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Objectives Danzhi Jiangtang capsule (DJC) is widely used for preventing and treating diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). However, the underlying mechanisms of the anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic activities are unclear. Methods In the in vivo diabetic cardiomyopathy rat model, cardiac function was measured through echocardiography, histological changes in the myocardium were visualized using HE staining, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis was detected using TUNEL. The serum levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines were detected using ELISA. Finally, TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB mRNA expressions were analyzed using RT-qPCR. In the in vitro experiments, the apoptosis rate of the H9c2 cells was detected using FCM; moreover, TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB mRNA expressions were measured using RT-qPCR and related protein levels were investigated using Western blotting. Results In vivo, DJC effectively improved cardiac function, alleviated the pathological changes, and reduced the apoptosis rate. Moreover, DJC reduced TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 activities, with significant inhibition of the TLR4, MyD88 and NF-κB p65 mRNA expression. Moreover, in vitro, DJC effectively inhibited high-glucose-induced H9c2 apoptosis-an effect similar to that for TAK242. Finally, both the DJC and TAK242 considerably reduced TLR4, MyD88, NF-κB, Bax, and caspase-3 protein expression but increased that of BCL-2. Conclusions DJC prevented the overactivation of the TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway and regulate cardiomyocyte apoptosis against DCM.

In order to identify the optimum period of spring water-restrictive irrigation for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Haihe Plain, China and elucidate its effects on flag leaf senescence and yield formation, field experiments were conducted at the Xinji Experimental Station of Hebei Agricultural University from 2016 to 2019 by using different irrigation regimes in spring, including the conventional regime involving two irrigation periods (control (CK), the 3-leaf unfolding stage and the anthesis stage) and a series of single, restrictive irrigation regimes (SRI) comprising irrigation at the 3-leaf unfolding stage (3LI), 4LI, 5LI, and 6LI. There are five major findings: (1) The senescence (determined by the green leaf area, GLA) in the 4LI treatment occurred moderately earlier than that in CK, showed no significant difference with that in 5LI and 6LI, and occurred significantly later than that in 3LI. (2) Compared with other SRI treatments, the GLA value and photosynthetic rate in 4LI were 14.82 and 20.1% higher, respectively. Microstructural analysis of flag leaf also revealed that the mesophyll cells and chloroplasts were irregularly arranged under drought stress in 3LI and 6LI; however, drought stress had minimal negative effects on the microstructure in 4LI and 5LI. (3) Postponed irrigation in spring could significantly increase superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities in the early stage of grain filling; however, these activities would subsequently decrease. Among the four SRI treatments, the overall enzyme activities were the highest in 4LI, and the combined malondialdehyde (MDA) content in flag leaves in 4LI and 5LI was 14.5% lower on average than that in 3LI and 6LI. (4) The soluble sugar (SS) and proline (Pro) contents in 4LI were the highest among the four SRI treatments; however, they were lower than those in CK. The abscisic acid (ABA) hormone content in 4LI and 5LI was lower than that in 3LI and 6LI, respectively, suggesting a smaller drought stress effect in 4LI and 5LI. (5) In two growing seasons, there was a larger number of spikes per unit area in 4LI (i.e., 13.4% higher than that in 5LI and 6LI) and the 1 000-grain weight in 4LI was the highest among the four SRI treatments (i.e., 6.0% higher than that in the other three SRI treatments). Therefore, a single restrictive irrigation regime at the 4-leaf unfolding stage is recommended to be effective in slowing down the senescence process of flag leaves and achieving high yield.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is thought to be a complication of metabolic syndrome caused by disorders of energy utilization and storage and characterized by insulin resistance or deficiency of insulin secretion. Though the mechanism linking obesity to the development of T2D is complex and unintelligible, it is known that abnormal lipid metabolism and adipose tissue accumulation possibly play important roles in this process. Recently, nicotinamide N-methyltransferase (NNMT) has been emerging as a new mechanism-of-action target in treating obesity and associated T2D. Evidence has shown that NNMT is associated with obesity and T2D. NNMT inhibition or NNMT knockdown significantly increases energy expenditure, reduces body weight and white adipose mass, improves insulin sensitivity, and normalizes glucose tolerance and fasting blood glucose levels. Additionally, trials of oligonucleotide therapeutics and experiments with some small-molecule NNMT inhibitors in vitro and in preclinical animal models have validated NNMT as a promising therapeutic target to prevent or treat obesity and associated T2D. However, the exact mechanisms underlying these phenomena are not yet fully understood and clinical trials targeting NNMT have not been reported until now. Therefore, more researches are necessary to reveal the acting mechanism of NNMT in obesity and T2D and to develop therapeutics targeting NNMT.

By using 2,6-di(2′,5′-dicarboxylphenyl)pyridine (H4L), the pyridyl-decorated tetracarboxylic acid ligand, a new robust Mn(II) coordination polymer has been successfully prepared and its chemical formula is [Mn3(L)(OH)2(H2O)4]·2DMF·2H2O (1). Complex 1 revealed strong luminescent intensity based on ligand, and it can be applied to detect the nitroaromatic compounds (NACs) in the ethanol suspension containing excellent sensitivity and selectivity. The most remarkable characteristic of 1 is that it can selectively determine the 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (TNP), as a result, it is a kind of promising selective luminescent probe for the TNP. The evaluation of its application values against the adolescent myopia was conducted, and its relevant mechanism has been also discussed in meantime.

Effects of different nitrogen (N) compounds and concentrations on the growth of the three different phytoplankton taxa, Skeletonema costatum (Bacillariophyceae), Prorocentrum micans (Dinophyceae), and Chattonella marina (Raphidophyceae), were investigated. The Monod equation was applied to examine effects of N concentrations on the growth of algal cells. Results showed that nitrate (NO3-N) and urea served as good N sources for the three phytoplankton taxa. S. costatum grew well on all of the seven N sources. C. marina can effectively use the two amino acids, glycine (Gly) and serine (Ser), however cannot utilize alanine (Ala), threonine (Thr), and asparaginic acid (Asp). P. micans cannot grow in five amino acid substrates. All of the three phytoplankton taxa grew well under different proportions of urea-N, and C. marina grew significantly better in medium with both NO3- and urea-N. The values of maximum growth rate (µmax) and half-saturation nutrient concentration (KS) for NO3-N were 0.71 divisions d−1 and 53.55 µmol L−1 for S. costatum, 0.67 divisions d−1 and 23.31 µmol L−1 for P. micans, and 0.23 divisions d−1 and 17.57 µmol L−1 for C. marina, respectively. The results suggested that S. costatum had a high N demand for growth, and was capable of using wide ranges of N compounds. The strategy of N utilization for S. costatum may make this species an advantage in N-enriched sea areas especially the dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) rich coastal waters, which might be the reason why S. costatum widely distributes in the cosmopolitan coastal and estuarine sea areas.

A new binder, poly(2-propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 3-[(2-aminoethyl) amino]-2-hydroxypropyl ester) (P-HAEAPMA), is synthesized and applied to silicon/graphite (Si/graphite) anodes in lithium-ion batteries. The Si/graphite anode with the binder exhibits good electrochemical stability. Furthermore, the materials on the discarded Si/graphite/P-HAEAPMA electrode can be recycled for use based on water because the P-HAEAPMA binder is easily soluble in water. The discharge capacity and capacity retention rate of the electrode with reused materials are slightly lower than those of the original Si/graphite/P-HAEAPMA electrode. The binder is rich in polar amino and hydroxyl groups, which not only helps to form strong adhesion between the electrode active material and copper foil but also promotes the transport of Li ions. The electrochemical performance of the electrode with the P-HAEAPMA binder is significantly enhanced compared with that of the electrode with the traditional PVDF binder or water-based LA133 binder. After 305 cycles, a specific capacity of 485.0 mA h g−1 and a capacity retention rate of 74.8% are achieved for the Si/graphite/P-HAEAPMA electrode. A binder, poly(2-propenoic acid, 2-methyl-, 3-[(2-aminoethyl) amino]-2-hydroxypropyl ester) (P-HAEAPMA), is synthesized and applied to silicon/graphite anodes in lithium-ion batteries, which exhibits good electrochemical stability. After 305 cycles, a specific capacity of 485.0 mA h g−1 and a capacity retention rate of 74.8% are achieved. Moreover, the discarded electrode with P-HAEAPMA binder can be reused just based on water because the P-HAEAPMA binder is easily soluble in water, and the electrochemical properties of the electrode with reused materials are slightly lower than those of the original electrode.

In this work, the NHC-catalyzed Michael/Mannich/lactamization cascade reaction of enals with either indole-2-carboxaldehyde-derived aldimines or indole-7-carboxaldehyde-derived aldimines is describ...

Hydrogenation of methyl p-hydroxyphenylacetate has been used for the synthesis of p-hydroxyphenyl ethanol. The reaction was catalyzed by CuiZrj-x%(mass fraction) carbon nanotubes(CNTs) catalysts. Incorporation of a minor amount of CNTs into CuiZrj oxide can visibly increase the catalytic activity for the synthesis of p-hydroxyphenyl ethanol. The yield of p-hydroxyphenyl ethanol reaches 94.2% over a co-precipitated catalyst of Cu3Zr1 oxide with 11.0%CNTs. Its catalytic activity shows no obvious decrease after three cycles. This is much better than the CNT-free co-precipitated catalyst with a good yield of 81.1%, Cu3Zr1-0%CNTs.

The ethanol and water extracts of 20 kinds of mushrooms from Sichuan Province, Southwest of China, were investigated for their antioxidant activity using DPPH assay. The results showed the ethanol extract of Serpula lacrymans, Daldinia concentrica, and Scleroderma verrucosum had well DPPH free radical scavenging activities 91.33%, 79.76% and 62.82%, respectively. Besides, the water extracts of Serpula lacrymans, Armillaria luteo-virens, and Lentinus edodes also possessed pretty high DPPH free radical scavenging activity were 95.59%, 88.76% and 86.93%, respectively. Based on the above comparison, the EC50 and total phenolic content of the ethanol extracts of Serpula lacrymans, Daldinia concentrica, and Scleroderma verrucosum were also measured. Their EC50 and total phenolic content valued of 17.87mg·mL-1, 11.19mg·mL-1 and 35.01mg·mL-1, as well as 0.0769μg·L-1, 0.0673μg·L-1 and 0.0545μg·L-1, respectively. The results showed there was a correlation between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content. Besides, the reaction time of the DPPH test affected the free radical scavenging, which reflected the difference of the extract component would impact the test method.

Stearoyl-CoA-desaturase 1 (SCD1) deficiency mediates apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells by promoting ceramide de novo synthesis. The mechanisms underlying the cross-talk between SCD1 and ceramide synthesis have not been explored. We treated colorectal cancer cells with an SCD1 inhibitor and examined the effects on gene expression, cell growth, and cellular lipid contents. The main effect of SCD1 inhibition on the fatty acid contents of colorectal cancer cells was a decrease in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs). RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) showed that the most intense alteration of gene expression after SCD1 inhibition occurred in the NF-κB signaling pathway. Further experiments revealed that SCD1 inhibition resulted in increased levels of phosphorylated NF-κB p65 and increased nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65. Treatment with an NF-κB inhibitor eliminated several effects of SCD1 inhibition, mainly including overexpression of serine palmitoyltransferase1 (SPT1), elevation of dihydroceramide contents, and suppression of cell growth. Furthermore, treatment with supplemental oleate counteracted the SCD1-induced NF-κB activation and downstream effects. In summary, our data demonstrate that the NF-κB pathway plays a role in SCD1 deficiency-induced ceramide de novo synthesis in colorectal cancer cells, and that reduced MUFA levels contribute to the course.

In this work, ruthenium(II)-catalyzed C-C/C-N annulation of 2-arylquinazolinones with vinylene carbonate is reported to synthesize fused quinazolinones. This catalytic system tolerates a wide range of substrates with excellent functional-group compatibility. In this transformation, the vinylene carbonate acts as an ethynol surrogate without any external oxidant involved. Furthermore, preliminary mechanistic studies were conducted, and a plausible catalytic cycle was also proposed.

Three lanthanum aminopolycarboxylates [La(Hida)2(H2O)2]n·nCl·4nH2O (1), K2n[La(nta)2]n·nH2O (2) and (H2en)n[La(edta)(H2O)]2n·10nH2O (3) (H2ida = iminodiacetic acid; H3nta = nitrilotriacetic acid; H4edta = ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; en = ethylenediamine, NH2CH2CH2NH2) were isolated by gel self-assembly and were fully characterized. Structural analyses reveal that 1–3 have infinite 2D and 3D structures with different coordination modes. Topological analyses of 1–3 were also performed. Solid state 13C NMR spectra show that the coordinated β-CO2 groups give obvious downfield shifts compared with free β-CO2 groups. Interestingly, 3 possesses 5.8 A diameter tunnels inside the crystals, which can selectively adsorb very small amounts of O2 at 5.49 mg g−1 and 29.9 bar, while no adsorption of H2, N2, CH4 and CO2 is observed. Compared with lanthanum 1,3-propylenediaminetetraacetate {La(H2O)4[La(1,3-pdta)(H2O)]3}n·11.25nH2O (4) with 10.0 A diameter tunnels, the latter can adsorb CO2, O2 and N2 at 55.33, 18.01 and 4.41 mg g−1 and 29.9 bar, respectively. This shows that smaller diameter tunnels have better selectivity towards the adsorption of specific gases. When the diameter of the tunnels increases, the adsorption amounts of numerous gases increase significantly with a decrease in selectivity.

The anion zinc-based metal–organic framework [HDMA]2n[Zn2n(DMA)2n(1,4-BDC)3n]·2nDMF·6nH2O (1, DMF = N,N-dimethylformamide, 1,4-H2BDC = 1,4-benzenedicarboxylic acid, DMA = dimethylamine) with open channels has been used as a luminescent sensor for Cd2+ detection, and was obtained by solvothermal synthesis and fully characterized. It shows excellent fluorescence stability in aqueous solution, which was further enhanced with a remarkable fluorescence shift upon introduction of Cd2+, while negligible effects occurred for Fe2+, Zn2+, Fe3+, Cu2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Mn2+ and Pb2+, respectively. The detection limit is 9.9 μM with a linear range between 50 and 600 μM for Cd2+. Furthermore, it can be used to detect Cd2+ in tap water and rice samples directly. Solid state 13C NMR spectra give direct evidence for the ion exchange between protonated dimethylamine and Cd2+ hydrates, which results in the increase of fluorescence and blue shift of the wavelength. The coordination of Cd2+ with the carboxyl groups of 1 in the interface of nano-channels can be also observed using IR spectra, where a structural model has been suggested in the confined channels. This may provide a new construction method for anion fluorescent MOF materials, where a confined sample has obvious influence on the detection of Cd2+. The maximum adsorption capacities are 10.36, 54.53, 103.06 and 8.78 mg g−1 for CH4, CO2, O2 and N2 at 30 bar respectively.

Raw cotton fibres (RCFs) are generally scoured and bleached to remove impurities before the dyeing process, which consumes large amounts of chemicals and water. Therefore, the development of an eco-friendly dyeing technology for RCFs that avoids the need for scouring and bleaching pretreatments is highly important for both the economic and ecological reasons. Herein, we report on a green approach for industrial-scale dyeing involving salt-free coloration of RCFs using an eco-friendly ethanol (EtOH)–water (H2O) mixture. The method involved initially allowing the RCFs to swell in the EtOH–H2O mixture followed by dyeing in another EtOH–H2O mixture with 95% of ethanol by volume. The results showed that the swelling solution could be reused for at least five times, and the investigated dyes exhibited superior exhaustion and total fixation levels, indicating the high rate of dye utilization and low levels of effluent discharge. The research elucidated in detail the swelling and dyeing mechanisms of RCFs in relation to the EtOH–H2O mixture. Additionally, the industrial-scale dyeing of RCFs revealed the successful establishment and verification of the proposed coloration technology. Meanwhile, we designed and established an automatically controllable EtOH recovery system for the reuse of EtOH from the EtOH–H2O mixture, which accelerates its industrialization. Compared with the conventional dyeing method for RCFs, this eco-friendly approach consumes fewer chemicals and energy. Therefore, the eco-friendly dyeing of RCFs in the EtOH–H2O mixture without scouring and bleaching pretreatments is a promising approach for protecting the environment by reducing effluent discharge.

The effect of lead on the catalytic performance of Mn-Ce/TiO2 catalysts in the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with ammonia at low temperature was investigated; with the help of nitrogen sorption, XRD, FT-IR spectroscopy, H2-TPR and NH3-TPD characterization, the causes of lead poisoning and acid regeneration were clarified. The results indicate that the doping of Pb in Mn-Ce/TiO2 leads to a significant decrease of the low-temperature SCR activity; with a Pb loading of 11%, the conversion of NO over Mn-Ce/TiO2 at 180°C decreases from original 100% on the fresh catalyst to 44% on the Pd-poisoned catalyst. The presence of Pb may reduce the content of active Mn4+ and Ce3+ species on the Mn-Ce/TiO2 catalyst, which suppresses the redox cycle of Mn4+ + Ce3+ ↔ Mn3+ + Ce4+; moreover, the decrease of surface acidity on the Mn-Ce/TiO2 catalyst by the doping of Pb is also disadvantageous to the adsorption and activation of NH3. The Pd-poisoned Mn-Ce/TiO2 can be regenerated by nitric acid treatment; after the regeneration, the catalytic activity of Mn-Ce/TiO2 in NH3-SCR of NO is almost completely recovered and even exceeds that of the fresh catalyst at 80–150°C. The nitric acid treatment can restore the redox capacity of Mn-Ce/TiO2, increase the surface area, and create new acid sites, which contribute to recovery of the activity of Pb-poisoned Mn-Ce/TiO2 catalyst in NH3-SCR.

The single crystals of two novel chiral tetranucleate copper(II)-based complexes (TNCu-A and TNCu-B) containing L-methioninol-derived Schiff-bases were obtained. Their single structures were characterized by X-ray single crystal diffraction, infrared (IR) rays, elemental analysis, and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. TNCu-A can effectively inhibit human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to form a tubular structure and it induces apoptosis of human triple-negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells and HUVECs in vitro in a mitochondria dependent manner. Moreover, in vivo TNCu-A can remarkably inhibit the growth of triple-negative breast cancer from which MDA-MB-231 cells were xenografted into severely immunodeficient nude mice by inhibiting proliferation, inducing apoptosis of MDA-MB-231 cells by dramatically inhibiting the expression of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 and up-regulating the expressions of proapoptotic proteins caspase-9 and Bax, and simultaneously inhibiting tumor angiogenesis by decreasing the density of vascular endothelial cells and suppressing migration and even partially inducing apoptosis.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune and inflammatory disease with excessive loss of pancreatic islet [Formula: see text]-cells. Accumulating evidence indicated that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress played a critical role in [Formula: see text]-cells loss, leading to T1D. Therefore, promoting the survival of pancreatic [Formula: see text]cells would be beneficial for patients with T1D. Puerarin is a natural isoflavone that has been demonstrated to be able to decrease blood glucose in patients with T1D. However, it remains unknown whether puerarin improves ER stress to prevent [Formula: see text]-cells from apoptosis. Here, we sought to investigate the role of puerarin in ER stress-associated apoptosis and explore its underlying mechanism in the mouse insulinoma cell line (MIN6). Flow cytometry and cell counting kit-8 (CCK8) experiments showed that puerarin caused a significant increase in the viability of MIN6 cells injured by H2O2. Furthermore, the protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK) signal pathway, a critical branch of ER stress response, was found to be involved in this process. Puerarin inhibited the phosphorylation of PERK, subsequently suppressed the phosphorylation of eukaryotic initiation factor 2[Formula: see text] (eIF2[Formula: see text], then decreased the activating transcription factor 4 (ATF4) and C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) expression, ultimately attenuating ER stress to prevent MIN6 cells from apoptosis. In addition, puerarin inhibited the activation of Janus kinase 2 (JAK2)/signal transducer and activators of transcription 3 (STAT3), which suppressed the PERK signal cascade with decreased ATF4 and CHOP levels. Taken together, our results firstly demonstrated that puerarin could prevent MIN6 cells from apoptosis at least in part by inhibiting the PERK-eIF2[Formula: see text]-ATF4-CHOP axis under ER stress conditions, which might be mediated by inactivation of the JAK2/STAT3 signal pathway. Therefore, investigating the mechanism underlying the effects of puerarin might highlight the potential roles of puerarin developing into an antidiabetic drug.

A simple and unique dual-channel chemical probe (DH) was designed and synthesized, which not only realized sequential recognition of Cu2+ and CN− by colorimetric and fluorometric methods, but also realized fluorescence detection of CN−. When different cations (Co2+, Mg2+, Ni2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, Al3+, Ag+, Cu2+, Pb2+, Fe3+, Zn2+ and Ca2+) were added into the solution containing the probe molecule DH, only Cu2+ induced an observable change in the UV-vis and fluorescence spectra, indicating that the probe molecule can be applied for specific recognition of Cu2+. The anti-interference experiment of DH to Cu2+ showed that DH has good selectivity for detecting Cu2+, with a detection limit of 7.05 × 10−7 M. In particular, the fluorescence “ON–OFF–ON” process can be recycled by sequentially adding Cu2+ and EDTA, and the fluorescence intensity remained unchanged after ten times. This observation suggested that DH can achieve reversible highly sensitive response to Cu2+ and EDTA, and can be used as a hypersensitive logic gate for Cu2+ detection. More interestingly, when different anions (CH3COO−, SO32−, H2PO4−, ClO4−, NO3−, HSO4−, I−, Cl−, F−, Br−, N3− and CN−) were added into the solution containing DH and Cu2+, only CN− induced color change of the solution from red to yellowish green, and the fluorescence intensity greatly enhanced, indicating that DH-Cu2+ has a specific response to CN−. The anti-interference experiment showed that DH-Cu2+ has good selectivity for CN−, with a detection limit of 8.11 × 10−6 M. Moreover, the probe molecule DH can detect CN−, with a detection limit of 7.61 × 10−6 M. Experimental and theoretical methods were applied to deeply study the detection mechanism of DH, present great potential in practical application for ion test strips and HeLa cell imaging reagents.

The exploration and understanding of self-assembly and stimuli-responsive mechanisms of supramolecular systems are of fundamental importance for researchers to plan syntheses reasonably. Herein, the self-assembly and ions responsive mechanisms of a tripodal quinolinamido-based supramolecular organogel (TBT-gel) were investigated through experiments and theoretical calculations including independent gradient model (IGM), localized orbitals locator (LOL) and hole-electron theory. According to these studies, the self-assembly mechanism of TBT-gel was based on strong threefold H-bonding and π-π interactions, which induced the TBT forming helical, one-dimensional supramolecular polymer. After addition of Fe3+ into the TBT-gel, the one-dimensional supramolecular polymer had been crosslinked by the Fe3+ through coordination interaction and formed a metallogel (TBT-Fe-gel). Interestingly, the TBT-gel showed selective fluorescent response for Fe3+ and F- based on a competitive coordination mechanism. Moreover, the study on fluorescence responsive mechanism of TBT-gel for Fe3+ and F- implied the ICT mode governs both the electron excitation and de-excitation processes. The calculated results were in agreement with the corresponding experimental results. Notably, the quantum chemical calculations provided a deep understanding and visualized presentation of the assembly and stimuli-responsive mechanisms.

Two functionalized pillar[5]arenes (H1 and H2) with significant AIE properties were synthesized. H2 is an excellent probe to selectively detect specific alkanediamines owing to its multiple binding sites, which result in the enhancement of emission based on the AIE mechanism and the induced-fit mechanism, and provides a new strategy to develop probes with high selectivity and sensitivity.

Pure-phase Bi2Fe4O9 microstructures have been successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal method without using any organic surfactants. It was found that the synthesis of micro-cubes and micro-plates of Bi2Fe4O9 can be controlled by adjusting the NaOH concentration from 6 M to 12 M, at 200 °C for 12 h, with an optimized Bi/Fe molar ratio of 2:1. With the increase of NaOH concentration, the morphology of the products developed from micro-cubes with a lateral size of 1.5 μm to micro-plates with a lateral size of 1 μm and a curved outline. Moreover, the as-synthesized Bi2Fe4O9 micro-cubes and micro-plates were evaluated for the photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue (MB) under visible light irradiation. A 90% degradation of MB with a time of 120 min has been achieved by using Bi2Fe4O9 micro-plates, where the first-order k constant was determined to be 0.01883 min−1. In addition, these micro-plates exhibit a typical ferromagnetic property at room temperature, offering an opportunity for efficient utilization and recycling via possible magnetic-assisted separation of organic pollutants for photocatalytic degradation.

The effect of hydrogen addition on compression deformation behaviour of Ti–0.3Mo–0.8Ni alloy argon-arc welded joint has been investigated. Evolution mechanism of hydrogen-induced flow stress was discussed in detail. The results show that with increasing hydrogen content, the stretching and bending extent of fully lamellar microstructures including α lamellas and acicular hydride continued to increase, the morphology of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) grains tended to change from approximately equiaxed to large lamellar shape, and the quantity of DRX grains and recrystallization degree of grains increased obviously. A large number of dislocations concentrated in the vicinity of the hydride. Steady stress was decreased continuously with increasing hydrogen content, while peak stress of the hydrogenated 0.12 wt.% H weld zone was decreased to the minimum value and then increased slowly. A slight decrease in flow stress of the hydrogenated 0.05 wt.% H weld zone was caused by limited increase in the volume fraction of softer β phase. Hydrogen-induced DRX of α phase and improved dislocation movement by strong interaction between the hydride and dislocation directly resulted in a sharp drop in flow stress of the hydrogenated 0.12 and 0.21 wt.% H weld zone. Solute hydrogen also finitely contributed to a sharp drop in flow stress of the hydrogenated 0.12 and 0.21 wt.% H weld zone by promoted local softening, which induced continuous DRX and more movable dislocations to participate in slipping or climbing. The reinforcement effect and plastic deformation of the hydride and solution strengthening of β phase induced by solute hydrogen finally led to the increase in flow stress of the hydrogenated 0.21 wt.% H weld zone in its true strain range from 0 to 0.36.

The booming of host-guest assembly-based supramolecular chemistry provides abundant ways to construct functional systems and materials. Attracted by the important application prospect of white light emission and aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials, herein, we report an efficient way for fabricating metal-free white light-emitting AIE materials through the supramolecular assembly of simple organic compounds: methoxyl pillar[5]arene (

The glass fiber reinforced polypropylene (GF/PP) composite ring specimens were fabricated based on the composites prepreg tape winding process. The heated winding process was simulated by ANSYS software to obtain the temperature distribution of the wound layer of the specimen. At the same time, the temperature of the wound layer was collected and stored using a temperature-controlled recorder. The temperature fields between the wound layers were found to be different significantly, and the temperature measured through experiments was generally below the simulation results, where it is especially noticeable in the fusion zone. After the recrystallization of GF/PP specimen, the maximum shear strength that the specimen can withstand was improved. The response surface method was used to test and analyze the influence of recrystallization on the mechanical properties of the specimen, Obtain optimized process parameters, heating temperature of 91 °C, pressure of the press roller is 106 N, heating time of 13 min, the highest sample obtained is 28.67Mpa. The experimental results show that the influence of recrystallization parameters on the mechanical properties of the composite specimens (from large to small) are: heating temperature, heating time, and the roller pressure.

A practical method for identification of defects that occur occasionally during the production of biaxial oriented polypropylene (BOPP) films is developed. The size and morphology of the defects in the BOPP film were observed with optical microscopy, and micro Fourier transform infrared (Micro-FTIR) and Raman spectroscopies were employed to identify the chemical composition of the defects. Significant amounts of ethylene and propylene units were found in the defects, and characteristic vibrational bands for crystalline PP were observed by both IR and Raman. However, one defect exhibited IR characteristics for ordered PE whereas the other showed amorphous PE structure. These results indicate that the defects are composed of either ethylene-propylene block copolymers with long sequences of both propylene and ethylene that can form ordered structures, or ethylene-propylene segmented copolymers with long propylene sequences that can crystallize and shorter ethylene sequences that are amorphous. Possible sources of these foreign materials and corresponding mitigation measures were discussed.

To evaluate the effect of Guilu Erxian Glue (龟鹿二仙胶, GEG) on cyclophosphamide (CTX)-induced bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) senescence in mice and explore the underlying mechanism. The H22 liver cancer ascites lump model was established in male Kunming mice by injecting intraperitoneally (i.p.) with 5 × 106/mL H22 cells per mouse. Fifty tumor-bearing mice were divided into the control, model, pifithrin-α, GEG, and GEG+pifithrin-α groups using a random number table, 10 mice in each group. CTX (100 mg/kg i.p.) was administrated to mice from day 1 to day 3 (d1–d3) continuously except for the control group. The mice in the pifithrin-α, GEG and GEG+pifithrin-α groups were treated with pifithrin-α (2.2 mg/(kg·d) i.p.) for 6 consecutive days (d4–d9), GEG (9.5 g/(kg·d) i.p.) for 9 consecutive days (d1–d9), and GEG plus pifithrin-α, respectively. HSCs were collected after 9-d drug treatment. The anti-aging effect of GEG was studied by cell viability, cell cycle, and β -galactosidase (β -gal) assays. The mRNA and protein expressions of cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK4, inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase 4a encoding the tumor suppressor protein p16 (p16INK4a), p21Cip1/Waf1, p53, and phosphorylated retinoblastoma (pRb) were evaluated by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and semi-quantitative Western blot, respectively. Compared with the model group, GEG increased cell viability as well as proliferation (P

Isolated octanuclear iron–vanadium malate (NH4)3(CH3NH3)3[FeIII2VIV2VV4O11(mal)6]·7.5H2O (1; H3mal = malic acid) and its family of metal hydrates M′3n[MII(H2O)2]1.5n[FeIII2VIV2VV4O11(mal)6]n·xnH2O ...

Dysregulated Wnt/β-catenin activation plays a critical role in cancer progression, metastasis, and drug resistance. Genotoxic agents such as radiation and chemotherapeutics have been shown to activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling although the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here, we show that genotoxic agent-activated Wnt/β-catenin signaling is independent of the FZD/LRP heterodimeric receptors and Wnt ligands. OTULIN, a linear linkage-specific deubiquitinase, is essential for the DNA damage-induced β-catenin activation. OTULIN inhibits linear ubiquitination of β-catenin, which attenuates its Lys48-linked ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation upon DNA damage. The association with β-catenin is enhanced by OTULIN Tyr56 phosphorylation, which depends on genotoxic stress-activated ABL1/c-Abl. Inhibiting OTULIN or Wnt/β-catenin sensitizes triple-negative breast cancer xenograft tumors to chemotherapeutics and reduces metastasis. Increased OTULIN levels are associated with aggressive molecular subtypes and poor survival in breast cancer patients. Thus, OTULIN-mediated Wnt/β-catenin activation upon genotoxic treatments promotes drug resistance and metastasis in breast cancers., Genotoxic agents have been shown to activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. Here, the authors show that upon DNA damage, the deubiquitinase OTULIN activates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by inhibiting linear ubiquitination, K48-linked polyubiquitination, and proteasomal degradation of β-catenin.

Particle void filling effects (Pf) under low pressure and coal matrix compressibility effects (Pc) at high pressure should not be ignored when using mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) to study the pore size distribution of coal. In this study, two coal samples (FX and HF) collected from western Guizhou were crushed into three different grain sizes; then, the subsamples were analyzed by MIP and low-pressure nitrogen adsorption to study the pore size distribution characteristics. The micro- and transition pore volumes contribute to the total pore volume of the FX and HF subsamples. With decreasing subsample grain sizes, the macropore volume of FX subsamples tends to increase, while mesopore volume decreases; the volumes of micropores and transition pores first increase and then decrease. In regard to the HF subsamples, the volumes of macropores and mesopores do not reveal any distinctive changes, while the 40–60 mesh subsample contains the greatest volume of micropores and transition pores. Fractal theory was introduced to determine Pf and Pc. Pf barely changed as grain size decreased; it ranged from 0.1 to 0.15 MPa. However, Pc increased with reduced coal grain sizes. The coal matrix compressibility coefficients of the subsamples were calculated from the cumulative mercury volume curve, and the true pore volume was also modified. The modified volume of macropores does not change markedly, while the volumes of mesopores and transition pores decrease significantly, clearly indicating the coal matrix compressibility under high mercury injection pressure. The modified pore volume shows that the pore (

Vaporized samarium (Sm) has been released in the ionosphere for artificially creating plasma clouds, which may be tailored as radio wave reflectors for over-the-horizon communications. The model of samarium releases needs to be further refined for filling the gap between experimental observations and theoretical simulations. A sophisticated simulation model, so far to date, for samarium release in the ionosphere has been developed, and the redundancy reaction, inversion, and the photochemical reactions are all taken into account. The model results are consistent with experimental observations. Due to the geomagnetic field and neutral wind, the shape of artificial plasma clouds significantly changes. The error of the spherically symmetric reflection model is large. According to the density distribution of plasma clouds, the geometric theory of diffraction (GTD) is introduced here to deal with the electromagnetic scattering. The GTD-based scattering model has been established and used to study the time–space evolution of the ground-received power patterns in this article.

Introduction The plate counting method widely used at present to discern viable from non-viable Brucella in the host or cell is time-consuming and laborious. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a rapid, simple method for detecting and counting viable Brucella organisms. Material and Methods Using propidium monoazide (PMA) to inhibit amplification of DNA from dead Brucella, a novel, rapid PMA-quantitative PCR (PMA-qPCR) detection method for counting viable Brucella was established. The standard recombinant plasmid with the target BCSP31 gene fragment inserted was constructed for drawing a standard curve. The reaction conditions were optimised, and the sensitivity, specificity, and repeatability were analysed. Results The optimal exposure time and working concentration of PMA were 10 min and 15 μg/mL, respectively. The correlation coefficient (R2) of the standard curve was 0.999. The sensitivity of the method was 103 CFU/mL, moreover, its specificity and repeatability also met the requirements. The concentration of B. suis measured by the PMA-qPCR did not differ significantly from that measured by the plate counting method, and the concentrations of viable bacteria in infected cells determined by the two methods were of the same order of magnitude. Conclusion In this study, a rapid and simple PMA-qPCR counting method for viable Brucella was established, which will facilitate related research.

The bond-valence method has been used for valence calculations of FeMo/V cofactors in FeMo/V proteins using 51 crystallographic data sets of FeMo/V proteins from the Protein Data Bank. The calculations show molybdenum(III) to be present in MoFe7S9C(Cys)(HHis)[R-(H)homocit] (where H4homocit is homocitric acid, HCys is cysteine and HHis is histidine) in FeMo cofactors, while vanadium(III) with a more reduced iron complement is obtained for FeV cofactors. Using an error analysis of the calculated valences, it was found that in FeMo cofactors Fe1, Fe6 and Fe7 can be unambiguously assigned as iron(III), while Fe2, Fe3, Fe4 and Fe5 show different degrees of mixed valences for the individual Fe atoms. For the FeV cofactors in PDB entry 5n6y, Fe4, Fe5 and Fe6 correspond to iron(II), iron(II) and iron(III), respectively, while Fe1, Fe2, Fe3 and Fe7 exhibit strongly mixed valences. Special situations such as CO-bound and selenium-substituted FeMo cofactors and O(N)H-bridged FeV cofactors are also discussed and suggest rearrangement of the electron configuration on the substitution of the bridging S atoms.

Trinuclear oxothiomolybdenum(IV) glycolates (H2glyc, glycolic acid) with 2-methylimidazole (2-mim), 4-methylimidazole (4-mim), and sulfite, Na2[MoIV3(μ3-S)(μ2-O)3(glyc)3(2-mim)3]·1.5H2O (1), (4-Hmi...

Kaolin/calcium alginate (Kaolin/CaAlg) composite hydrogel membranes with different thicknesses were prepared using Ca2+ cross-linking. The Kaolin/CaAlg composite hydrogel membrane was characterized...

To expound the mechanisms responsible for the effect of electrolyte on the interfacial tensions (IFTs) of mixed solutions containing zwitterionic surfactant alkyl sulfobetaine (ASB) and anionic sur...

This study investigated the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) in aqueous solutions using pomelo peel (PP) and FeCl3-modified pomelo peel (FPP) as novel biomass adsorbents. Batch adsorption experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of pH, time, temperature, initial concentration, and adsorbent dose on Cr(VI) removal by PP and FPP. The results show that the maximum adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) was 21.55 mg/g for FPP and 0.57 mg/g for PP at a pH of 2.0 and a temperature of 40 °C. The surface shape, microstructure, and chemical composition of FPP were analyzed with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and compared with those of PP. The results show that the adsorption performance of FPP was much better than that of PP, indicating that FPP can be an alternative high-efficiency adsorbent for Cr(VI) removal.

In this study, two different polymers have been synthesized and introduced as adsorbents to study their performances in the removal of Fe(III) ions and phenol from wastewater. The polymers have been synthesized by mixing acrylic acid, acryl amide, and N,N-dimethylacrylamide. This is both used as a primary polymer and grafted with graphene oxide as modified polymer to compare their performances in Fe(III) ions and phenol removal. The structure and morphology of the polymer and the grafting polymer with GO were characterized by FT-IR, SEM, and TEM. The effects of pH, time, contact temperature, and dosage of adsorbent were evaluated. From the obtained results, the optimum condition of the adsorption process was concluded to be a concentration of graphene oxide/polymer (1 g L−1) and polymer (3 g L−1) at an ion concentration of 75 ppm, pH 8 for 2 h. The highest removal rates for Fe3+ and phenol were 92–98% and 86–89%, respectively. The Freundlich and Langmuir adsorption isotherm model was studied. The removal of Fe3+ and phenol is consistent with a pseudo-second-order model, meaning physical adsorption occurs on the surface of both polymers. Other isotherm models, like Temkin and intra-particle, were used; the error function was calculated to test the fitness of all the models’ results. Adsorption was not consistent with the last two models and the result from the error function proved that the pseudo-second-order model is favorable for the removal of Fe(III) and phenol.