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Based on the workflow of the materials genome approach, the challenge of enhancing multiple conflicting properties of an advanced thermosetting polymer of polycyanurates was addressed through high-throughout screening using machine learning.

Despite advances in machine learning for accurately predicting material properties, forecasting the performance of thermosetting polymers remains a challenge due to the sparsity of historical experimental data and their complicated crosslinked structures. We proposed a machine-learning-assisted materials genome approach (MGA) for rapidly designing novel epoxy thermosets with excellent mechanical properties (high tensile moduli, high tensile strength, and high toughness) through high-throughput screening in a vast chemical space. Machine-learning models were established by combining attention- and gate-augmented graph convolutional networks, multilayer perceptrons, classical gel theory, and transfer learning from small molecules to polymers. Proof-of-concept experiments were carried out, and the structures designed by the MGA were verified. Gene substructures affecting the modulus, strength, and toughness were also extracted, revealing the mechanisms of polymers with high mechanical properties. The developed strategy can be employed to design other thermosetting polymers efficiently.

The development and utilization of magnetic nanoadsorption materials with large adsorption capacity and easy separation are the research hotspot nowadays. In this study, nanosheet-assembled maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) magnetic microspheres were successfully synthesized by an environmental friendly, quick, and simple method, for enhanced Sb(III) removal from aqueous solution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) were used to characterize the material. The results showed that the product contained flower-like γ-Fe2O3 microspheres composed of petal-shaped nanosheets interspersed with each other. The specific surface area and pore volume were 69.23 m2/g and 0.15 cm3/g, respectively. The material has a strong magnetic response, which allows rapid solid-liquid separation under the action of an external magnetic field. The effects of different dosages, solution pH, and contact time on the adsorption effect were studied by batch adsorption experiments, and the reusability of the materials was evaluated. Both Freundlich isothermal adsorption model and pseudo-second-order kinetic model were able to describe the uptake of Sb(III). The maximum adsorption capacity of the material was 47.48 mg/g under optimal conditions. The adsorption mechanism is mainly that Sb and lattice oxygen (OX2-) form Fe-O-Sb coordination bonds, which is incorporated into the crystal structure of γ-Fe2O3 as inner-sphere surface complexes. The synthetic material has the advantage of simple preparation process, good adsorption capacity, operation over a wide range of pH, and easy physical separation from treatment systems with good potential for future application to treat polluted wastewater.

Bullous pemphigoid (BP) is the most common type of autoimmune bullous disease and is characterized by the presence of circulating anti-BP180 and/or anti-BP230 autoantibodies. Patients with BP often present with tense blisters and erythema, mainly on the trunk and limbs, but a few patients also have mucosal involvement. In this article, we discuss the fact that BP patients with mucosal involvement tend to have more serious conditions and their disease is more difficult to control. Potential risk factors for mucous involvement include earlier age at onset, drugs such as dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, cancer, and blood/serum biomarkers, including lower eosinophil count, higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate, IgG autoantibodies against both the NH2- and COOH-termini of BP180, and the absence of anti-BP230 antibodies. IgA and C3 deposition at the dermo-epidermal junction may also be present. Understanding these risk factors may benefit earlier diagnosis of these patients and promote the development of novel treatments. What's more, it's helpful in deeper understanding of BP development and the relationship between BP and mucous membrane pemphigoid (MMP).

The eco-friendly and non-toxic natural organic substance, insolubilized humic acid (IHA), was used to remove Mn(II) from aqueous solutions. The adsorption characteristics were studied through a series of static adsorption tests. The results show that conditions such as the dose, the pH of the solution and the initial concentration of Mn(II) all affect removal efficiency, and the optimal pH value was 5.5. The sorption process for Mn(II) on IHA conforms to the pseudo-second-order adsorption kinetic model and intra-particle diffusion is not the only factor affecting the adsorption rate. Both Langmuir and Freundlich models can describe this adsorption behavior, and the experimental maximum adsorption capacity of IHA was 52.87 mg/g under optimal conditions. The thermodynamic analysis of adsorption shows that the adsorption process is a non-spontaneous endothermic physical reaction. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) were used to characterize the samples, it was found that as IHA successfully adsorbed Mn(II), the surface morphology of IHA changed after the adsorption reaction. The adsorption mechanism for Mn(II) on IHA is to provide electron pairs for carboxyl, phenolic hydroxyl and other functional groups to form stable complexes with Mn(II).

The development and utilization of magnetic nanoadsorption materials with large adsorption capacity and easy separation are the research hotspot nowadays. In this study, nanosheet-assembled maghemite (γ-Fe

It is often stated that plants remove air pollutants from the urban atmosphere with their large leaf area, thus providing benefits − i.e. ecosystem services − for citizens. However, empirical evidence showing that local-scale air quality is uniformly improved by urban forests is scarce. We studied the influence of conifer-dominated peri-urban forests on the springtime levels of NO2 and particle pollution at different distances from roads, using passive samplers and high time resolution particle counters in a northern climate in Finland. Passive samplers provided average values over a one month period, while active particle counters provided real time measurements of air pollution to mimic human inhalation frequency. NO2 concentrations were slightly higher in forests than in adjacent open areas, while passive particle measurements showed the opposite trend. Active particle monitoring campaigns showed no systematic forest effect for PM2.5, but larger particles were reduced in the forest, corroborating the passive sampling result. Attenuation rates of the mean values of the studied pollutants did not differ between the forest and open habitats. However, high time resolution particle data revealed a distance effect that was apparent only in the forest transect: peak events at the forest edge were higher, while peaks furthest from the road were lower compared to the open transect. Furthermore, the magnitude of PM2.5 peak events was distinctly higher at forest edge than equivalent distance in the open area. Vegetation characteristics, such as canopy cover and tree density, did not explain differences in pollutant levels in majority of cases. Our results imply that evergreen-dominated forests near roads can slightly worsen local air quality regarding NO2 and PM2.5 in northern climates, but that coarser particle pollution can be reduced by such forest vegetation. It seems that the potential of roadside vegetation to mitigate air pollution is largely determined by the vegetation effects on airflow.

In order to find out the key factors to affect the texture variation and the formation mechanism of different cultivars lotus rhizomes after thermal processing, representative lotus rhizomes harves...

Pretreatments such as low temperature blanching and/or calcium soaking affect the cooked texture of vegetal food. In the work, lotus rhizomes (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.) were pretreated using the following 4 treatments, blanching at 40°C, blanching at 90°C, soaking in 0.5% CaCl2, and blanching at 40°C followed by immersion in 0.5% CaCl2. Subsequently, the cell wall material of pretreated samples was isolated and fractioned to identify changes in the degree of esterification (DE) and monosaccharide content of each section, and the texture of the lotus rhizomes in different pre-treatments was determined after thermal processing with different time. The results showed that the greatest hardness was obtained after blanching at 40°C in CaCl2, possibly attributing to the formation of a pectate calcium network, which maintains the integrity of cell walls. Furthermore, the content of galactose, rhamnose and arabinose decreased due to the breakage of sugar backbones and subsequent damage to cell walls. Our results may provide a reference for lotus rhizome processing.

Sintering is the key process to a pressureless sintering silicon carbide ceramic. From the perspective of industrial production, this paper discusses the influence factors of big size silicon carbide ceramic sintering from three aspects: sintering curves, the density of green body and particle size of raw material. The results were as follows: (1) Under the conditions that heating rate from 1000 to 1500 °C and from 2100 to 2150 °C is 3 °C per minute and 0.5 °C per minute respectively, a big size product of densification of the ceramics has been obtained. (2) Using dry pressing at 50 MPa, dwell time 2 min, and then with CIP at 180 MPa, dwell time 5 min, the green body densities will more uniform from center to edge. (3) Applying raw materials particle size below 0.6 μm the big size product will get more dense material. Combining with the above three methods. The final product can achieve densification. The sintered sample can been achieved with density of 3.12 g/cm3, Vickers hardness of 26 GPa, and three-point flexure strength 420 MPa.

The effects of acetic acid pretreatment on the texture of cooked potato slices were investigated in this work. Potato slices were pretreated with acetic acid immersion (AAI), distilled water immersion (DWI), or no immersion (NI). Subsequently, the cell wall material of the pretreated samples was isolated and fractioned to evaluate changes in the monosaccharide content and molar mass (MM), and the hardness and microscopic structure of the potato slices in different pretreatments before and after cooking were determined. The results showed that the highest firmness was obtained with more intact structure of the cell wall for cooked potato slices with AAI pretreatment. Furthermore, the MM and sugar ratio demonstrated that the AAI pretreated potato slices contained a higher content of the small molecular polysaccharides of cell walls, especially in the hemicellulose fraction. This work may provide a reference for potato processing.