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Iron (Fe) chelated by water-soluble humic substances can effectively overcome plant micronutrient deficiencies. However, the traditional synthesis methods are often complex, expensive, and thus not...

Bio-based slow-release fertilizers (SRFs) have drawn significant attention because their applications for crop production can improve nutrient utilization efficiency as well as prevent environmental pollution. However, current commercial SRFs still exhibit uncontrollable release patterns, use a large quantity of synthetic coating materials, and are unable to adapt to complex soil conditions (e.g., arid soil). In this study, a double-layer SRF was formulated from a low-cost lignin–clay nanohybrid composite to not only achieve controllable and slow nitrogen fertilizer release but also improve the water-holding property. The low-cost and hydrophobic lignin–clay nanohybrid was cross-linked with bio-based alginate to prepare the core-layer material, followed by a coating process using a highly water-absorbent polymer poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) to achieve a double-layer SRF. We examined the chemical structures, urea release rates, and water-holding capacities of the double-layer PAA–lignin–clay nanohybrid composite coated SRF (PLC-SRF). The results showed that PLC-SRF released 13–40% less urea and absorbed 23% more water than SRFs coated with only alginate. Its urea release rate is slower than that of previously reported SRFs using other materials. This nanocomposite coating material has great potential for producing a new type of bio-based SRFs that are beneficial to sustainable crop production.

Accurate prediction of molecular properties is important for new compound design, which is a crucial step in drug discovery. In this paper, molecular graph data is utilized for property prediction based on graph convolution neural networks. In addition, a convolution spatial graph embedding layer (C-SGEL) is introduced to retain the spatial connection information on molecules. And, multiple C-SGELs are stacked to construct a convolution spatial graph embedding network (C-SGEN) for end-to-end representation learning. In order to enhance the robustness of the network, molecular fingerprints are also combined with C-SGEN to build a composite model for predicting molecular properties. Our comparative experiments have shown that our method is accurate and achieves the best results on some open benchmark datasets.

The prediction of drug–target affinity (DTA) is a crucial step for drug screening and discovery. In this study, a new graph-based prediction model named SAG-DTA (self-attention graph drug–target affinity) was implemented. Unlike previous graph-based methods, the proposed model utilized self-attention mechanisms on the drug molecular graph to obtain effective representations of drugs for DTA prediction. Features of each atom node in the molecular graph were weighted using an attention score before being aggregated as molecule representation. Various self-attention scoring methods were compared in this study. In addition, two pooing architectures, namely, global and hierarchical architectures, were presented and evaluated on benchmark datasets. Results of comparative experiments on both regression and binary classification tasks showed that SAG-DTA was superior to previous sequence-based or other graph-based methods and exhibited good generalization ability.

Air pollution has been long recognized as a hazardous factor for the human cardiovascular system. Sulfur dioxide $(SO_{2})$ is a common ambient air pollutant that is able to cause detrimental effects on hearts. Though the cardiotoxicity effects by sulfur dioxide were well documented in epidemiological reports, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear owing to the technical limitations that exist in traditional experimental measures. In this article, we developed a multi-scale virtual ventricular tissue, which incorporated electrophysiological activities from subcellular to tissue levels and could provide comprehensive records and insightful mechanisms of the SO 2 induced ventricular arrhythmias. Based on the available cellular and molecular experimental data, our findings provide a rationale at tissue level in support of epidemiologic studies pointing to the deleterious effects of SO 2 pollution on cardiac function.

Although solid-phase activation of lignite using a nanocatalyst has great potential in producing low-cost and sustainable humic acid, the large-scale application of this technology still faces challenges because of the high price and toxicity of the nanocatalyst. Additionally, the specific molecular components of humic acid in activated lignite remain unknown. In this work, a multifunctional molybdate-phosphorus hierarchical hollow nanosphere (Mo-P-HH) catalyst was successfully manufactured by a simple way followed by phosphorization. In comparison with a commercial Pd/C catalyst, the multifunctional Mo-P-HH catalyst was more effective in producing water-soluble humic acid with small molecular functional groups from lignite via solid-phase activation. Moreover, Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry revealed the molecular compositions of humic acid in activated lignite. Compared with that from raw lignite, the humic acid after Mo-P-HH activation had less aromatic structure but higher content of lipids, proteins, amino sugar, and carbohydrates. In addition, the activated humic acid simulated seed germination and seedling growth. Therefore, this study provided a high-performance hierarchical hollow nanocatalyst for activation of humic acid and also offered the theoretical basis for the application of humic acid in agriculture.

Self-healing materials have received increased attention because of their automatic detecting and repairing damage function. In this paper, a novel self-assembly and self-healing bionanocomposite was developed as a coating material for controlled release fertilizers. This nanotechnology-enabled coating is environmentally friendly and highly efficient and possesses a tunable nutrient-releasing characteristic. In the synthesis process, bio-based polyurethane coated urea (BPCU) was prepared by the reaction of bio-polyols with isocyanate. The BPCU was then modified by the layer-by-layer technology to prepare self-assembling modified BPCU (SBPCU). Last, hollow nano-silica (HNS) particles loaded with the sodium alginate (SA) were used to modify SBPCU to fabricate of self-assembling and self-healing BPCU (SSBPCU). The results show that the self-assembled materials were synthesized through electrostatic adsorption. The self-healing was observed through scanning electron microscopy and 3D-X-ray computed tomography, revealing the mechanism was that the repair agent released from HNS reacted with the curing agent to block the pore channels and cracks of the coating. As a result, the SSBPCU exhibited the highest hydrophobicity and surface roughness and thus the slowest release rate. For the first time, this work has designed a novel strategy to solve the bottleneck problem that restricts the development of a controlled-release fertilizer.

Recently, superhydrophobic bio-based coating materials for sustainable and environmentally friendly controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) have drawn much attention. The synthesis procedure of superhydrophobic nanomaterials have developed rapidly, but their applications in coating for superhydrophobic CRFs are still limited to small-scale uses because of the heavy environmental concerns and economic expenses. In this study, a novel one-step process was developed to synthesize nano lauric acid copper using ethyl alcohol and water as solvents. This nanomaterial was not only successfully used to modify bio-polyurethane, derived from castor oil for coating urea fertilizer to improve its release characteristic, but also was coated on different substrates including paper, metal, glass, and non-woven fabrics to make their surfaces superhydrophobic and superoleophilic. Non-woven fabrics and a 100 mesh nylon net coated with this nanomaterials effectively separated crude oil-in water emulsion with an ultrahigh efficiency and reusability. Furthermore, the nanomaterial exhibited excellent antibacterial properties and long-term stability. Overall, this novel nano lauric acid copper is a cost-effective and multifunctional coating material that has many promising applications, including controlled-release and oil/water separation in the future.

Sustainable bio-based coated fertilizers not only reduce nonpoint-source pollution, but also shift dependence away from petroleum-based materials. In this paper, a bio-based polyurethane (BPU) was derived from liquefied cotton straw (LCS) and was used to coat urea prills for a BPU-coated fertilizer (BPCF). Siloxane was incorporated into the BPU for the synthesis of a siloxane modified BPCF (SBPCF). In addition, both siloxane and polyether were used to modify the BPU to prepare a dual-modified BPCF (DBPCF). Various analytical and characterization tools were used to determine the properties (e.g., composition, structure, and morphology) of the BPU and the coating shells. Nutrient release experiments were also conducted to evaluate the nitrogen (N) release characteristics of the coated fertilizers. Structure and morphology analyses and measurements of the water contact angle and water adsorption revealed that the siloxane modification enhanced the hydrophobicity of the coatings of SBPCF and DBPCF to repel water entrance and thus improved the N release characteristics. As evidenced by the composition, structure and morphology analyses, further polyether modification created an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) with the DBPCF coating to fix some of the inactive components that mitigated the rising of micropore number and size in the coating during nutrient release. As a result, the DBPCF showed the best properties and release characteristics. Findings of this work suggest that BPU-coated fertilizers, particularly DBPCF, present promising opportunities to the sustainable development of modern agriculture.

To improve nitrogen (N) use efficiency and minimize environmental pollution caused by fertilizer overuse, novel bio-based large tablet controlled-release urea (LTCRU) was prepared using bio-based coating materials to coat large tablet urea (LTU) derived from urea prills (U). Nano fumed silica (NFS) was added to the bio-based coating materials to improve the slow-release properties. The surface area of the LTU and U was measured by three-dimensional scanning. In comparison to U, LTU had a smaller surface area/weight ratio, which can reduce the coating materials. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the addition of NFS in bio-based coating materials reduced the porosity of the coating shells of LTCRUs and, thus, enhanced the N release longevity of the controlled-released fertilizer. Dependent upon the pores on the coating shells of LTCRU, two N release patterns were revealed. Because of the good release characteristics, the novel LTCRU shows great potential to support sustainable agricultural production.

There is evidence to support that ROSs are increased in Parkinson's disease (PD). Our recent research showed that angiotensin II (Ang II) participated in the pathogenesis of PD by triggering oxidative stress. Angiotensin-(1-7)[Ang-(1-7)] has been shown to moderate the adverse effects of the Ang II in many diseases. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the Ang-(1-7) could have similar effects in CATH.a neurons. We used rotenone-induced neuron injury models to evaluate changes in cultured CATH.a cell lines levels of SOD, GSH and ROS. We also evaluated the expression of AT1, AT2, Mas receptors and Nox1, Nox2, P47phox, Hsp70 in treated with PBS, rotenone, Ang-(1-7), or Mas receptor antagonist A-779, alone and combined. The qRT-PCR and western blot were used to detect mRNA and protein levels of the AT1, AT2, Mas receptors and Nox1, Nox2, P47phox, Hsp70. The levels of SOD and GSH were determined by using commercial kits. The ROS generation was measured by the fluorescent probe assay. Ang-(1-7) in our current study significantly decreased rotenone-induced oxidative damage and increased the SOD and GSH generation. In addition, Ang-(1-7) significantly elevated Mas receptor expression and reduced NADPH oxidase activation, and these effects were completely eliminated by the A-779. Our findings suggest that Ang-(1-7) attenuates rotenone-induced oxidative damage in CATH.a neurons by activating the Mas receptor expression and inhibiting NADPH oxidase.

Previous research into the synthesis of urea-formaldehyde fertilizers was mostly based on orthogonal experimental designs or single factor tests; this led to low precision for synthesis and relatively large ranges of parameters for these processes. To obtain mathematical response models for the synthesis of urea-formaldehyde fertilizers with different nitrogen release properties, a central composite design (CCD) of response surface methodology was used in our research to examine the effects of different reaction times, temperatures, and molar ratios on nitrogen insoluble in either hot or cold water. Our results showed that nitrogen insoluble in cold or hot water from urea-formaldehyde fertilizers were mainly affected by urea: formaldehyde molar ratios. Also, quadratic polynomial mathematical models were established for urea-formaldehyde. According to the models, the optimal process parameters which maximize cold-water-insoluble nitrogen and minimize hot-water-insoluble nitrogen for the synthesis of urea formaldehyde were as follows urea: formaldehyde molar ratio was 1.33, reaction temperature was 43.5 °C, and reaction time was 1.64 h. Under these conditions, the content of cold-water-insoluble nitrogen was 22.14%, and hot-water-insoluble nitrogen was 9.87%. The model could be an effective tool for predicting properties of urea-formaldehyde slow release fertilizers if the experimental conditions were held within the design limits.

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that ambient air pollution has been closely associated with cardiovascular diseases. Carbon monoxide (CO) is a common ambient air pollutant that can cause adverse effects on the heart. CO is known to cause tissue ischemia, resulting in ventricular arrhythmias. However, accumulating biological studies showed that CO could exert effects on multiple cardiac ionic channels under normoxic conditions, which might indicate new proarrhythmic mechanisms other than ischemia-mediated electrophysiology changes. In this work, we evaluated the functional impacts of CO on human ventricles using a multi-scale model of human ventricular tissue. Experimental data regarding the effects of CO on different ion channels were incorporated into the cell model to explore the alterations of ventricular electrophysiology. Simulation results suggested that CO significantly prolonged the duration of ventricular action potentials, enhanced the transmural dispersion of repolarization, and reduced the adaptability of ventricular tissue to fast heart rates. In addition, simulated pseudo-ECGs showed consistent manifestations with the clinical observation that CO caused an apparent QT interval prolongation and T-wave widening, indicating that CO affected the heart's abnormal ventricular repolarization.

Activation is an effective method to improve adsorption capacity of coal gangue, however, most activated gangues reported have limited adsorption capacity for phosphate because of the electronegativity, affecting their use in agricultural production and environmental protection. In order to enhance the phosphate absorption capacity of coal gangue through alkali-activation, three alkali-activated silicate coal gangue according to fine-size (AS-FCG1), medium-size (AS-MCG2), and large-size (AS-LCG3) were prepared through grinding, calcining (800 °C) and stimulating with Ca(OH)2 solution (0.1 M), and raw coal gangue (RCG4) was used as control. The results revealed that AS-FCG has the best modified effects, its maximum phosphate adsorption capacity, according to Langmuir model, was 11.796 mg g−1, which was 4.41, 8.16 and 73.73 times higher than that of AS-MCG, AS-LCG and RCG, respectively. The adsorption penetration time of AS-FCG packed column was over 30 h, which was longer than that of other samples. Besides, when the AS-FCG packed column loaded with phosphate was desorbed with distilled water, the phosphate concentration of filtrate was low and rapidly tended to 0 mg L−1, while when it was desorbed with NaHCO3 solution, the concentration remained high sustainably. The best adsorption performance of AS-FCG were associated with generation of calcium silicate hydrate gel and ettringite, which provided more Ca2+, Al3+, hydroxyl and larger specific surface area. It is suggested that alkali-activation is able to truly realize the recycling of solid waste, AS-FCG is an inexpensive, durable and eco-friendly material, which could not only be used to hold phosphate, but also release it slowly as fertilizer.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), an ambient air pollutant, has been reported to increase cardiac events in patients with cardiovascular diseases, but the underlying mechanisms remain not elucidated. This study investigated the pro-arrhythmic effects of H2S in healthy and ischemic conditions. Experimental data of H2S effects on ionic channels (including the L-type Ca2+ channel and ATP-sensitive K+ channel) were incorporated into a virtual heart model to evaluate their integral action on cardiac arrhythmogenesis. It was shown that H2S depressed cellular excitability, abbreviated action potential duration, and augmented tissue’s transmural dispersion of repolarization, resulting in an increase in tissue susceptibility to initiation and maintenance of reentry. The observed effects of H2S on cardiac excitation are more remarkable in the ischemic condition than in the healthy condition. This study provides mechanistic insights into the pro-arrhythmic effects of air pollution (H2S), especially in the case with extant ischemic conditions.

Although various eco-friendly and sustainable biobased polyurethane-coated controlled-release fertilizers (BPCFs) have been developed, their applications were limited by the bio-based coating contained many microscopic holes. In this work, a nano-soy-protein microcapsule-enabled self-healing biopolyurethane-coated controlled-release fertilizer (NSBCF) with enhanced controlled-release performance was fabricated. Nanoscale soy-protein microcapsules (SMCs) were prepared from soy-protein isolate (SPI) and poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) using the water-oil-water emulsification technology. The self-healing biopolymer coatings of NSBCF with uniformly dispersed SMCs were constructed through self-assembly. The controlled-release longevity of NSBCF was >28 days longer than that of the BPCF with the unmodified coating. The self-healing mechanism of NSBCF was determined by directly observing the restoration area and the 3D pore distribution of coating using fluorescence labeling and X-ray computed tomography. After being released from the SMCs, SPI self-repaired the coating by reacting with glutaraldehyde to form solid resins to clog the microscopic holes. The SMCs-enabled self-healing process successfully reduced the nutrient release rate and extended the nutrient release longevity of NSBCF. This novel biobased controlled-released fertilizer with self-healing function represents a new direction for the development of high efficiency and environmentally friendly fertilizers to improve agriculture and food sustainability.

Although bio-materials for controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) have been developed rapidly because of their low-cost and green and sustainable properties, the release characteristics of these CRFs still face problems because the coating is often hydrophilic with many micro-holes. In this paper, a novel coating material was developed to coat fertilizers using bio-based polyurethane (BPU) derived from liquefied wheat straw (LWS). Organosilicon (OS) and nano-silica (NS) were also used to modify the BPU to increase the nanoscale surface roughness and reduce the surface energy, and thus to make it superhydrophobic. The nutrient release characteristics of the superhydrophobic BPU coated fertilizer (SBPCF) were greatly enhanced, compared with the unmodified BPU coated fertilizer (BPCF). This was because the nanoscale surface roughness of the SBPCF prevented water from contacting the coating material. In addition, the nanoparticles on the SBPCF surface also block the micro-holes on the coating and thus reduced the entrance of water. The results suggest that the new coating technology can create a superhydrophobic surface on CRFs and thus improve their controlled-release characteristics.

The use of controlled-release urea (CRU) has become one of best management practices for increasing crop yield and improving nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE). However, the effects of CRU on direct-seeded rice are not well understood while direct-seeding has gradually replaced transplanting due to increasing labor cost and lack of irrigation water. The objective of this two-year field experiment was to compare the effects of the CRU at four rates (120, 180, 240 and 360 kg N ha−1, CRU1, CRU2, CRU3 and CRU4, respectively) with a conventional urea fertilizer (360 kg N ha−1; U) and a control (no N fertilizer applied; CK) on yield, biomass, NUE of direct-seeded rice and soil nutrients. The results indicated that the successive release rates of N from CRU corresponded well to the N requirements of rice. The use of CRU3 and CRU4 increased rice grain yields by 20.8 and 28.7%, respectively, compared with U. In addition, the NUEs were improved by all CRU treatments compared to the U treatment. Concentrations of NO3−-N and NH4+-N in the soil were increased, especially during the later growth stages of the rice, and the leaching of N was reduced with CRU treatments. In conclusion, applying CRU on direct-seeded rice increased the crops yields and NUE, increased nitrogen availability at the late growth stages, and reduced N leaching.

A novel polymer-coated nitrogen (N) fertilizer was developed using bio-based polyurethane (PU) derived from liquefied locust sawdust as the coating material. The bio-based PU was successfully coated on the surface of the urea fertilizer prills to form polymer-coated urea (PCU) fertilizer for controlled N release. Epoxy resin (EP) was also used to further modify the bio-based PU to synthesize the interpenetrating network (IPN), enhancing the slow-release properties of the PCU. The N release characteristics of the EP-modified PCU (EMPCU) in water were determine at 25 °C and compared to that of PCU and EP-coated urea (ECU). The results showed that the EP modification reduced the N release rate and increased the longevity of the fertilizer coated with bio-based PU. A corn growth study was conducted to further evaluate the filed application of the EMPCU. In comparison to commercial PCU and conventional urea fertilizer, EMPCU was more effective and increased the yield and total dry matter accumulation of the corn. Findings from this work indicated that bio-based PU derived from sawdust can be used as coating materials for PCU, particularly after EP modification. The resulting EMPCU was more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than conventional urea fertilizers coated by EP.

Angiotensin-(1-7) [Ang-(1-7)] is an endogenous peptide of the renin-angiotensin system with several beneficial effects that are often opposite to those attributed to angiotensin II (Ang II). Since there are no data available so far on the role of Ang-(1-7) after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, in this paper, we investigated the central administration of Ang-(1-7) modulates in vivo the nitric oxide(NO) release and the endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) expression following focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats. Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was induced by intraluminal thread occlusion of middle cerebral artery in the adult male rats. The levels of NO in ischemic tissues were measured by NO detection kits. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR and western blot were used to determine messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein levels of the eNOS in ischemic tissues. The cerebral ischemic lesion resulted in a significant increase of NO release at 3 and 6h compared with sham operation group in our model after reperfusion, whereas both medium and high doses Ang-(1-7) markedly enhanced NO levels at 3-24h, and 3-72h after reperfusion, respectively. In addition, NO release increased was significantly induced by high-dose Ang-(1-7) compared with medium-dose Ang-(1-7) at 24-72 h after reperfusion. Medium and high-dose Ang-(1-7) significantly stimulated eNOS activation when compared with artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) treatment group at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 48h after reperfusion, however, no significant changes in eNOS expression were found between medium and high-dose Ang-(1-7) at different times after the ischemic insult. These findings indicate that medium and high-dose Ang-(1-7) stimulate NO release and upregulate eNOS expression in ischemic tissues following focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats.

Indirubin-3′-monoxime is an effective inhibitor of cyclin-dependent protein kinases, and may play an obligate role in neuronal apoptosis in Alzheimer′s disease. Here, we found that indirubin-3′-monoxime improved the morphology and increased the survival rate of SH-SY5Y cells exposed to amyloid-beta 25-35 (Aβ25-35 ), and also suppressed apoptosis by reducing tau phosphorylation at Ser199 and Thr205. Furthermore, indirubin-3′-monoxime inhibited phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β). Our results suggest that indirubin-3′-monoxime reduced Aβ25-35 -induced apoptosis by suppressing tau hyperphosphorylation via a GSK-3β-mediated mechanism. Indirubin-3′-monoxime is a promising drug candidate for Alzheimer′s disease.