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An indoxyl-based strategy for the synthesis of indolines and indolenines via unprecedented aza-pinacol and aza-semipinacol rearrangements was developed. This method provides direct access to the core structures of several classes of indole alkaloids. The synthetic utility was demonstrated by the divergent synthesis of an array of functionalized polycyclic structures from a common intermediate and the formal total synthesis of the indoline natural product minfiensine. The reversed reactivity of indoxyl as a building block compared to that of indole offers a conceptually distinct disconnection strategy for indoline- and indolenine-containing heterocycles and natural products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The optimal distribution of phosphorus atoms within silicon substrate of passivating contacts fabrication by an in-line PVD was discussed in detail; • Pointing out that a first-shallow-then-widen ECV profiles are associated with the best passivating contact electrical properties; • The optimum diffusion profile was controlled by SiO x and wafer surface microstructure, not by annealing conditions. An in-line PVD system consisting of plasma oxidation chamber and phosphorus-doped amorphous silicon deposition chamber was used to fabricate highly-doped polysilicon passivating contact structure for commercial TOPCon solar cells, which can help to achieve simple fabrication process and excellent electrical properties. In this paper, we studied how the doping profiles of ionized phosphorus atoms in the passivating contact formed by this method varies with the deposition conditions, especially the in-diffusion profile in the silicon substrate. Increasing the RF power of plasma oxidation can prevent phosphorus from penetrating through SiO x to form a shallow profile, and reducing the power is conducive to the formation of more pinholes on SiO x , resulting in a wide profile following the shallow profile. The shallow profile effectively inhibits the surface recombination rate and thus achieve good passivation quality, while the emergence of the following wide profile helps to reduce the contact resistivity by providing more majority carrier transport channels. The 100 W condition constructed a shallow and gradually widening doping profile, exhibiting a low recombination current density of 16.5 fA/cm2 and a low contact resistivity of 1.87 mΩ·cm2. However, the SiO x thickness and density obtained at 80 W are insufficient for achieving a shallow-first-then-widen doping profile, even with adjustments to thermal activation conditions. Additionally, we found the engineering of surface microstructure on silicon wafers also has an impact on the doping profile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbonized wood (CW) electrodes with low-tortuosity and high conductivity have received extensive attention in the fields of energy storage and electrocatalysis. Directly carbonized wood electrodes have low specific surface area and high electrochemical impedance, and require secondary physical or chemical activation to achieve acceptable performance. Herein, we reported a facile method to prepare the CW electrode with superior surface area through self-activation using CO 2 and water vapor generated during the pyrolysis which was conducted with a low inert gas flow rate. The specific surface area and electrical conductivity of the self-activated carbonized wood (SCW, ~ 0.46 g cm−3) were as high as 1145 m2 g−1 and 20.3 S cm−1, respectively. The SCW applied as a freestanding electrode demonstrated an impressive specific capacitance of 6.63 F cm−2 (143.6 F g−1) at 1 mA cm−2. After 10,000 cycles, the capacitance of the SCW electrode was retained as high as 101.7%. The symmetrical supercapacitor (SSC) assembled with two SCW electrodes showed an energy density of 0.27 mWh cm−2 (8.60 Wh L−1) at a power density of 0.5 mW cm−2 (11.8 W L−1). This work provides a simple, low-cost and green procedure for fabricating high-performance CW electrodes, which has great promotional significance and practical value on valorization of biomass. • Pre-oxidation of wood at 220 °C produced substantial amount of CO 2. • Low inert gas rate retains the concentration of CO 2 allowing self-activation. • Self-activated carbonized wood electrode exhibited superior specific surface area. • The freestanding SCW electrode exhibited high energy density at the device level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hydrolytic reaction of cellulases can occur in the interior of cellulosic fibers, causing tensile strength loss of the fabrics. Cellulase immobilization is an approach to solve this problem, because enlarging the molecule size of cellulases will limit the hydrolysis to the surfaces of the fibers. In this study, commercial cellulases were noncovalently immobilized onto the reversibly soluble polymers (Eudragit S-100 and Eudragit L-100). The characteristics of cellulase-Eudragit S-100 (CES) and cellulase-Eudragit L-100 (CEL) were evaluated using Fourier transform infrared spectra, circular dichroism spectra, and fluorescence spectra. The CES showed higher stability than CEL and free cellulase, especially at higher pH and temperature. CES and CEL retained 51% and 42% of their original activities after three cycles of repeated uses, respectively. In addition, the effects of cellulase treatment on the cotton yarn and fabric have been investigated. The bending stiffness results showed that the cotton fabric samples treated with the free and immobilized cellulases were softer than untreated samples. However, less fiber damage in terms of weight loss and tensile strength of treated cotton was observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A high-efficiency, multifunctional, salt/pH-tolerant magnetic flocculant was successfully prepared. • The growth characteristics of flocs are systematically elucidated. • There is a positive correlation between the fractal dimension of flocs and flocculation efficiency. • Ca(II) and Fe(III) will promote the removal of DB56 and Cu(II), respectively. • The neural network models can accurately predict the removal rate of DB56 and Cu(II). In this study, an amphoteric magnetic chitosan (CS)-based flocculant MFe 3 O 4 @CS-g-PIA was prepared from CS, Fe 3 O 4 , and itaconic acid (IA), and its apparent morphology and characteristic structure were systematically studied. The flocculation performance and mechanism of the fabricated material were also investigated in different pollution systems, and the effects of total monomer concentration, m(CS):m(IA), IA pre-neutralization degree, reaction temperature, reaction time, and initiator concentration on the synthesis of MFe 3 O 4 @CS-g-PIA were studied. Characterization results showed that MFe 3 O 4 @CS-g-PIA forms a three-dimensional network with excellent magnetic induction. The optimal removal rates of Cu(II) and Disperse Blue 56 (DB56; 90.2% and 97.0%, respectively) were obtained under the conditions of 150 mg·L−1 MFe 3 O 4 @CS-g-PIA, pH 6.0, and 300 rpm stirring speed. MFe 3 O 4 @CS-g-PIA maintained removal rates of over 80.0% for Cu(II) and DB56 after five consecutive cycles of regeneration/flocculation and demonstrated excellent acid resistance stability. Changes in the particle size distribution, fractal dimensions, and zeta potentials of the flocs indicated that the relevant flocculation mechanism involves the synergistic functions of chelation, charge neutralization, and adsorption bridging. An artificial neural network model was finally established on the basis of the experimental flocculation data to predict the removal rates of Cu(II) (R = 0.97) and DB56 (R = 0.98) accurately. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aimed at improving the electromagnetic (EM) shielding and flame retardancy of cellulose materials, graphene (GE) nanoplates were introduced into cellulose matrix films by blending in 1-allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride. The structure and performance of the obtained composite films were investigated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, EM shielding effectiveness (SE), and combustion tests. GE introduction formed and stacked laminated structures in the films after drying due to controlled shrinkage of the cellulose matrix. The lamination of GE nanoplates into the films was beneficial for providing EM shielding due to multiple internal reflection of EM radiation; furthermore, they also increased flame resistance based on the "labyrinth effect." The SE of these composite films increased gradually with increased GE content and reached 22.3 dB under an incident frequency of 1500 MHz. TG analysis indicated that these composite films possessed improved thermal stability due to GE addition. Reduced flammability was confirmed by their extended times to ignition or inability to be ignited, reduced heat release rates observed in cone calorimetry tests, and increased limiting oxygen index values. These films with improved EM shielding and flame retardancy could be considered potential candidates for multipurpose materials in various applications, such as electronics and radar evasion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ambient air pollutants can be hazardous to human health, especially for vulnerable children. The impact of ambient air pollutant exposure before and during intensive care unit (ICU) stays on the development of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in critically ill children has not been established. We aimed to determine the correlations between short-term exposures to ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and VAP in pediatric cardiac surgery patients in the ICU, and explore the effect of delayed exposure. Methods: The medical record of 1755 child patients requiring artificial ventilation in the ICU between December 2013 to December 2020, were analyzed. The daily average concentrations of particulate matters (PM2.5 and PM10), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and ozone (O3) were calculated from public data. Interactions between these pollutants and VAP were simulated with the distributed lag non-linear model. Results: Three hundred forty-eight cases (19.829%) of VAP were identified in this study, while the average concentrations of PM2.5, PM10, O3 and SO2 were 58, 118, 98 and 26 μg/m3, respectively. Exposure to increased levels of PM2.5 two days prior (lag 2-day) to VAP diagnosis is significantly correlated with an enhanced risk for VAP development. Even a slight increase of 10 μg/m3 in PM2.5 can translate to a 5.4% increase in VAP incidence (95% CI: 1.4%-9.5%) while the VAP incidence increased to 11.1% (95%CI: 4.5–19.5%) when PM2.5 concentration is well below the National Ambient Air Quality standard (NAAQS) of 50 μg/m3. The association was more pronounced in those aged below 3-months, with low body mass index or suffered from pulmonary arterial hypertension. Conclusion: Short-term PM2.5 exposure is a significant risk for development of VAP in pediatric patients. This risk is present even with PM2.5 levels below the NAAQS. Ambient PM2.5 may represent a previously unrecognized risk factor for pneumonia and the current environmental pollution standards need to be reevaluated to consider susceptible populations. Trial registration: The trial was registered with the National Clinical Trial Center: The correlation between ambient air pollution and the complications in ICU underwent cardiac surgery. Trial registration number: ChiCTR2000030507. Date of registration: March 5, 2020. URL of trial registry record: http://www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patients with V-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B1 (BRAF) V600E-mutated advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) have a poor prognosis, and treatment options that can improve outcome are still under investigation. The purpose of this study was to discuss the differences of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) between patients with BRAF V600E-mutated advanced CRC who were treated with chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy in advanced first-line therapy. Methods: Grouping of 61 patients according to first-line treatment regimen (chemotherapy alone/chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab). Kaplan–Meier method and log-rank test were used to compare OS and PFS. Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to measure the risk of first-line medication therapies while correcting for confounding factors that may affect PFS and OS. Results: There was no significant difference in OS between patients treated with chemotherapy alone and those treated with chemotherapy combined with bevacizumab (P = 0.93; HR, 1.027; 95% CI, 0.555–1.901). Likewise, there was no significant difference in PFS between the two groups (P = 0.29; HR, 0.734; 95% CI, 0.413–1.304). Subgroup analysis showed that OS and PFS of different treatment regimens were not significantly different among subgroups. Multivariate analysis suggested that surgical treatment of primary tumor (P = 0.001; HR, 0.326; 95% CI, 0.169–0.631) and presence of liver metastasis (P = 0.009; HR, 2.399; 95% CI, 1.242–4.635) may serve as independent prognostic indicators in patients with BRAF-mutated advanced CRC. Surgical treatment of the primary tumor (P = 0.041; HR, 0.523; 95% CI, 0.280–0.974) was significantly associated with PFS too. Conclusion: For patients with BRAF V600E-mutated advanced CRC, chemotherapy alone did not differ significantly in OS and PFS compared with chemotherapy + bevacizumab for advanced first-line therapy. Chemotherapy combined with targeted therapy did not render a survival benefit to these patients, demonstrating that the importance of developing new treatment options for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A distinct strategy for the divergent synthesis of hydro-γ-carbolines and multisubstituted indoles is reported. The stereochemical outcomes and a control experiment indicate that the reactions likely proceed through Grob fragmentation/Mannich cyclization rather than a concerted aza-pinacol rearrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anunprecedented cascade strategy, used in conjunction with a redoxisomerization, for the synthesis of 3-allyl pyrroles is reported.In a single step, readily accessible simple starting materials aretransformed into highly substituted pyrroles with high efficiency.The products obtained contain allyl substituents, which can be readilyelaborated to other useful functional groups. The reaction proceedsthrough an unusual (3 + 2) cycloaddition/skeletal rearrangement/redoxisomerization pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The feasibility of laccase-mediated grafting dodecyl gallate (DG) on the jute fiber was investigated. [•] The grafting products were characterized by FT-IR, XPS, SEM and AFM, which revealed the covalently coupling of DG to the jute substrates mediated by laccase. [•] The grafting percentage and the DG content of the modified jute were determined in terms of weighting and saponification, respectively. [•] The surface hydrophobicity of the jute fiber was increased after the graft modification and the jute obtained excellent water repellency. [•] The breaking strength of the modified jute fiber/PP composite was also increased and the fracture section became neat and regular as the result of laccase-assisted grafting of the jute with DG. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives For-profit medical institutions were officially allowed to enter the Chinese medical market since 2000, which raised a lot of debate about positioning of for-profit medical institutions. The objective of this study was to compare non-profit and for-profit medical institutions in terms of market scale, medical quality and service efficiency, and to investigate the market potential for for-profit medical institutions in China. Methods Data were collected from multiple sources, including China Health Statistical Yearbook, National Health Services Survey and China Statistical Yearbook. We assessed the performance of the two types of medical institutions from three aspects: market scale, medical quality and service efficiency. Key findings The result showed that for-profit medical institutions increased obviously in the cities of China. Compared with non-profit medical institutions, for-profit medical institutions have less market scale. However, medical quality and service efficiency of for-profit medical institutions are mostly the same as those of non-profit medical institutions. Besides, for-profit medical institutions have great market potential in top medical service market in the coming future. Conclusion For-profit medical institutions have realized great development in China. A quite large potential market still exists for for-profit medical institutions because of the increasing medical service demand and the improving insurance system in China. However, the long-term development of for-profit medical institutions depends on policy design in establishing and implementing fair systems of medical evaluation, technology accreditation and talent assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural wood can be used as a multifunctional material e.g. a reducing agent and a stabilizer due to the reducing functional groups and three-dimensional network structure. In this work, a wood catalyst decorated with silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) was prepared and used to catalyze the hydrogenation of azo dyes. The systematic characterizations revealed that the Ag NPs were uniformly present on the wood surface. The Ag NP/wood exhibited an excellent catalytic activity for hydrogenating methyl orange (MO), congo red (CR) and erichrome black T (EBT), and their reaction rate constants were calculated as 1.533, 0.969 and 0.707 min−1, respectively. The factors affecting the hydrogenation efficiency of azo dyes were elucidated by the density functional theory (DFT). The catalyst had a good reusability, for instance the hydrogenation efficiency of MO retained as 90% in 5 min after six recycles. In addition, the mechanism of MO hydrogenated by NaBH 4 catalyzed with the Ag NPs/wood was proposed. [Display omitted] • Ag NP/wood was prepared using wood as a carrier in a green and simple method. • The formation of Ag-H promoted the cleavage of -N N- in azo dyes. • The factors of different hydrogenation rates of azo dyes were calculated by DFT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A hybrid flocculant with the advantages of both inorganic and organic flocculants was prepared. • Kaolin can improve TiO2-NPs removal rate and promote the density and particle size of flocs. • Humic acid has an inhibitory effect on coagulation with formation of loose and small flocs. • PAC-CA exhibits high-efficiency coagulation removal performance for metal nanoparticles. A hybrid flocculant, PAC-CA, with the advantages of inorganic and organic flocculants, was prepared, and the coagulation behavior and floc characteristics of PAC-CA for removing titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO 2 -NPs) under different conditions were studied. The effects of monomer mass ratio, initiator concentration, hydroxyl aluminum ratio, reaction temperature, and polymerization time on the coagulation performance for TiO 2 -NP removal were studied. PAC-CA was characterized through SEM, FT-IR, TG-DSC, XRD, XPS, and Ferron complex colorimetric characterization. The characterization results showed that PAC-CA was successfully copolymerized using AlCl 3 , carboxymethyl chitosan, and acrylamide. The high content of Alb in PAC-CA helped improve the coagulation performance. When the dosage was 30 mg/L, the pH was 8, the stirring intensity was 200 s−1, and the settling time was 30 min, the optimal removal rates for TiO 2 -NPs and turbidity were 87.30% and 91.72%, respectively. Kaolin could effectively improve the TiO 2 -NP removal efficiency and promote the density and particle size of flocs. Humic acid exerted an inhibitory effect on coagulation efficiency with loose and small flocs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The aged look of denim fabrics is obtained by the action of the immobilized cellulase. [•] The immobilized cellulase treatment of the fabrics showed lower weight loss. [•] The immobilized cellulase treatment of the fabrics showed higher tensile strength. [•] The immobilized cellulase has great potential in the enzymatic laundry of denim fabrics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Cellulases can penetrate into the fiber, causing tensile strength loss of the cellulosic fibers or fabrics. To minimize the tensile strength loss, we have immobilized cellulases on Eudragit S-100. The characteristics of covalent Eudragit cellulase were evaluated using gel filtration analysis and UV spectra. Gel filtration analysis revealed that the cellulases were covalently bound to the polymer. Covalent Eudragit cellulase was loaded with the enzyme of about 40% and had a relative activity about 80% at a Eudragit S-100 concentration of 15 g/L. When cellulase is bound to the polymer, the solubility profile becomes similar to the one of Eudragit. In addition, the effects of the enzyme on the cotton yarns and fabric using cellulases have been investigated. Native and immobilized cellulases caused improvements in whiteness and wrinkle recovery angle of the fabric in comparison to the control samples. The bending stiffness results show that native and immobilized cellulase treated cotton fabric has an improved softness than the control samples. It was found that using the immobilized cellulase reduced the weight and tensile strength, because the hydrolytic attack is only limited to the surfaces of cotton fibers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Single-phase α-cordierite glass-ceramics for a low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrate were fabricated from tuff as the main raw material, using the non-stoichiometric formula of α-cordierite with excess MgO without adding any sintering additives. The sintering/crystallization behavior and the various performances of dielectric properties, thermal expansion, and flexural strength of the glass-ceramics were detected. The results indicated that only single-phase α-cordierite crystal was precipitated from the basic glass sintered at the range 875–950 °C, and μ-cordierite crystal was not observed during the whole sintering-crystallization process. The properties of glass-ceramics were first improved and then deteriorated with the increase in tuff content and sintering temperature. Fortunately, the glass-ceramics sintered at 900 °C with 45 wt.% tuff content possessed excellent properties: high densify (2.62 g∙cm−3), applicable flexural strength (136 MPa), low dielectric loss (0.010, at 10 MHz), low dielectric constant (5.12, at 10 MHz, close to α-cordierite), and suitable coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE, 3.89 × 10−6 K−1). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An environmentally benign oxidation of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde with hydrogen peroxide as oxidant and metal dodecanesulfonate salts as catalysts was conducted under solvent-free condition by biphasic catalysis. Ferric tridodecanesulfonate showed excellent catalytic activity exhibiting complete conversion of benzyl alcohol with 194.4mol/molcat turnover number (TON) and nearly 100% selectivity to benzaldehyde at ambient pressure and 90°C. This catalyst can be recovered and reused for three times without a significant loss in its activity and selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The role of sphingolipids in bacterial pathogenesis has been gradually recognized. In an effort to identify the possible involvement of sphingolipids during Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumoniae) infection, we first adopted a lipidomic approach to achieve the profiles of major sphingolipid species of M. pneumoniae as well as human lung carcinoma A549 cells, and further evaluated the effects of M. pneumoniae infection on sphingolipid metabolism in A549 cells. It was shown that M. pneumoniae and A549 cells share many common sphingolipid species, however, M. pneumoniae possesses certain specific molecular species that are not found in A549 cells. On the other hand, M. pneumoniae infection could alter sphingolipid metabolism in A549 cell, including the generation of new ceramide and sphingomyelin species, or the increase/decrease of intensities, which varies depending on the different infection doses and times. The effects of M. pneumoniae infection on two key enzymes in sphingolipid metabolism, serine palmitoyltransferase (SPT) and acid sphingomyelinase (ASM), were also examined. It was found that M. pneumoniae infection could affect the expression of SPT or the distribution of ASM at certain concentrations. These data suggest that M. pneumoniae infection could influence sphingolipid metabolism of its host, which might be related to its pathogenicity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A new Cd(II) coordination polymer, namely [Cd(Hbci)]n(1 H3bci = bis(2-carboxyethyl)isocyanurate), has been synthesized by the reactions of Cd(II) ions with H3bci under hydrothermal conditions. Single crystal X-ray analysis reveals that1features a two-dimensional (2D) layer framework with (3,6)-connectedkgdtopology. In addition, the luminescent properties of1were also investigated in the solid state at room temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Co(II) coordination polymer, namely [Co0.5(bix)1.5]n·n(NO3)·2n(H2O) (1 bix = 4,4′-bis(imidazol-1-ylmethyl)benzene), has been successfully synthesized and structurally characterized. Single-crystal X-ray analysis reveals that the crystal belongs to triclinic crystal system,P-1 space group witha= 9.3078(9), b = 9.9938(10),c= 13.2647(14) Å, α = 78.154(9)°,b= 73.742(9)° and γ = 82.751(8)°. In the complex, bix ligands acting as bridges link the Co(II) ions into a three-dimensional (3D) 6-connected anionic framework, and the nitrate ions, which not only act as charge balance ions but also act as template in the process of self-assembly, did not involve in coordinating to Co(II) ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Chitosan based magnetic composite flocculants are successfully prepared. • The optimal removal rate of Cu(Ⅱ) by MC-g-PAA is over 93.0 %. • MC-g-PAA can effectively increase the floc particle size and fractal dimension of flocs. • The magnetic flocculant has the characteristics of recyclability and recycling. In this study, three magnetic flocculants, namely, MC, MC-g-PAM, and MC-g-PAA, were prepared. The structure characteristics, flocculation performance, and floc characteristics of the three magnetic flocculants were systematically studied and compared. SEM, FT-IR, XPS, XRD, TG–DSC, and VSM characterization results show that MC, MC-g-PAM, and MC-g-PAA are successfully prepared and exhibit good magnetic induction. The removal rates of copper ions by MC, MC-g-PAM, and MC-g-PAA under the optimal coagulation conditions are 93.39 %, 88.64 %, and 61.41 %, respectively. Kinetic fitting shows that the flocculation reaction process of MC and MC-g-PAM conforms to pseudo first-order kinetics, while the flocculation reaction process of MC-g-PAA conforms to pseudo second-order kinetics. The flocs produced by MC-g-PAA have larger particle size and fractal dimension than those by MC and MC-g-PAM. At 80 mg/L dosage and pH 6, the floc size and floc fractal dimension obtained by MC-g-PAA reach the maximum values of 48.28 um and 1.468, respectively. Zeta potential studies show that the flocculation functions of the three flocculants are mainly adsorption bridging, adsorption electric neutralization, and chelating precipitation. Recycling experiments show that MC-g-PAA has good recyclability, and the recovery rate after the fifth use is 77.24 % with the Cu(II) removal rate of 67.53 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ultrasound can initiate polymerization above the threshold. • Ultrasonic time for ultrasonic initiation polymerization also has an optimal value. • Ultrasound-induced methdod is better than in-situ polymerization. The two-dimensional material graphene has many excellent physicochemical properties such as large specific surface area, high electron migration rate, good chemical properties, good thermal conductivity, high elastic modulus and mechanical strength that make it very valuable for theoretical research and application in the preparation of graphene/polymer composites. In this paper, the effects of ultrasonic intensity and reaction time on the molecular weight and yield of PMMA under supercritical CO 2 conditions were investigated. It was found that there are threshold and optimal values of ultrasonic intensity for initiating the reaction in supercritical CO 2 system. The threshold value is 150 W/cm2 and the optimal ultrasonic intensity value is 225 W/cm2. There is also an optimal value of ultrasonic initiation time for ultrasonic initiation polymerization. Combining the reaction yield and the molecular weight of the product, 2 h of ultrasonic initiation is a suitable initiation reaction time. Based on the synthesis of PMMA by ultrasonic excitation, the preparation of Graphene/PMMA composites by ultrasound assistance was also investigated. The TG and DTG characterization of PMMA and complex materials prepared by ultrasonic excitation showed that the radicals generated by ultrasonic excitation were uniformly distributed and did not generate unsaturated double bonded polymers. The electrical conductivity of the Graphene/PMMA composites prepared by ultrasonic excitation at a graphene content of 1 wt% increased to 1.13 × 10-1 S/cm, which is better than that of the Graphene/PMMA prepared by in situ polymerization. This may be attributed to the ultrasound-assisted supercritical CO 2 fluid action that resulted in a more uniform distribution of Graphene mixed with PMMA in the prepared composites. Therefore, it is of important practical significance for the preparation of Graphene/PMMA composites by ultrasound-induced polymerization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, various harmful indoor pollutants especially including bacteria and residual formaldehyde (HCHO) seriously threaten human health and reduce the quality of public life. Herein, a universal substrate-independence finishing approach for efficiently solving these hybrid indoor threats is demonstrated, in which amine-quinone network (AQN) was employed as reduction agent to guide in-situ growth of Ag@MnO 2 particles, and also acted as an adhesion interlayer to firmly anchor nanoparticles onto diverse textiles, especially for cotton fabrics. In contrast with traditional hydrothermal or calcine methods, the highly reactive AQN ensures the efficient generation of functional nanoparticles under mild conditions without any additional catalysts. During the AQN-guided reduction, the doping of Ag atoms onto cellulose fiber surface optimized the crystallinity and oxygen vacancy of MnO 2 , providing cotton efficient antibacterial efficiency over 90 % after 30 min of contact, companying with encouraging UV-shielding and indoor HCHO purification properties. Besides, even after 30 cycles of standard washing, the Ag@MnO 2 -decorated textiles can effectively degrade HCHO while well-maintaining their inherent properties. In summary, the presented AQN-mediated strategy of efficiently guiding the deposition of functional particles on fibers has broad application prospects in the green and sustainable functionalization of textiles. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adsorption of transition metal atoms on the surface of 2D layered nanomaterials plays a significant role in modulating the electronic properties of the metal functionalized systems. In this work, we examined the adsorption of Ag, Au and Pt adatoms on the surface of BSe monolayer based on the DFT method. Our band structure calculations reveal that perfect BSe monolayer displays indirect gap semiconductor property. The adsorption performance of the Au-adsorbed BSe monolayer upon NO, NH 3 and NO 2 gas molecules was examined to evaluate its potential use for highly efficient gas sensor devices. The Au adatom is adsorbed on the BSe monolayer with considerable adsorption energy, which indicates the strength and stability of the substrate for adsorption processes. Thus, the Au-adsorbed BSe monolayer behaves as an excellent adsorbent for sensing NO, NH 3 and NO 2 gas molecules. Interestingly, all the gas molecules are strongly chemisorbed on the Au site of Au–BSe system. NO 2 molecule presents the most favorable adsorption on the surface with oxygen atoms coordinated to the Au atom. Our results also suggest that gas molecules adsorption on the Au–BSe monolayer can lead to remarkable variations in the electronic properties of the systems. The greatly enhanced electron overlaps between the projected density of states of the interacting atoms confirm the chemical interaction between the gas molecules and Au–BSe monolayer. Image 1 • Au binding to the hollow site of the hexagon of BSe is more favorable than the adsorption of Ag and Pt atoms. • Ag and Au-adsorbed BSe monolayers exhibit metallic behavior, whereas Pt-adsorbed ones represent semiconductive nature. • The chemical nature of interaction between gas molecules and Au–BSe structures can be clarified using these PDOS spectra. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yu, Y., 2020. Research on current situation and development of marine leisure sports in Shandong peninsula. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 123-126. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. As a new field of mass sports development, marine leisure sports is playing an important role in modern economic society and mass sports leisure life with its unique characteristics, functions and significance. Leisure sports activities, as an effective means to enhance people's physique in their spare time, have attracted more and more attention. During this period, China's tourism industry developed by leaps and bounds, becoming the largest tourism consumption market in the world today. Leisure sports industry will play a more and more significant role in social and economic development as a new industry and sunrise industry. Shandong Peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with long winding coastline and broad beaches, which has unique advantages in marine resources. This paper introduces the current situation of the development of the marine sports culture in Shandong Peninsula, points out the difficulties faced by the current development of the marine sports culture in Shandong Peninsula, as well as the Countermeasures for the development of the marine leisure sports in the blue economic zone of Shandong Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yu, Y., 2020. Research on current situation and development of marine leisure sports in Shandong peninsula. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 123-126. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. As a new field of mass sports development, marine leisure sports is playing an important role in modern economic society and mass sports leisure life with its unique characteristics, functions and significance. Leisure sports activities, as an effective means to enhance people's physique in their spare time, have attracted more and more attention. During this period, China's tourism industry developed by leaps and bounds, becoming the largest tourism consumption market in the world today. Leisure sports industry will play a more and more significant role in social and economic development as a new industry and sunrise industry. Shandong Peninsula is surrounded by the sea on three sides, with long winding coastline and broad beaches, which has unique advantages in marine resources. This paper introduces the current situation of the development of the marine sports culture in Shandong Peninsula, points out the difficulties faced by the current development of the marine sports culture in Shandong Peninsula, as well as the Countermeasures for the development of the marine leisure sports in the blue economic zone of Shandong Peninsula. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural fibers containing components with phenolic hydroxyl groups, such as jute, wool, and silk, can be directly modified by laccase‐catalyzed grafting. However, cellulosic fibers like cotton cannot be functionalized in this manner. In this work, we developed a facile two‐step method to graft polymers on cotton fabric via laccase catalysis. First, polydopamine (PDA) coating was deposited on the surface of the cotton fabrics via catalysis of laccase/2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl (TEMPO) system. Then, the newly formed PDA coating acted as the secondary reaction platform for subsequent laccase‐mediated grafting of hydrophobic monomer dodecyl gallate (DG). The oxidation of dopamine (DA) catalyzed with the laccase/TEMPO system was investigated using UV–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results verified that the PDA was coated on the surface of cotton fibers. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that the PDA‐coated cotton was successfully grafted with DG (DG‐PDA‐cotton). According to the weighting method, the grafting percentage was about 1.06%. The hydrophobicity of the DG‐PDA‐cotton fabrics was greatly improved with a contact angle of 133°. Also, the grafted cotton fabrics show repellency of water‐soluble stains like coffee, milk, and tea. This study provides a new strategy for surface modification of cotton by laccase‐mediated grafting, which offers the references for the green fabrication of cotton fabrics with improved functionalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To accurately forecast crude oil futures price and volatility, this article presents a novel deep learning combined model using secondary decomposition with West Texas Intermediate crude oil futures (WTI) and North Sea Brent crude oil futures (Brent) as examples. Firstly, a trend subsequence and several noise subsequences are obtained by decomposing the crude oil futures price or volatility using the complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition with adaptive noise (CEEMDAN) and the secondary decomposition is performed on the highest frequency noise subsequence using the variational mode decomposition (VMD). Secondly, the remaining subsequences obtained from CEEMDAN and the subsequences obtained from VMD are predicted separately using the BiGRU-Attention-CNN model. Finally, the predicted crude oil futures price or volatility is calculated by linearly integrating the predicted values of each subsequence. The empirical analysis shows that the novel combined model using secondary decomposition proposed in this paper has the best forecasting performance among many models, both in the comparison experiments and in the ablation experiments. The model is also shown to have good robustness by predicting the volatility at different maturities, varying the ratio of the training set and the test set for crude oil futures price prediction, and predicting the price of crude oil futures after extreme events. Overall, the novel combined forecasting model using secondary decomposition proposed in this paper can help countries grasp the direction of the crude oil market and improve national economic and political security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the applications of nanoparticle-decorated textiles for environmental governmental governance have aroused great concerns, while the poor fastness and uncontrolled aggregation of the nanoparticles negatively influenced its practical use. Herein, an environmental-friendly synthesis strategy of water-dispersible MnO 2 was demonstrated by using the reductant of 2-(N-morpholino) ethanesulfonic acid (MES) and template of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and then the as-prepared MnO 2 was further employed as a multifunctional textile coating. In all the procedures under room temperatures, three effects of cationic CTAB micelles were thoroughly explored, from optimizing MnO 2 to uniform micro/nanoscale through template strategy, to bridging the gaps between electronegative particles and fabrics, and even providing stable antibacterial effect. Consequently, without any additional binding agents, multifunctional cotton textile was obtained by simply immersing cotton into a MnO 2 -CTAB aqueous solution, and appeared antibacterial rates (over 99 %) to both E. coli and S. aureus. Meanwhile, HCHO removal and ultraviolet blocking (UVA<0.1 %) properties as well as high durability of the nanoparticles are also introduced to the textiles. We believe as-presented cationic surfactant-templated strategy for regulating synthesis and deposition of functional particles onto cotton textiles has broad application prospects in green and sustainable functionalization of decoration textiles. [Display omitted] • Cationic surfactant-guided synthesis of water-dispersible MnO 2 is initiated by MES. • MnO 2 nanoparticles endow cotton with encouraging ability to remove indoor HCHO. • CTAB enhances binding fastness by bridging gaps between nanoparticles and fibers. • Antibacterial and UV-blocking abilities are added to cotton under mild conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microbial consortium remediation has been considered to be a promising technique for BDE-209 elimination in water, soil and sediment. Herein, we studied malondialdehyde (MDA), membrane potential (MP), and reactive active species (ROS) of a microbial consortium GY1 exposed to BDE-209. The results indicated that the microbial antioxidant defense system was vulnerable by BDE-209. Both early and late apoptosis of microbial consortium induced by BDE-209 were observed. The sequencing results revealed that Stenotrophomonas, Microbacterium and Sphingobacterium in GY1 played major roles in BDE-209 degradation. Moreover, a novel facultative anaerobic BDE-209 degrading strain named Microbacterium Y2 was identified from GY1, by which approximately 56.1% of 1 mg/L BDE-209 was degraded within 7 days, and intracellular enzymes of which contributed great to the result. Overall, the current study provided new insights to deeply understand the mechanisms of BDE-209 degradation by microbial consortium. Image 1 • Antioxidant system was activated during BDE-209 degradation by GY1. • BDE-209 induced ROS production and promoted lipid peroxidation. • BDE-209 induced early apoptosis followed by late apoptosis. • The genera involved in BDE-209 degradation in GY1 were confirmed. • A novel facultative anaerobic BDE-209 degrading strain in GY1 was identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• BDE-209 degradation by Y2 was dominantly a successive debromination process. • Y2 regulated proteins to adapt to BDE-209 exposure and degrade BDE-209. • Carbohydrate metabolism pathway was up-regulated under BDE-209 stress. • Bioaugmentation with Y2 promoted BDE-209 degradation in water-sediment system. • BDE-209 diminution was related to the cooperation between Y2 and indigenous strains. The investigation of BDE-209 degradation by Microbacterium Y2 under different condition was conducted. Cell membrane permeability, cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), membrane potential (MP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were altered under BDE-209 stress. Eleven debrominated congeners were identified, suggesting that BDE-209 biodegradation by Microbacterium Y2 was dominantly a successive debromination process. Proteome analysis showed that the overexpression of haloacid dehalogenases, glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters might occupy important roles in BDE-209 biotransformation. Meanwhile, heat shock proteins (HSPs), ribonuclease E, oligoribonuclease (Orn) and ribosomal protein were activated to counter the BDE-209 toxicity. The up-regulated pyruvate dehydrogenase E1 component beta subunit and dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase suggested that the pyruvate metabolism pathway was activated. Bioaugmentation of BDE-209 polluted water-sediments system with Microbacterium Y2 could efficiently improve BDE-209 removal. The detection of total 16S rRNA genes in treatment system suggested that Microbacterium (25.6 %), Luteimonas (14.3 %), Methylovorus (12.6 %), Hyphomicrobium (9.2 %) were the dominant genera and PICRUSt results further revealed that the diminution of BDE-209 was owed to cooperation between the introduced bacteria and aboriginal ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibrosis can develop in most organs and causes organ failure. The most common type of lung fibrosis is known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, in which fibrosis starts at the lung periphery and then progresses toward the lung center, eventually causing respiratory failure. Little is known about the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis and periphery-to-center progression of the disease. Here we discovered that loss of Cdc42 function in alveolar stem cells (AT2 cells) causes periphery-to-center progressive lung fibrosis. We further show that Cdc42 -null AT2 cells in both post-pneumonectomy and untreated aged mice cannot regenerate new alveoli, resulting in sustained exposure of AT2 cells to elevated mechanical tension. We demonstrate that elevated mechanical tension activates a TGF-β signaling loop in AT2 cells, which drives the periphery-to-center progression of lung fibrosis. Our study establishes a direct mechanistic link between impaired alveolar regeneration, mechanical tension, and progressive lung fibrosis. • Impaired alveolar regeneration results in sustained elevated tension on alveoli • Elevated mechanical tension activates a TGF-β signaling loop in AT2 cells • The impacts of mechanical tension on alveoli are not uniformly distributed • Mechanical tension-activated TGF-β signaling is essential for fibrosis progression By investigating links between impaired alveolar regeneration and progressive pulmonary fibrosis, Wu et al. found that the periphery-to-center progression of the most common type of lung fibrosis is driven by sustained elevated mechanical tension that activates a TGF-β signaling loop in alveolar stem cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conveniently recoverable photocatalyst with self-floating and photothermal performance has attracted considerable attention. Herein, AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 was anchored on carbonized wood (CW) via a facile solvothermal and ion exchange deposition process. The catalytic properties and performance of the fabricated heterojunction were systematically characterized. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy confirmed AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 was anchored on CW surface. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy revealed the shift of Zr 3d and Ag 3d, proving the heterojunction formation of samples. The heterojunction exhibited the strong UV adsorption peaks between 400 and 800 nm. The infrared photothermal analysis showed the heterojunction (41.2 °C) can adsorb more heat than AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 (31.2 °C) within 15 min visible light irradiation. As the floating carrier, CW enhanced the adsorption and utilization of sunlight. More than 96% of Rh B were degraded within 150 min with irradiation when the heterojunction was applied, and above 85% degradation rate were preserved after 6 cycling recycles, confirming its outstanding stability. Conclusively, this study paved a new pathway for fabricating the potential of easy recyclability and high stability of AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 @CW from biomass for wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 @CW was synthesized via a facile two-step procedure. • Carbonized wood solved the aggregating disadvantages of powder catalyst. • AgI/UiO-66-NH 2 @CW has good photocatalytic performance and recyclability. • The active species during the degradation process were identified as h+ and ∙O 2 −. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Copper nanoparticles (Cu NPs) were grown in nitrogen-doped carbonized wood (NCW). • Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 exhibited high specific capacitance of 10.39 F cm−2. • SSC delivered 0.59 mWh cm−2 with a retention of 92.02 % after 5000 cycles. • Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 showed a overpotential of 100.43 mV at 10 mA cm−2. • Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 exhibited a Tafel slope of 95 mV dec−1. The development of self-supporting electrodes using natural wood is promising for energy storage and conversion but still challenging. Here, the nitrogen-doped carbonized wood electrode decorated with copper nanoparticles is synthesized to escalate its capacitive performance and HER. Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 exhibits a high specific capacitance of 10.39 F cm−2 at 1 mA cm−2. The symmetric supercapacitor achieves an energy density of 0.59 mWh cm−2 at 3.5 mW cm−2 while achieving a capacitance retention of 89.51 % after 8,000 cycles. Cu 1.0 NPs@NCW-1000 also displays good HER activity, comprising an overpotential of 100.43 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 95 mV dec−1. Its outstanding properties were attributed to doping-nitrogen, high specific surface area, hierarchical porous structure, and the interaction between Cu NPs and NCW, which increased active sites and accelerated charge transfer. This work provides a new strategy for the preparation of self-supported carbon electrodes for the energy storage and electrocatalysis applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

C19H20N2O3, monoclinic, C2/c (no. 15), a = 30.474(9) Å, b = 9.331(2) Å, c = 26.269(7) Å, β = 112.591(3)°, V = 6897(3) Å3, Z = 16, Rgt(F) = 0.0462, wRref(F2) = 0.1379, T = 293 K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

2D transition metal carbide/nitride (MXene) show significant potential for fabricating flexible wearables due to its outstanding electroactive characteristic. However, the complex processes in rheology regulation and easy agglomeration of MXene nanosheets hinder their applications as inks for homogeneous printing and coating. Herein, an electroactive gel‐ink with a low concentration of MXene (20 mg mL−1) using poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(sodium 4‐styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) as a dopant and conductive binder is developed. The dopamine‐involved modification and PEDOT:PSS doping together promote the formation of ordered lamellar structure of MXene nanosheets, and in turn the nanosheets can regulate the interconnected electronic structure of PEDOT:PSS, which enables the transition from micellar to linear structures. Through adjusting the combination ratio of dopamine‐modified MXene (MD) to PEDOT:PSS, the viscosity of MXene inks (MDP) is tunable within 1–104 Pa·s to realize scalable printing and other processing. Screen‐printing with MDP gel‐ink endows textiles with excellent conductive stability while retaining the inherent wearability of the original fabric. With high conductivity (109.6 S m−1) and low mid‐infrared emissivity (0.34), the decorated textiles exhibit remarkable multi‐protective abilities. This work provides a novel strategy for formulating versatile MXene inks that will facilitate the large‐scale fabrication of high‐performance personal wearable multi‐protective textiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, the comparative properties of graphite (GT) and graphene (GE) sheets for use in polymer‐based electromagnetic (EM) shielding materials were explored. To accomplish this, GT and GE were individually combined with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as composite films and each was later attached to a nonwoven fabric to produce nonwoven‐reinforced (NR) films. The microtopography showed that GT was easily wrapped by the PVDF matrix in the composite film, whereas GE was partially exposed on the film surface because of its complete contact with PVDF. Addition of the carbon materials appeared to increase the EM shielding effectiveness (SE) of the films in the X‐band. The SE of the PVDF/GE films was significantly higher than the PVDF/GT films, up to 50.4 dB, which was mainly affected by electronic conductivity. The internal loss of the EM wave in PVDF/GE films was dominated by internal reflection because of the more regular arrangement of GE, whereas the loss in the PVDF/GT films contained greater EM absorption. Although the SE at 1–18 GHz of NR PVDF/GT film was significantly lower than the NR PVDF/GE film, the internal loss at high frequency was higher due to the better absorption loss in its surface layer. Highlights: GT and GE sheets were compared as functional materials.GT and GE sheets showed different distribution states in the films.The EM SE of the PVDF/GE films was up to 50.4 dB.The EM shielding mechanism was analyzed and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium has been shown to be an important environmental pollutant. Our previous studies have shown that the regulation of OLE1 in the synthesis of unsaturated fatty acids may act as a positive feedback mechanism to help yeast cells counter the lipid peroxidation and cytoplasmic membrane damage induced by cadmium. However, the involvement of OLE1 in cadmium-induced oxidative stress is still unclear. In this study, we explored the effects of OLE1 on cadmium-induced oxidative stress in yeast. Different from ascorbic acid, the overexpression of OLE1 did not affect the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase. Although OLE1 overexpression induced an increase in GSH levels, the anti-oxidative mechanism of OLE1 was GSH1 independent. On the other hand, similar to ascorbic acid, OLE1 overexpression significantly reduced the levels of superoxide radical, carbonyl protein and lipid peroxidation. Additionally, overexpression of OLE1 effectively prevented cell membrane damage induced by cadmium. OLE1 could also reduce the cytotoxicities of other heavy metals stress, including copper, tri- and hexavalent chromium. Thus, our results indicate that overexpression of OLE1 reduces oxidative stress induced by cadmium possibly through the inhibition of lipid peroxidation and protection of the cytoplasmic membrane from damage in yeast cells. Furthermore, we determined that the anti-oxidative effect of OLE1 is independent of antioxidant enzymes and GSH1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The timings of reproductive life events have been examined to be associated with various psychiatric disorders. However, studies have not considered the causal pathways from reproductive behaviors to different psychiatric disorders. This study aimed to investigate the nature of the relationships between five reproductive behaviors and twelve psychiatric disorders. Methods: Firstly, we calculated genetic correlations between reproductive factors and psychiatric disorders. Then two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) was conducted to estimate the causal associations among five reproductive behaviors, and these reproductive behaviors on twelve psychiatric disorders, using genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary data from genetic consortia. Multivariable MR was then applied to evaluate the direct effect of reproductive behaviors on these psychiatric disorders whilst accounting for other reproductive factors at different life periods. Results: Univariable MR analyses provide evidence that age at menarche, age at first sexual intercourse and age at first birth have effects on one (depression), seven (anxiety disorder, ADHD, bipolar disorder, bipolar disorder II, depression, PTSD and schizophrenia) and three psychiatric disorders (ADHD, depression and PTSD) (based on p<7.14×10-4), respectively. However, after performing multivariable MR, only age at first sexual intercourse has direct effects on five psychiatric disorders (Depression, Attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder, Bipolar disorder, Posttraumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia) when accounting for other reproductive behaviors with significant effects in univariable analyses. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that reproductive behaviors predominantly exert their detrimental effects on psychiatric disorders and age at first sexual intercourse has direct effects on psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable attention has been focused on the application of natural cellulosic materials due to the cost-effectiveness, renewability, and biodegradability of cellulose. However, gaps between cellulose-based and petroleum-based materials still exist. In this study, a green, environmental modification method for cellulose by enzyme-initiated reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) graft polymerization was reported. First, the grafting of acryloyl chloride (AC) provided reaction sites on cellulosic fiber surfaces, followed by the enzymatic RAFT graft polymerization of acrylamide (AM). The grafting of well-controlled polyacrylamide (PAM) chains on the cellulosic material surface was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and the controlled grafting ratio was also estimated. The transition of wetting behaviors after the modification of AC and PAM also provided evidence for successful grafting on cellulosic materials. In addition, this method can be well applied for the preparation of various functional cellulosic materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Confounders can produce spurious associations between exposure and outcome in observational studies. For majority of epidemiologists, adjusting for confounders using logistic regression model is their habitual method, though it has some problems in accuracy and precision. It is, therefore, important to highlight the problems of logistic regression and search the alternative method.Methods: Four causal diagram models were defined to summarize confounding equivalence. Both theoretical proofs and simulation studies were performed to verify whether conditioning on different confounding equivalence sets had the same bias-reducing potential and then to select the optimum adjusting strategy, in which logistic regression model and inverse probability weighting based marginal structural model (IPW-based-MSM) were compared. The "do-calculus" was used to calculate the true causal effect of exposure on outcome, then the bias and standard error were used to evaluate the performances of different strategies.Results: Adjusting for different sets of confounding equivalence, as judged by identical Markov boundaries, produced different bias-reducing potential in the logistic regression model. For the sets satisfied G-admissibility, adjusting for the set including all the confounders reduced the equivalent bias to the one containing the parent nodes of the outcome, while the bias after adjusting for the parent nodes of exposure was not equivalent to them. In addition, all causal effect estimations through logistic regression were biased, although the estimation after adjusting for the parent nodes of exposure was nearest to the true causal effect. However, conditioning on different confounding equivalence sets had the same bias-reducing potential under IPW-based-MSM. Compared with logistic regression, the IPW-based-MSM could obtain unbiased causal effect estimation when the adjusted confounders satisfied G-admissibility and the optimal strategy was to adjust for the parent nodes of outcome, which obtained the highest precision.Conclusions: All adjustment strategies through logistic regression were biased for causal effect estimation, while IPW-based-MSM could always obtain unbiased estimation when the adjusted set satisfied G-admissibility. Thus, IPW-based-MSM was recommended to adjust for confounders set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Controlling unobserved confounding still remains a great challenge in observational studies, and a series of strict assumptions of the existing methods usually may be violated in practice. Therefore, it is urgent to put forward a novel method.Methods: We are interested in the causal effect of an exposure on the outcome, which is always confounded by unobserved confounding. We show that, the causal effect of an exposure on a continuous or categorical outcome is nonparametrically identified through only two independent or correlated available confounders satisfying a non-linear condition on the exposure. Asymptotic theory and variance estimators are developed for each case. We also discuss an extension for more than two binary confounders.Results: The simulations show better estimation performance by our approach in contrast to the traditional regression approach adjusting for observed confounders. A real application is separately applied to assess the effects of Body Mass Index (BMI) on Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP), Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP), Fasting Blood Glucose (FBG), Triglyceride (TG), Total Cholesterol (TC), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) with individuals in Shandong Province, China. Our results suggest that SBP increased 1.60 (95% CI: 0.99-2.93) mmol/L with per 1- kg/m2 higher BMI and DBP increased 0.37 (95% CI: 0.03-0.76) mmol/L with per 1- kg/m2 higher BMI. Moreover, 1- kg/m2 increase in BMI was causally associated with a 1.61 (95% CI: 0.96-2.97) mmol/L increase in TC, a 1.66 (95% CI: 0.91-55.30) mmol/L increase in TG and a 2.01 (95% CI: 1.09-4.31) mmol/L increase in LDL. However, BMI was not causally associated with HDL with effect value - 0.20 (95% CI: - 1.71-1.44). And, the effect value of FBG per 1- kg/m2 higher BMI was 0.56 (95% CI: - 0.24-2.18).Conclusions: We propose a novel method to control unobserved confounders through double binary confounders satisfying a non-linear condition on the exposure which is easy to access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a green approach combining enzyme-initiated reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) polymerization and free-radical coupling was developed for the modification of jute fiber, which is a typical lignin-based cellulose. Jute fiber surface was covered by rich amount of lignin, which offered great opportunities for further functional modification. The controlled polymerization of vinyl monomers, acrylamide (AM) or butyl acrylate (BA), was carried out by horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-initiated RAFT to form well-defined polymers with well-controlled molecular weights and structures. Enzymatic grafting by HRP occurred between the free radicals of well-defined polymers and free radicals of lignin on jute. Gel permeation chromatography (GPC) analysis indicated the alkyl chain length of polymers prepared via HRP-initiated RAFT polymerization was well-controlled. Other results of flourier transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed that well-controlled alkyl chains prepared via enzymatic catalysis were grafted on the exposed lignin of jute. The study explores a new and eco-friendly modification method for lignin-based materials with the controlled graft chain structure via two different catalysis with HRP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and purpose: Previous studies have found ischemic stroke is associated with atrial fibrillation. However, the causal association between ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation is not clear. Furthermore, the network relationship among ischemic stroke, atrial fibrillation and its risk factors need further attention. This study aims to examine the potential causal association between ischemic stroke and atrial fibrillation and further to explore potential mediators in the causal pathway from ischemic stroke to atrial fibrillation. Methods: Summary statistics from the ISGC (case = 10,307 and control = 19,326) were used as ischemic stroke genetic instruments, AFGen Consortium data (case = 65,446 and control = 522,744) were used for atrial fibrillation, and other consortia data were used for potential mediators (fasting insulin, white blood cell count, procalcitonin, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, body mass index, waist circumference, and height). Under the framework of network Mendelian randomization, two-sample Mendelian randomization study was performed using summary statistics from several genome-wide association studies. Inverse-variance weighted method was performed to estimate causal effect. Results: Blood pressure mediates the causal pathways from ischemic stroke to atrial fibrillation. The total odds ratio of ischemic stroke on atrial fibrillation was 1.05 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.07; P = 1.3 × 10−5). One-unit increase of genetically determined ischemic stroke was associated with 0.02 (DBP: 95% CI, 0.001 to 0.034, P = 0.029; SBP: 95% CI, 0.006 to 0.034, P = 0.003) upper systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels. Higher genetically determined systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels were associated with higher atrial fibrillation risk (DBP: RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.35; P = 0.012. SBP: RR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.38; P = 0.04). Specially, we also found the bidirectional causality between blood pressure and ischemic stroke. Conclusions: Our study provided a strong evidence that raised blood pressure in stroke patients increases the risk of atrial fibrillation and active acute blood pressure lowering can improve the outcome in ischemic stroke patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work constructs a 1D hollow particle-based carbon nanofibers (HCNFs) derived from Zn-based metal-organic-frameworks (MOFs) particles embedded in biomass-based electrospinning nanofibers as high-performance supercapacitor (SC) electrodes. Abundant mesopores are introduced by the pyrolysis of MOFs, which generates uniformly distributed electrolyte storage pools for a fast electrolyte ions channel. Owing to its uniquely hierarchical pore structure, the derived HCNFs exhibit much enhanced supercapacitive performance. The prepared HCNF-1000 electrode has not only a high specific capacitance (229.6 F g−1 at a current density of 2 A g−1) but also good rate performance (176.8 F g−1 at 10 A g−1, 99.1 F g−1 at 30 A g−1). The two-electrode symmetrical system HCNF-SC has an energy density of 5.1 Wh kg−1 when the power density is 0.5 kW kg−1. HCNF-1000-based solid-state supercapacitor HCNF-FSC shows good electrochemical performance even in different folded states, displaying the potential application value for the development of portable wearable devices. [Display omitted] • The hollow lignin-derived carbon fibers (HCNFs) enhance electrolyte ion transfer. • The rate capability is improved by the abundantly hierarchical pores of HCNFs. • The flexible HCNF-FSC shows promising potential in powering wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]