed after 24 hours post-inoculation when compared to positive control. Our findings suggested that all tested products, both individual and synergistic forms of MCFAs, have possessed a strong anti-ASFV effect, and this effect is dose-dependence in in vitro feed model. Additionally, synergistic effects of MCFAs are more effective against ASFV when compared to individual forms. Conclusion Together, the findings in this study indicate that MCFAs, both individual and synergistic forms, inhibit against a field ASFV strain in the feed model, which may support minimizing the risk of ASF transmission in the pig population. Further studies focusing on in vivo anti-ASFV effects of MCFAs are important to bring new insight into the mode of ASFV-reduced action by these compounds in swine feed.

Despite pioneering as the holy grail in photocatalysts, abundant reports have demonstrated that g-C3N4 performs poor photocatalytic activity due to its high recombination rate of photo-induced charge carriers. Many efforts have been conducted to overcome this limitation in which the semiconductor–semiconductor coupling strategies toward heterojunction formation were considered as the easiest but the most effective method. Herein, a one-pot solid-state reaction of thiourea and sodium molybdate as precursors at different temperatures under N2 gas was applied for preparing composites of MoS2/g-C3N4. The physicochemical characterization of the final products determines the variation in contents of components (MoS2 and g-C3N4) via the increase of synthesis temperature. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of the MoS2/g-C3N4 composites was evaluated by the degradation of Rhodamine B in an aqueous solution under visible light. Therein, composites synthesized at 500 °C showed the best photocatalytic performance with a degradation efficiency of 90%, much higher than that of single g-C3N4. The significant improvement in photocatalytic performance is attributed to the enhancement in light-harvesting and extension in photo-induced charge carriers’ lifetime of composites which are originated from the synergic effect between the components. Besides, the photocatalytic mechanism is demonstrated to well-fit into the S-scheme pathway with apparent evidences.

In this paper, nanocomposite materials of xCoFe2O4/(1-x)(TiO2–5%La) (x = 0.2) were synthesized in a two-step procedure, combining a co-precipitation and hydrothermal methods. The morphological and structural characteristics of the material were studied through XRD, SEM, EDS, BET measurements. The materials showed the high adsorption capacity for a organic dye - Congo Red (CGR) . The adsorption efficiency reaches 99.34% after 10 minutes of treatment process, with the amount of adsorbent used is 0.04g /100ml of solution of 32 µmol/l CGR.

Solanum procumbens called ``Cà gai leo'' in Vietnam, belonged to the family of Solanaceae, which is a prickly diffuse, bright green perennial shrub, woody at the base. This plant has been sought for plenty of Vietnamese folk remedies for diseases such as rheumatism, back pain, detoxification, cough, pain relief, hemostasis, hepatitis, and cirrhosis. Chemical reports revealed the presence of lots of secondary metabolites such as steroids, triterpenoids, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds that have good biological activities such as antibacterial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, and antimicrobial... By column chromatography method together with thin layer normal-phase chromatography on the ethyl acetate extract of its entire plant, we isolated four compounds including dioscin (1), b -sitosterol (2), daucosterol (3) and 6'-O-acetyl-b -daucosterol (4). The result of theira-glucosidase inhibitory activity showed that compounds 2 and 4 had strong inhibition with IC50 values of 35.2 and 209.5 mM, comparing to the positive control, acarbose with an IC50 value of 214.5 mM. The results of this study have contributed to the scientific data of chemical compositions of Vietnamese medicinal plants, among them S. procumbens would potentially be developed as a plant-based drug to decrease the blood glucose level.

ObjectiveTo assess whether RAF and MEK inhibitors (RAFi/MEKi) can provide long-term clinical benefit in adult patients with BRAF V600–mutant glial and glioneuronal tumors (GGNTs), we analyzed tumor response and long-term outcome in a retrospective cohort.MethodsWe performed a retrospective search in the institutional databases of 6 neuro-oncology departments for adult patients with recurrent or disseminated BRAF V600–mutant GGNTs treated with RAFi/MEKi.ResultsTwenty-eight adults with recurrent or disseminated BRAF V600–mutant gangliogliomas (n = 9), pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (n = 9), and diffuse gliomas (n = 10) were included in the study. At the time that treatment with RAFi/MEKi was started, all tumors displayed radiologic features of high-grade neoplasms. Thirteen patients received RAFi as single agents (vemurafenib [n = 11], dabrafenib [n = 2]), and 15 received combinations of RAFi/MEKi (vemurafenib + cobimetinib [n = 5], dabrafenib + trametinib [n = 10]). Eleven patients achieved a partial or complete response (11 of 28, 39%), with a median reduction of −78% in their tumor burden. Responders experienced a median increase of 10 points in their Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score and a median progression-free survival of 18 months, which was longer than achieved with first-line treatment (i.e., 7 months, p = 0.047). Responders had better KPS score (p = 0.018) and tended to be younger (p = 0.061) and to be treated earlier (p = 0.099) compared to nonresponders. Five patients were rechallenged with RAFi/MEKi at progression, with novel tumor responses in 2. On univariate and multivariate analyses, response to RAFi/MEKi was an independent predictor of overall survival.ConclusionsOur study highlights the long-term clinical benefits of RAFi/MEKi in adult patients with BRAF V600–mutant GGNTs and encourages rechallenge in responders.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class III evidence that, for adult patients with BRAF V600-mutant GGNT, RAFi/MEKi can reduce tumor burden and provide clinical benefit.

BACKGROUND: In patients co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis, antiretroviral therapy options are limited due to drug—drug interactions with rifampicin. A previous phase 2 trial indicated that raltegravir 400 mg twice a day or efavirenz 600 mg once a day might have similar virological efficacy in patients given rifampicin. In this phase 3 trial, we assessed the non-inferiority of raltegravir to efavirenz. METHODS: We did a multicentre, open-label, non-inferiority, randomised, phase 3 trial at six sites in Côte d'Ivoire, Brazil, France, Mozambique, and Vietnam. We included antiretroviral therapy (ART)-naive adults (aged ≥18 years) with confirmed HIV-1 infection and bacteriologically confirmed or clinically diagnosed tuberculosis who had initiated rifampicin-containing tuberculosis treatment within the past 8 weeks. Using computerised random numbers, we randomly assigned participants (1:1; stratified by country) to receive raltegravir 400 mg twice daily or efavirenz 600 mg once daily, both in combination with tenofovir and lamivudine. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with virological suppression at week 48 (defined as plasma HIV RNA concentration

Background: Emergence of cross-resistance to current anti-malarial drugs has led to an urgent need for identification of potential compounds with novel modes of action and anti-malarial activity against the resistant strains. One of the most promising therapeutic targets of anti-malarial agents related to food vacuole of malaria parasite is haemozoin, a product formed by the parasite through haemoglobin degradation. Methods: With this in mind, this study developed two-dimensional-quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSAR) models of a series of 21 haemozoin inhibitors to explore the useful physicochemical parameters of the active compounds for estimation of anti-malarial activities. The 2D-QSAR model with good statistical quality using partial least square method was generated after removing the outliers. Results: Five two-dimensional descriptors of the training set were selected: atom count (a_ICM); adjacency and distance matrix descriptor (GCUT_SLOGP_2: the third GCUT descriptor using atomic contribution to logP); average total charge sum (h_pavgQ) in pKa prediction (pH = 7); a very low negative partial charge, including aromatic carbons which have a heteroatom-substitution in “ortho” position (PEOE_VSA-0) and molecular descriptor (rsynth: estimating the synthesizability of molecules as the fraction of heavy atoms that can be traced back to starting material fragments resulting from retrosynthetic rules), respectively. The model suggests that the anti-malarial activity of haemozoin inhibitors increases with molecules that have higher average total charge sum in pKa prediction (pH = 7). QSAR model also highlights that the descriptor using atomic contribution to logP or the distance matrix descriptor (GCUT_SLOGP_2), and structural component of the molecules, including topological descriptors does make for better anti-malarial activity. Conclusions: The model is capable of predicting the anti-malarial activities of anti-haemozoin compounds. In addition, the selected molecular descriptors in this QSAR model are helpful in designing more efficient compounds against the P. falciparum 3D7A strain., Malaria Journal, 20, art. no. 264; 2021

Xylanase is produced by many bacteria and fungi, among which Aspergillus oryzae is considered as a potential source. In this study, a xylanase was isolated and purified from the crude culture filtrate of Aspergillus oryzae VTCC F187 after 7 days of growth on the optimal culture containing 7% corncob and 5% soybean powder under liquid-state fermentation. After two steps purification process including gel filtration chromatography (Sephadex G-75) incorporating with anion-exchange chromatography (DEAE-sephadex), obtained xylanase was purified with the yield and purity of 24.9% and 3.91 fold, respectively. The molecular mass of the purified xylanase determined by SDS–PAGEwas 32 kDa with a specific activity of 1268.0 U/mg towards 1% (w/v) of birch wood xylan. The xylanase displayed its optimum activity at 60°C, pH 6.5, and the enzyme remained active effectively within pH 3.0–5.0 and at the temperature below 37°C. Some substances were tested at concentration of 2% (v/v) such as β-mercaptoethanol, DMSO, Tween 80 and 10 mM NaN3 slightly decreased xylanase activity and reached over 85%. While EDTA 10 mM and SDS at concentration of 2% inhibited more strongly, xylanase activity was only 77.6% and 56.6% comparing with control one, respectively. The biochemical characteristics suggested that the xylanase has a potential application, including use as a feed enzyme or using hydrolysis to produce environmentally friendly Bio-products.

Aconitum carmichaelii Debx. is a medicinal plant that contains a variety of valuable medicinal substances, including flavonoids, alkaloids, and polysaccharides. Flavonoids are important substances because of their antioxidant, antiproliferative, and anticancer effects, but the flavonoid content in A. carmichaelii is low. Flavonoid 3′5′-hydroxylase (F3′5′H) is a key enzyme that catalyzes the final reactions in flavonoid biosynthesis in A. carmichaelii. Therefore, overexpressing the gene encoding of the F3′5′H enzyme to increase the flavonoid content in A. carmichaelii is a new direction in medicinal plant research strategies. In this work, the results of Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated genetic transformation of uidA and AcF3′5′H in A. carmichaelii plants, expression analysis of AcF3′5′H, and production of transgenic A. carmichaelii plants have been presented. Out of 180 transformed samples, 24 transgenic A. carmichaelii plants developed normally under greenhouse conditions. The results of PCR analysis of 15 transgenic A. carmichaelii plants showed that eight transgenic plants contained the AcF3′5′H transgene. Using electrophoresis SDS-PAGE, western blot, and ELISA techniques, we identified the expression of AcF3′5′H protein (rAcF3′5′H) in three transgenic plants. The rAcF3′5′H protein content of transgenic plants ranged from 0.2083 μg μL−1 (transgenic line T0-6) to 0.2507 μg μL−1 (T0-4). The highest concentrations of flavonoids, 773.50 ± 12.87, 661.73 ± 2.85, and 761.61 ± 9.10 μg g−1, were found in transgenic lines T0-4, T0-6, and T0-13, respectively. These values were higher than those of the non-transformed plants (wild-type). Our results demonstrate that compared with non-transgenic plants, overexpression of AcF3′5′H significantly increased the AcF3′5′H protein content in transgenic plants and the total flavonoid content in transgenic lines T0-4, T0-6, T0-13, from 39.13 to 63.63%. This is the first report of genetic transformation and an analysis of the expression enhancement of F3′5′H in the A. carmichaelii plant.

Effects of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on somatic embryogenesis and plantlets with rhizome of Panax vietnamensis were presented in this study. The highest number of somatic embryos (140) was obtained on MS medium containing 1 mg/L 2.4-D, 0.5 mg/L NAA, 0.2 mg/L Kin and 1.6 mg/L AgNPs. Plantlets with rhizome growth enhanced on SH medium supplemented with 1 mg/L NAA and 1.2 mg/L AgNPs and limited the ethylene gas content in the culture flasks. A low concentration of ethylene gas (0.92 ppm) stimulated plantlets with rhizome growth and development, and provided positive effect on the formation and quality of plantlets. The rhizome size of the plantlets in 1.2 mg/L AgNPs treatment was larger than those in the control without AgNPs. Plantlets acclimatized on the soilless substrate were higher survival rate (93.65%) as compared to the control (44.44%) after one year in the greenhouse. In particular, the rhizome saponin content was doubled compared with that in the planlets without AgNPs after 4-year planting in the greenhouse. These results may be scaled up for micropropagation of this important medicinal plant. AgNPs improved somatic embryogenesis. AgNPs enhanced plantlets with rhizome. AgNPs limited ethylene accumulation during micropropagation. AgNPs increased the survival rate of plantlets with rhizome in the greenhouse. AgNPs increased saponin content of plantlets with rhizome.

Background and aims Antifibrotic therapy remains an unmet medical need in human chronic liver disease. We report the antifibrotic properties of cytoglobin (CYGB), a respiratory protein expressed in hepatic stellate cells (HSCs), the main cell type involved in liver fibrosis. Approach and results Cygb-deficient mice that had bile duct ligation-induced liver cholestasis or choline-deficient amino acid-defined diet-induced steatohepatitis significantly exacerbated liver damage, fibrosis, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation. All of these manifestations were attenuated in Cygb-overexpressing mice. We produced hexa histidine-tagged recombinant human CYGB (His-CYGB), traced its biodistribution, and assessed its function in HSCs or in mice with advanced liver cirrhosis using thioacetamide (TAA) or 3,5-diethoxycarbonyl-1,4-dihydrocollidine (DDC). In cultured HSCs, extracellular His-CYGB was endocytosed and accumulated in endosomes through a clathrin-mediated pathway. His-CYGB significantly impeded ROS formation spontaneously or in the presence of ROS inducers in HSCs, thus leading to the attenuation of collagen type 1 alpha 1 production and α-smooth muscle actin expression. Replacement the iron center of the heme group with cobalt nullified the effect of His-CYGB. In addition, His-CYGB induced interferon-β secretion by HSCs that partly contributed to its antifibrotic function. Momelotinib incompletely reversed the effect of His-CYGB. Intravenously injected His-CYGB markedly suppressed liver inflammation, fibrosis, and oxidative cell damage in mice administered TAA or DDC mice without adverse effects. RNA-sequencing analysis revealed the down-regulation of inflammation- and fibrosis-related genes and the up-regulation of antioxidant genes in both cell culture and liver tissues. The injected His-CYGB predominantly localized to HSCs but not to macrophages, suggesting specific targeting effects. His-CYGB exhibited no toxicity in chimeric mice with humanized livers. Conclusions His-CYGB could have antifibrotic clinical applications for human chronic liver diseases.

Adamantane derivatives have diverse applications in the fields of medicinal chemistry, catalyst development and nanomaterials, owing to their unique structural, biological and stimulus-responsive properties, among others. The synthesis of substituted adamantanes and substituted higher diamondoids is frequently achieved via carbocation or radical intermediates that have unique stability and reactivity when compared to simple hydrocarbon derivatives. In this review, we discuss the wide range of radical-based functionalization reactions that directly convert diamondoid C–H bonds to C–C bonds, providing a variety of products incorporating diverse functional groups (alkenes, alkynes, arenes, carbonyl groups, etc.). Recent advances in the area of selective C–H functionalization are highlighted with an emphasis on the H-atom abstracting species and their ability to activate the particularly strong C–H bonds that are characteristic of these caged hydrocarbons, providing insights that can be applied to the C–H functionalization of other substrate classes.

Cellulose accounts for the largest proportion of lignocellulosic biomass. Herein, experimental and simulation studies are used to deeply understand the kinetic characteristics of the thermal decomposition of α-cellulose. The simulated data is in good agreement with the experimental data in the aspects of the conversion and the conversion rate versus temperature. The decomposition of α-cellulose, mainly occurring at 270–420 °C, induced an apparent activation energy ranging from 175.42 kJ/mol to 197.73 kJ/mol at a conversion of 10–90%. With 0.1–0.2 wt% K or Ca impregnation into the α-cellulose, the mean activation energy for pyrolysis was lowered (from 181.47 kJ/mol (for α-cellulose) to 141.11 kJ/mol (for 0.2 wt% K/α-cellulose) and 159.46 kJ/mol (for 0.1 wt% Ca/α-cellulose)) and higher amounts of liquid and gas products were produced. Furthermore, the addition of potassium and calcium increased the production of lower molecular weight components, such as furfural and its derivatives. The kinetic parameters of the α-cellulose pyrolysis were determined based on a nonlinear least-squares regression of the experimental data assuming first-order kinetics and correlated with the simulated result. The kinetic rate constants indicate that the predominant reaction pathway is from α-cellulose into a liquid product, rather than from α-cellulose into a gas product.

Silicene nanoribbons have been studied a lot in recent years, it is a nanostructure with enormous applications. The doping of another element into the unit cell changes the electrical and magnetic properties of the material, which creates new research directions in materials science. Based on the DFT theory, this work studies the doping phosphorus atoms and in silicene nanoribbons in the presence of an external electric field of about 0.1 V/Angstrom. The work also limited the doping study in two cases: The doping case of one phosphorus atom and the 100% doping configuration. There are two doping positions of a phosphorus atom, the top position, and the valley position, and the formation energy will find the optimal position. The energy band structure and state density will also be drawn, examined, and compared.

Design and synthesis of low bandgap (LBG) polymer donors is inevitably challenging and their processability from a non-halogenated solvent system remains a hurdle to overcome in the area of high-performance polymer solar cells (PSCs). Due to a high aggregation tendency of LBG polymers, especially diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP)-based polymers coupled with bithiophenes in the polymer backbones, their widespread adoption in non-halogenated solvent-processed PSCs has been limited. Herein, a novel LBG DPP-based polymer, called PDPP4T-1F with asymmetric arrangement of fluorine atom, has been successfully synthesized and showed an outstanding power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 10.10% in a single-junction fullerene-based PSCs. Furthermore, an impressive PCE of 13.21% has been achieved in a tandem device from a fully non-halogenated solvent system, which integrates a wide bandgap PDTBTBz-2F polymer in the bottom cell and LBG PDPP4T-1F polymer in the top cell. The achieved efficiency is the highest value reported in the literature to date in fullerene-based tandem PSCs. We found that a uniformly distributed interpenetrating fibril network with nano-scale phase separation and anisotropy of the polymer backbone orientation for efficient charge transfer/transport and suppressed charge recombination in PDPP4T-1F-based PSCs led to outstanding PCEs in single and tandem-junction PSCs.

Vertebrate organs are arranged in a stereotypic, species-specific position along the animal body plan. Substantial morphological variation exists between related species, especially so in the vastly diversified teleost clade. It is still unclear how tissues, organs and systems can accommodate such diverse scaffolds. Here, we use the distinctive arrangement of neuromasts in the posterior lateral line (pLL) system of medaka fish to address the tissue-interactions defining a pattern. We show that patterning in this peripheral nervous system is established by autonomous organ precursors independent of neuronal wiring. In addition, we target the keratin 15 gene to generate stuck-in-the-midline (siml) mutants, which display epithelial lesions and a disrupted pLL patterning. By using siml/wt chimeras, we determine that the aberrant siml pLL pattern depends on the mutant epithelium, since a wild type epithelium can rescue the siml phenotype. Inducing epithelial lesions by 2-photon laser ablation during pLL morphogenesis phenocopies siml genetic mutants and reveals that epithelial integrity defines the final position of the embryonic pLL neuromasts. Our results using the medaka pLL disentangle intrinsic from extrinsic properties during the establishment of a sensory system. We speculate that intrinsic programs guarantee proper organ morphogenesis, while instructive interactions from surrounding tissues facilitates the accommodation of sensory organs to the diverse body plans found among teleosts.

In this study, we studied the effect of starting ligands such as 1,4-benzenetdicarboxylic (H2BDC), 1,3,5-benzenetricarboxylic (H3BTC), and 4,4′,4″-s-triazine-2,4,6-triyl-tribenzoic (H3TATB) acids on the photocatalytic activity of three bismuth-based MOFs (Bi-MOF) obtained via a microwave-assisted solvothermal process. Different shapes and sizes of ligands displayed different structure properties from the corresponding Bi-MOF. Specifically, Bi-MOF composed of Bi3+ and H3TATB (Bi-TATB) exhibits the largest specific surface area of 355 m2/g, highest surface-oxygen vacancy amount, a more vigorous light absorption intensity with a broader range of visible light absorption and red-shifted absorption edge than that of Bi-MOF composed of Bi3+ and H2BDC (Bi-BDC) and Bi-MOF composed of Bi3+ and H3BTC (Bi-BTC), suggesting the extension in the photocatalytic activity for Bi-TATB. The reason is attributed to the difference in their structural features. Compared with H2BDC and H3BTC ligands in Bi-BDC and Bi-BTC, H3TATB ligands in the structure of Bi-TATB contained more delocalized π electrons. This outcome may facilitate the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) and decrease the electronic bandgap of the Bi-TATB, thus contributing to the enhanced photocatalytic rate. The enhanced photocatalytic activity of Bi-TATB was further confirmed by the photodegradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under LED light irradiation, which is 99.1% of RhB removal after 180 min of light irradiation. The as-synthesized Bi-TATB showed promising photocatalytic activity for the degradation of organic dye with an excellent recyclable catalytic efficiency. With the above understanding, Bi-MOF was finally used for the photocatalytic O2 evolution from water under LED light irradiation. The Bi-TATB had a maximum photocatalytic O2 evolution rate of 691 μmol h−1. To the best of the author’s knowledge, there has been no research on both the photocatalytic degradation of organic model dye pollutants and photocatalytic O2 evolution studies using Bi-MOFs with different organic linkers. The results should open an alternative approach of ligand selection that could increase the applicability of Bi-MOF in the field of catalysis.

Hydroconversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-bis(hydoxymethyl)furan (BHMF) was studied over mono- and bimetallic supported catalysts. It was found that monometallic Ni/SiO2 catalysts exhibited superior performance with a total yield of BHMF of up to 99 wt%. This excellent performance may be attributed to higher Ni dispersion and low acidity of the support. Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is often present in HMF, due to the route used for its synthesis. DMSO adsorption caused a clear reduction of Ni/SiO2 performance for the HMF hydrodeoxygenation reaction. Characterization of the spent catalysts was performed using HAADF-STEM-EDX, Raman, ICP, and XPS spectroscopies, and showed the presence of sulfur and graphitic carbon, which could explain the deactivation.

Arecaceae presents one of the plant families distributed mainly in the equatorial and subequatorial regions. Arecaceae are widely applied in many fields such as food, cosmetics, fuel, and chemical industries. However, a large amount of agricultural waste from the Arecaceae trees has been released into the environment. The objective of this report is to gain more insights into the potentials and applications of activated carbon (AC) from the Arecaceae trees in wastewater treatment, in which, the ability to handle organic pigments, metals, and antibiotics is focused. The physical properties and processability of AC are statistically evaluated. With a uniform structure, large specific surface area, processing ability according to Langmuir and pseudo-second-order models, we showed that ACs from Arecaceae trees are promising materials for water treatment applications. This is the basis for the development and reduction of by-products that affect the environment.

Diels-Alder cycloadditions involving furans and maleimides are extensively used in organic chemistry and materials synthesis. Given the promising advances of organoruthenium complexes in therapy, we explored the possibility of exploiting such Diels-Alder linkages as a mean to modulate their biological properties.

This study investigated the occurrence, distribution of several additive brominated flame retardants (BFRs) such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) and some novel brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) in urban indoor dust collected from ten inner districts of Hanoi, Vietnam to assess the contamination status, emission sources, as well as their associated human exposure through indoor dust ingestion and health risks. Total concentrations of PBDEs and NBFRs in indoor dust samples ranged from 43 to 480 ng g-1 (median 170 ng g-1) and from 56 to 2200 ng g-1 (median 180 ng g-1), respectively. The most abundant PBDE congener in these dust samples was BDE-209 with concentrations ranging from 29 to 360 ng g-1, accounting for 62.6-86.5% of total PBDE levels. Among the NBFRs analyzed, decabromodiphenyl ethane (DBDPE) was the predominant compound with a mean contribution of 98.6% total NBFR amounts. Significant concentrations of DBDPE were detected in all dust samples (median 180 ng g-1, range 54-2200 ng g-1), due to DBDPE as a substitute for deca-BDE. Other NBFRs such as 1,2-bis(2,4,6-tribromophenoxy) ethane (BTBPE), pentabromoethylbenzene (PBEB) and 2,2',4,4',5,5'-hexabromobiphenyl (BB-153) were found at very low levels. Based on the measured BFR concentrations, daily intake doses (IDs) of PBDEs and NBFRs via dust ingestion at exposure scenarios using the median and 95th percentile levels for both adults and children were calculated for risk assessment. The results showed that the daily exposure doses via dust ingestion of all compounds, even in the high-exposure scenarios were also lower than their reference dose (RfD) values. The lifetime cancer risks (LTCR) were much lower than the threshold level (10-6), which indicated the acceptable health risks resulting from indoor BFRs exposure for urban residents in Hanoi.

In this study, the generation of hydrogen from synthesis gas through the pyrolysis of modified Water Hyacinth (Eichhornia Crassipes) biomass was investigated. The modified Water Hyacinth feedstocks were prepared by immersing its dried samples into Iron Chlorides (III) solution under different concentrations (0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 M). After a 60 min pyrolysis at 540 °C, each created biochar sample also generates a different volume of synthesis gas depending on the properties of the feedstock that were applied to the system. In that manner, it is clear that the value of ferric chloride concentration plays an important role in the generating of synthesis gas. The study indicates that the increase of ferric chloride concentration may also raise the production of synthesis gas, and the amount of hydrogen as well. The result indicates that the 2WH sample (with 2 M of ferric chloride catalyst) exhibited the highest conversion for Water Hyacinth pyrolysis volatiles, with 280 mL of total gas production (42% of hydrogen included, 23% of carbon dioxide, 22% of carbon monoxide and 7% of methane). Therefore, the main objective of the work is achieved by revealing the influence of the metal catalyst over the production of gases via the pyrolysis. On the other hand, the fact that the Water Hyacinth can be utilized effectively also contributes greatly to the matter of environmental betterment.

We developed a novel sensor structure by synthesizing Pd nanocubes (NCs) decorated on ZnO nanostructures (NSs) applied to resistive-type H2 gas sensor with micro-length in sensing channel. The ZnO NSs were selectively grown between micro-size finger-like interdigital electrodes through microelectromechanical technology. The novel H2 sensor structure with the sensing channel was reduced to micro-size by this proposed method to obtain a sensor with fast response/recovery time. The as-prepared structure exhibited robust sensing performance with a response of 11% at optimal temperature of 150 °C, good linearity, and fast response/recovery time within 10 s. The speed of chemisorption through the diffusion pathway in Pd NCs combined with micro-length in sensing channel in sensor showed fast response and recovery times of 9 and 15 s, respectively, toward 10,000 ppm (1%) H2 at 150 °C. The result showed approximate linearity response in H2 concentration range of 5÷10,000 ppm and a large operating temperature range from room temperature to 200 °C.

Unsubstituted and methylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (22 PAHs and 17 Me-PAHs) were examined in surface sediments collected from the Red River and four inner-city rivers of Hanoi City, Vietnam. Concentrations of total PAHs and Me-PAHs ranged from 52 to 920 (median 710) and from 70 to 2600 (median 1000) ng/g dry weight in samples of dry and wet seasons, respectively. Significant correlation was observed between total PAHs and organic carbon contents (Spearman's ρ = 0.782; p

Diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) is one of the most used moieties in D–A conjugated polymers for high-performance π-extended conjugated polymer-based organic solar cells. The combination of 1,4-diketo-3,6-dithienylpyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrroles (DTDPPs) and the donor moieties 10-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)-10H-phenothiazine (M1), 10-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy)phenyl)-10H-phenoxazine (M2), has not been reported yet. In this report, novel low-bandgap D–A conjugated polymer derivatives including DTDPP, phenothiazine and phenoxazine were successfully synthesized via direct (hetero) arylation polymerization with in the yields of 40.94–60.77%. The obtained D–A conjugated polymers named poly(3,6-Di(2-thienyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione)-alt-(10-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy) phenyl)-10H-phenothiazine) (P1) and poly(3,6-Di(2-thienyl)pyrrolo[3,4-c]pyrrole-1,4-dione)-alt-(10-(4-((2-ethylhexyl)oxy) phenyl)-10H-phenoxazine) (P2) exhibited a wide range of absorption spectrum in visible light region and have a low bandgaps of 1.4–1.5 eV, as well as thermal stabilities, these D–A conjugated polymers are very promising as activated polymeric materials for organic solar cells (OSCs).

Hybrid composite TiO2/reduced graphene oxide (TiO2/rGO) is considered as a potential photoanode for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSC) due to their excellent charge transport. This work aimed to prepare the composite TiO2/rGO from TiO2 and GO via a facile reduction step by ascorbic acid and annealing step at 450 °C. Incorporation 1%wt rGO into TiO2 photoanode can boost the overall performance of DSSC with the photocurrent of 13.5 mA/cm2 and the efficiency of 6.1% which is 37% enhanced than the bare TiO2 photoanode. The XPS, Raman spectroscopy and FT–IR results revealed the formation of the chemical bonding titania–carbon in composites TiO2/rGO-1% by ex-situ preparation. The interfacial charge transfer through chemical bonds significantly improves the photoelectrons transport and suppresses the recombination of electron holes in TiO2 structure.

Ectopic expression of Glycine max two-component system member GmHP08 in Arabidopsis enhanced drought tolerance of transgenic plants, possibly via ABA-dependent pathways. Phosphorelay by two-component system (TCS) is a signal transduction mechanism which has been evolutionarily conserved in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Previous studies have provided lines of evidence on the involvement of TCS genes in plant perception and responses to environmental stimuli. In this research, drought-associated functions of GmHP08, a TCS member from soybean (Glycine max L.), were investigated via its ectopic expression in Arabidopsis system. Results from the drought survival assay showed that GmHP08-transgenic plants exhibited higher survival rates compared with their wild-type (WT) counterparts, indicating better drought resistance of the former group. Analyses revealed that the transgenic plants outperformed the WT in various regards, i.e. capability of water retention, prevention of hydrogen peroxide accumulation and enhancement of antioxidant enzymatic activities under water-deficit conditions. Additionally, the expression of stress-marker genes, especially antioxidant enzyme-encoding genes, in the transgenic plants were found greater than that of the WT plants. In contrary, the expression of SAG13 gene, one of the senescence-associated genes, and of several abscisic acid (ABA)-related genes was repressed. Data from this study also revealed that the ectopic expression lines at germination and early seedling development stages were hypersensitive to exogenous ABA treatment. Taken together, our results demonstrated that GmHP08 could play an important role in mediating plant response to drought, possibly via an ABA-dependent manner.