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Photocatalytic fixation of nitrogen to ammonia (NH3) is green but low-efficiency technology due to the high recombination of photo-generated carriers and poor light absorption of photocatalysts. Generally, the adsorption capacity for N2 and the band position of TiO2 are responsible for bandgap, light-adsorption, and the separation of photocarriers. Therefore, they play crucial roles to improve catalytic activity. Herein, N-doping TiO2 hollow microspheres (NTO-0.5) with oxygen vacancies were synthesized via a hydrothermal method using phenolic resin microsphere as a template. The obtained NTO-0.5 achieves an impressive ammonia yield of 80.09 μmol gcat-1 h-1. Oxygen vacancies of NTO-0.5 were confirmed by ESR, Raman, XPS, Zeta potential, and H2O2 treatment for reducing oxygen vacancies. The ammonia yield of NTO-0.5 decreases to 34.78 μmol gcat-1 h-1 after reducing oxygen vacancies by H2O2 treatment, which demonstrates the importance of oxygen vacancies. The oxygen vacancies narrow the bandgap from 3.18 eV to 2.83 eV and impede the recombination of photo-generated carriers. The hollow microspheres structure is conducive to light absorption and utilization. Therefore, the synergistic effect between the oxygen vacancies and the hollow microspheres structure boosts the efficiency of photocatalytic nitrogen fixation. After four cycles, the ammonia production yield still maintains at 76.52 μmol gcat-1 h-1, meaning high stability. This work provides a new insight into the construction of catalysts with oxygen vacancies to enhance photocatalytic nitrogen fixation performance.

Photocatalytic NO3– reduction in water has been regarded as a promising route due to its high efficiency and green feature. Several limiting factors, such as lack of catalytic sites, insufficient light collection, and spatial charge separation capacity photocatalytic denitrification, still need to be overcome for the practical applications. Herein, an innovative LiNbO3/ZnS heterojunction with a unilateral opening core–shell structure was constructed. ZnS was tightly anchored on the surface of LiNbO3 by modified electrostatic self-assembly method. High nitrate removal rate (98.84%) and N2 selectivity (98.92%) were achieved with a molar ratio of LiNbO3 and ZnS of 1:5 (1:5L-ZS) using formic acid as a hole scavenge. The LiNbO3/ZnS degradation kinetics of NO3– was corresponding to the first-order kinetics equation. The nitrate removal rate and N2 selectivity remained stable after three cycles in such photocatalytic NO3– reduction. The outstanding photocatalyst performance can be ascribed to the improved surface active sites, the well-matched band structure, and the unique core–shell structure. It provides an effective strategy for controllable fabrication of core–shell photocatalyst with strong light-harvesting ability and charge separation efficiency to enhance the removal rate of nitrate in water.

Transition metal carbides are candidates for high-temperature structural ceramics because of their high melting point, high hardness, and high strength. However, one challenge is overcoming their high intrinsic brittleness. In this study, we investigated a new class of (Fe, Mo, W)6C carbides, which have three Wyckoff positions for metallic atoms (16d, 32e, and 48f) and one Wyckoff position for carbon (16c). These different Wyckoff positions provide a great opportunity to optimize the mechanical properties by the partial replacement of atoms at each Wyckoff position to obtain high-entropy carbides. The current results show that the phonon spectra have no imaginary frequency when Fe occupies the 16d or 32e positions, but a soft mode is observed when Fe occupies 48f. (Fe, Mo, W)6C η carbides have a higher fracture toughness compared with those of M3C and MC carbides owing to their low carbon content (14.3 at.%). The mechanical anisotropy of (Fe, Mo, W)6C is weak, which is beneficial for increasing the damage tolerance. The thermal expansion coefficients of the (Fe, Mo, W)6C η carbides are predicted to be approximately (8.5–9.5) × 10−6 K−1 at 1400 K.

InGaO3(ZnO)m (m = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) ceramics are a series of n-type oxide thermoelectric materials with layered structures and low thermal conductivities. Herein, InGaO3(ZnO)m (m = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) ceramics were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). Two different trends in the thermoelectric properties of the InGaO3(ZnO)m (m = 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5) ceramics were observed depending on the odevity of the m value. The InGaO3(ZnO) sample exhibited a relatively high electrical conductivity and was therefore selected for vacuum annealing to further improve the electrical transport performance. Oxygen vacancy defects were introduced to the matrix during the annealing procedure, which improved the thermoelectric performance. A maximum ZT of 0.45 was obtained at 973 K for the InGaO3(ZnO) sample with a 96 h vacuum annealing treatment, which is 30 times higher than that of the pristine sample.

As an innovative method that may change the manufacturing landscape in the near future, submerged arc additive manufacturing (SAAM) offers the benefits of flux protection and an inherent intrinsic heat treatment (IHT) for fabricating large-sized, high toughness parts in-situ. In this study, the influence of interlayer temperature on microstructure and mechanical properties of SAAM-processed low-carbon steel were elucidated with a particular focus on the toughening mechanism subjected to the in-situ IHT, which was first time comprehensively analyzed. Our SAAM-processed steel is found toughened in-situ by raising the critical fracture stress (reducing the effective grain size), and yield strength is also slightly lowered in-situ (softening the matrix), at a readily accessible interlayer temperature of ~200 °C for an optimal strength-toughness combination. This allows for the effective suppression of ductile-brittle transition (ductile-brittle transition temperature: ~ − 108 °C). The superior impact toughness (over 300 J at −60 °C) mainly origins from: (i) the pronounced amount of α-Fe (ferrite, BCC) that are intrinsically soft and facilitate plastic deformation, thereby impede the initiation and propagation of cracks; (ii) the fine-grained structure of multiple-recrystallized α-Fe phase and the increase of high-angle grain boundaries that make energy consumption more easily via tortuous crack propagating; (iii) the dispersedly distributed globular cementite structures formed by the decomposition of lamellar pearlite reduce the microcrack nucleation sites and release the strain concentration. The present SAAM method offers a solution for economically manufacturing large engineering components with uniform mechanical properties that exhibit an irreplaceable role in the low-temperature application with moderate strength requirements but extremely high in toughness.

Blood vessel dysfunction causes several retinal diseases, including diabetic retinopathy, familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, macular degeneration and choroidal neovascularization in pathological myopia. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-neutralizing proteins provide benefits in most of those diseases, yet unsolved haemorrhage and frequent intraocular injections still bothered patients. Here, we identified endothelial CD146 as a new target for retinal diseases. CD146 expression was activated in two ocular pathological angiogenesis models, a laser-induced choroid neovascularization model and an oxygen-induced retinopathy model. The absence of CD146 impaired hypoxia-induced cell migration and angiogenesis both in cell lines and animal model. Preventive or therapeutic treatment with anti-CD146 antibody AA98 significantly inhibited hypoxia-induced aberrant retinal angiogenesis in two retinal disease models. Mechanistically, under hypoxia condition, CD146 was involved in the activation of NFκB, Erk and Akt signalling pathways, which are partially independent of VEGF. Consistently, anti-CD146 therapy combined with anti-VEGF therapy showed enhanced impairment effect of hypoxia-induced angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Given the critical role of abnormal angiogenesis in retinal and choroidal diseases, our results provide novel insights into combinatorial therapy for neovascular fundus diseases.

Here, we report a two-phase crystalline NiWO4 /amorphous Co-B nanocomposite as an electrode material for supercapacitors, which is effectively synthesized via a simple hydrothermal method and chemical precipitation method. The obtained NiWO4 /Co-B exhibits crystal-amorphous contact, which makes it have more active sites than other crystalline-crystalline phase boundaries, thereby enhancing electron transport. The NiWO4 /Co-B electrode with the best mass ratio of crystalline and amorphous exhibits a great specific capacitance and excellent cycle durability. Compared to individual Co-B and NiWO4 , it also shows enhanced rate capability Besides, NiWO4 /Co-B/activated carbon supercapacitor device can provide a good specific capacitance and a maximum energy density of 10.92 Wh kg-1 at 200 W kg-1 . This work provides new insights to develop novel electrode materials for energy storage and conversion.

The tropical tropopause layer (TTL) is the transition layer between the troposphere and the stratosphere. Tropical cyclones may impact the TTL by perturbing the vertical distributions of cloud, temperature, and water vapor. This study combines several A-Train instruments, including radar from CloudSat, lidar from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation (CALIPSO) satellite, and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on the Aqua satellite, to detect signatures of cyclone impacts on the distribution patterns of cloud, water vapor, temperature, and radiation by compositing these thermodynamic fields relative to the cyclone center location. Based on the CloudSat 2B-CLDCLASS-LIDAR product, this study finds that tropical cyclone events considerably increase the occurrence frequencies of TTL clouds, in the form of cirrus clouds above a clear troposphere. The amount of TTL cloud ice, however, is found to be mostly contributed by overshooting deep convection that penetrates the base of the TTL at 16 km. To overcome the lack of temperature and water vapor products in cloudy conditions, this study implements a synergistic method that retrieves temperature, water vapor, ice water content, and effective radius simultaneously by incorporating observations from AIRS, CloudSat, and CALIPSO. Using the synergistic method, we find a vertically oscillating pattern of temperature anomalies above tropical cyclones, with warming beneath the cloud top (around 16 km) and cooling above. Based on water vapor profiles retrieved by the synergistic method, we find that the layer integrated water vapor (LIWV) above 16 km is higher above tropical cyclones, especially above overshooting deep convective clouds, compared to climatological values. Moreover, we find that the longwave and net radiative cooling effect of clouds prevails within 1000 km of tropical cyclone centers. The radiative heating effects of clouds from the CloudSat 2B-FLXHR-LIDAR product are well differentiated by the collocated brightness temperature of an infrared window channel from the collocated AIRS L1B product. By performing instantaneous radiative heating rate calculations, we further find that TTL hydration is usually associated with radiative cooling of the TTL, which inhibits the diabatic ascent of moist air across isentropic surfaces to the stratosphere. Therefore, the radiative balance of the TTL under the impact of the cyclone does not favor the maintenance of moist anomalies in the TTL or transporting water vertically to the stratosphere.

Objective To reveal the mechanism of Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou decoction and its disassembled formula for improving the skin barrier function in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis (AD). Methods Sixty specific-pathogen free male BALB/c mice were randomly divided into the control group, model group, whole formula group (WF), exterior-releasing formula group (ERF), interior-clearing formula group (ICF), and positive control group (PC). A mouse model of AD was established using the semi-antigen 2,4-dinitrofluorobenzene induction method. The lesion scores, transepidermal water loss and pH, and skin histopathology of mice in each group were observed. The expressions of filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin were detected by the streptavidin peroxidase immunohistochemical method and western blotting, and their mRNA expressions were detected by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results Mice in the WF, ERF, ICF, and PC groups showed reduced skin lesion performance, improved histopathology, decreased skin lesion score, transepidermal water loss and pH, and upregulated expressions of proteins including filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin, and their mRNAs. The most obvious regulatory effect was observed in the WF group, followed by the ICF, ERF, and PC groups, accordingly. Conclusions Mahuang Lianqiao Chixiaodou decoction and its disassembled formula can improve the skin barrier function in a mouse model of AD by upregulating filaggrin, loricrin, and involucrin, and their mRNA expressions, and the most optimal effect was noted in the WF group, followed by the ICF and ERF groups, which suggests that the effect of clearing heat and resolving dampness in improving the skin barrier function of AD is more obvious and is one of the key treatments for AD.

The large-scale application of lithium sulfur batteries is impeded by their cycling stability and power performance mainly due to the polysulfide shuttle effect and low conductivity of sulfur. Herein, a multifunctional sulfur host of N/S co-doped porous graphene layered matrix (NSPG) is fabricated. High specific surface area of NSPG can guarantee the homogeneous deposition and high utilization of S/Li2S. Moreover, the layered graphene skeleton with abundant crumples can not only construct efficient channels for fast electrolyte ion/electron transfer but also effectively buffer the volume expansion of S during long-time charge/discharge process. DFT calculations verify that the N/S co-doping can promote the redox reaction rate and inhibit the polysulfides shuttle effect through chemical bonding interaction. Benefiting from the above synergistic effects, the NSPG/S electrode exhibits excellent rate performance (646 mAh g−1 at 10C) and outstanding cycle stability (693 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles). Even at a high mass loading of 4.5 mg cm−2, a capacity of 786 mAh g−1 can be retained after 100 cycles. This work might offer a feasible solution for developing sulfur host with multifunctionality and electrocatalytic activity for high-performance lithium sulfur batteries.

A series of 20 new derivatives of rupestonic acid were synthesized via Davis oxidation. Their antiviral activity against influenza A virus (H3N2) was established. Several of the synthesized compounds were shown to exhibit antiviral activity against influenza A virus. Compound 4d was shown to have the highest potential activity (R = α-methylcinnamyl acyl with IC50 14.37 μg/mL and TC50 80.13 μg/mL) against influenza A virus.

Allicin, a chemical found in functional foods, has a variety of beneficial bioactivities but the unpleasent odor and unstability hinder its applications. Isolating products from cyclodextrin (CD) complexation, using β-CD and its derivatives, is usually a time and energy-consuming process. Herein, a high-efficiency and eco-friendly preparation method of an inclusion (allicin@α-CD) formed by allicin and α-CD was designed, which turned liquid allicin into crystal particles with high-speed stirring (10,000 r/min) at 25°C for 10 min in water. In vivo and in vitro masking evaluations showed that the inclusion particles could decrease the unpleasant odor of allicin. Molecular docking and experimental characterization results illustrated that the main reason of odor masking was due to the disulfide and thiocarbonyl groups of allicin being partially encapsulated by the cavity of α-CD. Compared with the physical mixture, the stability of allicin in allicin@α-CD at 60°C for 10 days was 33-fold improved. Overall, this efficient strategy of inclusion provided a promising approach for the industrialization of allicin-related formulations. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: In this study, an environmentally friendly method of α-CD inclusion without the use of organic reagents was designed to solidify and stabilize allicin, which effectively masked the unpleasant odor and taste of allicin. It has contributed greatly to improving the compliance of consumers and provided a new and effective approach to broaden the application of allicin.

Purpose: To develop and validate a chromatographic method for the simultaneous determination of plasma levels of rutin, avicularin and quercitrin using UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS. Methods: A sensitive, selective, and reliable UHPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous determination of the three flavonoids, with puerarin as internal standard (IS). Plasma samples were first treated with methanol, and then acidified using hydrochloric acid (HCl) prior to liquid-liquid extraction with ethyl acetate. The flavonoids were separated on a Syncronis C18 column (100×2.1mm, 1.7 µm) using an elution gradient of acetonitrile and 0.1 % formic acid at a flow rate of 0.3 mL/min. Results: A linear correlation was obtained for the three flavonoids over the investigated concentration range, with correlation coefficients > 0.9954. The values of validated lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) were 0.68, 1.42 and 2.54 ng/mL for rutin, avicularin and quercitrin, respectively. Intra- and inter-day precision (RSD) were < 10 %, while accuracy (RE) ranged from −3.76 to 4.04 %. Conclusion: The proposed method has been successfully validated and is suitable for studying the pharmacokinetics of the three analytes in rats treated with parasitic loranthus extract (PLE).

Zero-dimensional metal halides have attracted much attention due to their attractive photoelectric properties. Here, we propose a new strategy of synthesizing metal halides crystals by recrystallization in water. The as-synthesized Cs2 InCl5 (H2 O)-orange crystals are dissolved and recrystallized in water (Cs2 InCl5 (H2 O)-blue), with its photoluminescence (PL) changing from orange to blue, both of which are derived from self-trapping excitons (STEs). The time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL) spectrum of Cs2 InCl5 (H2 O)-blue shows that it has an ultralong lifetime up to milliseconds (τ=52.98 ms), which is expected to be applied in biological sensors. The photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) increases from 2.25% to 11.61% in the self-assembly process. By using a post-doping method, the PL of crystals turns into red when we introduce Mn2+ as dopant while there is no obvious change upon using a traditional solvent-thermal method. Recrystallization in water and post-doping provide a new perspective for the synthesis and doping of metal halides.

BACKGROUND/AIMS To explore risk factors of acute kidney injury (AKI) and its severity after liver transplantation. MATERIALS AND METHODS This was a retrospective cohort of consecutive adults undergoing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) at a referral hospital. Risk factors for AKI from 1week post-liver transplantation and 4-week outcomes were analysed. Further analyses of factors that influenced the severity of AKI were also performed. RESULTS A total of 204 patients were included. AKI was found in 55.4% of patients in the first week after OLT. Risk factors for AKI were recipient's sex, BMI, preoperative creatinine, preoperative hepatic encephalopathy, cold ischaemia time, duration of surgery, duration of inferior vena clamping, postoperative peak lactate and postoperative peak AST, which were higher in the AKI group. Four weeks after liver transplantation, 20.4% of AKI patients still had abnormal renal function and a mortality rate of 3.6%, and these values were significantly higher than those of patients without AKI (P

As a kind of ionic fluid, deep-eutectic solvent (DES) has been used not only as a solvent but also as a precursor for carbon preparation in recent years. Herein, porous nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) h...

A simple biosensor based on the cationic polymers and nuclease-assisted cyclic amplification has been constructed for the one-pot multiple detections of DNA and microRNA. In this work, we designed ...

Background:. The low accuracy of equations predicting 24-h urinary sodium excretion using a single spot urine sample contributed to the misclassification of individual sodium intake levels. The application of single spot urine sample is limited by a lack of representativity of urinary sodium excretion, possibly due to the circadian rhythm in urinary excretion. This study aimed to explore the circadian rhythm, characteristics, and parameters in a healthy young adult Chinese population as a theoretical foundation for developing new approaches. Methods:. Eighty-five participants (mean age 32.4 years) completed the 24-h urine collection by successively collecting each of the single-voided specimens within 24 h. The concentrations of the urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine for each voided specimen were measured. Cosinor analysis was applied to explore the circadian rhythm of the urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine excretion. The excretion per hour was computed for analyzing the change over time with repeated-measures analysis of variance and a cubic spline model. Results:. The metabolism of urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine showed different patterns of circadian rhythm, although the urinary sodium excretion showed non-significant parameters in the cosinor model. A significant circadian rhythm of urinary creatinine excretion was observed, while the circadian rhythm of sodium was less significant than that of potassium. The circadian rhythm of urinary sodium and creatinine excretion showed synchronization to some extent, which had a nocturnal peak and fell to the lowest around noon to afternoon. In contrast, the peak of potassium was observed in the morning and dropped to the lowest point in the evening. The hourly urinary excretion followed a similar circadian rhythm. Conclusion:. It is necessary to consider the circadian rhythm of urinary sodium, potassium, and creatinine excretion in adults while exploring the estimation model for 24-h urinary sodium excretion using spot urine.

Herein, a highly active Mott–Schottky nanocatalyst with tunable Schottky barrier was constructed by embedding Co nanoparticles (NPs) into phosphorus-doped graphitic carbon nitrides (PxCN) for the enhanced dehydrogenation of ammonia-borane (AB). Analyses show that P doping can efficiently decrease the work function of g-C3N4 and elevate the conduction band edge potential; thus, P doping offers a simple approach to tune the Schottky barrier of Co/PxCN by varying the doping amount of P atoms. Upon rationally tuning the Schottky barrier from 0.60 to 0.78 eV, the obtained photocatalyst with the molar composition Co/P3.59CN showed a remarkable TOF (total turnover frequency) value of 67.09 mol H2 per mol metal per min for the dehydrogenation of AB under visible light at 298 K, which, to the best of our knowledge, is one of the highest values reported to date for non-noble metal-based monometallic catalysts and is even comparable to those of some noble metal catalysts. This study opens a new prospect for the rational design and preparation of metal/g-C3N4 nanocatalysts with tunable Schottky barriers and provides a simple way to elevate the catalytic activity of these nanocatalysts.

Magnesium (Mg) alloys have received an increasing interest in the past two decades for their tremendous application potential. The strength and corrosion resistance levels of common Mg alloys are still relativity low, and especially they are to be improved simultaneously. The addition of rare earth (RE) to Mg alloys is believed to be beneficial for both the strength and corrosion resistance, and some RE-modified traditional Mg alloys have been studied and some new RE-containing Mg alloys have been developed by now. However, further simultaneous improvements in both strength and anti-corrosion require a better understanding of the behavior and mechanism of RE in Mg alloys. In this review, the common influence mechanisms of RE on mechanical and anti-corrosion properties of Mg alloys are summarized, and the latest research progress of RE-containing Mg alloys with simultaneously improved strength and corrosion resistance are introduced. It is demonstrated that the research on high-strength and high corrosion resistant RE-containing Mg alloys is still immature, and some opinions and suggestions are put forward for the synergetic improvement of the strength and corrosion resistance of Mg alloys, so as to contribute to the further development of Mg alloys with higher performance.

Depression is closely related to overactivation of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors, and Zn2+ is a vital NMDA receptor modulator involved in the pathophysiological and physiological processes of depression. Therefore, quantitative and real-time detection of Zn2+ is very important for understanding the pathogenesis of depression. In this work, a near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent probe ISO-DPA was designed and synthesized for Zn2+ detection with a large Stokes shift (185 nm), high quantum yield (up to 44%), high sensitivity (LOD = 0.106 μM) and good pH stability. The probe showed rapid response within 10 s, accompanied by a distinct fluorescence change from faint to bright pink with the fluorescence intensity increasing 4.5-fold. Moreover, the sensing mechanism of ISO-DPA towards Zn2+ was supported by MALDI-TOF-MS and Job's plot. The probe ISO-DPA could detect instantaneous variation of exogenous and endogenous Zn2+ in PC12 cells. The bioimaging results reveal the increase of the endogenous Zn2+ concentration in PC12 cells under the oxidative stress induced by glutamate and confirm that overactivation of NMDA receptors results in an increase of the Zn2+ level. All the results proved that ISO-DPA is an excellent probe for detecting Zn2+ in solution and living cells and could help us better understand Zn2+ associated pathogenesis of depression.

Herein, we report the synthesis of 2-spirocyclohexylindolines based on a Lewis acid mediated cyclization. This diastereoselective procedure provides the target structures in a straightforward way via dual activation.

Global freshwater shortage has become one of the essential issues and many countries are suffering increasing pressure on their environment. Recently, a large-area graphene nanomesh with microsize pores of 0.45–0.55 nm has been found to achieve a nearly 100% desalination efficacy; however, the development of nanoporous structures with excellent cycling, mechanical and electrical properties remains challenging. Based on density-functional theory, a high-performance stable two-dimensional graphene-based material (Kust-I) with a nanometer pore size of 0.45 nm is cleverly constructed with decagonal, hexagonal, and pentagonal carbon rings. First-principles and classical molecular dynamics simulation results indicate that ten-membered and pentagon rings act in parallel in Kust-I to provide sufficient salt-ion selective adsorption sites and the electron concentration and desalination effect of this material is satisfactory. The mechanical and electronic property results further suggest that the periodic pore structure and electron distribution can effectively overcome the stress concentrations, improve the service life, and produce a self-cleaning effect that facilitates recycling. A potentially facile Kust-I synthesis route was proposed. These findings show the material's tremendous potential in addressing the significant challenge of achieving mechanical stability, long service life, ease of recycling, and large-scale application of current two-dimensional carbon materials.

Interfacial engineering is one of the feasible pathways to tune the characteristics and functions of nanomaterials. In this report, we successfully synthesized crystalline CoWO4/amorphous Co–B hete...

One of the key issues for composites is the formation mechanism and stability of the interface. Experimental technology and first-principles calculations with quasiharmonic approach considering the phonon and thermal electronic contribution are adopted to clarify the thermodynamics and thermal stress of the interface of tungsten carbide particle reinforced iron matrix (WCP/Fe) composites under finite temperature. The most favorable formation path of Fe3W3C at the interface is 3Fe+2WC + W2C→Fe3W3C+2C + W. For WCP/Fe and WCP/Co composites, the thermal stress of Co3W3C is smaller than Fe3W3C as the transition phase of the interface, and Fe is less suitable to be applied as the matrix of composites than Co. Our research provides significant guidance to improve the interfacial strength and stability of WCP/Fe composites.

Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most common malignancies of the digestive tract worldwide, and cancer cell resistance against anticancer drugs remains a major challenge for GC treatment. Nvp-BGJ398 (BGJ398) is considered as a common drug for cancer treatment; however, Bcl-2-associated athanogene-3 (BAG3) plays an important role in drug resistance. To investigate the function of BAG3 on the sensitivity of GC cells to BGJ398. The expression of BAG3 in GC cells and GC resistance cells was examined by qRT-PCR and western blot. The resistance to BGJ398 was detected by viability assay, and a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. The cell migration and apoptosis were determined by wound-healing assay and flow cytometry assay. BAG3 was highly expressed in drug-resistant cells Fu97R and Snu16R. BAG3 was also associated with sensitivity of Snu16 cells to BGJ398, promoting migration but inhibiting apoptosis. However, knockdown of heat shock transcription factor 1 (HSF1) suppressed BAG3 expression and lowered the sensitivity to BGJ398 in Snu16R cells. Knockdown of BAG3 inhibited tumor growth and cell apoptosis but induced cell apoptosis and amplified the sensitivity to BGJ398 in Snu16R cells, followed by enhancing BGJ398-induced antitumor function in a Snu16R-derived xenograft mouse model. The mechanism of resistance to BGJ398 in GC is mediated by BAG3/HSF1, and combined treatment with shBAG3 could improve the efficacy of BGJ398 in GC. Thus, BAG3-targeted therapy improves the antitumor efficacy of BGJ398, which might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for GC.

Dactylicapnosines A and B, two natural products from Dactylicapnos scandens, exhibited potent anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities both in vitro and in vivo. In this paper, we report our second-generation synthesis of dactylicapnosine A and the first total synthesis of dactylicapnosine B. Our synthetic route features acid-induced isomerization of o-quinone (16), Co-mediated regioselective ring contraction of p-quinone (8b), and oxidative methoxylation of enone (18). This modified sequence provides dactylicapnosine A in 14 steps with an overall yield of 12% from a known compound (14a) and also offers opportunities to synthesize dactylicapnosine-like analogues for biological investigations.

In vitro-transcribed messenger RNA (mRNA) can efficiently express the therapeutic proteins in target cells without the concern of mutagenesis, which holds great promise for the treatment of a broad...

Iridium (Ir) has an extremely high melting point (2443 °C), high chemical stability and is one of the most promising high-temperature materials. However, Ir is more difficult to process compared with other face-centered cubic metals, such as Ni and Al, which limits its applications. To solve this problem, we study the effect of 32 alloying elements (X) on stacking fault energy of dilute Ir-based alloys generated by shear deformation using the first-principles calculations. The investigation reveals that there are many alloying elements studied herein decrease the stacking fault energy of face-centered cubic (fcc) Ir, and the most effective element in reducing stacking fault energy of fcc Ir is Zn. The microscopic mechanism is caused by electron redistribution in the local stacking fault area. These results are expected to provide valuable guidance for the further design and application of Ir-based alloys.

Drinking water sludge (DWS) contains organic carbon and metal ions with the potential to prepare adsorbents. In this research, DWS was separated into two parts by acid leaching, i.e., an acid leaching carbonization sludge (ALCS) and an acid leaching solution. Iron and aluminum were extracted from the acid leaching solution and loaded onto ALCS by sedimentation and liquid-phase reduction to prepare a carbon/Al2O3/nZVI magnetic adsorption material (ALCS-Al-Fe). The optimum arsenic removal conditions, adsorption kinetics, and isotherm were determined, and the characteristics of the adsorbent ALCS-Al-Fe were investigated. The results showed that the composite exerted a favorable arsenic removal effect due to the electrostatic adsorption of nanometer zero-valent iron as well as ion exchange and complexation between the OH− groups on the surface of ALCS-Al-Fe and As(V). The pH change had a slight effect on the adsorption capacity, while the common anions SO42− and SiO32− showed obvious inhibitory effects. Considering that alkalinity is beneficial to arsenic ion desorption, NaOH was used in desorbing to conduct 6 cycles of regeneration experiments, and the final removal rate could still reach 90.5%. Therefore, the concept of green development of preparing magnetic adsorbents by using whole component of DWS is significant to the exploitation of sludge recycling.

Iron and oxygen co-doped graphite phase carbon nitride (Fe@O CN) is synthesized via a simple one-pot in-situ pyrolysis method. It is used in a favorable peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation oxidation system to enhance Orange I (OI) degradation. The effects of dopant contents, different water conditions and the reusability are conducted to evaluate the removal efficacy of PMS catalytic over Fe@O CN in water. Moreover, OI degradation is almost stable under several typical anions (H2PO4−, Cl− and HCO3−) and humic acid existence. Theoretical calculation results reveal that effective-directional transfer of electrons is obtained by Fe@O CN, building the formation of high electron density areas around Fe and O. The quenching tests display that O2•− and 1O2 are responsible for OI removal, and SO4•− and •OH only donate a very small contribution. The electron transfer between electron-rich Fe, O element and HSO5− cycles facilitate HSO5− activation to generate reactive oxygen species. After co-doping, DFT calculations confirm the stronger binding energy, greater charge transferability and longer O O bond length for PMS activation in Fe@O CN/PMS system. Our findings provide a valuable insight for the development of efficient catalysts for PMS activation via metal and nonmetal co-doping, which display a promising application for polluted aquatic environment.

Because of its antibacterial properties, wormwood can be used in the production of nanobiomaterials. In this paper, each stage of the production process of wormwood viscose fiber and flax fiber was determined. The carbon emission of each stage of the production process of 1 ton wormwood viscose fiber and flax fiber was analyzed by GaBi software, and the environmental impact of the production process was evaluated by using the CML2001 method provided by the software. The results showed that a total of 1690.04 kg of carbon dioxide was emitted in the production of 1 ton of wormwood viscose fiber, 60% in the preparation stage, 36.36% in the acid bath stage and 3.64% in the treatment stage. A total of 1541.41 kg of carbon dioxide was emitted in the production of 1 ton of flax fiber, with the pretreatment stage accounting for 39.95% of the total amount, the alkali cooking stage accounting for 50.06% of the total amount, and the pickling stage accounting for 9.99% of the total amount. The results can provide support for the production of antibacterial nanofibers.

Although rapid progress has been made in tin-based perovskite solar cells (PSCs), the inferior film qualities of the solution-processed perovskites always lead to poor reproducibility and instabili...