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Catalytic potential of carbon nanomaterials in peroxydisulfate (PDS) advanced oxidation systems for degradation of antibiotics remains poorly understood. This study revealed ordered mesoporous carbon (type CMK) acted as a superior catalyst for heterogeneous degradation of sulfadiazine (SDZ) in PDS system, with a first-order reaction kinetic constant (k) and total organic carbon (TOC) mineralization efficiency of 0.06 min‒1 and 59.67% ± 3.4% within 60 min, respectively. CMK catalyzed PDS system exhibited high degradation efficiencies of five other sulfonamides and three other types of antibiotics, verifying the broad-degradation capacity of antibiotics. Under neutral pH conditions, the optimal catalytic parameters were an initial SDZ concentration of 44.0 mg/L, CMK dosage of 0.07 g/L, and PDS dosage of 5.44 mmol/L, respectively. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Raman spectrum analysis confirmed that the defect structure at edge of CMK and oxygen-containing functional groups on surface of CMK were major active sites, contributing to the high catalytic activity. Free radical quenching analysis revealed that both SO4•− and •OH were generated and participated in catalytic reaction. In addition, direct electron transfer by CMK to activate PDS also occurred, further promoting catalytic performance. Configuration of SDZ molecule was optimized using density functional theory, and the possible reaction sites in SDZ molecule were calculated using Fukui function. Combining ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC)–mass spectrometry (MS)/MS analysis, three potential degradation pathways were proposed, including the direct removal of SO2 molecules, the 14S-17N fracture, and the 19C-20N and 19C-27N cleavage of the SDZ molecule. The study demonstrated that ordered mesoporous carbon could work as a feasible catalytic material for PDS advanced oxidation during removal of antibiotics from wastewater.

Recent evidence indicates that the abnormal differentiation of bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) plays a pivotal role in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis. LncRNA SNHG1 has been found to be associated with the differentiation ability of BMSCs. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the role of lncRNA SNHG1 and its associated pathway on the differentiation of BMSCs in osteoporosis. Mice that underwent bilateral ovariectomy (OVX) were used as models of osteoporosis. Induced osteogenic or adipogenic differentiation was performed in mouse BMSCs. Compared to sham animals, lncRNA SNHG1 expression was upregulated in OVX mice. Also, the in vitro expression of SNHG1 was increased in adipogenic BMSCs but decreased in osteogenic BMSCs. Moreover, overexpression of SNHG1 enhanced the adipogenic capacity of BMSCs but inhibited their osteogenic capacity as determined by oil red O, alizarin red, and alkaline phosphatase staining, while silencing of SNHG1 led to the opposite results. LncRNA SNHG1 interacting with the RNA‐binding polypyrimidine tract‐binding protein 1 (PTBP1) promoted osteoprotegerin (Opg) methylation and suppressed Opg expression via mediating DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) 1. Furthermore, Opg was showed to regulate BMSC differentiation. Knockdown of SNHG1 decreased the expressions of adipogenic related genes but increased that of osteogenic related genes. However, the knockdown of Opg partially reversed those effects. In summary, lncRNA SNHG1 upregulated the expression of DNMT1 via interacting with PTBP1, resulting in Opg hypermethylation and decreased Opg expression, which in turn enhanced BMSC adipogenic differentiation and contributed to osteoporosis.

Background Prenatal stress (PS) can cause brain retardation, reduce the learning and memory ability of the offspring and significantly increase the incidence of depression in offspring. Paeoniflorin (PF), a kind of monoterpenoid glycoside, is one of the main active ingredients of Chinese Medicine Paeonia lactiflora Pall, has anti-inflammation and potential neuroprotective effects. However, few reports have shown that the neuroprotective effects of PF are exerted through ameliorating Glutamate toxicity in vivo and in vitro. Methods Here, we used a prenatal restraint stress model and Glu-induced excitotoxic neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells to study the effects of PF. Results Our results showed that PF can ameliorate learning and memory impairments and increases the density of hippocampal neurons, typical Golgi-positive pyramidal cells, and neuronal Neurogranin (Ng) expression in PS rat offspring. Furthermore, PF can significantly up-regulate the decrease of Glu-induced SH-SY5Y cell viability. At the same time, PF can significantly reduce apoptosis, ROS, NO levels, and intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and significantly inhibit the increase of mitochondrial membrane potential. Besides, PF significantly increased the expression of Nrf2 and iNOS, decreased p-JNK/JNK, p-P38/P38, Bax/Bcl-2, active-caspase-3, and active-caspase-9. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that PF may be an effective treatment in preventing the development of PS-induced learning and memory impairment and have therapeutic potential in Glu-related neurological diseases.

Electrochemical reduction in aqueous graphene oxide (GO) dispersion has emerged as an alternative route to producing a reduced GO (rGO) membrane on Au mesh. Under scanning electron microscopy, an interesting pattern formed by distinct differences was discovered from the deoxidization evolution. Scanning transmission X-ray microscopy shows the chemical composition coordination mixing of C–OH, C–O–C, HO–C O, and C O bonds at nanoscale resolution. The electrochemical reduction of C–OH, new bonding of C–O–C, and structure recovery of C C were obtained from GO transformation into the rGO membrane. In Kelvin probe force microscopy, the same pattern of rGO was also observed for the diversity of work functions ranging from 5.55 to 5.70 eV compared with the uniform distribution of GO of 5.78 eV. Density functional theory calculations predicted that the work function variation originated from the dependence of O atom number and functional group species. A high (low) diversity in work function values was ascribed to the C–O–C (HO–C O) bond even with increasing oxygen numbers, accounting for the peak variation. Controlling the work function holds great significance for photovoltaic behavior and band alignment in photoelectric devices. Thus, growing large-area rGO membranes offers a new route to obtaining membranes for applications requiring transparent materials.

Background: Extracellular electron transfers (EETs) are mainly involved in anaerobic respiration of quinone-respiring strains, which is applicable in many fields, such as microbiological fuel cell, bio-hydrogen production, anoxic denitrification, and bio-reduction of azo dyes. However, this kind of instinctive function of microbes was nonspecific and low efficient, which needed to be improved by addition of exogenous redox mediators (RMs). In this work, vanillin, syringaldehyde and p-hydroxybenzaldehyde, as the precursors of lignin, were functionally modified to RMs in effort to accelerate the bio-reduction azo dyes.Results: The results showed that the decolorization efficiency of MO motivated by modified vanillin were increased from 20% to 95% in less than 12 h. And the modified syringaldehyde was increased to 85% in 24h. According to GC-MS, the modified products of vanillin and syringaldehyde were mainly kinds of phenols, ketones and quinones. The RMs exhibited better electrochemical performances by CV measurement and the •OH radicals were found according to EPR. Under saline condition, the strain, in the presence of RMs, still exhibited a high and stable removal efficiency to MO.Conclusions: The novel RMs of biodegradation to azo dyes were prepared from lignin monomers. The RMs based on bio-materials are environment-friendly and have a remarkable effect in biodegradation of azo dyes. This work may provide a new route for the functional utilization of lignin-resource and a theoretical guidance for efficient biodegradation of azo dye wastewater.

This article presents the 2-D numerical simulation results of the heavy-ion-induced leakage current degradation and single-event burnout (SEB) in the rated 1.2-kV silicon-carbide (SiC) super-junction (SJ) vertical diffusion metal-oxide-semiconductor (VDMOS). The employed simulation physics models were validated by the heavy-ion irradiation experiments of the commercially rated 1.2-kV SiC common VDMOS (C-VDMOS), which indicated a severe degeneration threshold of 500 V. The SiC common SJ VDMOS (C-SJ VDMOS) was proven to be sensitive to high-energy heavy-ion and represents comparative SEB performance compared with the SiC C-VDMOS. The robustness of the SiC SJ VDMOS with different single buffer layer (SBL) designs against a heavy-ion was simulated. It is found that the maximum temperature in the source metal/SiC interface and bottom of the structure could be compromised by the thickness of the buffer layer. As a result, the SiC SJ VDMOS with an optimal SBL exhibited a severe degeneration threshold of 800 V, which was a 60% increase compared to the SiC C-SJ VDMOS.

This study evaluated the safety, effectiveness, and feasibility of indocyanine green (ICG) tracing in guiding lymph-node (LN) dissection during laparoscopic D2 radical gastrectomy in patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC). We retrospectively analyzed data on 313 patients with clinical stage of cT1-4N0-3M0 who underwent laparoscopic radical gastrectomy after NAC between February 2010 and October 2020 from two hospitals in China. Grouped according to whether ICG was injected. For the ICG group (n = 102) and non-ICG group (n = 211), 1:1 propensity matching analysis was used. After matching, there was no significant difference in the general clinical pathological data between the two groups (ICG vs. non-ICG: 94 vs. 94). The average number of total LN dissections was significantly higher in the ICG group and lower LN non-compliance rate than in the non-ICG group. Subgroup analysis showed that among patients with LN and tumor did not shrink after NAC, the number of LN dissections was significantly more and LN non-compliance rate was lower in the ICG group than in the non-ICG group. Intraoperative blood loss was significantly lesser in the ICG group than in the non-ICG group, while the recovery and complications of the two groups were similar. For patients with poor NAC outcomes, ICG tracing can increase the number of LN dissections during laparoscopic radical gastrectomy, reduce the rate of LN non-compliance, and reduce intraoperative bleeding. Patients with AGC should routinely undergo ICG-guided laparoscopic radical gastrectomy.

This brief presents 2-D numerical simulation results of a single-event burnout (SEB) in a 4H-silicon carbide (SiC) junction termination extension (JTE) termination structure of a power metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). Using the rated 1.5-kV JTE termination structure, the most sensitive ion’s strike position to SEB is proved to be the edge of the P+/P− JTE region. Due to the severe punchthrough of the electric field, the source contact region is found to the most sensitive region to induce an SEB event. The SEB performance of the JTE termination structure with a single buffer layer or multilayer buffer is evaluated. The results show that the electric field distribution in four buffer layers (FBLs) is the most uniform to achieve the best SEB performance. Therefore, by adding an optimal FBL design to the termination region, the SEB threshold voltage can be increased to 1210 V instead of the common structure’s 250 V. The SEB safe operating area of the power MOSFET with an optimal FBL can increase more than three times compared with the common one.

The colour quality assessment of reverse micelle-based (in octane or nonane medium) and conventional water-based dyed wool knitted fabric has been investigated using computer colour matching (CCM) approach. Both water-based and non-aqueous based dyeing methods exhibited no chromatic shift from the reflectance curves and established good linearity in the construction of calibration curves. The linearity of both calibration curves in terms of R2 value played a critical role in CCM. The colour yield obtained from reverse micellar dyed fabric samples was higher than the colour yield values from wool knitted fabrics dyed in water bath under different dye percentages. The CCM predicted concentrations were in good agreement to theoretical concentrations for both dyeing systems. To conclude, the results showed that reverse micellar dyeing in octane and nonane is capable of generating reliable colour recipes. The relative unlevelness indices (RUI) obtained from dyed wool knitted fabrics using reverse micellar approach reveal good to excellent levelness, which fulfills the requirements of the textile processing industry. TEM picture illustrated that reverse micelles are in nano-scale and this could enhance the dyeing effect of wool with reactive dyes.

In this study, a series of CuW/CeZr (denoted as xCu–yW–CZ hereafter) catalysts with both NO reduction and CO oxidation activity was synthesized by the co-impregnation method, aiming for simultaneous removal of NO and CO under oxygen-rich conditions. Characterizations including N2 adsorption and desorption, XRD, SEM, H2–TPR, and NH3–TPD were used to interpret the influence of WO3/CuO loading amount on catalytic activity. The results suggested that the addition of WO3 species increased the surface acidity of the catalyst while weakening its redox property. On the contrary, the addition of CuO species greatly enhanced the redox property of the catalyst while hardly changing its surface acidity. Notably, too high content CuO was prone to aggregate, which was unfavorable to catalytic activity. Consequently, 5Cu–10W–CZ with 5 wt% CuO and 10 wt% WO3 presented the most optimal catalytic activity because of high components dispersion, appropriate redox property, and surface acidity. A novel dual-function catalyst (CuW/CeO2–ZrO2) that can simultaneously catalyze NH3–SCR reaction and CO oxidation reaction, was synthesized by the co-impregnation method, aiming for simultaneous removal of NO and CO under oxygen-rich conditions.

In this article, we investigate a 4H-SiC super- junction (SJ) MOSFET structure with a charge-imbalance doping-profile. According to our numerical simulations and comparisons with the conventional SiC VDMOS (C-VDMOS) and SiC SJ VDMOS (SJ-VDMOS) devices, the SJ-MOD structure offers a better trade-off between breakdown voltage (BV) and specific on-resistance ( $R_{on,sp}$ ). This leads to a high figure of merit ( $FOM=BV^{2}/R_{on,sp}$ ). In addition, due to the reduced electric field peak, the single-event burnout (SEB) of the device is significantly improved. The simulation results indicate that, using a LET value of 0.1 pC/ ${\mu }\text{m}$ and a 3000K global device temperature as the criterion for burning, the specific burnout-threshold voltage (using the optimal parameters of the proposed structure) exceeds that of the conventional structure. This indicates that the modified super-junction structure can indeed be used for different voltage-classes of the hardening SiC super-junction devices in the future.

To combat severe soil desertification and sandstorms, the application of appropriate hydrogels to dry land/desert is a promising solution to advance sustainable water irrigation and retention, and even realize “intelligent” agriculture. To this end, the development of a hydrogel with stable monitoring functions and good mechanical properties to maintain the swelling capability under soil would be significant for “intelligent” agriculture applications. Herein, we report a robust bio-based hydrogel with excellent mechanical properties and unique fluorescence performance for monitoring irrigation applications. This bio-hydrogel possesses a double cross-linked interpenetrating supramolecular network in a bacterial cellulose (BC) porous matrix, which provides its high tensile/compressive strength (∼0.96/1.3 MPa) and excellent Young's modulus (∼6.67 MPa, vs. 0.01–1.0 MPa for reported agricultural hydrogels), as well as high strength retention after experiencing repeated swelling/drying and long-term compressive processes. Furthermore, the hydrogel displays unique non-traditional fluorescence with excellent stability even under extreme environmental conditions, such as high/low temperature and various organic solvents. The excellent fluorescence characteristics offer the potential to realize “visualized” agricultural irrigation. This study not only provides a distinctive bio-based hydrogel with broadened applications, but also presents new insight to promote the development of sustainable agriculture.

1,4-naphthoquinone and its derivatives have attracted widespread attention due to their multiple biological activities, such as induction of cancer cell apoptosis; however, most of these compounds have high cytotoxicity. In this study, in order to reduce their toxicity and increase their potential anti-tumor effects, we synthesized a novel 1,4-naphthoquinone derivative named 2-(naphthalene-2-thio)-5,8-dimethoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone (NTDMNQ), and investigated its apoptotic effects and underlying mechanism. Our results showed that NTDMNQ inhibited the viability of HepG2, Hep3B, and Huh7 human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. It also increased the accumulation of cells in the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle by increasing the expression levels of p-p53, p21 and p27, while decreasing the levels of Cyclin D1, Cyclin E, Cyclin-dependent kinase 2 (CDK2), CDK4, and CDK6. Inhibition of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) decreased apoptosis in NTDMNQ-treated cells. Western blot analysis showed that NTDMNQ increased the phosphorylation of p38 and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and decreased the phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), AKT, and signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 (STAT3); these effects were blocked by NAC. Both the JNK inhibitor (SP600125) and p38 inhibitor (SB203580) reversed the phosphorylation of STAT3, and the ERK inhibitor (FR180204) and AKT inhibitor (LY294002) reduced the expression of STAT3. Taken together, these findings suggest that NTDMNQ induces apoptosis via ROS-mediated MAPK, AKT and STAT3 signaling pathways in HepG2 cells, and may be a potent anticancer agent.

Background Zeaxanthin, a carotenoid commonly found in plants, has a variety of biological functions including anti-cancer activity. Purpose This study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms of zeaxanthin in human gastric cancer cells. Methods CCK-8 assay was used to examine the cytotoxic effect of zeaxanthin on human gastric cancer cells. Flow cytometry was used to analyse AGS cell cycle distribution and apoptosis status. Western blot analysis was used to detect the expression levels of cycle-related proteins (Cyclin A, Cyclin B1, CDK1/2, p21, and p27), apoptosis-related proteins (Bcl-2, Bad, caspase-3, PARP), MAPK, AKT, STAT3, and NF-κB. Results CCK-8 assay showed that zeaxanthin has obvious cytotoxic effects on 12 types of human gastric cancer cells, but no obvious toxic effect on normal cells. In addition, flow cytometry and Western blotting results showed that zeaxanthin induces apoptosis by reducing mitochondrial membrane potential; increasing Cytochrome C, Bax, cleaved-caspase-3 (cle-cas-3), and cleaved-PARP (cle-PARP) expression levels; and decreasing Bcl-2, pro-caspase-3 (pro-cas-3), and pro-PARP expression levels. Additionally, zeaxanthin caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase by increasing the levels of p21 and p27 and reduced the levels of AKT, Cyclin A, Cyclin B1, and Cyclin-dependent kinase 1/2 (CDK1/2). Furthermore, after zeaxanthin treatment, the expression levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), p-JNK, p-p38, and I-κB increased, and the expression levels of p-ERK, p-AKT, STAT3, and NF-κB decreased. However, the ROS scavenger N-acetylcysteine (NAC) and MAPK inhibitors inhibited zeaxanthin-induced apoptosis, and under the action of zeaxanthin, MAPK regulated NF-κB and STAT3, and reduced their protein expression levels. Conclusion Zeaxanthin has a potential effect against gastric cancer cells through the ROS-mediated MAPK, AKT, NF-κB, and STAT3 signaling pathways, and it is expected to become a new drug for the treatment of human gastric cancer.

An unconventional [2 + 3] cyclization of pyridinium ylides with 2-ylideneoxindoles has been developed for the facile construction of pharmacologically interesting polysubstituted 9H-pyrrolo[1,2-a]indol-9-ones (fluorazones). Mechanistic studies revealed that the reaction, which has a broad substrate scope, proceeds via intermolecular [1,4]-sulfonyl transfer. Moreover, biological evaluation showed that polysubstituted fluorazone 3ak potently inhibits indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1, kynurenine production, and immunotolerance in tumors.

Revealing the active nature of oxide derived copper (OD-Cu) is of key importance to understand its remarkable catalytic performance during the cathodic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) to produce valuable hydrocarbons. Using advanced spectroscopy, electron microscopy and electro active surface area characterization techniques, the electronic structure and the changes in the morphology/roughness of thermally oxidized copper thin films were revealed during CO2RR. For this purpose we developed an in situ cell for X-ray spectroscopy able to be operated accurately in the presence of gases or liquids to unite the role of the initial thermal oxide-phase and its active phase during the electrocatalytic reduction of CO2. It was found that the Cu(I) species formed during the thermal treatment are readily reduced to Cu0 during the CO2RR, whereas Cu(II) species are hardly reduced. In addition, Cu(II) oxide electrode dissolution was found to yield a porous/void structure, where the lack of electrical connection between isolated islands prohibits the CO2RR. Therefore, the active/stable phase for CO2RR is metallic copper, independent of its initial phase, with a significant change in its morphology upon its reduction yielding the formation of a rougher surface with higher number of under coordinated sites. Thus, the initial thermal oxidation of copper in air controls the reaction activity/selectivity due to the changes induced in electrode surface morphology/roughness and the presence of more under coordinated sites during the CO2RR.

The variation in the morphology and electronic structure of copper during the electroreduction of CO2 into valuable hydrocarbons and alcohols was revealed by combining in situ surface- and bulk-sensitive X-ray spectroscopies with electrochemical scanning electron microscopy. These experiments proved that the electrified interface surface and near-surface are dominated by reduced copper. The selectivity to the formation of the key C–C bond is enhanced at higher cathodic potentials as a consequence of increased copper metallicity. In addition, the reduction of the copper oxide electrode and oxygen loss in the lattice reconstructs the electrode to yield a rougher surface with more uncoordinated sites, which controls the dissociation barrier of water and CO2. Thus, according to these results, copper oxide species can only be stabilized kinetically under CO2 reduction reaction conditions.

Producing acetaldehyde, an important industrial chemical, by direct catalytic non-oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol presents many advantages over current production methods, including generating hydrogen. However, a stable, active, and selective catalyst is currently unavailable. This work demonstrates that the high activity and selectivity of nanoporous (np) NiCu for this reaction can be stabilized by keeping the catalyst in a metastable (“kinetically trapped”) state. Using a combination of in situ ambient-pressure and ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, environmental transmission electron microscopy, and density functional theory calculations enabled correlating changes in surface composition with the changes in activity and stability upon treatment of np NiCu with H2 and O2. Reduction of Ni-doped nanoporous Cu by H2 exposure enhanced the initial activity but led to complete catalyst deactivation within ∼40 hours. In contrast, O2 pretreatment of the same catalyst increased both activity and long-term stability, with only 15% activity loss over 40 hours. The stability of np NiCu as a catalyst inversely correlates with the amount of metallic Ni at the surface, which is enriched by the H2 pretreatment, while the O2 pretreatment leads to a kinetically trapped Ni2+ subsurface state. This work emphasizes that detailed understanding of pretreatment-induced nanoscale structural and compositional changes is necessary to optimize catalyst performance.

In this work, an improved 4H-SiC insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), or CTH-IGBT, with a trench p-polySi/p-SiC heterojunction on the backside of the device is proposed to reduce the turn-off energy loss (Eoff) and turn-off time (Toff). The electrical properties of the proposed and contrast structures are all simulated using the ATLAS simulation software to research the working mechanism of this improved structure. For the static performance, the specific ON-resistance (Ron,sp) and the figure of merit (FOM = VBR2/Ron,sp) are not influenced much as compared to the traditional structure at the same breakdown voltage (VBR) of 12 kV. However, with a prominent electron current path formed by the heterojunction region of CTH-IGBT, a very available conduction path to discharge the electrons during turn-off process is proved in this article. The simulation results demonstrate that compared with the traditional structure, the turn-off energy loss of the CTH-IGBT is reduced by 76.4%, while the turn-off time is reduced by 85.0%.

Background Human carboxylesterases (hCES) are key serine hydrolases responsible for the hydrolysis of a wide range of endogenous and xenobiotic esters. Although it has been reported that some ginsenosides can modulate the activities of various enzymes, the inhibitory effects of ginsenosides on hCES have not been well-investigated. Methods In this study, more than 20 ginsenosides were collected and their inhibitory effects on hCES1A and hCES2A were assayed using the highly specific fluorescent probe substrates for each isoenzyme. Molecular docking simulations were also performed to investigate the interactions between ginsenosides and hCES. Results Among all tested ginsenosides, Dammarenediol II (DM) and 20S-O-β-(d-glucosyl)-dammarenediol II (DMG) displayed potent inhibition against both hCES1A and hCES2A, while protopanaxadiol (PPD) and protopanaxatriol (PPT) exhibited strong inhibition on hCES2A and high selectivity over hCES1A. Introduction of O-glycosyl groups at the core skeleton decreased hCES inhibition activity, while the hydroxyl groups at different sites might also effect hCES inhibition. Inhibition kinetic analyses demonstrated that DM and DMG functioned as competitive inhibitors against hCES1A-mediated d-luciferin methyl ester (DME) hydrolysis. In contrast, DM, DMG, PPD and PPT inhibit hCES2A-mediated fluorescein diacetate (FD) hydrolysis via a mixed manner. Conclusion The structure–inhibition relationships of ginsenosides as hCES inhibitors was investigated for the first time. Our results revealed that DM and DMG were potent inhibitors against both hCES1A and hCES2A, while PPD and PPT were selective and strong inhibitors against hCES2A.

π-Conjugated organic materials possess a wide range of tunable optoelectronic properties which are dictated by their molecular structure and supramolecular arrangement. While many efforts have been put into tuning the molecular structure to achieve the desired properties, rational supramolecular control remains a challenge. Here, we report a novel series of supramolecular materials formed by the co-assembly of weak π-electron donor (indolo[2,3-a]carbazole) and acceptor (aromatic o-quinones) molecules via complementary hydrogen bonding. The resulting polarization creates a drastic perturbation of the molecular energy levels, causing strong charge transfer in the weak donor-acceptor pairs. This leads to a significant lowering (up to 1.5 eV) of the band gaps, intense absorption in the near-IR region, very short π-stacking distances (≥3.15 Å), and strong ESR signals in the co-crystals. By varying the strength of the acceptor, the characteristics of the complexes can be tuned between intrinsic, gate-, or light-induced semiconductivity with a p-type or ambipolar transport mechanism.

The approach of using reverse micelle with nonionic surfactant (poly(ethylene glycol), PEG)) as building block has been employed to investigate dyeability of wool fabrics with reactive dyes in a one-bath non-aqueous solvent system. Three colours were used and they were encapsulated in the core of the PEG-based reverse micelle under optimised process parameters (i.e. (i) Solvent volume to wool fabric weight ratio (v/w)=10:1; (ii) Surfactant/water mole ratio=0.04:1; (iii) Surfactant/co-surfactant mole ratio=l:8; (iv) Volume of water-pool for dye=0.5 ml; (v) Dyeing time=50 minutes; and (vi) Dyeing temperature=88 °C). Comparison of non-aqueous and aqueous-based (water-based) dyeing was conducted in terms of dyeability as reflected by colour yield and colour fastness properties. Experimental results revealed that the reverse micellar non-aqueous dyeing system can provide a better dyeing performance than aqueous-based dyeing system.

The self-corrosion of aluminum anodes is one of the key issues that hinder the development and application of low-cost and high-energy-density Al-air batteries (AABs). Herein, a hybrid corrosion inhibitor combining ZnO and acrylamide (AM) was developed to construct a dense protective interface on the Al anode to suppress the self-corrosion and enhance the electrochemical performance of AABs. Also, the results show that the hydrogen evolution rate with the optimal combination of hybrid inhibitors is 0.0848 mL cm-2 min-1, corresponding to the inhibition efficiency of 78.03%. The integrated AABs with hybrid inhibitors show remarkable capacities of 1240.6 mA h g-1 (25 mA cm-2) and 2444.1 mA h g-1 (100 mA cm-2) and a high power density of 63.7 mW cm-2. This shows that ZnO dissolves into the electrolyte and forms a loose and porous film on the Al surface. When AM is introduced into the ZnO-containing electrolyte, the adsorption of the amide group of AM on the surface of aluminum and ZnO occurs, which not only controls the growth morphology of ZnO but also enables ZnO to easily aggregate into a layer that is in close contact with the anode, efficiently suppressing self-corrosion. This work opens up the prospect of a corrosion inhibition mechanism for ZnO and AM in alkaline solutions and for developing effective organic/inorganic hybrid inhibitors.

Background Chiral furfuryl alcohols are important precursors for the synthesis of valuable functionalized pyranones such as the rare sugar L-rednose. However, the synthesis of enantiopure chiral biobased furfuryl alcohols remains scarce. In this work, we present a chemoenzymatic route toward enantiopure nitrogen-containing (R)- and (S)-3-acetamido-5-(1-hydroxylethyl)furan (3A5HEF) from chitin-derived N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (NAG). Findings 3-Acetamido-5-acetylfuran (3A5AF) was obtained from NAG via ionic liquid/boric acid-catalyzed dehydration, in an isolated yield of approximately 31%. Carbonyl reductases from Streptomyces coelicolor (ScCR) and Bacillus sp. ECU0013 (YueD) were found to be good catalysts for asymmetric reduction of 3A5AF. Enantiocomplementary synthesis of (R)- and (S)-3A5HEF was implemented with the yields of up to > 99% and the enantiomeric excess (ee) values of > 99%. Besides, biocatalytic synthesis of (R)-3A5HEF was demonstrated on a preparative scale, with an isolated yield of 65%. Conclusions A two-step process toward the chiral furfuryl alcohol was successfully developed by integrating chemical catalysis with enzyme catalysis, with excellent enantioselectivities. This work demonstrates the power of the combination of chemo- and biocatalysis for selective valorization of biobased furans. Graphic abstract

To date, ischemia-induced damage to dendritic spines has attracted considerable attention, while the possible effects of ischemia on presynaptic components has received relatively less attention. To further examine ischemia-induced changes in pre- and postsynaptic specializations in the hippocampal CA1 subfield, we modeled global cerebral ischemia with two-stage 4-vessel-occlusion in rats, and found that three postsynaptic markers, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2), postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), and filamentous F-actin (F-actin), were all substantially decreased in the CA1 subfield after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). Although no significant change was detected in synapsin I, a presynaptic marker, in the CA1 subfield at the protein level, confocal microscopy revealed that the number and size of synapsin I puncta were significantly changed in the CA1 stratum radiatum after I/R. The size of synapsin I puncta became slightly, but significantly reduced on Day 1.5 after I/R. From Days 2 to 7 after I/R, the number of synapsin I puncta became moderately decreased, while the size of synapsin I puncta was significantly increased. Interestingly, some enlarged puncta of synapsin I were observed in close proximity to the dendritic shafts of CA1 pyramidal cells. Due to the more substantial decrease in the number of F-actin puncta, the ratio of synapsin I/F-actin puncta was significantly increased after I/R. The decrease in synapsin I puncta size in the early stage of I/R may be the result of excessive neurotransmitter release due to I/R-induced hyperexcitability in CA3 pyramidal cells, while the increase in synapsin I puncta in the later stage of I/R may reflect a disability of synaptic vesicle release due to the loss of postsynaptic contacts.

Ultrastrong, biomorphic cellular silicon carbide (bio-SiC) ceramics were generated by the carbothermal reduction of gaseous SiO with a pyrolytic carbon template. The anisotropic wood tissue microst...

In this article, the performance and triggering mechanism of the single-event burnout (SEB) of a 4H-SiC trench-gate (TG) MOSFET structure are evaluated by the 2-D numerical simulations. The novel N+ island buffer 4H-SiC TG MOSFET and the conventional TG 4H-SiC MOSFET are analyzed and compared to examine whether an N+ island region introduced in the second buffer can effectively reduce the impact ionization located at the N− drift/N+ buffer junction and improve device tolerance to the SEB. The TCAD simulation results revealed that compared with the conventional structure, which is a simple double-buffer structure, the N+ island buffer-hardened structure changed the burnout threshold voltage, improving the SEB performance significantly. In addition, the results proved that the impact ionization played an important role in the SEB triggering mechanism, significantly affecting the SEB performance of the 4H-SiC TG MOSFET. The performance of the hardened N+ island buffer with a different dopant concentration of N-buffer 2 and a size of N+ island is discussed. The specific burnout threshold voltage at the optimal parameters of the proposed structure is 47% higher than that of the conventional structure.

One-third of the global hepatitis C virus (HCV) burden is found in Asia. Real-world data from diverse East Asian cohorts remain limited. This study addressed the real-world status of direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy among patients from East Asia. Chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients from clinical sites in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Hong Kong were recruited in the REAL-C registry, an observational chart review registry. The primary outcome was sustained virologic response (SVR12, HCV RNA PCR

A convenient and quick method has been developed for simultaneous detection of several low molecular weight chlorinated organic compounds (LMWC) in polyamideamine-epichlorohydrin (PAE) solution, using headspace-solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography (HS-SPME-GC). The method consists of extracting a sample containing 0.42 g/mL NaCl with an 85 µm polyacrylate (PA) coated fiber at an extraction temperature of 45 ∘ C {45^{\circ }}\text{C} , for an extraction time of 30 mins, and desorbing the analytes at 240 ∘ C {240^{\circ }}\text{C} for 6 mins. Under these optimized conditions, relatively low limits of detection (LOD) of the analytes, good linearity ( r 2 ≥ 0.9934 {r^{2}}\ge 0.9934 ) and precision (relative standard deviation ( RSD ≤ 4.38 % \text{RSD}\le 4.38\hspace{0.1667em}\% )) were obtained. Taking into account the matrix effect, standard addition methodology was applied to validate this method and recovery values were between 91.59 % and 109.69 %. This method is therefore well-suited for accurate determination of low levels of LMWC in PAE.

As one of the most popular beverages in the world, a large amount of coffee wastes known as the spent coffee grounds (SCGs) is generated daily. In this study, we report a polylactic acid (PLA) comp...

Effects of hardness and the pH value of water in a water pool on PEG-based nonionic surfactant dyeing of cotton fiber with reactive dyes in a heptane reverse micelle system were investigated in terms of the color yield, reflectance, CIE L*a*b* value, and unlevelness. Results reveal that the effect of the water-pool pH value on the color yield and reflectance are more significant than the effect of hardness in the water pool. The dyed fabrics under an alkaline water-pool condition obtain a lower color yield and higher reflectance percentage than those under acidic and nearly neutral conditions. The increase of hardness in a water pool has higher influence on unlevelness of dyed samples than the increase or decrease of the pH value in a water pool. The changes in hardness and the pH value in a water pool did not result in a significant change in CIE L*a*b* values of dyed specimens, and no chromatic change was found in dyed fabrics. Excellent washing fastness results of the dyed fabrics, guaranteeing adequate removal of unfixed dyes, assure accuracy of the results in a spectrophotometric measurement.

Understanding interactions at the interfaces of carbon with ionic liquids (ILs) is crucially beneficial for the diagnostics and performance improvement of electrochemical devices containing carbon as active materials or conductive additives in electrodes and ILs as solvents or additives in electrolytes. The interfacial interactions of three typical imidazolium-based ILs, 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (AMImTFSI) ILs having ethyl (C2), butyl (C4) and octyl (C8) chains in their cations, with highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) were studied in-situ by electrochemical scanning tunneling microscopy (EC-STM). The etching of HOPG surface and the exfoliation of graphite/graphene flakes as well as cation intercalation were observed at the HOPG/C2MImTFSI interface. The etching also takes place in C4MImTFSI at −1.5 V vs Pt but only at step edges with a much slower rate, whereas C8MIm+ cations adsorbs strongly on the HOPG surface under similar conditions with no observable etching or intercalation. The EC-STM observations can be explained by the increase in van der Waals interaction between the cations and the graphite surface with increasing length of alkyl chains.

This study synthesized the metal–organic framework-derived composite Fe–N–Co@C-800-acid-leaching (Fe–N–Co@C-800-AL) through co-doped iron and nitrogen atoms in a zeolitic imidazolate framework-67, followed by pyrolysis at 800 °C and the AL process. Fe–N–Co@C-800-AL was highly active in an oxygen reduction reaction, during which the number of transferred electrons (3.986) was close to an ideal four-electron transfer. In addition, Fe–N–Co@C-800-AL showed no obvious degradation, even after potential cycling of half-cell measurement (30 000 cycles). The prepared material exhibited a porous structure composed of nanoparticles (NPs) that were randomly distributed on poly-hydrocarbon structures with a Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of 449.0 m² g–¹. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy demonstrated that the synthesized Fe–N–Co@C-800-AL contained large amounts of pyridinic nitrogen and graphitic nitrogen, which could significantly enhance the activity of the oxygen reduction reaction. Furthermore, X-ray absorption spectroscopy of Fe−N−Co@C-800-AL revealed the existence of Co–Co and Fe–Fe and a lack of Co–Nₓ and Fe–Nₓ moieties, which means an oxygen reduction reaction may occur on the microstructures of N-doped carbon with wrapped metal NPs (Co or Fe). These findings revealed that Fe–N–Co@C-800-AL had a porous structure, high surface area, and the presence of functional nitrogen, thereby making it suitable for oxygen reduction reaction.

Reverse micellar dyeing of cotton fabrics with PEG-based non-ionic surfactant in heptane non-aqueous medium with the use of reactive dyes with different reactive groups was investigated. Single jersey knitted fabrics were used in this study. The experimental results reveal that samples dyed by both one-bath and two-bath heptane reverse micellar methods can achieve higher colour yield than the conventional water-based dyeing method. Among different reactive dyes, samples dyed with hetero-bifunctional vinylsulfone based reactive dyes could achieved higher colour yield (K/S) than the homo-bifunctional and monofunctional reactive dyes in non-aqueous dyeing medium. Moreover, the ranges of L*, a* and b* value for hetero-bifunctional vinylsulfone based reactive dyes were narrower than homo-bifunctional and monofunctional reactive dyes. In term of levelness, monofunctional reactive dyes generally resulted a better levelness than homo-bifunctional and hetero-bifunctional reactive dyes. Although one-bath heptane method yields high K/Ssum values, the problem of unlevelness should be considered while the use of two-bath heptane reverse micellar method can strike a balance between levelness and colour yield.

Mac‐2 binding protein glycosylation isomer (M2BPGi) is a novel glycoprotein biomarker that correlates with liver fibrosis. It has been investigated in East Asian populations as a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) biomarker. We assessed M2BPGi as an HCC biomarker in an ethnically diverse cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We enrolled 947 treatment‐naive patients mono‐infected with HBV or HCV without HCC at baseline. Biomarker levels were measured from baseline sera and correlated with longitudinal clinical data. The primary outcome was HCC occurrence during long‐term follow‐up. Median M2BPGi was significantly higher among patients with cirrhosis (2.67 versus 0.80; P < 0.001) and patients who developed HCC (3.22 versus 1.16; P < 0.001). The area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUROC) for M2BPGi and alpha‐fetoprotein (AFP) was similar overall (0.77 versus 0.72; P = 0.15), but M2BPGi outperformed AFP among patients with HBV (0.84 versus 0.75; P = 0.02). M2BPGi performed poorly among patients with HCV (AUROC, 0.51). M2BPGi was an independent predictor of HCC among patients with HBV but not among patients with HCV. M2BPGi performed better in patient subgroups with a lower prevalence of cirrhosis. Conclusion: In our HBV cohort, M2BPGi was more effective than AFP in predicting HCC and was an independent predictor of HCC. However, M2BPGi had limited predictive value in our HCV cohort, likely due to a high cirrhosis burden in this cohort. Further studies are needed to evaluate M2BPGi as an HCC biomarker in broader patient populations with more diverse disease etiology, non‐Asian ethnicity, and more advanced fibrosis.

This brief first time presents single-event burnout (SEB) simulation results for conventional AlGaN/ GaN gate field plate MISFET (GFP-C MISFET), simultaneously, a hardened MISFET with electrode connected doped plugs in the buffer (EC-DP MISFET) is proposed for the first time. The SEB triggering mechanisms contain the back-channel effect and following impact ionization dominated by electron in the high field region. By comparing the simulation results from the GFP-C MISFET and proposed hardened EC-DP MISFET, the carriers induced by heavy ion can be quickly absorbed to drain and source electrode through EC-DP, so that the proposed EC-DP MISFET can achieve better SEB performance than conventional one. With a heavy ion having the linear energy transfer value of 0.6-pC/ $\mu \text{m}$ striking vertically, SEB threshold voltage obtained in GFP-C MISFET and hardened EC-DP MISFET is 280 and 338 V, respectively.

Reverse micelles using nonionic poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG)-based surfactant as building block were introduced to encapsulate reactive dye for cotton dyeing. The morphological transition of reactive dyes from well-dispersive spherical form into highly agglomerated form via various surfactant-to-co-surfactant molar ratios and surfactant-to-water molar ratios have been preliminary investigated. The dyeing properties of cotton has been analyzed in terms of dispersion of reverse micelle structure from transmission electron microscopy, identification of chemical signatures of dye-cotton interaction from Raman spectroscopy, color strength and relative levelness. The reverse micellar structures under both highly dispersed and agglomerated forms are in good agreement with color strength and levelness data. The optimization of surfactant conditions can be considered as major parameters for investigating the quality of cotton dyeing including color strength and levelling conditions.

Isoliquiritigenin (ISL), a natural flavonoid isolated from plant licorice, has various pharmacological properties, including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects. However, the underlying mechanisms and signaling pathways of ISL in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells remain unknown. In this study, we evaluated the effects of ISL on the apoptosis of human HCC cells with a focus on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Our results showed that ISL exhibited cytotoxic effects on two human liver cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. ISL significantly induced mitochondrial-related apoptosis and cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, which was accompanied by ROS accumulation in HepG2 cells. However, pretreatment with an ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC), inhibited ISL-induced apoptosis. In addition, ISL increased the phosphorylation levels of c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38 kinase and inhibitor of NF-κB (IκB), and decreased the phosphorylation levels of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK), signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), these effects were blocked by NAC and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors. Taken together, the findings of this study indicate that ISL induced HepG2 cell apoptosis via ROS-mediated MAPK, STAT3, and NF-κB signaling pathways. Therefore, ISL may be a potential treatment for human HCC, as well as other cancer types.

In this paper, a new silicon-on-insulator superjunction lateral double-diffused MOSFET (SOI SJLDMOS) with a p-trench layer and stepped buried oxide, is investigated using 3D numerical simulation. The p-trench layer and stepped buried oxide distinguish it from a conventional SOI SJLDMOS. The etched buried oxide layer, with its stepped buried -oxide structure, which facilitates a more even electric field distribution via the electric field modulation effect, increases the breakdown-voltage (BV). Furthermore, the p-trench layer improves the doping concentration through compensation depletion, which further decreases the specific on-resistance (Ron,sp). The simulation indicates that the new device has a higher BV (increased by 29%) than the conventional SOI SJLDMOS. At the same time, Ron,sp decreases by 20% for the on-state for a given drift-region length.

This paper presents the 2-D numerical simulation results of single-event burnout (SEB) in 4H-SiC junction barrier Schottky (JBS) diode by low carrier lifetime control (LCLC) for the first time. We investigate the SEB performance based on an 1800-V JBS structure and find that the most sensitive ion’s strike position is the middle of junction spacing because of the punchthrough of the electric field at anode contact. Then, the SEB hardening mechanism of LCLC is studied in this paper that the double-sided peak electric field can be effectively improved which results in a significantly decrease of maximal temperature. For the incident particle with different linear energy transfer values, we find that the SEB threshold voltage can be substantially enhanced when the carrier lifetime ( $\tau $ ) is under a certain value. In addition, the basic characteristics with LCLC are discussed that the forward and reversed characteristics are hardly affected.

Recombinant fructosyl peptide oxidase (FPO) from Phaeosphaeria nodorum SN15 was functionally expressed by Escherichia coli cells and one-step purified from crude cells extract using immobilized metal affinity chromatography (IMAC) to achieve a specific activity of 26 U/mg. A ready-use colorimetric detection of HbA1c level in blood sample was developed based on FPO immobilized membrane. Facile bio-inspired polydopamine coating on the surface of a microporous membrane was employed for effective FPO immobilization. Glutaraldehyde activation of the polydopamine coating significantly enhanced FPO immobilization yield that at least 5-fold higher activity could be achieved. The stability of FPO membrane was also enhanced by glutaraldehyde activation that 85% activity could be maintained after 7 repeated uses. Highly correlated optical densities at 727 nm (OD727) against fructosylvaline (FV) in the range of 0.02 mM to 0.7 mM (R2 = 0.988) could be achieved using FPO membrane. At least 80% of the initial activity was maintained for FPO membrane stored at 4 °C for 7 days. Rather low OD727 but good correlation still could be obtained by using FPO membrane for the detection HbA1c levels (6–14%) in blood samples.

In contrast to traditional pigment colors, structural colors have developed a great potential in practical applications, thanks to their unique nonfading and color tunable properties, especially amorphous photonic structures with noniridescent structural colors have attracted considerable attention and their applications have expanded to more fields. Herein, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) enhanced noniridescent structural colors with excellent mechanical robustness were established by a time-saving approach named spray coating, which allows for rapid fabrication of angular independent structural colors by spraying different photonic spray paints (PSPs) to ensure color multiplicity that was adjusted by the silica nanoparticles (SiO2 NPs) sizes onto the substrates. The incorporation of poly(methyl methacrylate-butyl acrylate) (PMB) improved the adhesion existing among SiO2 inter-nanoparticles and between SiO2 NPs and the substrates, taking advantages of the low glass transition temperature () of butyl acrylate derivative polymer and made PMB embedded PSPs coated patterns being imparted with good mechanical robustness and abrasive resistance. The peculiar light adsorption of GO and RGO across visible light spectrum facilitate higher color saturation. The improvement in color saturation of GO and RGO doped PSPs is expected to boost the promising applications in structurally colored paintings, inks and other color-related optical fields.

The ALDH2 mutation (ALDH2*2) is caused by an amino acid substitution ALDH2 rs671 G>A (pE487K) which reduces ALDH2 enzyme activity. When individuals with the ALDH2 mutation consume alcohol, accumulating acetaldehyde in the blood can cause reddened face, headache, nausea, and palpitations; symptoms referred to as Alcohol Flushing Reaction. We report the production of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line, FIRDIi001-A, developed from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of a 39-year-old male subject with the ALDH2*2 mutation. The ALDH2-pE487K iPSCs will be valuable in investigating pathogenic mechanisms involved in the link between the ALDH2 polymorphism and alcohol-related diseases.

Background. Previous studies have shown that environmental cadmium exposure could disrupt salivary gland function and is associated with dental caries and reduced bone density. Therefore, this cross-sectional study attempted to determine whether tooth decay with tooth loss following cadmium exposure is associated with some dental or skeletal traits such as malocclusions, sagittal skeletal pattern, and tooth decay. Methods. Between August 2019 and June 2020, 60 orthodontic patients with no history of previous orthodontics, functional appliances, or surgical treatment were examined. The patients were stratified into two groups according to their urine cadmium concentrations: high (&gt, 1.06 µg/g creatinine, n = 28) or low (&lt, 1.06 µg/g creatinine, n = 32). Results. The patients were 25.07 ± 4.33 years old, and most were female (female/male: 51/9 or 85%). The skeletal relationship was mainly Class I (48.3%), followed by Class II (35.0%) and Class III (16.7%). Class I molar relationships were found in 46.7% of these patients, Class II molar relationships were found in 15%, and Class III molar relationships were found in 38.3%. The mean decayed, missing, and filled surface (DMFS) score was 8.05 ± 5.54, including 2.03 ± 3.11 for the decayed index, 0.58 ± 1.17 for the missing index, and 5.52 ± 3.92 for the filled index. The mean index of complexity outcome and need (ICON) score was 53.35 ± 9.01. The facial patterns of these patients were within the average low margin (26.65 ± 5.53 for Frankfort–mandibular plane angle (FMA)). There were no significant differences in the above-mentioned dental indices between patients with high urine cadmium concentrations and those with low urine cadmium concentrations. Patients were further stratified into low (&lt, 27, n = 34), average (27–34, n = 23), and high (&gt, 34, n = 3) FMA groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the urine cadmium concentration among the three groups. Nevertheless, a marginally significant p-value of 0.05 for urine cadmium concentration was noted between patients with low FMA and patients with high FMA. Conclusion. This analysis found no association between environmental cadmium exposure and dental indices in our orthodontic patients.

In order to select the best mixed amines in the CO2 capture process, the absorption of CO2 in mixed amines was explored at the required concentrations by using monoethanolamine (MEA) as a basic solvent, mixed with diisopropanolamine (DIPA), triethanolamine (TEA), 2-amino-2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP), and piperazine (PZ). Here, a bubble column was used as the scrubber, and a continuous operation was adopted. The Taguchi method was used for the experimental design. The conditional factors included the type of mixed amine (A), the ratio of the mixed amines (B), the liquid feed flow (C), the gas-flow rate (D), and the concentration of mixed amines (E). There were four levels, respectively, and a total of 16 experiments. The absorption efficiency (EF), absorption rate (RA), overall mass transfer coefficient (KGa), and scrubbing factor (&lt, i&gt, ϕ&lt, /i&gt, ) were used as indicators and were determined in a steady-state by the mass balance and two-film models. According to the Taguchi analysis, the importance of the parameters and the optimum conditions were obtained. In terms of the absorption efficiency (EF), the absorption rate (absorption factor) (RA/&lt, ), and the overall mass transfer coefficient (KGa), the order of importance is D &gt, E &gt, A &gt, B &gt, C, D &gt, C &gt, A, and D &gt, B, respectively, and the optimum conditions are A1B4C4D3E3, A1B3C4D4E2, A4B2C3D4E4, and A1B1C1D4E1. The optimum condition validation results showed that the optimal values of EF, RA, and KGa are 100%, 30.69 × 10−4 mol/s·L, 1.540 l/s, and 0.269, respectively. With regard to the selection of mixed amine, it was found that the mixed amine (MEA + AMP) performed the best in the CO2 capture process.

Folium nelumbinis was used as vegetable, functional food and herbal medicine in Asia. In this study, p-sulfonatocalix[6]arenes (SC6A) assisted extraction of nuciferine from the Folium nelumbinis has been carried out to develop an eco-friendly extraction process with high extraction efficacy and facilitated operation. A single factor test was adopted to obtain the optimal extraction conditions, involved the use of 0.4:1:20 (g/g/mL) SC6A / Folium nelumbinis / solution ratio, below 180 μm granulometric fraction and 1 h extraction time with soaking method. Nuciferine and SC6A were separated easily by alkalization, the purity and recovery of nuciferine extracted with SC6A were increased 29.24 and 35.73 times compared with aqueous solution. Moreover, a good reusability of SC6A in the extraction of nuciferine was demonstrated. Competitive fluorescence titration, DSC and FT-IR characterization indicated that SC6A could form host-guest complexes with nuciferine at 1:1 ratio with a binding constant value of 5.55 × 105 M-1. The study provided an eco-friendly, safe and effective method for further development of nutrition supplements contains nuciferine

This study examined the trend of blood lead levels (BLLs) in Taiwanese adults and analyzed the variations in the BLL between Linkou (northern) and Kaohsiung (southern) hospital branches. Between 2005 and 2017, 3,804 adult participants received blood lead tests at the Linkou (n = 2,674) and Kaohsiung (n = 1,130) branches of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. The geometric mean of BLL was 2.77 μg/dL. The adult participants from the Kaohsiung branch were not only age older (49.8±14.1 versus 39.4±14.2 years; P 5 μg/dL. Therefore, this study confirmed a continuous decreasing trend in the BLL in Taiwan after banning leaded petrol in 2000.

Lithium sulfur batteries (LSBs) are regarded as one of the most promising energy storage devices because of their ultrahigh theoretical energy densities (2500 Wh kg-1), low cost, and environmental friendliness. Nevertheless, several detrimental drawbacks, including shuttling effects caused by soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPS), sluggish conversion kinetics between LiPS, and poor conductivities of sulfur, prevent commercialization of LSBs. To takle the above issues, MOF-derived cobalt disulfide/nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) composite polyhedrons linked with multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), CoS2@NC/MWCNT, were developed as an effective sulfur host for LSBs. It was fabricated through first in-situ growth of nanoporous ZIF-67 on surface treated MWCNTs, followed by carbonization and sulfurization. CoS2@NC/MWCNT combines the advantages of outstanding conductivities of MWCNTs, excellent chemical adsorption of NC and CoS2 toward LiPS, and high catalytic efficiency of CoS2 toward LiPS conversion, effectively addressing the shuttling, sluggish conversion, and low conductivity issues. The CoS2@NC/MWCNT electrode delivered a high specific capacity of 1133 mAh g-1 at 0.1 C and maintained a decent specific capacity of 607 mAh g-1 at 2.0 C. Its cycling stability is excellent, with a capacity retention rate of 77% after 300 cycles at 1.0 C, i.e., an average capacity decay rate of 0.078% per cycle. The cycling stability was further improved through increasing N-doping levels of the carbons for enhanced chemical adsorption toward LiPS and through incorporation of inter-linked reduced graphene oxide sheets as a physical barrier to reduce the diffusion loss of LiPS, achieving even smaller capacity decay rates of 0.066 and 0.064 % per cycle, respectively.

Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) and its processed products are commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine, but the chaos phenomenon among processed products often occurs. In this study, we used multiple chemometric methods to analyze raw and six different processed products of RPA based on HPLC fingerprinting. Heat map analysis was used to assess the changes in chemical composition. Principal component analysis was used for classification, and the samples were divided into four classes: class 1 (raw, wine-processed, and vinegar-processed products), class 2 (bran-processed and soil-processed products), class 3 (stir-fried products), and class 4 (coke products). Further, the orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis model was used to obtain chemical markers among different classes. The antioxidant property of RPA is an important factor responsible for its pharmacological effects, and so the antioxidant activity of RPA was also investigated. We measured 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH) and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability, and ferric reducing antioxidant power. The total antioxidant activity follows the order: coke > stir-fried > soil-processed > bran-processed > wine-processed > raw > vinegar-processed products. These results suggest that different processing methods affect the chemical composition and antioxidant power of RPA, and thus, different products of RPA should not be mixed.

Reclaimed water is in huge demand in water-deficient cities. However, nitrogen, pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are frequent contaminants in reclaimed water that are probable to bring environmental risks. To develop a technology for safe reclaimed water production, in this study, a renovated filter that integrates solid-phase denitrification (SPD) with biodegradable polymer poly-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyvalerate (PHBV) and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption (SPD-GAC filter) was proposed and applied to remove nitrogen and target PPCPs (metoprolol and diclofenac) simultaneously. The influences of different ratio of the filled PHBV and GAC, and the hydraulic retention time (HRT) on the removal performances were investigated. The results showed that the filter with PHBV/GAC = 1 (25 cm PHBV/25 cm GAC) simultaneously achieved an average NO3−-N removal efficiency of about 95% with no accumulation of ammonia and nitrite, and an average removal efficiency of PPCPs of about 80%. Compared with PHBV-based SPD system, the integrated SPD-GAC filter significantly improved the control of carbon release and the PPCP removals. SPD-GAC filter also exhibited a strong tolerance for the variation of influent NO3−-N loading rate, achieving a highest denitrification rate of 0.76–0.82 g N·(L·d)−1. The integrated SPD-GAC filter proves to be a promising technology for the simultaneous removal of nitrogen and PPCPs from the secondary effluent.