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Background: Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress after traumatic brain injury (TBI) can further lead to neuronal apoptosis, which plays a crucial role in the process of neuron death. Curcumin, which is derived from the rhizome of the Curcuma longa plant, has multiple pharmacological effects. Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate whether curcumin treatment has neuroprotective effects after TBI, and to elucidate the underlying mechanism. Methods: A total of 124 mice were randomly divided into 4 groups: Sham group, TBI group, TBI+Vehicle group, and TBI+Curcumin group. The TBI mice model used in this study was constructed with TBI device induced by compressed gas, and 50 mg/kg curcumin was injected intraperitoneally 15 minutes after TBI. Then, the blood-brain barrier permeability, cerebral edema, oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis-related protein, and behavioral tests of neurological function were utilized to evaluate the protective effect of curcumin after TBI. Results: Curcumin treatment markedly alleviated post-trauma cerebral edema and blood-brain barrier integrity, and suppressed neuronal apoptosis, reduced mitochondrial injury and the expression of apoptosis-related proteins. Moreover, curcumin also attenuates TBI-induced inflammatory response and oxidative stress in brain tissue and improves cognitive dysfunction after TBI. Conclusion: These data provide substantial evidence that curcumin has neuroprotective effects in animal TBI models, possibly through the inhibition of inflammatory response and oxidative stress.

High-performance pervaporation membranes have potential in industrial separation applications, but overcoming the permeability-selectivity trade-off is a challenge. We report a strategy to create highly flexible metal-organic framework nanosheet (MOF-NS) membranes with a faveolate structure on polymer substrates for alcohol-water separation. The controlled growth followed by a surface-coating method effectively produced flexible and defect-free superhydrophobic MOF-NS membranes. The reversible deformation of the flexible MOF-NS and the vertical interlamellar pathways were captured with electron microscopy. Molecular simulations confirmed the structure and revealed transport mechanism. The ultrafast transport channels in MOF-NS exhibited an ultrahigh flux and a separation factor of 8.9 in the pervaporation of 5 weight % ethanol-water at 40°C, which can be used for biofuel recovery. MOF-NS and polydimethylsiloxane synergistically contribute to the separation performance.

The fabrication of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) for pervaporation recovery of butanol from aqueous solutions is garnering significant attention. However, constructing highly continuous metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with reasonable loading as molecular pathways in MMMs using a scalable, mature, and controlled solution casting strategy remains challenging. We developed a novel advanced pearl necklace-like zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) threaded by polypyrrole (PPy) nanotubes (ZIF-8@PPy) using a simple green approach. The inclusion of pearl necklace-like ZIF-8 throughout a PDMS matrix created micron-sized ultrahighly continuous multiple guest molecule transport channels for pervaporation separation and significantly reduced the voids and defects caused by agglomeration. For 1 wt% n-butanol aqueous solutions, the resultant MMMs with 20 wt% ZIF-8@PPy improved the separation factor from 36.4 to 70.2 while simultaneously increasing the total flux from 312.4 to 564.8 g m−2 h−1. The transport mechanism was resolved by simulation and experiments to examine the significant increase in the membrane permeability (from 31.8 to 125.2) and selectivity (from 2.3 to 4.8). The PPy nanotubes effectively inhibit the movement of water molecules and increase the fractional free volume without changing the internal regular structure of ZIF-8. The pearl necklace-like ZIF-8 with high sequence and structural integrity can be applied to prepare defect-free membranes with excellent performance for sustainable applications in petroleum, chemical, medicinal industries, or environmental protection. We also anticipate that this ultrahighly continuous MOF configuration can be extended to various other MOFs and applications.

Wetland plant diversity reveals key aspects of the environmental and ecological status of wetlands and plays an important role in the maintenance of ecosystem functions and services. The present study surveyed the plant species diversity of 22 wetlands in Beijing and, combining field data and remote sensing data, evaluated ecological qualities of the wetlands based on indicators of habitat status, plant species diversity, typical wetland plant community, and status of alien plant invasion. A total of 338 species (including varieties and subspecies) belonging to 220 genera of 74 families of wetland plants were recorded in Beijing. The wetlands could be divided into four types according to plant species composition, which showed a spatial gradient pattern from urban core to ecological conservation areas. Wetlands located in ecological conservation areas were of better ecological quality than those located in urban core and suburban plain areas. The value of ecological quality index (EQI) for Baihe River, Huaishahe-Huaijiuhe River, Jinniu Lake, Hanshiqiao Wetland, and Yongdinghe River (Mentougou Section) were in the top five, whereas the value of EQI for river-type wetlands located in suburban plain areas were relatively lower. The results of the canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the most critical factors affecting wetland plant species composition were the distance to the nearest road, water total nitrogen, and area percentage of ecological green land. Furthermore, the results of the canonical correlation analysis indicated that the most critical factors affecting wetland plant species diversity were the area percentage of construction land and water total organic carbon. Human activity intensity and water quality have a strong impact on the plant diversity and ecological quality of wetlands in Beijing. It is suggested that efforts should be made to strengthen the ecological protection and restoration of the river-type wetlands located in suburban plain areas.

The dissolution behavior of cellulose acetate (CA) is an extremely important property in its extensive applications and preparation of derivatives. In this paper, we proposed a molecular model building strategy to construct amorphous CA with various substituent distributions (different degrees of substitution and substitution positions). A protocol combing molecular dynamics simulation and density functional theory (DFT) was applied to systematically investigate the dissolution behavior of CAs, and the structural properties of CAs. The reduced cohesive energy and polarity of CAs caused by the increase in substituents would enhance its solubility. The interaction of solvent molecules and CAs and the diffusion of solvent molecules in CAs have a synergistic effect on the dissolution of CAs. The diffusion coefficient is the primary factor affecting the solubility. Moreover, substituents at different positions of the anhydroglucose units along the CAs chains would produce different steric hindrance effects, which in turn affect the dissolution behavior.

The membrane-based gas separation is well-suited for the recovery of hydrocarbons from nitrogen-rich exhaust gases. However, the separation performance of the existing polymeric membranes was insufficient. In this study, zeolitic imidazolate framework-67 (ZIF-67) was synthesized and then incorporated into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) to prepare ZIF-67/PDMS mixed matrix membranes via the spin-coating method. The resultant ZIF-67 and membranes were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscope. The C3H6/N2 (20:80 vol) mixed gas separation tests indicated that the ZIF-67/PDMS membranes achieved the higher C3H6/N2 separation factor but the lower C3H6 permeance in contrast with pure PDMS membrane. At the ZIF-67 loading of 5 wt%, the membrane displayed the optimal separation factor of 16.5 with comparable C3H6 permeance of 86.9 GPU. Besides, the relatively low operating temperature and pressure were advantageous to gaining good gas separation performance.

High separation performance and superior mechanical properties of the membranes are both of critical importance for membrane modules to achieve high efficiency and long-term stability. Herein, a series of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with brick-and-mortar architecture are prepared by incorporating two-dimensional zeolitic imidazolate framework-L (ZIF-L) nanosheets into polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrix for separating alcohols (ethanol, n-propanol or n-butanol) from aqueous solution. The unique leaf-like morphology, flexible pore structure, and high hydrophobicity of ZIF-L nanosheets allow the straight and preferential permeation for alcohols; while the brick-and-mortar architecture renders the tortuous and intricate pathways for water, thus improving the membrane selectivity. Incorporating ZIF-L nanosheets endows the membranes with outstanding pervaporation performance, together with unusual and favorable increase in mechanical properties. More interestingly, the subtle interconnection of ZIF-L nanosheets creates the relatively continuous pathways for penetrants. Consequently, the resultant membrane displays a high separation factor (57.6) and a comparable permeation flux (402 g m−2 h−1) in separating 1.0 wt% n-butanol aqueous solution at 40 °C. Furthermore, the presence of ZIF-L nanosheets donates good thermal properties and promising long-term stability to the membranes. The findings of engineering brick-and-mortar architecture through two-dimensional porous fillers may provide new insights into designing high-performance MOF-based membranes for various applications.

Acid doped polybenzimidazole membrane can transport protons and is a potential proton exchange membrane for vanadium redox flow battery applications. But the proton conductivity of polybenzimidazole membranes is just moderate; the vanadium redox flow battery assembled with polybenzimidazole membranes usual cannot achieve satisfactory voltage efficiency. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to prepare high proton conductivity polybenzimidazole membranes. A series of sulfonated polybenzimidazoles with different sulfonation degree are synthesized. The 5-sulfoisophthalic acid monosodium salt is introduced not only to control the sulfonation degree of the polymer but also to enhance the hydrophilicity of polybenzimidazole and further increase the proton conductivity of polybenzimidazole membrane. The physicochemical properties and single cell performance of sulfonated polybenzimidazoles membranes are thoroughly assessed. The results indicate that the water uptake of membranes are enhanced as the sulfonation degree increases and is superior to increase the proton conductivity. But sulfonate can also form hydrogen bonds with the basic groups N= in imidazole rings and block the protons transport. Ultimately, sulfonated polybenzimidazole membrane with the sulfonation degree of 30% exhibites the highest proton conductivity as well as energy efficiency.

Biofuels separation using membranes becomes one of the research focuses in the field of renewable energy. In this study, a series of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) with defect-free active layer around 1 µm thickness were elaborately prepared through interfacial synthesis for ethanol permselective pervaporation. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was employed as polymer matrix, which adjusted the nucleation of MOF precursors to in situ generate ZIF-8 nanoparticles. Within the active layer, the resultant ZIF-8 nanoparticles provided the preferential pathways for ethanol due to their ultrahigh adsorption capacity and super-hydrophobicity. Moderate aggregation could form the relatively continuous diffusion pathways. This approach rendered the uniform dispersion of ZIF-8 nanoparticles within PDMS matrix and their excellent compatibility. The ZIF-8 nanoparticles endowed the membranes with enhanced ethanol affinity, hydrophobic property, and thermal stability. More importantly, the ZIF-8 nanoparticles substantially reduced the permeation energy barriers of the membrane for penetrants. The membranes displayed the simultaneous increase in permeation flux and separation factor when utilized for ethanol recovery from aqueous solution, revealing the desirable anti-tradeoff effect. Particularly, the resultant membrane exhibited a superior pervaporation performance with relatively high permeation flux (1778 g·m-2·h-1) and comparable separation factor (12.1) in separating 5.0 wt% ethanol aqueous solution at 40 °C.

The growing demand for non-toxic solvents for membrane preparation has motivated the studies for green and sustainable alternatives of solvents. The effect of droplet isothermal growth within the liquid-liquid phase separation region on isothermal spherulitic growth rate of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) was investigated. The results showed that the droplets grew up at a rate of 0.0172 μm·s−1. The larger droplets slowed down the isothermal spherulitic growth rate of iPP. Higher mass ratio of carnauba wax (Cwax)/soybean oil (SO) resulted in faster droplet growth due to weak interaction with polymers. The isothermal crystallization behaviors of iPP in environment-friendly binary diluents consisting of Cwax and SO mixture were further investigated experimentally using polarized optical microscopy. It was demonstrated that the isothermal spherulitic growth rate of iPP in diluents decreased nonlinearly with the increasing crystallization temperature. Compared with virgin iPP, isothermal spherulitic growth rate of iPP in SO diluent was significantly slowed down. The spherulitic growth was further retarded after the addition of Cwax in mixed diluents, resulting in a lower crystallization rate than that in SO. Moreover, the crystal form of iPP membranes was found to be α type through the characterization of small angle X-ray scattering and wide angle X-ray diffraction.

CO2 removal is an essential water purification process in many fields, such as petrochemical production and thermal power generation. It is challenging to remove low concentrations of CO2 from RO effluent water. The core component of the membrane degassing technique is a high-performance hydrophobic microporous membrane. Polypropylene (PP) membranes were prepared with environmentally friendly binary diluents via thermally induced phase separation. Firstly, the effects of PP concentration on the phase diagram, flat sheet membrane structure and mechanical properties were studied to optimize the PP content for a hollow fiber membrane (HFM). The PP HFM showed a sponge-like cross-sectional structure without any dense skin layer, a large loading force and breaking elongation, and a narrow pore size distribution with a mean pore size of 0.16 μm. The as-fabricated PP HFM module was applied for CO2 removal from RO effluent water from a petrochemical plant. A higher water temperature and vacuum degree facilitated CO2 removal. Increasing the effective membrane length enhanced degassing efficiency. Increasing the water flow rate increased CO2 degassing flux, but simultaneously decreased degassing efficiency. When the water flow rate increased from 20 mL min−1 to 63 mL min−1, although the effective membrane length increased from 3 m to 4.8 m for the best degassing efficiency of 88%, the amount of treated water increased by 3.15 times. The declined CO2 concentration in the outlet water was 1.6 mg L−1.

This research investigated comprehensively the fundamental science of estimating sorption, diffusion, and permeation of 1,3-butadiene and nitrogen in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) filled mixed-matrix membranes (MMMs). ZIF-8 and Ni-ZIF-8 nanocrystals were synthesized at room temperature and incorporated into PDMS at different loadings. The physical and chemical properties of both ZIFs have been studied by XRD, FTIR, SEM, EDX, and TGA, respectively. Synthesized Ni-ZIF-8/PDMS MMMs demonstrated homogeneous particle dispersion, improved particle-polymer adhesion, and better butadiene permeation under various testing conditions. 15% Ni-ZIF-8/PDMS MMM exhibits 1,3-butadiene permeance 323 GPU, which improved by 60% compared with PDMS, and 32% with 15% ZIF-8/PDMS MMM, while BD/N2 ideal selectivity of 19.5was higher 81% than PDMS, and 32% than 15% ZIF-8/PDMS MMM at 40°C and 1.5 bar. Additionally, Ni-ZIF-8/PDMS MMMs have improved the solution-diffusion properties of butadiene and decreased sorption enthalpy, entropy change, activation energies of diffusion, and permeability from PDMS and ZIF-8/PDMS.

Jian-De Cheng,1,* Li-Xun Chai,2,* Zhi-Ping Zhao,1 Yan-Yan Hao,1 Shuo Li3 1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan 030032, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Thoracic Surgery, The Shanxi Bethune Hospital, Taiyuan 030032, Shanxi, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Shuo LiDepartment of Respiratory and Critical Medicine, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 13512279233Email leasure1979@163.comBackground: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of anlotinib for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who progressed after standard regimens in real world situations and the preliminary analysis of an efficacy predictor.Methods: A total of 118 patients with advanced NSCLC who progressed after standard regimens were included in this retrospective study. Efficacy was evaluated and toxicity profile was recorded. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were assessed using Kaplan–Meier survival curve and multivariate analysis was adjusted using Cox regression analysis.Results: All of the 118 patients with NSCLC were available for evaluation of efficacy. Complete response (CR, 0 case), partial response (PR, 10 cases), stable disease (SD, 79 cases) and progressive disease (PD, 29 cases) were evaluated according to RECIST version 1.1. In consequence, objective response rate (ORR) was 8.47% and disease control rate (DCR) was 75.42%. The median PFS of the 118 patients with NSCLC was 4.3 months and the median OS was 10.3 months. The results of Cox regression analysis suggested that ECOG score was an independent factor for PFS. The toxicity profile indicated that hypertension and hand-foot syndrome were the most common adverse reactions. Additionally, the preliminary analysis of an efficacy predictor suggested that the PFS of patients with hypertension was superior to those without hypertension.Conclusion: Anlotinib is effective and safe for patients with advanced NSCLC who progressed after standard regimens in real world situations. Hypertension may be a biomarker for efficacy prediction.Keywords: non-small cell lung cancer, anlotinib, efficacy, safety, biomarker

The novel poly(m-phenylene isophthalamide) (PMIA) ultrafiltration membrane with enhanced anti-fouling performance was successfully designed using amphiphilic block copolymer Pluronic F127 via non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique combined with induced segregation. The influences of Pluronic F127 on PMIA membrane’s microstructure and properties were systematically conducted by employing a series of characterized methods. Meanwhile, the density functional theory (DFT) calculation was employed to study the intermolecular force among the bulk PMIA, Pluronic F127 additive, solvent, and inorganic agent. Results demonstrated that Pluronic F127, functioning as both a porogen and an induced-segregation additive, could effectively affect membrane structure and property. Specifically, the resultant membrane morphologies of the sublayer gradually altered from the finger-like pore to cavity-like shape, and the pore diameter and porosity displayed a stepwise upward trend via increasing the concentration of Pluronic F127, which further induced the loss of the membrane’s mechanical strength. The filtration experiments demonstrated that the water permeation was enhanced, along with the slightly reduced rejection to bovine serum albumin (BSA) with the increasing concentration of Pluronic F127. Furthermore, the fouling resistance and stability were improved remarkably, which benefited from the enhanced hydrophilicity caused by the migration of polyethylene glycol (PEO) segment of Pluronic F127 toward membrane surface and inner-pore wall. Additionally, DFT calculation confirmed the interaction energy among the dope components, which provided theoretical support on the dope design. In summary, the Pluronic F127/PMIA ultrafiltration membrane demonstrated great potential in the field of water purification and wastewater reclamation.

Ultrafiltration (UF) has been extensively employed in current water treatment practice, during which limited removal for soluble contaminants and membrane fouling remain two perennial hurdles to efficient operation. This study proposed a promising approach by simultaneous coupling of fluidized granular activated carbon (GAC) and PAC with UF process, whereby PAC was responsible for improving effluent quality, and fluidized GAC was targeted for mitigating UF fouling and PAC deposition. The operational performance of such integrated GAC-PAC-UF system was systemically evaluated in a lab-scale setup. The results showed that fluidized GAC particles with larger size appeared highly effective in removing PAC deposition and fouling formed by surface water. PAC addition improved the effluent quality mainly by adsorbing humic acid-like substances. More importantly, energy consumption by GAC fluidization was found to be at least an order-of-magnitude lower than conventional fouling control methods employed in UF. Furthermore, redundancy analysis revealed that the key mechanism for UF fouling mitigation was tied to GAC particle momentum, whereas inorganic fouling mitigation was mostly achieved by GAC-induced liquid turbulence. It is expected that such integrated GAC-PAC-UF process proposed should be technically feasible and economically viable, potentially achieving high permeate quality and reducing membrane fouling with limited energy requirement.

Enzymatic CO2 reduction can provide value-added chemicals from greenhouse gases at ambient temperature and pressure. However, poor solubility of CO2 results in a low conversion rate. In this work, polyethylenimine (PEI) was attached onto the surface of poly(acrylic acid)-grafted (PAA-grafted) polyethylene membranes, and then, the membranes were used in an integrated process of CO2 capture and in situ hydrogenation. Modification conditions were optimized with a surface amino group density of PEI-modified membranes as the characteristic parameter, and then, SEM, FTIR, and XPS analyses were conducted. The effect of PEI-modified membranes on enzyme-catalyzed CO2 conversion to formic acid, regeneration conditions, and reusability were studied. The results show that when the grafting ratio of PAA increased, surface amino group density of PEI-modified membranes increased up to 6.00 × 10-7 mol/cm2 and then kept constant. The optimum modification time, temperature, and PEI concentration were 40 min, 40 °C, and 0.3 wt %. With the same concentration, PEI-1800 could bring more amino groups than PEI-600. SEM, FTIR, and XPS results further confirmed PEI attachment. Introduction of membrane-supported PEI with 5.86 × 10-6 mol of amino groups facilitated greatly enzymatic CO2 hydrogenation, and the initial reaction rate increased from 0.280 to 6.90 μM/min. After being regenerated in ammonia, PEI-modified membranes could be reused, and the relative reaction rate was, respectively, 88.0% and 65.7% after 5 and 10 cycles.

This article focused on the membranes covalent bearing ionic liquid for catalytic performance. The polypropylene fibrous (PPF) membranes was activated by long-distance and dynamic low-temperature plasma flow. Thereafter, it was successfully grafted with 1-vinylimidazole acidic ionic liquids (ILs) through free radical polymerization. The membranes formed were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, bubble pressure method filter membrane pore size analyzer, electronic universal testing machine and contact angle meter. Catalytic hydrolysis of inulin polysaccharide into fermentable reducing sugars using the ILs grafted PPF (ILs-g-PPF) membranes was also evaluated by the DNS method. The results confirmed the successful and steady grafting onto the surfaces and the pore walls of PPF membranes. The resulting ILs-g-PPF membrane exhibited high catalytic activity for hydrolysis of inulin and could be easily separated from the reaction mixture. After two rinses and six times of hydrolysis for the same feed, the hydrolysis ratio was close to 100%. Moreover, the spent ILs-g-PPF membrane was of good reusability and stability. Catalytic PPF membranes obtained by the ILs immobilization have advantages over the ILs themselves for chemical industrial application.

Chloromethylated polysulfone (PSF-Cl) porous microspheres were prepared with non-solvent induced phase inversion method for the immobilization of acidic ionic liquid ([MIMBS][HSO4]). FT-IR, SEM, and 1H-NMR were used to characterize the structure and property of polysulfone porous microsphere supported ionic liquid (PSF-ILs). The results showed that acidic ionic liquid was supported onto the PSF-Cl porous microspheres by covalent bond. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibited a good catalytic activity with about 57% acetic acid conversion rate after 8h reaction. After the catalyst was reused for 7 times in the synthesis of ethyl acetate, the yield only decreased 6%.

In this study, the certain chloromethylated polysulfone ultrafiltration membrane (CMPSF) was prepared via nonsolvent-induced phase separation (NIPS) method. Then the hydrophilic monomer was grafted on the CMPSF membrane through quaternary amination reaction. The structure of membrane was characterized by Fourier transform infrared and the properties were measured by pore size, contact angle and membrane water flux. The contact angle test results show that the hydrophilic performance of the membrane is improved due to the grafting modification. Meanwhile, water flux has a tendency to decrease with the increase of the reaction time due to the decrease in pore size. This indicates the rejection of membrane will be improved.

Growing attention given to non-toxic solvents for membrane preparation has been the motivation for membrane scientists to develop future generation membranes due to increasing concerns for environmental impacts and strict rules. In this study, a novel preparation approach for polypropylene (PP) membranes via TIPS using non-toxic binary diluents consisting of carnauba wax as latent solvent and soybean oil as good solvent was developed successfully. Water and ethanol were used as a quenching bath and extractant of diluents in the membrane, respectively. Impacts of both polymer weight fraction and carnauba wax weight fraction on the phase diagram (phase separation behaviors) of the PP/binary diluents system were investigated firstly. The liquid-liquid (L-L) phase separation region can be enlarged with the continuously increasing of carnauba wax. The effect of adding the second latent diluent on the structures and properties of PP membranes was also studied. The morphology of membranes was further controlled by adjusting the composition of binary diluents. The inter-connected spongelike structure was achieved successfully, which greatly increased the membrane elongation at break. Moreover, vacuum membrane distillation (VMD) desalination experiments showed that the PP membranes produced have the potentiality in VMD desalination application. The carnauba wax after extraction by boiling ethanol could be easily crystallized, separated and recycled by cooling.

Heat stress in yeast limits productivity in the industrial production of bio-ethanol. One promising way for enhancing yeast resistance to heat is to strengthen the antioxidant defense system. Herein, we developed an artificial antioxidant defense system and used it to improve the thermo-tolerance of yeast for the first time. Engineered strains not only exhibited high-performance on tolerance to high temperature but also effectively improved the ethanol yield. A-SOD2-TTHA1300 showed the highest ethanol yield, 61.4 g/L at 60 h, which is increased by 66% compared with the control. Furthermore, we explored the damage mechanism of cells under heat stress and oxidative stress by detection of mitochondria and cell membrane integrity. These results together demonstrated the great potential of artificial antioxidant defense system in improving the thermo-tolerance in yeast.

Coenzyme regeneration is important for the industrial utilization of oxidoreductase. In this work, reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) was regenerated under visible light via a photosensitizer and an electron donor. First, several photosensitizers including 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphyrin (TCPP), zinc porphyrin (ZnTCPP) and eosin Y (EY) with varied concentrations were compared. Next, using TCPP as the photosensitizer, the type and concentration of the electron donor, pH value and concentration of the buffer system for the reaction were optimized. Following that, TCPP was immobilized onto the surface of various supports for screening. Then, the immobilization conditions were optimized and the photocatalytic performance of silica-attached TCPP was studied. Lastly, the effect of a rhodium mediator on NADH regeneration was evaluated. The results show that the optimum concentration of TCPP, ZnTCPP and EY was 2, 1 and 4 mM, respectively, and the highest NADH yield of the TCPP system was 2.37 and 1.47 times those of the ZnTCPP and EY systems. With TCPP as the photosensitizer, triethanolamine was the most efficient electron donor and its appropriate concentration was 5 mM. The optimal pH value and concentration of the phosphate buffer was 7.0 and 0.05 M. Under these conditions, a high NADH yield of 81.5% was achieved after 60 min. For the supports examined, the thiol-containing silica microspheres coated with polydopamine and polyethyleneimine had the highest loading capacity of TCPP (9.15 mg per g-support). Via sensitization, the NADH yield was 9.64% after 90 min and was upgraded to 22.5% with the addition of the rhodium mediator.

The treatment of phenolic wastewater has become a critical but challenging issue for growing concerns over human health and the environment. In this study, the highly permeable mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were fabricated by embedding structure- and morphology-tailored zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) in poly(ether-block-amide) (PEBA) bulk for pervaporation (PV) separation of phenol/water mixture. The crystal evolution from rhombic dodecahedral ZIF-8 particles to anisotropic ZIF-L nanosheets (ZLNs) was achieved by varying precursor concentration in aqueous system, and the morphology of ZIFs was precisely adjusted. Using a spin-coating method, the horizontally-oriented ZLNs constructed a typical brick-and-mortar architecture in the polymer matrix, suggesting their excellent interfacial compatibility. The high aspect-ratio ZLNs created preferential pathways for phenol but limited water transport in the membrane. Notably, the ZLNs/PEBA MMMs exhibited ultra-high phenol permeance of 4.96 × 105 GPU and phenol/water selectivity of 32.5 in separation of 1000 ppm phenol aqueous solution at 60 °C, which surpassed the overall performance of other phenol-selective membranes. Besides, the presence of ZLNs endowed the MMMs with good thermal and mechanical properties, guaranteeing long-term stability in realistic conditions. These findings of regulating morphology and preferential orientation of two-dimensional metal-organic framework fillers might have significant implications in designing high-performance membranes for various applications.

Furfural is a typical biomass-derived platform chemical. Conventional processes for furfural production are uneconomical and energy-intensive because only about 3–6 wt% of furfural in the hydrolysate needs to be separated. In this study, a series of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) were prepared by incorporating MIL-53(Al) particles (MAPs) into poly (ether-block-amide) (PEBA 2533) matrix for pervaporation separation of furfural from aqueous solutions. The MAPs with anisotropic morphology and tunable particle size were precisely synthesized by a high-efficiency solvent-controlled microwave synthetic strategy. Effects of MAPs on the microstructures, physicochemical properties of MAPs/PEBA MMMs were investigated in detail through SEM, EDS, XRD, FTIR, TGA, N2 adsorption and contact angle measurements. The experimental results suggested that compared with the PEBA control membrane, the addition of MAPs notably reduced the permeation energy barrier for furfural, but not for water. The coin-like MAPs-16.7 filled MMMs presented the optimal separation performance, which exceeded other furfural-permselective membranes. Impressively, a high total flux of 3800 g∙m−2∙h−1 and an adequate furfural/water separation factor of 50.2 was achieved in PV separation of 1 wt% furfural aqueous solution at 80 °C, which could substantially reduce capital investment and equipment footprint. Furthermore, a continuous testing was operated for 200 h in ternary furfural/acetic acid/water simulated hydrolysate, highlighting the long-term membrane stability in realistic applications. High performance and long-term stability made MAPs/PEBA MMMs potential candidates for industrial furfural production.

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a unique health resource in China and one of the main representative traditional medicines globally. TCM has formed a new way of looking at medical practices, health care, scientific research, education, industry and culture. It focuses on promoting and safeguarding the health of people, with an increasing contribution to economic and social development. Establishing a comprehensive evaluation system in accordance with the characteristics of TCM services could promote the scientific merit and the standardization of services management. This would improve health service quality and the social and economic benefits of TCM. It would broaden the field of TCM services research. It would also provide the basis for the formulation of relevant government policies. This study estimates the prospect of establishing a comprehensive evaluation system of TCM services.