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In this study, biochar (BC) derived from pomelo was prepared via a high-temperature calcination method to modify the graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) to synthesize the BC/g-C3N4 composite for the degradation of the tetracycline (TC) antibiotic under visible light irradiation. The experimental results exhibit that the optimal feeding weight ratio of biochar/urea is 0.03:1 in BC/g-C3N4 composite could show the best photocatalytic activity with the degradation rate of tetracycline is 83% in 100 min irradiation. The improvement of photocatalytic activity is mainly attributed to the following two points: (i) the strong bonding with π-π stacking between BC and g-C3N4 make the photogenerated electrons of light-excited g-C3N4 transfer to BC, quickly and improve the separation efficiency of carriers; (ii) the introduction of BC reduces the distance for photogenerated electrons to migrate to the surface and increases the specific surface area for providing more active sites. This study provides a sustainable, economical and promising method for the synthesis of photocatalytic materials their application to wastewater treatment.

Purpose: Traditional dosage forms of granisetron (GRN) decrease patient compliance associated with repeated drug administration because of the short half-life of the drug. Methods: In this study, novel GRN-loaded Polylactic-co-glycolic Acid (PLGA) sustained-release microspheres were prepared for the first time via a dropping-in-liquid emulsification technique. The effects of various factors, such as pH of the outer phase, Tween 80, Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) concentrations, and hardening process, on the Encapsulation Efficiency (EE), Drug Loading (DL), and particle size of microspheres were extensively studied. The physicochemical properties, including drug release, surface morphology, crystallinity, thermal changes, and molecular interactions, were also studied. Results: GRN has a pH-dependent solubility and it exhibits a remarkably high solubility under acidic condition. The EE of the alkaline medium (pH 8) was higher than that of the acidic medium (pH 4.0). EE and DL decreased in the presence of Tween 80 in the outer phase, whereas EE significantly increased during hardening. The particle size of microspheres was not affected by PVA and Tween 80 concentrations, but it was influenced by PVA volume and hardening. X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry results showed that the physical state of the drug changed from a crystalline form to an amorphous form, thereby confirming that the drug was encapsulated into the PLGA matrix. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy confirmed that some molecular interactions occurred between the drug and the polymer. GRN-loaded PLGA microspheres showed sustained release profiles of over 90% on week 3. Conclusion: GRN-loaded PLGA microspheres with sustained-release were successfully prepared, and they exhibited a relatively high EE without Tween 80 as an emulsifier and with the hardening process.

A novel composite reinforcement with horizontal multilayer "Spider web like" SiC nanowire networks and vertical interconnected "Z-pins like" SiC rods was designed and prepared by facile one-step figuration. The linear ablation rate of "Spider web like" SiC nanowire networks and "Z-pins like" SiC rods collectively reinforced C/C-ZrC-SiC composites at 2610 ± 20 ℃ was 0.4 ± 0.03 μm/s with a 74.19 % reduction. The improved ablation resistance was attributed to a denser gradient oxide layer composed of central ZrO2 layer, transitional ZrO2-SiO2 layer and marginal SiO2 layer generated under the initial sticky net effect from SiCnw networks and subsequent oxide compensation from "Z-pins like" SiC rods.

The energy-conversion storage systems serve as crucial roles for solving the intermittent of sustainable energy. But, the materials in the battery systems mainly come from complex chemical process, accompanying with the inevitable serious pollutions and high energy-consumption. Natural mineral resources display various merits, such as unique architecture, adsorption capability and rich active sites, which have captured numerous attentions with remarkable advancements. Recently, the minerals compounds, containing 1D structure (halloysites, attapulgites, sepiolite), 2D structure (montmorillonite, vermiculite, molybdenite) and 3D structure (diatomite, pyrites), have been applied in plenty of fields. Aiming at their energy-storage applications, the significant utilizations in electrodes, separators, electrolyte and metal-protection were detailedly reviewed in lithium-ions battery, lithium-sulfur battery, solid-state battery and so on. However, it should be acknowledged that, the simple minerals hardly meet the demand of energy-storage systems, due to their inferior conductivity and less active substances. Thus, series of modified manners are applied for the evolution of phase (from silicate mineral to Si), the incorporating with carbon/polymer and the tailoring of surface traits, which were in-depth discussed as following. The work was expected to summarize the traits about mineral compounds from different architectures, whilst offering significant guidelines for exploring mineral-based materials in energy-storage systems.

The simultaneous introduction of two new functionalities into the same polymeric substrate under mild reaction conditions is an interesting and important topic. Herein, dual-functional polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces with antibacterial and antifouling properties were conveniently developed

Molting is critical for growth, development, and survival in insects. As the main components of cuticle, dynamic change of chitin is consistent with molting process. Chitinase is main enzyme to mediate chitin metabolism in the old cuticle. To avoid over-degrading chitin from the new cuticle, expression of chitinase must be precisely regulated. In this study, we performed microRNA-sequencing to investigate expression change of microRNAs in silkworm epidermis during molting process. Comparative microRNA transcriptomic analysis from different molting stages and 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) treatment identified bmo-miR-282-5p as candidate. By bioinformatic analysis, chitinase 5 (BmCht5) was predicted to be a target of bmo-miR-282-5p. Meanwhile, temporal expression analysis revealed that BmCht5 only expressed at molting D3 stage, whereas bmo-miR-282-5p showed converse pattern, in which its transcript signal disappeared at this time point. Furthermore, luciferase assay and agomir treatment demonstrated that bmo-miR-282-5p suppressed transcript of BmCht5 in vivo. As a result, injection of 282-5p agomir triggered 40% death due to molting failure. In addition, RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated silencing of BmCht5 caused 30% developmental defect. Taken together, our data demonstrates the coordinated regulation of chitinase 5 by conserved miR-282-5p and 20E signaling pathway is essential for the normal molting process in the domesticated silkworm. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Rhododendron delavayi is a popular ornamental plant with globular flowers noted for their bright red color, but very limited studies have been reported on its flower color formation. In this study, we successfully isolated a novel DFR gene (RdDFR1) from red flowers of Rhododendron delavayi. Multiple sequence alignments revealed that RdDFR1 had the conserved NADP and substrate binding domain, and was classified into Asn-type DFR. Meanwhile, quantitative real-time PCR analysis showed that transcript levels of RdDFR1 matched the accumulation patterns of anthocyanins during flower development, hinting its potential role involved in anthocyanin biosynthesis. Then in vitro enzymatic analysis indicated that recombinant RdDFR1 protein could catalyze the production of leucoanthocyanidins from dihydroquercetin and dihydromyricetin. Furthermore, the in planta assay, using Arabidopsis thaliana dfr mutant (tt3-1) and tobacco, displayed that RdDFR1 transgenes recovered the defective proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin biosynthesis at seed coats, hypocotyl as well as cotyledon, and altered the flowers color of tobacco from pale pink to dark pink which demonstrated its function as dihydroflavonol 4-reductase in vivo. In summary, our findings suggest that RdDFR1 plays a crucial role in the biosynthesis of anthocyanin and will also make a contribution to understand the mechanisms of flower color formation in Rhododendron delavayi.

The effects of the different surface structure units due to “Z-pins like” V0.9-Si0.1 rods on the improvement of the ablation resistance of C/C–ZrC–SiC were investigated. The ablation properties of the V0.9-Si0.1 rods acting on the surface of short-cut fibre web and laminated layers were tested for different ablation times. The results showed that although the ablation resistances of the composites with different surface structure units improved using neoteric “Z-pins like” V0.9-Si0.1 rods as polybasic multiphase oxide compensators, the improvement mechanisms were different. For an ablation time less than 180 s, the rods perpendicular to the short-cut fibre web resulted in a higher improvement in ablation resistance by a liquid/gas multicomponent oxide compensation mechanism. Whereas, for an ablation time over 180 s, the rods perpendicular to the laminated layers resulted in a higher improvement because of the oxide melting erosion experienced by the short-cut fibre web surface.

Niobium carbide composite coatings were prepared on titanium alloy surface by plasma spraying NbC–Al2O3, Nb–SiC and Nb–SiC–Al composite powders, respectively. The phase composition, microstructure and formation mechanism of the three composite coatings were analyzed and their microhardness, toughness and scratch resistance were compared. The phases of the NbC–Al2O3 system did not change during the plasma spraying process, and new phases (Nb2C, NbC and Nb3Si) were formed in the Nb–SiC and Nb–SiC–Al systems. TEM results of the Nb–SiC composite coating indicate that the new phases nanocrystalline Nb2C, submicron NbC and nanocrystalline Nb3Si were formed during the plasma spraying process. Compared with the NbC–Al2O3 composite coating, the microstructure of the Nb–SiC and the Nb–SiC–Al composite coatings were uniform, and the porosity were relatively low, and the hardness was higher. The Nb–SiC–Al composite coating was denser than the Nb–SiC composite coating, the lamellar structure was obvious and the number of pores in the coating was the least, which is attributed to the better molten state of the composite powder by the addition of the Al to the Nb–SiC system. The Nb–SiC–Al composite coating had better toughness and scratch resistance.

As solid waste posing a great threat to the environmental system, the disposal of arsenic-alkali slag has become the top priority in the development of the antimony industry. In this paper, a novel technological scheme combining the advantages of chemical precipitation and fractional crystallization is proposed for the safe disposal and resource utilization of arsenic-alkali slag. The scheme is mainly composed of three parts, namely, leaching of arsenic-alkali slag, selective removal of arsenic in the arsenic-alkali solution, and evaporation crystallization of alkali solution. In the leaching part, the optimum leaching parameters are determined by orthogonal tests. In the arsenic and alkali separation part, based on thermodynamic analysis, the selective removal of arsenic from arsenic-alkali solution is realized by forming ammonium magnesium arsenate (MgNH4AsO4) precipitation. In the evaporation crystallization part, the crystalline product with sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) content of 89.87% is obtained by the evaporation crystallization experiment. The whole process does not produce secondary pollution and realizes the reuse of wastewater. The final products are leaching residue, arsenic slag, and sodium carbonate with an arsenic content of 0.83%, 24.93%, and 0.18%, respectively.

An asymmetric transfer hydrogenation (ATH) of quinolines in water or biphasic systems was developed. This ATH reaction proceeds smoothly without the need for inert atmosphere protection in the presence of a water-soluble iridium catalyst, which bears an easily available aminobenzimidazole ligand. This ATH system can work at a catalyst loading of 0.001 mol % (S/C = 100 000, turnover number (TON) of up to 33 000) under mild reaction conditions. The turnover frequency (TOF) value can reach as high as 90 000 h-1. A variety of quinoline and N-heteroaryl compounds are transformed into the desired products in high yield and up to 99% enantiomeric excess (ee).

Achieving an efficient electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) implies continuous development of new electrocatalysts for reducing the electrolytic energy consumption with the improvement of the stability and economical preparation in commercial applications. In this article, a binary transition-metal (Co/Ni) phosphide incorporated with an N-doped porous carbon (NPC) carrier was synthesized via a homogeneous polymerization followed by a high-temperature carbonizing and phosphating process, which was characterized by various techniques such as XRD, XPS, SEM, and EDS. The binary metal-based phosphide material (CoxPy/NixPy-NPC) exhibits high efficient catalytic activity for HER with low overpotential of 126 mV and 203 mV at 10 mA mg−1 in 1.0 M KOH and seawater with KOH added, respectively. Also, it exhibits satisfactory stability for a 10 h continuous test in the alkaline electrolyte. Furthermore, CoxPy/NixPy-NPC has good HER performance in natural seawater electrolyte with a potential difference of 110 mV (based on Pt/C at 10 mA mg−1), which is superior or close to that of other metal phosphides reported in literature. The excellent catalytic performance can be attributed to the synergistic effects of CoxPy and NixPy nanoparticles, protecting the effect of NPC to CoxPy and NixPy from aggregation. This work may provide an economic and convenient method to produce carbon-supported bimetallic phosphides as electrocatalytic materials.

Whether oil emplacement and diagenetic sequences provoke, deteriorate, or have no effect on pore network evolution, as implied by recent tests and theoretical analysis, are critical factors in forecasting hydrocarbon exploration and development potentials. Therefore, a systematic investigation on the effect of oil emplacement of tight sandstones is conducted to study the importance of this behavior on the pore evolution path. This study evaluated the role played by oil emplacement and diagenesis in the pore network evolution of Upper Triassic tight sandstones in the Ordos Basin. To help provide a comprehensive understanding, we have used a multidisciplinary method including physical properties, casting thin section, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, fluorometric, and inclusion analysis. The results demonstrate that the sandstones could be divided into four groups based on new criteria: calcareous sandstone, high soft component sandstone, low soft component sandstone with continual oil emplacement, and low soft component sandstone with intermittent oil emplacement. The physical properties of those types of sandstones were gradually reduced. Quartz cement captured hydrocarbon, carbonate captured hydrocarbon, free hydrocarbon, and adsorbed hydrocarbon were the four main kinds of hydrocarbons. The maturity of those sandstones was decreased progressively, indicating that the formation time of those hydrocarbons was favorable to maturity. Four stages of oil emplacement happened, and large-scale emplacement mainly occurred in the late Jurassic and early Craterous. The evidence demonstrated that tight sandstones’ high porosity could be attributed to positive diagenetic contributions with a complex interplay of chemical compaction, early formed clays, and large-scale oil emplacement. This work would provide new sights for a better understanding of the tight oil accumulation modes, and the findings could be applied in the hydrocarbon exploration and development field.

Energy crisis and environmental pollution have become two major problems facing mankind. Photocatalytic hydrogen production and degradation of organic pollutants using solar light is a promising solution. Thus, the study of efficient, environmentally friendly and stable photocatalysts has been an important research topic for many researchers over the years. In this study, lignin-based biomass carbon was first used as a carbon source and compounded with CdS nanoparticles to prepare CdS/LC composite. The resulting CdS/LC photocatalyst not only solves the high agglomeration of CdS nanoparticles, but also presents excellent photocatalytic activity and high stability. The optimal CdS/LC-3 exhibits high photocatalytic degradation rate and photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rate, which are about 2.3 and 3.73 times higher than those of pure CdS, respectively. This research work provides a new and effective way for the utilization of lignin, which makes the high-quality utilization of lignin possible.

Recent studies have reported that melamine can accumulate in several regions of the brain including the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Although melamine accumulation in the hippocampus has been verified to induce cognitive impairments, whether it can cause mPFC-dependent working memory deficits is still unknown. After chronic treatment with melamine (150 (Mel(150)) or 300 (Mel(300)) mg/kg), rats were tested during both delay nonmatching-to-sample spatial and odor discrimination tasks. Levels of AMPA receptor subunits in the mPFC were detected using western blotting. To further explore the mechanism at the cellular level, prefrontal activity was recorded during the odor discrimination. The working memory of Mel(150) rats was found to be significantly impaired in a 3-minute delay odor discrimination task (control: n = 6, Mel(150): n = 6; P < 0.05). Compared with the control group (n = 6), rats in the 300 mg/kg Mel(300)-treated group (n = 8) displayed working memory deficits in 60-second delay Y-maze task (P < 0.05), 1-minute and 3-minute delay odor discrimination tasks (both P < 0.05). The levels of AMPA receptor mGluR2/3 subunit were significantly decreased in rats of the Mel(150) (n = 7) and Mel(300) (n = 7) groups (both P < 0.05). Exposure to 150 (n = 7) or 300 mg/kg (n = 7) melamine resulted in significant inhibition of the regular-spiking neuron activity during the delay period of the memory test (both P < 0.05). Intraperitoneal (n = 7) and intra-mPFC (n = 6) infusions of GluR2/3 agonists, effectively enhanced the neural correlate (both P < 0.05) while rescuing cognitive deficits in Mel(300)-treated rats (both P < 0.05). Collectively, these findings suggested that melamine could induce prefrontal dysfunction and cause cognitive impairments.

Poly-tetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a well-known solid lubricant, but its poor wear resistance limits its tribological applications. Certain carbonaceous fillers reduce PTFE wear rate by up to 4000-fold with no sacrifice of the friction coefficient; whereas the responsible mechanisms remain unclear. We systematically studied the effects of three graphene fillers with different aggregate strengths (graphene nanoplates, few-layer graphene and single-layer graphene) on the wear resistance of graphene-PTFE composites. The results found (1) graphene of weak aggregate strength outperform that of strong aggregate strength by 100 times in wear reduction, (2) strong correlations between wear rate, tribofilm carboxylate signal intensity and filler-matrix area per unit composite mass. The carboxylate signals likely correspond to chemical bonding between mechanochemically degraded PTFE, graphene and the steel counterface within highly crosslinked and adherent transfer films and worn polymer surfaces. Results in this study support two independent (primary versus secondary) wear reduction hypotheses in literature which were further backed by DFT simulations of filler-matrix interactions, TEM/EDS analysis of wear debris, SEM/EDS images of the polymer surfaces, and environmental test results in a dry argon (Ar) atmosphere. The results of this paper are also of instructive value for the development of solid lubricants with highly controllable wear characteristics.

The widespread applications of aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) inspire the creation of AIEgens with novel structures and functionalities. In this work, we focused on the direct and efficient synthesis of a new type of AIEgens, imidazo[1,5-a]pyridicne derivatives, via iodine mediated cascade oxidative Csp2–H or Csp–H amination route from phenylacetylene or styrenes under mild conditions. The resulted compounds showed excellent AIE characteristics with tunable maximum emissions, attractive bioimaging performance, and potential anti-inflammatory activity, which exert broad application prospects in material, biology, medicine, and other relevant areas.

Photocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) holds great promise for both clean energy and environment protection. However, the low activity and poor selectivity of photocatalysts are the main bottlenecks. Herein, inspired by artificial photosynthesis and taking advantages of high efficiency and specificity of bioenzymes, we marry photo with enzyme to synergistically solve the above problems. A metal-free heterojunction of pyromellitic diimide/g-C3N4 (PDI/CN) with an excellent visible light response (λ < 660 nm) is fabricated for achieving a photoenzymatic catalytic cascade system, which efficiently regenerates nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) and selectively reduces CO2 to formic acid (HCOOH). The highest NADH yield of the PDI/CN hybrid achieved is 75%, and the HCOOH generation rate achieved is 1.269 mmol g-1 h-1 with nearly 100% selectivity, which is much higher than those of the reported materials. The excellent photocatalytic performance is attributed to the unique photoenzymatic catalytic cascade system, heterointerface effect, good conductivity, and a wide sunlight response range of the PDI/CN heterojunction. This work provides an efficient strategy and a corresponding photocatalyst for the directional conversion of CO2 to HCOOH.

We report a novel type of Pd-BFBAPy-COF (Pd-COF) loaded with Pd-NPs was synthesized for the first time by using “two-in-one” imine covalent organic framework materials as carrier. By using BFBAPy-C...

Despite the intriguing merits of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) systems, they still suffer from the notorious “shuttling-effect” of polysulfides. Herein, carbon materials with rational tailoring of morphology and pores were designed for strong loading/adsorption with the controlling of energy-storage ability. Through rational tailoring, it is strongly verified that such engineering of evolutions result in variational of sulfur immobilization in the obtained carbon. As expected, the targeted sample delivers a stable capacity of 925 mAh g−1 after 100 loops. Supporting by the “cutting-off” manners, it is disclosed that mesopores in carbon possess more fascinated traits than micro/macropores in improving the utilization of sulfur and restraining Li2Sx (4 ≤ x ≤ 8). Moreover, the long-chain polysulfide could be further consolidated by auto-doping oxygen groups. Supported by in-depth kinetic analysis, it is confirmed that the kinetics of ion/e- transfer during charging and discharging could be accelerated by mesopores, especially in stages of the formation of solid S8 and Li2S, further improving the capacity of ion-storage in Li-S battery. Given this, the elaborate study provide significant insights into the effect of pore structure on kinetic performance about Li-storage behaviors in Li-S battery, and give guidance for improving sulfur immobilization.

Polyaspartic acid (PASP) was used as a novel environmental-friendly depressant, and its inhibition effect on flotation performance of scheelite and calcite using sodium oleate (NaOL) as a collector was investigated by ways of flotation experiments, zeta potential measurement, contact angle measurement and infrared spectroscopic analysis (IR). The results show that PASP exhibits stronger inhibition capability and selectivity than acidified water glass, and the flotation separation of scheelite from calcite can be realized in the presence of 6 mg/L PASP and 20 mg/L NaOL at pH>6. In the presence of PASP, the zeta potential of calcite surface almost keeps unchanged after adding NaOL, and the contact angle decreases sharply. Therefore, it is indicated that PASP significantly decreases the adsorption of NaOL on calcite surface. By contrast, it has no distinct effect on the adsorption of NaOL on the scheelite surface, which is further confirmed by IR results.

Converting carbon dioxide photocatalytically into fuels using solar energy is an attractive route to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels. Photothermal CO2 catalysis is one approach to achieve this, but improved materials that can more efficiently harvest and use solar energy are needed. Here, we report a supra-photothermal catalyst architecture—inspired by the greenhouse effect—that boosts the performance of a catalyst for CO2 hydrogenation compared to traditional photothermal catalyst designs. The catalyst consists of a nanoporous-silica-encapsulated nickel nanocrystal (Ni@p-SiO2), which is active for methanation and reverse water–gas shift reactions. Under illumination, the local temperatures achieved by Ni@p-SiO2 exceed those of Ni-based catalysts without the SiO2 shell. We suggest that the heat insulation and infrared shielding effects of the SiO2 sheath confine the photothermal energy of the nickel core, enabling a supra-photothermal effect. Catalyst sintering and coking is also lessened in Ni@p-SiO2, which may be due to spatial confinement effects. Light-driven catalytic conversion of CO2 to fuels and chemicals presents a way to reduce reliance on fossil fuels, but new strategies are needed to improve performance. Here the authors find that greenhouse effects can be exploited in photothermal catalysts to enhance their ability to produce methane and carbon monoxide.

Genetically introducing novel chemical bonds into proteins provides innovative avenues for biochemical research, protein engineering, and biotherapeutic applications. Recently, latent bioreactive unnatural amino acids (Uaas) have been incorporated into proteins to covalently target natural residues through proximity-enabled reactivity. Aryl fluorosulfate is particularly attractive due to its exceptional biocompatibility and multitargeting capability via sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) reaction. Thus far, fluorosulfate-l-tyrosine (FSY) is the only aryl fluorosulfate-containing Uaa that has been genetically encoded. FSY has a relatively rigid and short side chain, which restricts the diversity of proteins targetable and the scope of applications. Here we designed and genetically encoded a new latent bioreactive Uaa, fluorosulfonyloxybenzoyl-l-lysine (FSK), in E. coli and mammalian cells. Due to its long and flexible aryl fluorosulfate-containing side chain, FSK was particularly useful in covalently linking protein sites that are unreachable with FSY, both intra- and intermolecularly, in vitro and in live cells. In addition, we created covalent nanobodies that irreversibly bound to epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) on cells, with FSK and FSY targeting distinct positions on EGFR to counter potential mutational resistance. Moreover, we established the use of FSK and FSY for genetically encoded chemical cross-linking to capture elusive enzyme-substrate interactions in live cells, allowing us to target residues aside from Cys and to cross-link at the binding periphery. FSK complements FSY to expand target diversity and versatility. Together, they provide a powerful, genetically encoded, latent bioreactive SuFEx system for creating covalent bonds in diverse proteins in vitro and in vivo, which will be widely useful for biological research and applications.

Alloyed green-emitting CdZnSeS/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) demonstrate potential applications in solid-state lighting and displays owing to their various advantages, such as high color purity, light conversion efficiency, and color rendering index. However, their applications in white light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) are limited by their poor photostabilities on blue-emitting gallium nitride (GaN) LED chips. In this study, the effect of the specific surface area (SSA) in the coating layers on the photostabilities of QDs was investigated. SSA was adjusted by controlling the proportions of dense aluminum oxide (AlOX) layers and porous silica dioxide (SiO2) layers to fabricate QD protective layers via a catalyst-free sol-gel method. The results showed that the synthesized AlOX possessing the lowest SSA among the synthesis protective layers presented the best QD photostabilities on the LED chips. Moreover, they exhibited a 9.9-fold increase in the operational lifetime (T80) compared to that of pristine QDs. In addition, the QD-based WLED achieved an excellent display performance with a wide color gamut (115%) of the National Television System Committee (NTSC) color gamut standard. This approach offers a promising strategy for enhancing the QD photostabilities for applications in solid-state lighting and displays by coating the protective layers on the QD surface.

Sodium sulfide has been widely used as a bismuth depressant in the flotation separation of molybdenum–bismuth sulfide ores. However, the selective depression mechanism of sodium sulfide on bismuthi...

The organotypic human air‐liquid‐interface (ALI) airway tissue model has been used as an in vitro cell culture system for evaluating the toxicity of inhaled substances. ALI airway cultures are highly differentiated, which has made it challenging to evaluate genetic toxicology endpoints. In the current study, we assayed DNA damage with the high‐throughput CometChip assay and quantified mutagenesis with Duplex Sequencing, an error‐corrected next‐generation sequencing method capable of detecting a single mutation per 107 base pairs. Fully differentiated human ALI airway cultures were treated from the basolateral side with 6.25 to 100 μg/mL ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) over a period of 28 days. CometChip assays were conducted after 3 and 28 days of treatment, and Duplex Sequencing after 28 days of treatment. Treating the airway cultures with EMS resulted in time‐ and concentration‐dependent increases in DNA damage and a concentration‐dependent increase in mutant frequency. The mutations observed in the EMS‐treated cultures were predominantly C → T transitions and exhibited a unique trinucleotide signature relative to the negative control. Measurement of physiological endpoints indicated that the EMS treatments had no effect on anti‐p63‐positive basal cell frequency, but produced concentration‐responsive increases in cytotoxicity and perturbations in cell morphology, along with concentration‐responsive decreases in culture viability, goblet cell and anti‐Ki67‐positive proliferating cell frequency, cilia beating frequency, and mucin secretion. The results indicate that a unified 28‐day study can be used to measure several important safety endpoints in physiologically relevant human in vitro ALI airway cultures, including DNA damage, mutagenicity, and tissue‐specific general toxicity.

For deep purification of As(V) from drinking water by adsorption, two adsorbents S-FeOOH and S-MnO2 were successfully synthesized by loading FeOOH and MnO2 nanoparticles onto silica gel in situ. Characterization of the adsorbents implied that S-FeOOH and S-MnO2 with large particle size (diameter of 150–250 µm) still had high specific surface areas (357.0 and 334.6 m2/g) due to their specific amorphous and porous structure. In batch experiments, the influences of pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, and temperature on the adsorption were investigated. Comparing with other adsorbents reported, the synthesized adsorbents in this study, especially S-FeOOH, showed good performance for As(V) removal in a wide pH (2–12) and temperature (25–65 °C) range. The residual As(V) concentration after S-FeOOH treatment was around 0.01 mg/L, which met the drinking water standard. The adsorption process followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model, and the adsorption equilibrium was reached within 5 min. The equilibrium adsorption data of S-FeOOH can be well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm, while that of S-MnO2 followed Freundlich model, which indicated their different adsorption mechanisms. The results show that S-FeOOH is superior to S-MnO2 in eliminating As(V), and S-FeOOH could be used as a promising adsorbent for the deep purification of As(V) in drinking water.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a member of the Flavivirus genus, is an important pathogen that causes human and animal infectious diseases in Asia. So far, no effective antiviral agents are available to treat JEV infection. Here, we found that LDLR is a host factor required for JEV entry. Berbamine significantly decreases the level of LDLR at the plasma membrane by inducing the secretion of LDLR via extracellular vesicles (EVs), thereby inhibiting JEV infection. Mechanistically, berbamine blocks TRPMLs (Ca2+ permeable non-selective cation channels in endosomes and lysosomes) to compromise the endolysosomal trafficking of LDLR. This leads to the increased secretion of LDLR via EVs and the concomitant decrease in its level at the plasma membrane, thereby rendering cells resistant to JEV infection. Berbamine also protects mice from the lethal challenge of JEV. In summary, these results indicate that berbamine is an effective anti-JEV agent by preventing JEV entry.

Perilla frutescens (L.) Britton is a classic herbal plant used widely against asthma in China. But its mechanism of beneficial effect remains undermined. In the study, the antiallergic asthma effects of Perilla leaf extract (PLE) were investigated, and the underlying mechanism was also explored. Results showed that PLE treatment significantly attenuated airway inflammation in OVA-induced asthma mice, by ameliorating lung pathological changes, inhibiting recruitment of inflammatory cells in lung tissues and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF), decreasing the production of inflammatory cytokines in the BALF, and reducing the level of immunoglobulin in serum. PLE treatment suppressed inflammatory response in antigen-induced rat basophilic leukemia 2H3 (RBL-2H3) cells as well as in OVA-induced human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Furthermore, PLE markedly inhibited the expression and phosphorylation of Syk, NF-κB, PKC, and cPLA2 both in vivo and in vitro. By cotreating with inhibitors (BAY61-3606, Rottlerin, BAY11-7082, and arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone) in vitro, results revealed that PLE’s antiallergic inflammatory effects were associated with the inhibition of Syk and its downstream signals NF-κB, PKC, and cPLA2. Collectively, the present results suggested that PLE could attenuate allergic inflammation, and its mechanism might be partly mediated through inhibiting the Syk pathway.

Polyurethane hot-melt adhesives featured with high adhesion strength and environmental friendliness possess broad applications in many fields. However, their practical application is hindered by existing drawbacks such as low adhesion strength and poor recyclability for thermoplastic polyurethane and reactive polyurethane hot-melt adhesives, respectively. Achieving high adhesion strength and efficient recycling for hot-melt adhesives simultaneously is challenging. Herein, reversible covalent bonds (oxime–carbamate) were introduced to construct a three-dimensional dynamically cross-linked polyurethane system which has the merits of favorably reworkable thermoplastic polyurethane hot-melt adhesives and high adhesive reactive polyurethane hot-melt adhesives to accomplish efficient bonding–debonding conversion on demand. Such a structure provided a high cross-linked covalent network and a fast reversible adhesive property, and hence improved the overall performance of holt-melt adhesives. As a result, the adhesive exhibited an impressive initial and ultimate adhesion strength of 5.96 ± 0.61 MPa (5 min curing) and 9.02 ± 1.36 MPa (10 days curing), respectively. More remarkably, favorable repeated adhesive capability was realized even after it was completely broken four times, while still retaining all above 4.40 ± 0.92 MPa. In addition, this adhesive also possessed excellent solvent resistance and good durability. Our work emphasized the importance of molecular design and a general method for strong and efficient adhesive systems.

The W18O49 nanoparticles were synthesized by solvothermal method with tungsten chloride as raw material and n-propanol as solvent. Polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG-400) was modified for W18O49 nanoparticles (W18O49@PEG). The structure and morphology of W18O49 and W18O49@PEG were characterized by XRD and SEM. Methylene blue aqueous solution was used as wastewater adsorption model. And the comparative experiments with other absorbent materials, such as artificial zeolite and activated carbon were also conducted. The results revealed that after modifying by PEG-400, W18O49 has a better adsorption performance than other materials due to its large specific surface area and high surface energy. Finally adsorption circulation experiment was performed，the results indicate that the W18O49@PEG nanoparticles show great potential in the treatment of colored wastewater.

The traditional acid leaching method for recycling valuable metals from the cathode material of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has encountered the problems of high consumption of H₂SO₄ and reducing agents. In this study, a novel process has been developed to strengthen valuable metal recovery from spent lithium-ion batteries by reductive thermal treatment and electrochemical leaching. With the help of reductive thermal treatment under the conditions of R = 1600 °C and 120 min, the layered structure of the cathode material LiNi₁/₃Co₁/₃Mn₁/₃O₂ is reduced to a mixture of Li₂CO₃, NiO, Co₃O₄, Mn₂O₃, and MnO₂ due to the oxygen releasing from the framework. The destruction of the layered crystal structure reduces the difficulty of leaching valuable metals. 90.59% Ni, 90.53% Co, 66.40% Mn, and 100% Li were leached under the optimal conditions of 20 mL/g liquid–solid ratio, 1.5 M H₂SO₄, 0.8 A, and 150 min at room temperature. Comparing the processes of reductive thermal treatment with acid leaching and direct electrochemical leaching of spent cathode material under the same leaching conditions, the proposed approach can achieve the highest metal recovery and economic benefits. It can be implemented at room temperature, decreases the application of reducing agent and sulfuric acid, and makes full use of spent graphite, resulting in a greener recycling process for recovering valuable metals from spent LIBs.

The increasing excess electromagnetic wave (EMW) energies causes potential electromagnetic radiation pollution. It gives rise to more and more attention on designing environmentally friendly, efficient and suitable for large-scale industrial production of daily EMW absorbers. Carbon matrix composites modified with magnetic particles occupy the majority of these candidate absorbers. However, the preparation is still in its infancy. Here, we creatively mixed Fe(acac)3 with polyacrylonitrile (PAN) spinning solution, and then prepared magnetic carbon-based composites by in-situ pyrolysis of the obtained electrospun fibers (Fe(acac)3/PAN) at different temperatures. The SEM images display a fractured fibrous material with porous structure and uniform distribution of magnetic particles on the outer surface and inside. The XRD and XPS results indicate the composites consist of Fe3O4, Fe3C and carbon matrix. Besides, the thermal phase transition occurs with the pyrolysis temperature increasing from 300 to 1000 °C, and the formed Fe3O4 reacts with the carbon matrix to form Fe3C. As a result, the corresponding magnetic properties and electromagnetic properties improve. MCF-1000 exhibits enhanced EMW absorption performance with a minimum RL ( $${RL}_{\mathrm{min}}$$ ) value of − 29.27 dB at a matching frequency ( $${f}_{m}$$ ) of 11.68 GHz, a matching thickness ( $${t}_{m}$$ ) as low as 1.50 mm, and an effective frequency bandwidth as broad as 4.50 GHz from 13.50 to 18.00 GHz at a fixed thickness as thin as 1.13 mm. Further investigations indicate that such good EMW absorption behavior is attributed to the optimal impedance matching and the weakened eddy current effect which are both benefited by the thermal phase transition effect. The results provide theoretical and practical experience for the industrial large-scale preparation of a kind of EMW absorbers.

Hang Zhou,1,2,* Jiawei Sun,1,* Jiaqi Wu,1 Hong Wei,1 Xianli Zhou1 1In-Patient Ultrasound Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150081, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Ultrasound, Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, 310058, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Xianli ZhouIn-Patient Ultrasound Department, Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150081, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86-0451-86605362Email hrbzhouxl@163.comBackground: The specific microenvironment of solid tumors, which is characterized by hypoxia, overexpression of glutathione (GSH), and high accumulation of anti-inflammatory tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), limits the efficiency of sonodynamic therapy (SDT).Method and Results: Herein, a multifunctional nanoplatform was engineered to modulate the tumor microenvironment for highly efficient SDT. In this system, sonosensitizers and catalase were encapsulated in disulfide-bridged mesoporous organosilicon nanoparticles with high loading, which protected the activity of catalase and ensure the stability of sonosensitizers and enzyme. Subsequently, hyaluronic acid was grafted onto the nanoplatform to reeducate TAMs and induce the secretion of exogenous hydrogen peroxide. Due to the good protection of enzyme, the catalase within the nanoplatform efficiently produced the mount of O2 through decomposing the hydrogen peroxide in tumor tissues, which remarkably alleviated tumor hypoxia. Furthermore, degradation of the nanoparticles was observed in response to GSH, which effectively decreased the intracellular GSH level, further favoring SDT-triggered anticancer effect.Conclusion: Based on the multiple adjustments to tumor microenvironment, our nanoplatform displayed extraordinary sonodynamic therapeutic effect with low systemic toxicity.Keywords: sonodynamic therapy, hypoxia, tumor-associated macrophages, catalase, glutathione depletion

It is well-known that effective charge transfer within the catalyst structure is critical to the improvement of the performance of catalytic reaction. Herein, we reported three functionalized polyo...

Vanadium nitride (VN)-based materials have been investigated as negative electrode materials for supercapacitors (SCs) owing to their high theoretical capacitances and suitable negative potential windows. However, viable VN-based negative electrode materials suffer from irreversible electrochemical oxidation of the soluble vanadium species, leading to rapid capacitance fading when operated in aqueous electrolytes. Developing a versatile approach to enhance the stability of VN in aqueous electrolytes is still a challenge. Here, an interface engineering strategy is developed to intentionally introduce surface nanolayers of vanadium oxides (VOX) as a reactive template on the VN surface to formulate well-designed polypyrrole@VNO (Ppy@VNO) core-shell nanowires (NWs) incorporated into a 3D porous N-doped graphene (NG) hybrid aerogel as a durable negative electrode for SCs. Experimental and theoretical investigations reveal that the in-situ constructed Ppy@VNO core-shell host can offer more efficient pathways for rapid electron/ion transport and accessible electroactive sites. Most importantly, a reversible surface redox reaction is realized through the transformation of the valence state of V, and a long cyclic stability is achieved. The Ppy@VNO/NG hybrid aerogel can deliver a high specific capacitance of 650 F g−1 at 1 A g−1 with approximately 70.7% capacitance retention (up to the twenty fold current density), and an excellent cycling stability without any capacitance de cay after 10,000 cycles at both low and high current densities (1 and 10 A g−1, respectively). This work paves the way for the development of advanced electrode materials for SCs.

Room-temperature (RT) sodium-sulfur (Na/S) battery has been considered as a promising energy storage system due to suitable operating temperature, high theoretical energy density, and low cost. However, it has a poor cycle life and low reversible capacity. In this work, we report a long-life RT-Na/S battery with the help of amorphous porous silica as a sulfur host. The sulfur is loaded into amorphous silica by a facile dipping method, and the optimal sulfur loading can be as high as 73.48 wt.%. The molecular dynamics simulation and first-principles calculations suggest that the complex pores, acting as micro-containers and the formation of Na-O chemical bonds between amorphous silica and sodium polysulfide, give the electrodes a strong ability to inhibit sodium polysulfide shuttle. This would give rise to effectively avoiding the loss of active sulfur, corresponding to a superior capacity (i.e., average discharge capacities of 1106, 1074, 1060, 1036, and 1000 mAh·g -1 at 1, 2, 3, 5, and 10 A·g -1 , respectively.) and an excellent cyclability even at 10 A·g -1 (nearly 100% coulomb efficiency and high reversible capacity of 955.8 mAh·g -1 after 1460 cycles). The present results introduce new insights into the inhibition of "shuttle effect" of sodium polysulfide and develop a promising sulfur electrode for advanced RT sodium-sulfur batteries.

Mono-functional chelating collectors exhibit limited selectivity in the flotation of minerals. In particular, the selective separation of calcium minerals presents a significant challenge because mono-functional chelating collectors, such as fatty acid, indistinguishably adsorb onto mineral surfaces by coordinating with the same metal cation (Ca2+). Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new-mode-functional collectors to separate calcium minerals and a need to understand the underlying chemoselectivity. Given the difference of the hydrogen bonding ability of anions with fluorite, calcite and scheelite surfaces, the introduction of additional hydrogen bonding functional groups into collector molecules is a novel strategy to improve selectivity. In this study, a hydrogen and coordination bonding (bi-functional) collector, 2-cyano-N-ethylcarbamoyl acetamide (CEA) was developed, which could form coordination bonds with the Ca2+ ions (by carbonyl groups) and hydrogen bonds with the anions (by amino groups) on calcium mineral surfaces. The results of flotation tests showed that CEA can selectively separate fluorite and calcite from scheelite at pH 7. The promising selectivity of CEA lies in both the electrical properties and the anions' hydrogen bonding ability with the three calcium minerals. The negatively charged scheelite surfaces are not conducive to coordination bonding with CEA while the positively charged fluorite and calcite surfaces are. Besides, the hydrogen bonding ability of fluorite (F-) and calcite (CO32-) with carbamido in CEA is higher than that of scheelite (WO42-), and this also plays an essential role. This coordination and hydrogen bonding based surfactant design protocol has a great potential in the development of tail-made collectors/depressants for the separation of other oxidized minerals.

To compare the therapeutic effect of different animal bile powders on lipid metabolism disorders induced by high-fat diet in rats, and analyze the bioactive components of each animal bile powder. Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups (n=10): normal diet control group, high-fat diet model group, high-fat diet groups orally treated with bear, pig, cow and chicken bile powders, respectively. Serum biochemical markers from the abdominal aorta in each group were analyzed. Changes in the body weight and liver weight were recorded. Pathohistological changes in the livers were examined. High performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry was used to determine the composition of bioactive components in each animal bile powder. Treatment with different types of animal bile powders had different inhibitory effects on high-fat diet-induced increase of body weight and/or liver weight in rats, most notably in bear and pig bile powders (P

Adverse drug reactions of Traditional Chinese medicine injection mainly manifested as pseudo-allergic reactions. In the present study, ginsenoside Rd, Ro and Rg3 were identified as pseudo-allergic components in Shengmai Injection by a high-expression Mas-related G protein coupled receptor X2 cell membrane chromatography coupled online with high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Their pseudo-allergic activities were evaluated by in vitro and in vivo assay. The three compounds were further found to induce pseudo-allergic reaction through Mas-related G protein coupled receptor X2. Therefore, we concluded that ginsenoside Rd, Ro and Rg3 may be potential allergens cause pseudo-allergic reactions. This study might be helpful for the safe use of Shengmai Injection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Patients with chronic kidney disease are at high risk of hyperkalemia that is associated with various life-threatening complications. Treatments primarily rely on orally administered potassium binding agents, along with low curative effects and various side effects. Herein, direct serum potassium uptake was realized via zeolite–heparin-mimicking-polymer hybrid microbeads. The preparation process involved the synthesis of the heparin-mimicking polymer via the in situ cross-linking polymerization of acrylic acid and N-vinylpyrrolidone in polyethersulfone solution, the fabrication of microbeads via zeolite-mixing, electro-spraying and phase-inversion, and the subsequent aqueous-phase modifications based on ion-exchange and metal-leaching. An ultra-high (about 88%) amount of zeolite could be incorporated and well locked inside the polymer matrix. Potassium uptake capability was verified in water, normal saline and human serum, showing high selectivity and fast adsorption. The microbeads exhibited satisfying blood compatibility, negligible hemolysis ratio, prolonged clotting time, inhibited contact activation, and enhanced antifouling property toward serum proteins and cells. The proposed approach toward zeolite–heparin-mimicking-polymer hybrid microbeads provided a cheap, efficient and safe treatment protocol of hyperkalemia for the high-risk patients., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Zeolite–heparin-mimicking-polymer hybrid microbeads were prepared for potassium uptake. • An ultra-high (~88%) amount of zeolite could be well locked inside the polymer matrix. • Potassium uptake by microbeads exhibited high selectivity and fast adsorption. • The microbeads exhibited excellent blood compatibility. • The proposed method is cheap, efficient and safe to treat hyperkalemia.

Currently, it remains difficult to identify which single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are functional and how various functional SNPs (fSNPs) interact and contribute to disease susceptibility. GWAS have identified a CD40 locus that is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We previously used two techniques developed in our laboratory, single nucleotide polymorphism-next-generation sequencing (SNP-seq) and flanking restriction enhanced DNA pulldown-mass spectrometry (FREP-MS), to determine that the RA risk gene RBPJ regulates CD40 expression via a fSNP at the RA-associated CD40 locus. In the present work, by applying the same approach, we report the identification of six proteins that regulate RBPJ expression via binding to two fSNPs on the RA-associated RBPJ locus. Using these findings, together with the published data, we constructed an RA-associated signal transduction and transcriptional regulation network (STTRN) that functionally connects multiple RA-associated risk genes via transcriptional regulation networks (TRNs) linked by CD40-induced nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) signaling. Remarkably, this STTRN provides insight into the potential mechanism of action for the histone deacetylase inhibitor givinostat, an approved therapy for systemic juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Thus, the generation of disease-associated STTRNs based on post-GWAS functional studies is demonstrated as a novel and effective approach to apply GWAS for mechanistic studies and target identification.

Myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/RI) frequently incurs in acute myocardial infarction with high morbidity and mortality worldwide and is characterized with cardiomyocyte apoptosis and inflammatory response. Aloin is a major anthraquinone from Aloe species and fulfills pleiotropic protective functions in several disease models including hepatic injury. Nevertheless, the potential of aloin in MI/RI remains elusive. Intriguingly, aloin had modest cytotoxicity in H9c2 cardiomyocytes. Importantly, aloin dose-dependently ameliorated cell viability that was inhibited in response to simulated ischemia/reperfusion (SI/R) stimulation. Moreover, the enhanced apoptosis in cells under SI/R conditions were reduced after aloin treatment, concomitant with the decrease in pro-apoptotic Bax protein levels and increase in anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 protein expression. Of interest, aloin administration attenuated SI/R-induced oxidant stress by decreasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) release and increasing activity of anti-oxidant stress enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD). Additionally, the elevated pro-inflammatory cytokine levels were counteracted after aloin treatment in cells under SI/R conditions, including TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-1β. Mechanically, aloin further enforced the activation of the NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) signaling. Noticeably, blockage of this pathway by si-Nrf2 transfection blunted aloin-mediated cardioprotective efficacy against SI/R-evoked oxidative stress injury and inflammatory response. Thus, these findings corroborate that aloin may antagonize SI/R-induced cardiomyocyte injury by attenuating excessive oxidative stress and inflammation, thereby endorsing its potential as a promising therapeutic agent against myocardial infarction.

This study aims to investigate the correlation between flow velocity and cavitation erosion (CE) characteristics of high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) sprayed Cr3C2-NiCr (CN) and WC-Cr3C2-Ni (WCN) coatings in 3.5 wt% NaCl medium, except for the microstructures, mechanical properties and electrochemical behaviors. In comparison with the CN coating, the WCN coating shows higher values of elastic modulus (E), hardness (H), H/E and H3/E2 as well as lower porosity, resulting in lower volume loss rate (VLR) and enhanced CE resistance in NaCl medium at each value of flow velocity. The VLR values of both coatings increase as the flow velocity increases. The change of the CE progresses in NaCl medium of the CN coating is the formation of cavitation pinholes, pits, craters and oxidation films coupled with the exfoliation of chromium carbide particles when the flow velocity is 23.4 and 33.5 m s−1 as well as the brittle fracture structure with layers delamination accompanied by the oxidation films when the flow velocity is 41.9 m s−1. In a wide flow velocity range, the formation of cavitation pinholes, pits and micro-cracks along with the oxidation films are addressed as the dominant CE mechanism in NaCl medium of the WCN coating.