Search

Purpose: The purpose of the article is to investigate the contribution of calprotectin and factors in toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-κB/myeloid differentiation factor 88 (TLR4/NF-κB/MyD88) pathway in patients with idiopathic acute anterior uveitis (IAAU). Methods: In total, 72 patients with IAAU and 56 healthy individuals were enrolled. Serum calprotectin, TLR-4, and MyD88 were determined. Best-corrected visual acuity, uveitis activity grading, and macular thickness measured by optical coherence tomography were performed. Results: Serum calprotectin, TLR4, and MyD88 levels were higher in IAAU group than those in healthy individuals. Serum calprotectin level was positively correlated with uveitis activity grading and macular thickness. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed serum calprotectin had larger area under curve than serum TLR4 and MyD88. Conclusions: The calprotectin and TLR4/NF-κB/MyD88 signal might contribute to the pathogenesis of IAAU and serum calprotectin might be a specific biomarker for the measurement of ocular inflammation in IAAU. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reports the freezing-induced emission change of di(4-propoxyphenyl) dibenzofulvene (DBF) molecules, which exhibit unusual aggregation-induced emission (AIE) and crystallization-induced emission enhancement (CIEE) effects. DBF powders in both amorphous (orange) and crystalline (yellow and green) states undergo rapid reversible shifts in their maximum emission wavelengths (λem) during the freezing–thawing (F–T) process. When the acetonitrile/water DBF dispersions emitting orange or yellow colours are F–T treated, their emissions change to green. Moreover, the DBF dispersions containing poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) and acrylamide (AAm) undergo gradual and more significant blue-shift in λem with F–T cycles, and further blue-shifts in λem are found when F–T treated dispersions are gelated or just kept for some time. The emission change of the DBF dispersions with the F–T process and the after-treatment is confirmed to be due to the change of their aggregation morphologies. DBF dispersions and hydrogels with different emission colours are obtained, and the luminescent hydrogels exhibit excellent mechanical properties. This study reveals a new freezing-induced emission change of AIE substances and provides a simple method for preparing hydrogels emitting different colours by using one luminogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discovering fluorescence of existing compounds, which are generally regarded as non-fluorescent, is of important academic and technical significance. This article reports the fluorescence of common compounds containing pyrrolidone ring(s) and their oxidized hydrolyzates. Poly( N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP), polymerized from a very weak fluorescent monomer N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP), exhibits strong intrinsic fluorescence. Moreover, the fluorescence of its 'hydrolyzate' is dramatically enhanced by about 1000 times. The 'hydrolyzate' of N-methyl-pyrrolidone (NMP) also exhibits significantly enhanced fluorescence. By studying the chemical structures and fluorescence of the hydrolyzates, the enhanced fluorescence is attributed to the formation of secondary amine oxide. The much stronger fluorescence of the polymers compared to the corresponding small molecular compounds is ascribed to the 'aggregation-induced emission' (AIE) effect of the luminophores. PVP and its oxidized hydrolyzate also show some phenomena different to the common AIE effect. The fluorescence of PVP and its oxidized hydrolyzate shows stimuli response to metal ions and pH values. This study introduces novel fluorescent materials for various potential applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen and Sulfur Co-Doped Graphene-Like Carbon from Industrial Dye Wastewater for Use as a High-Performance Supercapacitor Electrode (Global Challenges 11/2019) Keywords: co-doping; industry dyes; supercapacitors; wastewater The N,S co-doped carbon material exhibits high specific surface area, superior doped nitrogen, and excellent electrochemical performance. [Extracted from the article]

Nitrogen and sulfur co‐doped graphene‐like carbon (N,S‐GLC) is successfully prepared in a one‐step hydrothermal reaction of glucose with industrial dye wastewater followed by chemical activation. The nitrogen and sulfur are sourced entirely from the industrial wastewater. The process not only provides an alternative way of treating industry wastewater, but also offers a green route for recovering energy from the waste in the form of chemicals. The resultant N,S‐GLC shows a good degree of graphitization, a high specific surface area (1734 m2 g−1), and moderate heteroatom doping (N: 2.1 at%, S: 0.7 at%). The N,S‐GLC electrode displays high specific capacitance of 275 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1 with a retention of 65.4% at 20 A g−1 in 6 m KOH. Moreover, the assembled symmetrical supercapacitor cell shows a capacitance of 38 F g−1 at a current density of 0.5 A g−1, which is equivalent to an energy density of 6.4 Wh kg−1 at a power density of 275.0 W kg−1. This approach provides an alternative and sustainable way of fabricating heteroatom‐doped graphene‐like carbon materials for use in high‐performance supercapacitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An extended undergraduate experiment involving electrochemical energy storage devices and green energy is described herein. This experiment allows for curriculum design of specific training modules in the field of green chemistry. Through the study of electrical double layer capacitors, students learned to assemble an electrical double layer capacitor and perform electrochemical measurements (cyclic voltammetry and galvanostatic charge-discharge) to evaluate the effect of various electrolytes. In addition, students powered a diode with the electrical double layer capacitors. We use the laboratory module to successfully connect electrochemistry with green chemistry through the study of a real-world application. In addition, a green chemistry case study was introduced to the laboratory curriculum. During the experiment, students acquired fundamental experience in electrochemistry and gained analysis skills, critical thinking, and scientific literacy. The results of this work can be used as a case study on green chemical education that considers the students' awareness of renewable and clean energy fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Front Cover: Unexpected strong intrinsic fluorescence is found for a common polymer poly(N‐vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) polymerized from a very weak fluorescent monomer. The hydrolysis of the pyrrolidone ring and the formation of secondary amine oxide lead to dramatically enhanced fluorescence (about 1000 times). Further details can be found in the article by G. S. Song, Y. N. Lin, Z. C. Zhu, H. Y. Zheng, J. P. Qiao, C. C. He, and H. L. Wang* on page 278. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]