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Objective: Realgar possesses important medical properties. This article aims to evaluate realgar and emerging artificially optimized realgar to ensure safe clinical use. Methods: Multiple techniques were employed to test natural realgar and artificially optimized realgar. Soluble arsenic content in representative samples were measured. Natural realgar and artificially optimized realgar were administered to KM mice via gavage for 28 days, and the extent of liver and kidney tissue damage, arsenic accumulation and form of arsenic were measured. Results: Natural realgar and artificially optimized realgar can be distinguished by their physical properties or spectral signatures. ICP-MS and EPMA identified different contents of elements between two groups. In simulated gastric and intestinal fluids, only As (III) and As (V) were detected. Toxicity experiments in vivo demonstrate that both groups caused minimal liver and kidney damage at a dose of 30 mg·kg−1. At a dose of 180 mg·kg−1, artificially optimized realgar caused significantly greater liver and kidney damage. Conclusion: The differences between natural realgar and artificially optimized realgar were successfully distinguished through several methods. In vitro experiments showed that As is the main component exerting their medicinal effects. In vivo toxicity tests demonstrated that at higher dose, artificially optimized realgar exhibited significantly higher toxicity, suggesting that natural and artificially optimized realgar have different toxic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fe3O4/C@SiC nanocomposites were synthesized by pyrolyzing MIL‐101(Fe)@SiC nanocomposites under Ar gas atmosphere. The magnetic Fe3O4 enhances the magnetic loss of the composite material, while the abundant defects and voids on the surface of MIL‐101(Fe)‐derived porous carbon form a network with SiC whiskers, extending the transmission path of electromagnetic waves. The synergistic effect of Fe3O4 and porous carbon optimizes the impedance matching of the material and improves its attenuation capability. As a result, the Fe3O4/C@SiC nanocomposite exhibits excellent microwave absorption performance. Fe3O4/C@SiC nanocomposites about minimal reflection loss (RLmin) of −80.11 dB at 5.93 GHz and an effective absorption bandwidth (RL −10 dB) of 3.57 GHz (4.33–7.90 GHz). The findings of this study shed light on the potential of SiC for microwave absorption applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green infrastructure is imperative for efficiently mitigating flood disasters in urban areas. However, inadequate green space planning under rapid urbanization is a critical issue faced by most Chinese cities. Aimed at theoretically understanding the rainwater storage capacity and improvement potential of urban green spaces, a synthetic simulation model was developed to quantify rainfall surface flow accumulation (FA) based on the morphological factors of a flow basin: the area, circumference, maximum basin length, and stream length sum. This model consisted of applying the Urban Forest Effects-Hydrology model (UFORE-Hydro) to simulate the actual precipitation-to-surface runoff ratio through a procedure involving canopy interception, soil infiltration, and evaporation; additionally, a relatively accurate multiple flow direction-maximum downslope (MFD-md) algorithm was applied to distribute the surface flow in a highly realistic manner, and a self-built "extraction algorithm" extracted the surface runoff corresponding to each studied basin alongside four fundamental morphological parameters. The various nonlinear regression functions were assessed from both univariable and multivariable perspectives. We determined that the Gompertz function was optimal for predicting the theoretical quantification of surface FA according to the morphological features of any given basin. This article provides parametric vertical design guidance for improving the rainwater storage capacities of urban green spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]