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A novel hemicucurbituril-based macrocycle, alternately consisting of amidobenzene and 2-imidazolidione moieties was designed and synthesized. Based on the fragment coupling strategy, nitrobenzene-containing hemicucurbituril was firstly prepared facilely under alkaline environment, and reduction of the nitro groups produced the desired amidobenzene-containing hemicucurbituril. As an original fluorescent chemosensor, it exhibited strong interactions with Fe3+ over other metal cations. The experimental evidence of fluorescence spectra suggested that a 1:1 complex was formed between this macrocycle and Fe3+ with an association constant up to (2.1 ± 0.3) × 104 M−1. Meanwhile, this macrocycle showed no obvious or only slight enhancement of the fluorescence intensity with selected anions.

A supramolecular chiral electrode was constructed by layer-by-layer assembly of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and an S-chiral multifarene [3,2,1] (S-CMF) on the surface of a glassy carbon electrode, which was applied for the electroreduction of acetophenone. The host-guest encapsulation of the substrate within the chiral cavity was confirmed by 1H NMR, fluorescence titration, and molecular simulation. The composite on the electrode surface was characterized by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Optimization of the electrolysis process was performed to give a high yield of 70.9% and high enantioselectivity of 63.9% ee, which exhibited superior reactivity to the previously reported materials. The repeatability of the experiment was tested via five separate experiments and indicated consistent stability, recyclability, and reusability of the novel chiral electrode. The proposed mechanism involved supramolecular encapsulation, two single-electron transfer steps, and proton addition. The chiral electroorganic reduction was extended to more substrates to provide successful yields and enantioselectivity.

A supramolecular strategy was developed for electrocatalytic water splitting in the presence of a macrocyclic compound. The improvement in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) was observed on the surface of an electrode modified via the facile layer-by-layer assembly of polypyrrole (PPy), reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and cucurbit[6]uril (Q[6]) in sequence. The electrochemical performance was evaluated, and the results indicate the remarkable activity of the proposed supramolecular electrocatalyst toward the OER in alkaline media. The morphology and chemical structure of the electrocatalyst were estimated before and after the OER process. Linear sweep voltammetry measurements suggested that a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 377 mV was achieved, which is very close to the value of IrO2 under the same conditions, and the calculated Tafel slope of 167 mV dec−1 and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results imply that a fast charge transfer occurs on the electrode with the functionalization of Q[6]. The developed catalyst could be considered as a potential alternative material for high-efficiency electrocatalytic OER.

In this study, nanostructured pyramidal black silicon is prepared by metal assisted chemical etching method, in which the silver nitrate (AgNO3) is used as the metal catalyst. Effects of the concentration of AgNO3 on passivation and optical properties of the black silicon are investigated. The experimental results show that at the AgNO3 concentration of 0.03 M, the nanostructure length is about 300 nm, and the reflectance of the black silicon with a stack of silicon nitride (SiNx) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) is 0.8%, which is comparable to that of the conventional black silicon with micrometer-long nanowires. In addition, an acceptably low surface recombination rate of 42 cm/s can be obtained. Plasma chemical vapor deposited SiNx is deposited well on the top of nanostructures of black silicon, but shows poor coverage at the bottom region. Spatial atomic layer deposited Al2O3 can conformally cover the nanostructures with high passivation quality. Simulation result indicates an improvement of 5.5% of conversion efficiency for the nanostructured pyramidal black silicon solar cell compared to industrial silicon solar cell. The short nanostructured pyramidal surface with low reflectance and high passivation is expected to be helpful for black silicon technology applied to photovoltaic applications.

Modified curcumin, which has the advantages of low toxicity, high solubility, and little color change after modification, is very suitable for nonaqueous supercritical carbon dioxide cotton dyeing. However, the existing curcumin modification technology focuses on improving its solubility. Modified curcumin is directly adsorbed onto cotton fabrics, and the main interaction forces are van der Waals forces, which causes the poor fastness of modified curcumin to dyed cotton fabrics. In this study, reactive groups (hydroxyalkyls) were introduced into curcumin to enhance its fastness to cotton fabrics. The results showed that, similar to alkyl groups, hydroxyalkyl groups can enhance the color depth of dyed cotton fabrics by elevating the solubility of modified curcumin in supercritical carbon dioxide. The higher the solubility of modified curcumin in supercritical carbon dioxide was, the higher the K/S value of the dyed cotton fabric. Furthermore, the hydroxyl groups on the modified curcumin could form ether bonds with the hydroxyl groups on cotton fabrics. Therefore, the washing and rubbing fastness of hydroxyalkyl-curcumin-dyed cotton fabric was better than that of alkyl-curcumin-dyed cotton fabric.

Paeoniforin (Pae) is a monoterpenoid glycoside compound and has many biological activities, such as immunosuppression, anti-inflammation and anti-cell proliferation. However, the effects and mechanisms of Pae on chronic heart failure (CHF) remain unclear. This study was conducted to assess the effects and mechanisms of Pae on myocardial fbrosis in isoprenaline (Iso)-induced CHF rats. Pae (20 mg/kg) was intragastrically administrated to CHF rats for 6 weeks. Cardiac structure and function were assessed. The protein and mRNA levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and p38 were detected. Compared to Iso group, Pae could alleviate myocardial fibrosis and improve cardiac function in CHF rats. The levels of collagen volume fraction (13.75%±3.77% vs. 30.97%±4.22%, P

An electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on a benzo[3]uril-modified glassy carbon electrode with sensitized luminescence, with the coexistence of 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) as the coreactant, was successfully constructed. The sensitization mechanism was proposed by analyzing the results of the control experiments for establishing the relationship of the luminescence effect with the concentration of HEPES. Under the optimized conditions, the fabricated sensor system was applied for the detection of Fe3+ in an aqueous solution with good sensitivity and selectivity. A low detection limit of 0.41 nM was achieved, indicating superior sensor performance over the previous analytical methods. The ECL sensor system was employed for the detection of Fe3+ in human serum samples to produce excellent recoveries ranging from 96.17% to 101.81%.

Aim: Adropin (ADR) is a novel regulatory polypeptide and has important effects on energy metabolism in the heart. However, it is still unclear whether ADR can relieve ventricular remodeling in DCM. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the effect of ADR on myocardial fibrosis in DCM rats.Materials and Methods: Twenty Wistar rats were randomly assigned into four groups: healthy control group (CON), DCM model group (DCM), DCM model treated with ADR group (ADR) and DCM model treated with perindopril group (PER). Collagen volume fraction (CVF) and perivascular collagen area (PVCA) were calculated. Diastolic function was assessed by echocardiography. The mitochondrial membrane potential assay was conducted by Rhodamine 123 staining. The protein expression levels of Col I, Col III, Mitofusin-1, Mitofusin-2 and Drp1 were evaluated using western blot.Results: Compared to CON group, CVF, PVCA and the relative protein expression of Col I, Col III and Drp1 increased in DCM group. And the relative expression of Mitofusin-1 and Mitofusin-2 proteins decreased. During our investigations, CVF, PVCA and the relative protein expression of Col I, Col III and Drp1 decreased in ADR treated rats compared to DCM group. The diastolic function was elevated in ADR group. The fluorescence of Rhodamine 123 and the expression of Mitofusin-1 and Mitofusin-2 also increased in ADR group.Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that ADR could alleviate myocardial fibrosis and improve diastolic function in DCM rats. ADR may be a putative candidate for the treatment of DCM.

Electrochemical sensing is a promising analytic method with its advantages, such as low cost, fast response, simple operation, high accuracy, low detection limit and so on. With the rapid development of electroanalysis, various modified electrodes were synthesized for constructing different kinds of electrochemical sensors on purpose. Macrocyclic compounds with their superior supramolecular recognition properties have aroused the research interest, as they can be used as modifiers for enhancing the sensitivity and selectivity of electrodes. All five classic macrocyclic compounds, which are crown ethers, cyclodextrins, calixarenes, cucurbiturils, and pillararenes, have been employed as receptors for electrochemical sensors, and these macrocycles have led to a wilder detection range, a lower detection limit, and superior ability of anti-interferences against coexisting ions or molecules. The macrocycles modified electrodes have shown greater sensitivity and selectivity in detection. Therefore, this review focuses on the results of the studies published in recent 8 years on macrocycles improved electrochemical sensing. In this review, the recent development of functionalization of macrocyclic compounds including crown ethers, cyclodextrins, calixarenes, cucurbiturils, pillararenes, on electrochemical sensors has been summarized.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac remodeling is an important mechanism for the occurrence and development of chronic heart failure (CHF). Paeoniflorin (Pae) is the main active ingredient of Chinese herbaceous peony and has novel anti-inflammatory effect. This study was conducted to assess the effects and mechanisms of Pae on cardiac remodeling in CHF rats. METHODS: A cardiac remodeling rat model was induced by isoprenaline (Iso). Pae (20 µg/kg/d) was administrated to CHF rats for six weeks. Cardiac ultrasound was used to assess the structure and function of CHF rats. Collagen volume fraction (CVF) and perivascular collagen volume area of myocardial tissues were calculated. With real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, the protein and mRNA levels of transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and Smad3 were detected. RESULTS: Compared to Iso group, Pae can alleviate cardiac remodeling and improve cardiac function in CHF rats. The levels of CVF and perivascular collagen volume area reduced in Pae group (P

Photocatalysis is a widely used and environmental technology for the dye pollutant degradation. Recently, HHSS, a novel porous silica material, has shown a great potential to be photocatalyst carrier. In this work, Ag3PO4/HHSS for the photocatalytic degradation of Methyl orange (MO) have been prepared through a facile and in-situ precipitation strategy. Structural characterizations reveal that, compared to original particles, ultrafine Ag3PO4 NPs (˜4 nm) are highly dispersed on HHSS because of the inimitable structure of HHSS consisting of small hollow sphere@ large hollow sphere. Owing to its unique hollow structure and large specific surface area, the photodegradation performance of 20% Ag3PO4/HHSS under visible light (λ > 420 nm) is much better than pure Ag3PO4, which reaches to 96% after being irradiated for 12 min. Furthermore, Ag3PO4/HHSS owns super photocatalytic stability after four consecutive rounds. In addition, the costs of the composite photocatalysts are also reduced because the addition of HHSS decreases the usage of silver.

In current manuscript, a Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor based on HfGdON/Ge gate stacks with an ALD-driven passivation layer has been fabricated, and its interfacial and electrical properties are compared with those of its counterparts that have not undergone passivation treatment. Electrical analyses revealed that the HfGdON/Al2O3/Ge MOS device exhibits improved performance, including larger permittivity, negligible hysteresis, reduced flat band voltage, good capacitance–voltage behavior, and lower interface state and border trapped oxide charge density. All of these improvements can be ascribed to the suppressed growth of unstable Ge oxides, thus reducing the defective states at or near the HfGdON/Ge interface and improving the interface quality. In addition, detailed analyses of the current conduction mechanisms (CCMs) for Ge MOS capacitors with different passivation treatment were investigated systematically.

Background and aims Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a new infectious disease. To reveal the hepatic injury related to this disease and its clinical significance, we conducted a multicenter retrospective cohort study that included 5,771 adult patients with COVID-19 pneumonia in Hubei Province. Approach and results We reported the distributional and temporal patterns of liver injury indicators in these patients and determined their associated factors and death risk. Longitudinal liver function tests were retrospectively analyzed and correlated with the risk factors and death. Liver injury dynamic patterns differed in alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and total bilirubin (TBIL). AST elevated first, followed by ALT, in severe patients. ALP modestly increased during hospitalization and largely remained in the normal range. The fluctuation in TBIL levels was mild in the non-severe and the severe groups. AST abnormality was associated with the highest mortality risk compared with the other indicators of liver injury during hospitalization. Common factors associated with elevated liver injury indicators were lymphocyte count decrease, neutrophil count increase, and male gender. Conclusion The dynamic patterns of liver injury indicators and their potential risk factors may provide an important explanation for the COVID-19-associated liver injury. Because elevated liver injury indicators, particularly AST, are strongly associated with the mortality risk, our study indicates that these parameters should be monitored during hospitalization.

The pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is related to the inhibition of osteoblast differentiation. Exosomes secreted from RA fibroblast-like synoviocytes (RA-FLSs-exos) are associated with the pathogenesis of RA and microRNAs (miRNAs) being crucial for RA progression. Accordingly, the aim of the present study is to elucidate the effect of RA-FLS-derived exosomes on osteoblast differentiation and further identify exosomal cargos responsible for this effect. RA-FLSs were isolated from a RA patient and osteoblasts from the donor bone. Isolated RA-FLSs-exos were co-cultured with osteoblasts. Osteoblast differentiation was evaluated by ALP quantification assays, Alizarin Red S staining, and determining markers of osteoblast activity (Osx, OC, Col1a1 and Dlx2). Collagen induced arthritis (CIA)-induced mouse models were established. RA-FLSs-exo could be phagocytosed by osteoblasts. Elevating the expression of miR-486-5p in RA-FLSs-exo promoted osteoblast differentiation. miR-486-5p targeted Tob1 and activated the BMP/Smad signaling pathway in osteoblasts. In addition, RA-FLSs-exo containing miR-486-5p facilitated osteoblast differentiation by activating the BMP/Smad signaling pathway and repressing Tob1. Moreover, RA-FLSs-exo containing miR-486-5p alleviated the disease severity of RA by decreasing Tob1 expression in CIA-induced mice. To sum up, RA-FLSs-exo carrying miR-486-5p serve as a promoter for osteoblast differentiation in RA, ultimately highlighting a promising competitive new target for RA treatment.

Objective: To discuss the clinical effect and safety evaluation of laparoscopic nephron sparing surgery (LNSS) under selective segmental renal artery clamping (SSRAC) and main renal artery clamping (MRAC). Methods: Eighty-four patients with T1 localized renal tumors who were admitted and treated from October 2017 to October 2018 were retrospectively analyzed, and they were classified into the S group (42 patients) and M group (42 patients). The patients in the S group received LNSS under SSRAC, while the patients in the M group received LNSS under MRAC. The duration of the operation, amount of intraoperative blood loss, intraoperative warm ischemia time, duration of postoperative hospital stay and positive rate of incisal edge; the serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen values before and after the operation; and the occurrence rates of intraoperative and postoperative complications were compared. Results: All operations were completed smoothly. No patients had a positive incisal edge, and no patients were converted to MRAC during the operation. The duration of the operation and the amount of intraoperative blood loss increased in the S group compared with the M group. The differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). The differences in serum creatinine (SCr) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) in both groups before the operation had no statistical significance (P >0.05). The SCr and BUN levels significantly increased 1 d and 1 m after the operation. The SCr and BUN levels 1 d and 1 m after the operation were significantly lower in the S group than in the M group, and the differences were statistically significant (P 0.05). Conclusion: SSRAC is a new renal artery clamping technology, and its curative effect on LNSS patients is significant. In addition, SSRAC has high safety and little influence on renal functions. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.1505 How to cite this:Liu YH, Dai HT, Liu CM, Wang ZY, Zheng J. Comparative study on the curative effect of laparoscopic nephron sparing surgery and renal functions under selective segmental renal artery clamping and main renal artery clamping. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(2):121-125. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.1505 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

The mechanism of compound bursting behaviors of a forced Mathieu-van der Pol-Duffing system is explored. Four compound bursting types and one typical relaxation oscillation, i.e., compound “Homoclinic/Homoclinic” bursting, compound “fold/fold-cycle” bursting, compound “subHopf/fold-cycle” bursting via “fold/fold” hysteresis loop, compound “supHopf/supHopf” bursting via “fold/fold” hysteresis loop and “fold/fold” bursting, are investigated. We find that different parameter values result in different repetitive spiking states, which lead to different bursting patterns. Our research provides more possible routes to compound bursting dynamics, and strengthens a better understanding of the compound bursting behaviors.

With a facile preparation for graphitic carbon nitride quantum dots (g-C3N4 QDs), an ultrasensitive photoelectrochemical (PEC) sensor was developed with the supramolecular affinity of chiral multifarene[3,2,1] (CMF) to a hormone drug, thyroxine (T4), for efficient identification of thyroxine enantiomers. In the principle that g-C3N4 QDs was employed to achieve the photocurrent response and the macrocyclic compound served as the supramolecular enantiorecognition for thyroxine, the photoelectrochemical electrode was constructed by layer-by-layer assembly of g-C3N4 QDs and CMF on the surface of ITO (ITO-g-C3N4-CMF QDs). The proposed PEC sensor produced the limits of detection low to 67 pM towards L-T4 and 85 pM towards D-T4 in a concentration range from 0.1 nM to 10 nM, which was superior to the values in pioneering reports with colorimetric or electrochemical methods. With good stability, reproducibility, repeatability anti-interference ability, and acceptable recoveries, the proposed PEC sensor was employed for quantitative determination of L/D-T4 in water, human serum and commercial tablet.

A novel chiral sensor was developed to produce the distinguishing response to the enantiomers of tyrosine (Tyr), with high sensitivity and selectivity. The electrochemical sensor was modified by the inorganic-organic nanohybrid material with the functionalization of reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to be the amplifier and a chiral hetero-multifarene[3,2,1] (CHMF[3,2,1]) as the chiral receptor. The as-prepared rGO-CHMF was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscope (AFM), infrared spectroscopy (IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy and electrochemical methods. It was observed that the composites exhibited different binding ability for Tyr enantiomers. The proposed sensor presented significant difference with peak potential separation value (ΔEp = 70 mV) and the ratio of peak current (IL-Tyr/ID-Tyr = 1.58) for Tyr enantiomers by differential pulse voltammetry. In addition, the peak currents increased linearly with the concentration of Tyr enantiomers in the concentration range 0.1–10 μM with detection limits of 78 nM and 83 nM for l -Tyr and d -Tyr (S/N = 3), respectively. It also exhibited the ability to determine the percentage of one Tyr enantiomer in the racemic mixture. Moreover, the selectivity, reproducibility, and stability of the chiral sensor were investigated to give satisfactory results. The above discoveries offered an alternative technology for chiral recognition with electrochemical response to actualize a real-time and quantitative determination.

In this article, the effect of annealing temperature on the electronic structure and interface chemistry of HfAlO/Ge gate stack grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have been investigated systematically. Based on characterization from x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the evolution of electronic structure and interface chemistry of HfAlO/Ge gate stacks as functions of annealing temperature been detected. With increasing the annealing temperature from 500 to 600 °C, crystallization of HfAlO gate dielectrics has been observed. Annealing the samples on 700 °C leads to the reduction of HfAlO component and the formation of Al 2 O 3 , which brings about the improved interface stability. The optimized interface chemistry related to annealing temperature indicates the potential application for HfAlO gate dielectrics in future Ge-based microelectronic device.

Uncovering energy absorption and surface effects of various penetrating velocities on laminar structures is essential for designing protective structures. In this study, both quasi-static and dynamic penetration tests were systematical conducted on the front surfaces of metal sheets coated with a graphene oxide (GO) solution and other media. The addition of a GO fluid film to the front impact surface aided in increasing the penetration strength, improving the failure extension and dissipating additional energy under a wide-range of indentation velocity, from 3.33 × 10−5 m/s to 4.42 m/s. The coated -surfaces improved the specific energy dissipation by approximately 15~40% relative to the dry-contact configuration for both single-layer and double-layer configurations, and specific energy dissipations of double-layer configurations were 20~30% higher than those of the single-layer configurations. This treatment provides a facile strategy in changing the contact state for improving the failure load and dissipate additional energy.

To investigate the feasibility of using corncob charcoal substrate in constructed wetlands, four laboratory-scale vertical flow constructed wetlands (VFCWs) were built. Effluent pollutant (chemical oxygen demand (COD), NH4+-N, total phosphorus (TP)) concentrations during the experiment were determined to reveal pollutant removal mechanisms and efficiencies at different stages. In the stable stage, a VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration attained higher COD (95.1%), and NH4+-N (95.1%) removal efficiencies than a VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate (91.5% COD, 91.3% NH4+-N) under aeration, but lower TP removal efficiency (clay ceramisite 32.0% and corncob charcoal 40.0%). The VFCW with raw corncob substrate showed stronger COD emissions (maximum concentration 3,108 mg/L) than the corncob charcoal substrate (COD was lower than influent). The VFCW using corncob charcoal substrate performed much better than the VFCW using clay ceramisite substrate under aeration when the C/N ratio was low (C/N = 1.5, TN removal efficiency 36.89%, 4.1% respectively). These results suggest that corncob charcoal is a potential substrate in VFCWs under aeration with a unique self –supplying carbon source property in the denitrification process.

A three-dimensional crystal plasticity finite element method (3D CPFEM) modelling of a real equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) process for investigating the mechanical properties and texture evolutions of single-crystal aluminium has been developed for the first time. The challenge of modelling such a severe plastic deformation via 3D CPFEM is how to accurately predict the deformation mechanism under the complicated contact conditions between a billet and a die. The validation by comparison with experimental observations demonstrates that the developed 3D CPFEM ECAP model is able to precisely capture the deformation characteristics at the microscale. Furthermore, this research clarified the previously remaining disputes such as the microstructural formation mechanism in the deformed area and the deformation nature in the plastic deformation zone. It is also the first time to extensively discuss the orientation-dependent deformation feature of the ECAP-processed billets, including morphology, la...

This paper presents the synthesis of a novel core–shell covalently functionalized Fe3O4 coated SiO2 decorated graphene oxides (Fe3O4@SiO2–GO) adsorbent. The prepared Fe3O4@SiO2–GO was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectrum, X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and magnetic measurements. And the adsorption properties of the Fe3O4@SiO2–GO toward malachite green were systematically investigated. Various factors possibly affecting the adsorption behavior (initial concentration, contact time, and adsorbent dosage) were also studied in detail. The adsorption capacity (qm) of Fe3O4@SiO2–GO for malachite green was found to be 265.87 mg/g with best fit to Langmuir isotherm (R 2 = 0.968), and the adsorption mechanism follows the pseudo-second-order model (R 2 = 0.981). The results indicate that the Fe3O4@SiO2–GO adsorbent, which is easily separated via an external magnetic field, is a potential low-cost effective material for malachite green removal from contaminated water.

A novel magnetic biochar from sewage sludge (MSBC) using SrFe12O19 as magnetic substrate was successfully synthesized under high-temperature and oxygen-free conditions. Several techniques and methodologies (X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and vibrating sample magnetometer) were used to determine the surface functional groups and physicochemical properties of MSBC, which showed that the MSBC combined the features of both SrFe12O19 and sludge biochar (SBC). And then the adsorption behavior of methyl orange (MO) from aqueous solution onto the MSBC was investigated. And the influence of variables including pH, initial concentration of MO, adsorbent dosage and contact time was studied in detail. The optimal adsorption amount of MO (149.18 mg·g−1) was obtained with 600 MO mg·L−1, 2 MSBC g·L−1, at pH of 5 for 40 min. The equilibrium data were evaluated using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. The Langmuir model better described the absorption of MO. Besides, the kinetic data were analyzed using pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order equations, and the pseudo-second order exhibited the better fit for the kinetic studies (R2 = 0.9982). This study showed that MSBC could be utilized as an efficient, magnetically separable adsorbent for the environmental cleanup.

Ca2B2O5·H2O:Tb3+ hierarchical micro–nanostructures were synthesized using a facile hydrothermal method at 220 °C with addition of sodium hydroxide. The effects of sodium hydroxide, temperature and reaction time on the crystal structures and morphologies of the samples were explored. The results showed that these parameters play an important role in the dissolution–recrystallization controllable growth process, and the formation of the product was a result of the competition between NaOH and Ca2+ or boric acid. We also investigated the influence of the morphology and crystalline phase on the photoluminescence of Tb3+ ions in the borate micro–nanostructures. It has been found that the energy was first absorbed by the host of the borate crystal lattice and then transferred to Tb3+ leading to PL emission.

Nephropathy develops in many patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). However, the specific mechanisms and therapies remain unclear. For this purpose we investigated the effects of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) on renal fibrosis in streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic rats and its underlying mechanisms. Experimental rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control group (normal rats), DM group (diabetes rats), DM + NaHS group [diabetes rats treated with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS)], and NaHS group (normal rats treated with NaHS). The diabetic models were established by intraperitoneal injection of STZ. The NaHS-treated rats were injected with NaHS as an exogenous donor of H2S. At the same time, control group and DM group were administrated with equal doses of normal saline (NS). After eight weeks, the rats' urine samples were collected to measure the renal hydroxyproline content by basic hydrolysis method with a hydroxyproline detection kit. Collagen I and III content was detected by immunohistochemical method, and the pathology morphology of kidney was analyzed by Masson staining. Protein expressions of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1), ERK1/2, TIMP1, TIMP2, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-11, and MMP-14 were assessed by western blotting. The results showed that significant fibrosis occurred in the kidney of diabetes rats. NaHS treatment downregulated TGF-β1, ERK1/2, TIMP1, TIMP2, MMP-2, MMP-7, MMP-8, MMP-11, and MMP-14 expressions in the kidney of these diabetes rats (p

Background: The effect of triptolide (TPL) on cardiac fibroblasts (CFbs) and cardiac fibrosis remain unknown till now. This study was conducted to explore the effects of TPL on proliferation and apoptosis of angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced CFbs. Materials and Methods: Ang II was used to promote proliferation of CFbs. Two dosages of TPL (10ng/ml and 100ng/ml) were chosen. MTT assay was used to detect cell survival rate in vitro. Flow cytometer was performed to analyze apoptosis of CFbs. Hydroxyproline concentration was detected with hydroxyproline assay kit. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to detect the expression of TGF-􀈕􀀔􀀃􀁄􀁑􀁇􀀃􀀶􀁐􀁄􀁇􀀖 mRNA. Results: Ang II promoted CFbs proliferation significantly. Compared to Ang II group, TPL markedly reduced the viability of CFbs and its Hydroxyproline concentration (P

In this study, needle-like and pyramidal hybrid black silicon structures were prepared by performing metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE) on alkaline-etched silicon wafers. Effects of the MACE time on properties of the black silicon wafers were investigated. The experimental results showed that a minimal reflectance of 4.6% can be achieved at the MACE time of 9 min. The height of the nanostructures is below 500 nm, unlike the height of micrometers needed to reach the same level of reflectance for the black silicon on planar wafers. A stacked layer of silicon nitride (SiNx) grown by inductively-coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3) by spatial atomic layer deposition was deposited on the black silicon wafers for passivation and antireflection. The 3 min MACE etched black silicon wafer with a nanostructure height of less than 300 nm passivated by the SiNx/Al2O3 layer showed a low surface recombination rate of 43.6 cm/s. Further optimizing the thickness of ICPCVD-SiNx layer led to a reflectance of 1.4%. The hybrid black silicon with a small nanostructure size, low reflectance, and low surface recombination rate demonstrates great potential for applications in optoelectronic devices.

Phosphates are essential for modern metabolisms. A recent study reported a phosphate-free metabolic network and suggested that thioesters, rather than phosphates, could alleviate thermodynamic bottlenecks of network expansion. As a result, it was considered that a phosphorus-independent metabolism could exist before the phosphate-based genetic coding system. To explore the origin of phosphorus-dependent metabolism, the present study constructs a protometabolic network that contains phosphates prebiotically available using computational systems biology approaches. It is found that some primitive phosphorylated intermediates could greatly alleviate thermodynamic bottlenecks of network expansion. Moreover, the phosphorus-dependent metabolic network exhibits several ancient features. Taken together, it is concluded that phosphates played a role as important as that of thioesters during the origin and evolution of metabolism. Both phosphorus and sulfur are speculated to be critical to the origin of life.

The progress of chiral electroorganic chemistry, an emerging field in asymmetric organic synthesis and electrocatalysis, is summarized in this work. In recent years, with the intensive research of asymmetric organic synthesis and the rapid development of electrocatalytic organic synthesis, asymmetric electrochemical reactions have attracted the attention of researchers. The use of electrochemical methods is propitious to the controllability of product, and greenness, sustainability, repeatability of the process to synthesize enantiomers. From the organic chemical point of view, this review highlighted the reaction types with various electrochemical strategies, that is, the applications of electroreduction, electrooxidation, and electrochemical chiral resolution, respectively, for classified asymmetric electrosynthesis, and a longitudinal discussion is also conducted in each type of electroorganic reactions in different enantioselective strategies. This summary provides deep and systemic insights on the application of electrochemical methods in asymmetric organic synthesis.

Fluorescence and electrochemical response of multifarene[3,3](S) to serotonin hydrochloride and its quantitative measurement by hybridization on the surface of reduced graphene oxide were investigated. The fluorescence titration suggested the formation of host–guest complex in a radio of 1:1, and the moderate association constants of (1.7 ± 0.3) × 104 M (in DMSO) and (2.7 ± 0.2) × 104 M (in water) were obtained by non-linear curve fitting, which implied the supramolecular interaction could be irrelevant to the species of solvents. Furthermore, the hybridization of multifarene[3,3](S) with reduced graphene oxide improved the response to serotonin hydrochloride in both fluorescence and voltammetry, which was employed to realize the quantitative analysis for the drug, and a low limit of detection of 3.9 × 10−7 M was found for determination in the real simple of human serum.

Porous carriers play an important role in the catalytic transformation of syngas into higher alcohols, which promises higher sustainability in C1 chemistry. In this work, a series of hierarchical hollow silica spheres (HHSS) supported Cu-Fe bimetal catalysts were successfully prepared through ultrasonic-assisted impregnation for higher alcohols synthesis from syngas. Structural characterization results indicate that the hierarchical hollow structure of HHSS support can be maintained and the Cu-Fe bimetallic nanoparticles are highly dispersed on HHSS surface. The catalytic performances of samples in the test of CO hydrogenation for higher alcohols synthesis were investigated. The results revealed that the conversion rate of CO and the selectivity of C2+OH alcohol increased first and then decreased with the decrease of the amount of Cu content in the CuxFey@HHSS catalyst. The highest CO conversion, alcohol selectivity and STYROH over Cu-Fe@HHSS catalyst are 65.1 %, 46.6 %, and 118.1 gkg−1 h−1, respectively. It was found that a large number of CuFe2O4 were formed in Cu-Fe@HHSS catalyst and also confirmed that the CuFe2O4 spinel and CuO-CuFe2O4 were converted to Cu-Fe5C2 composite in the spent Cu-Fe@HHSS catalyst, which can enhance the synergy between Cu-Fe bimetals. Furthermore, copper and iron are highly dispersed on HHSS after the reaction, which enhances the structural stability of the catalyst. Based on the development and utilization of low-cost catalysts and the production of clean liquid fuels, HHSS has a great prospect of catalyst support in the energy field.

Effect of Al 2 O 3 incorporation on the electrical properties and carrier transportation of atomic-layer-deposited (ALD) HfAlO high-k gate dielectrics on Si substrates have been investigated. Electrical analyses indicate that interfacial properties of HfAlO/Si gate stack have been improved and leakage current is reduced after Al 2 O 3 incorporation into HfO 2 . Additionally, the HfAlO sample with precursor ratio (TEMAH: TMA) of 4:2 exhibits the lowest interface state density ( D it ) of 3.6 × 10 11 cm −2 eV −1 , the lowest border trapped oxide charge density (N bt ) of 2.4 × 10 11 cm −2 , the lower density of oxide charge (Q ox ) of 0.9 × 10 12 cm −2 , and the lowest frequency dispersion of 0.15%. In addition, the carrier transportation mechanism for both HfO 2 and HfAlO has been investigated systematically. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that Poole-Frenkle (P–F) emission is main conduction mechanism at the low electric field, and direct tunneling (D-T) dominates the conduction mechanism at the high field, respectively.

Purpose To investigate whether intracavernosal injection of short hairpin RNA for IGFBP-3 could improve erectile function in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Materials and methods After 12 weeks of IGFBP-3 short hairpin RNA injection treatment, intracavernous pressure responses to electrical stimulation of cavernous nerves were evaluated. The expression of IGFBP-3 and IGF-1 at mRNA and protein levels were detected by quantitative real-time PCR analysis and Western blot, respectively. The concentration of cavernous cyclic guanosine monophosphate was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results At 12 weeks after intracavernous administration of IGFBP-3 shRNA, the cavernosal pressure was significantly increased in response to the cavernous nerves stimulation compared to the diabetic group (P

A crystal plasticity finite-element (CPFE) constitutive model is developed to investigate the mechanical properties and microtexture evolution of torsion-processed single-crystal copper by indentation modelling. The mesh-to-mesh solution (mapping) is used during modelling to bridge the gap between two different processes (torsion and indentation) and integrate them. The parameters for CPFE modelling are validated by comparison with experimental observations. The numerical results indicate that linearly increased effective strain along the radius of the torsion-processed single-crystal copper workpiece may slightly improve its radical hardness and ductility, while grain refinement will enhance its radical hardness and ductility significantly.

Lanthanide rare-earth (RE) based upconversion nanocrystals (UCNCs) have the ability to generate visible emission as well as a wide range of applications under near-infrared excitation. However, each lanthanide ion has a unique set of energy levels and generally exhibits a set of sharp emission peaks. Nowadays, it is very important to finely tune the upconversion (UC) properties through controlling the particle size, crystalline phase and shape of UCNCs. Herein, we reported the systematic synthesis and fine control of monodisperse rare-earth doped fluoride and oxyfluoride nanocrystals (NCs) in the same reaction system. When the ratios of oleic acid (OA) to oleylamine (OM) decreased from 4 : 1 to 3 : 8, the shapes of NCs changed from rhombic nanoplates to small spherical nanoparticles (~2 nm), while the crystalline phases changed from the orthorhombic phase (YF3) to the tetragonal phase (YOF). Furthermore, it is interesting to observe that the emission color changed from green to red with the transformation of both the crystalline phase and shape, which can broaden the applications of rare-earth based nanomaterials ranging from displays to bioimaging.

When the width of the on-line coal analyzer and the yield of the D-T neutron generator both meet the requirements, the neutron radiation dose shielded by any hydrogen-rich material is higher than the acceptable maximum dose for radiation worker (0.01 mSv/h). To decrease the neutron radiation dose, the double-layer material composed of copper-nickel alloy and boron-polyethylene is used in the analyzer. When the alloy is 41 cm thick, boron-polyethylene is 14 cm thick, the concentration of nickel is 20.00 % and the concentration of boron is 1.00 %, the neutron radiation dose is 0.0086 mSv/h.

In this work, we systematically investigated the effects of rapid thermal annealing on the interfacial and electrical properties, as well as band offsets of sputtering-derived Gd-doped HfO 2 film on Si substrate. The results indicate that annealing temperature has little effect on the interfacial properties of Gd-doped HfO 2 thin films, and the main component of interfacial layer is silicate without any silicide. Moreover, heat treatment can effectively improve the C–V characteristics of the samples, such as the increase of effective permittivity, reduction in ΔV fb and no obvious frequency dispersion. However, the increase of annealing temperature leads to the increase of leakage current density of Al/Gd-doped HfO 2 /Si MOS capacitor due to the decrease of the conduction band offset (ΔEc) and further crystallization of the samples. These investigation results might provide the guidance for the performance optimization of high k gated dielectrics to meet the requirements of future complementary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices.

The composites of benzo[6]uril-hybridized graphene oxide were realized with the full characterization of atomic force microscopy (AFM), Infrared spectroscopy (IR), and Raman spectroscopy, which exhibited dramatical improvement of the fluorescence response to the supramolecular interactions of umbelliferones with the macrocyclic compounds to produce the ternary supramolecular hybrid materials, and the host-guest interactions were evidenced with 1H NMR, fluorescence titrations, and molecular simulations to confirm the encapsulation of the umbelliferone guests within the cavities of the macrocyclic hosts. The supramolecular materials were applied for quantitative determination for diquat to give the limits of detection of 3.4 × 10−7 mol L−1 and 5.0 × 10−7 mol L−1, respectively, with high selectivity in coexistence of other bipyridyl interferences including 2,2′-bipyridine, 4,4′-bipyridine, and methyl viologen in aqueous solutions.

The chem-sensors, based on the triazole-CH2-anthracene-functionalized multifarene[2,2] were successfully synthesized, which could efficiently and rapidly detect 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP). The high specificities of the proposed macrocyclic sensors were achieved by selective response for TNP in the existence of other competing phenolic compounds, and the limits of detection in ∼10−8 mol/L range were produced to confirm the high sensitivities of the chem-sensors, which could be attributed to the mechanism of electron and resonance energy transfer processes in the complexes with the supramolecular interactions. 1H NMR titration analysis revealed the actual binding position should be the triazole rings of sensors with the hydroxyl group on TNP to offer a hydrogen bonding. The extraordinary sensing properties endued the compounds as sensitive fluorometric chem-sensors for the potential application of TNP detection.

An efficient synthesis of sulfonylguanidines via reaction of tetra-substituted urines with ArSO2NCO has been developed with good yields, which provides a convenient way for synthesis of sulfonyl group protected guanidine from urine in one step.

A novel well-dispersed Pd@HHSS catalyst was synthesized by reduction of Pd(OAc) 2 immobilized on HHSS we reported. When the ratios of Pd/SiO 2 were 5 : 100 and 10 : 100, the Pd nanoparticles size was about 5–10 nm. The Pd@HHSS catalyst (Pd/SiO 2 = 10 : 100) showed high catalytic activity in Suzuki-reaction with yields of 91–99% and the catalyst is reusable after four successive cycles without obvious loss of catalytic activity.

In this paper, we report the fabrication of high density near amorphous InSb nanowire arrays with using 30, 55 and 70 nm diameter anodic alumina oxide (AAO) template by electrodeposition method. The near amorphous structure was proved by combining the results of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Different from the bulk material, these nanowires are black and could not be analyzed by the traditional method, and the reason was discussed. By testing of the photo-electric performance, the 30 nm diameter InSb nanowire showed the best performance, which could be used at about 260 K. The formation of the near amorphous structure was also discussed. Such high density nanoarrays may found potential application in the infrared detection field.

A crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) model has been developed to investigate the indentation size effect (ISE) of aluminium single crystal during nano-indentation. The simulated results have been validated by comparison with experimental observations. The load-hardness curves from simulation are consistent with the experimental results. The mathematic relationship between load and indentation depth has been built to investigate indentation size effect. In addition, the Mises stress, critical resolved shear stress, stress and shear strain rates for a selected element and the lattice curvature have been studied to explain indentation size effect.