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Hydrogel fibers that can be raided possess considerable promise in the realm of flexible electronic gadgets, as they exhibit both exceptional durability and excellent conductivity. Using a continuous coaxial wet-spinning method, we have created a hydrogel long fiber with a core-sheath structure that is both strong, conductive, frost-resistant, and braidable. Hydroxymethylpropyl cellulose (HPMC) added lowconcentration polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) toform the core layer of the fiber he sheaths made of highconcentration PVA. Next, the fibers are submerged in a sodium chloride solution to create PVA@PVA-HPMC hydrogel fibers that exhibit remarkable tensile strength (6.7 MPa), extensive elongation (450%), excellent electrical conductivity (9.23 S/m), and exceptional resistance to freezing temperatures (below −20 °C). The hydrogel fibers are further encapsulated using PSPI copolymers to enhance their environmental stability. Finally, the PVA@PVA-HPMC fibers are applied as flexible sensors to detect human joint movements, and assembled into e-textiles to monitor the positional distribution of pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two low-pressure ultraviolet (UV) lamps at 185/254 nm with sodium persulfate in a pilot UV device were utilized for the degradation of reactive red (B-3BF) dye wastewater compared with two UV lamps at 185/185 nm and two UV lamps at 254/254 nm. The degradation performances of UV irradiation (254/185 nm) with sodium persulfate under different degradation times, flow rates, initial pH, initial Na2S2O8 concentrations and initial dye concentrations were investigated. The experimental results illustrated that the degradation percentage of B-3BF dye could reduce to 90.42% with the energy consumption of 85.1 kWh/kg and the residual dye concentration of 1.92 mg/L by UV irradiation (254/185 nm) with initial Na2S2O8 concentration of 1.5 mmol/L and initial dye concentration of 20 mg/L. In addition, degradation performance of B-3BF dye wastewater by UV irradiation (254/185 nm) with sodium persulfate was more effective than those of UV irradiation (254/254 nm) and UV irradiation (185/185 nm). Therefore UV irradiation (254/185 nm) with sodium persulfate was promising for the degradation of B-3BF dye wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the electromagnetic environment in the natural environment becomes more complex, the demand for fabrics with microwave-absorbing function becomes more urgent. To meet this demand, a two-step hydrothermal method and coating were used to prepare and obtain a wave-absorbing functional polyester, which was tested and analyzed in terms of microscopic morphology and electromagnetic properties. The results show that the Co3O4/COOH@MWCNTs/NiFe2O4 composite prepared by the two-step hydrothermal method has excellent electromagnetic properties, and the polyester fabric treated with this composite as a wave absorber and aqueous polyurethane as a binder has excellent microwave-absorbing properties. It was concluded that when the fabric possessed a reflective layer, the concentration of the absorber was 10%, and the mass ratio of the absorber components, Co3O4: MWCNTs: NiFe2O4 = 6:2:1, the fabric showed the best performance in terms of wave-absorbing properties, at which time it had the largest reflection loss at 19.26 GHz, with a maximum reflection loss of − 22.7 dB and an effective absorbing frequency band of 13.46–20 GHz (6.54 GHz). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Pomelo peel; extraction; cellulose nanofibrils; lemon juice hydrolysis; ; ; ; ; EN Pomelo peel extraction cellulose nanofibrils lemon juice hydrolysis ZH 8415 8428 14 11/21/22 20221220 NES 221220 Introduction The large-scale production of the agricultural products in the recent decades has brought significant economic benefits to the humanity; however, the negative impact of the agricultural residues on the environment cannot be ignored (Ullah, Kumar Sharma, and Dhingra et al. [45]). It was observed that with the gradual processing stages, the impurities such as hemicellulose and lignin were removed, and the relatively pure cellulose material with the chemical structure of natural cellulose was obtained. However, in this study, these peaks are observed to be separated after ball milling, which shows that the high-energy ball milling is able to effectively peel off hemicellulose and lignin around cellulose to further purify the extracted cellulose. This is owing to the effective removal of ash, grease, and non-cellulose entities on the surface of cellulose during the extraction process, thus, exposing the cellulose material inside the raw sample. [Extracted from the article]

The combination of phototherapy and chemotherapy has received extensive attention in the field of cancer therapy. Hence, graphene organic framework (GOF) with a large d-spacing was prepared by solvothermal method, and a novel nanocomposite based on bovine serum albumin (BSA) and the anticancer drug doxorubicin (DOX) was developed, which effectively achieved a photothermal-chemotherapy synergistic treatment. When the feeding ratio was 1:1.6, the DOX loading capacity was 18.51%, and the GOF-BSA/DOX nanocomposite possessed unobvious pH response characteristic, as well as the cumulative release of DOX reached 54.17% at 42°C in the acidic environment (pH = 5.0). The nanocarriers also showed excellent photothermal property and photothermal stability in vitro. In addition, under 808 nm near-infrared laser (NIR) irradiation, the GOF-BSA/DOX nanocomposites generated a large amount of heat, which significantly enhanced the synergistic antitumor effect of in vitro photothermal-chemotherapy. Furthermore, the GOF-BSA/DOX nanocomposites exhibited significantly increased cytotoxicity in the NIR compared with chemotherapy or photothermal therapy alone, suggesting that the combination of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy has excellent antitumor capacity. Therefore, porous GOF nanocarriers may have great potential in combined anti-tumour therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines how asset values by industry sectors are affected by different depreciation methods. We theoretically show that estimating depreciation rate by the Perpetual Inventory Method (PIM) contains more information than the method by Depreciation Expense as Accounting Item (DEAI), which are equivalent under certain conditions. Using data of 37 industrial sectors in China from 2001 to 2016, we estimate depreciation rates by sectors using both PIM and DEAI methods, which enable us to estimate capital stock and capital efficiency by sectors. By the panel estimation, depreciation rates estimated by both PIM and DEAI methods significantly increase with the enterprise's profits after tax defined by that profits before tax minus tax. Our result is consistent with the prediction of the economic depreciation hypothesis, implying that tax shield of depreciation that raises corporate after-tax cash flows to the firm could improve corporate investments for replacement by scrapping the old equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, to determine the impact of carbon fiber orientation and interweaving on electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding behaviors, anisotropic and isotropic samples were developed by conductive/dielectric weaving of spatially distributed carbon fiber and glass fiber. Effortless and cost-effective, the electromagnetic shielding efficiency (SE) was up to 42 dB and the SE/thickness) was 41 dB/mm, which had apparent polarization selection characteristics. In addition, the angle (θ) sensitivity for the SE in transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarization modes was given in detail. SE was generally proportional to θ. Moreover, the fingerprint-like radar chart of anisotropic carbon hybrid woven fabrics in the X-band was performed, which makes polarization selection characteristics more intuitive. This paper presented an easy and effective route for assembling hybrid carbon fiber fabrics with high EMI shielding performance, which offers a clear perspective on the simulation and study of carbon fiber electromagnetic properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current account imbalance between the U.S. and China is the principal cause of the ongoing trade friction. China's domestic savings, which have exceeded domestic investment for many years, are flowing into the U.S. We sought to explain why China saved so much in terms of all of gross national, household, corporate, government, and other savings from 1952 to 2020. We prepared two sets of time-series data based on the SNA and deposits in domestic banks, and compared them. Over the 69 years (1952-2020), corporate saving was the largest source of domestic saving, except from 1988-2007. Household saving was determined by income growth, consumption habits, income distribution, social security payments, the desire to bequeath money, the one-child policy, and speculative saving. To explore corporate saving, we performed panel regression analysis by estimating provincial corporate saving by "certain-sized industries" from 2000 to 2010. All of the Tobin marginal Q, minimum wage growth, the private enterprise ratio, the corporate income tax rate, and population growth significantly impacted corporate saving. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fabric strain sensors have attracted significantly increased interest as wearable electronics for their flexibility, softness, and wearing comfort in recent years. However, most of the fabric strain sensors fail to pay attention to directionality (negative piezoresistivity) and it remains a big challenge to fabricate wearable fabric strain sensors with a broad sensing range. Here, the strain sensing fabric comprising reduced graphene oxide is developed by using a facile dip-dry-reduce method. Compared to the prior textile strain sensors, the remarkable deformation capacity and a broad reversible strain sensing range (up to 450% strain without breaking) of our treated fabric are with special attention. Meanwhile, it owns great sensitivity (gauge factor of -5.92 under 10.7% strain), stability (> 1000 cycles) and reliability. In addition, sensing strain such as tensile, twist, shear and poke is quantitatively determined. Moreover, the sensing fabric exhibits resistance strain anisotropy (ΔR/R0 at the wale direction / ΔR/R0 at the course direction = 5.23), electric thermal behavior (about 60 °C under a voltage of 10 V). Finally, the equivalent electrical circuit is provided based on the structure, which is presented for the analysis of electromechanical behaviors, structure–activity relationship, transport models and mechanism. Based on this work, the strain sensing fabric comprising reduced graphene oxide can be knitted to shape for application in human motion detection and electric heater as a kind of flexible smart electronic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functionalized knitted fabric, as a kind of flexible, wearable, and waterproof material capable of conductivity, sensitivity and outstanding hydrophobicity, is valuable for multi-field applications. Herein, the reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-coated knitted fabric (polyester/spandex blended) is prepared, which involves the use of graphite oxide (GO) by modified Hummers method and in-situ chemical reduction with hydrazine hydrate. The treated fabric exhibits a high electrical conductivity (202.09 S/cm) and an outstanding hydrophobicity (140°). The outstanding hydrophobicity is associated with the morphology of the fabric and fiber with reference to pseudo-infiltration. These properties can withstand repeated bending and washing without serious deterioration, maintaining good electrical conductivity (35.70 S/cm) and contact angle (119.39°) after eight standard washing cycles. The material, which has RGO architecture and continuous loop mesh structure, can find wide use in smart garment applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The persistently remarkable bilateral imbalance of the current account has been argued to have triggered the US-China Trade War. Speculative saving can simultaneously explain both global and domestic imbalances by clarifying why the U.S. undersaves (overconsumes), while China oversaves (underconsumes), when facing a bubble. Speculative saving occurs when households predict a bubble. With(out) borrowing constraints, households over-(under-)save due to the expected net capital gain from the bubble, and the saving rate increases (decreases) with bubble growth but decreases (increases) with interest rates. Oversaving arises in a closed economy due to resource constraints, while undersaving can occur in the U.S. because the U.S. dollar can be financed by other countries, such as China. Hence, restraining the ongoing housing bubbles and increasing the interest rates in both countries, as well as replacing the U.S. dollar with a new world currency, would mitigate the imbalances and thus relax or end the tension arising due to the trade war. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploiting a renewable and inexpensive electrochemical catalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has attracted great attentions recently. In this study, a MOF catalyst CdS@PCN-224(Ni) was fabricated using CdS quantum dots (QDs) and unique PCN-224(Ni) by a simple hydrothermal method. Due to synergetic effect of the CdS QDs and bimetallic porphyrin MOF structure, the special catalyst showed a great electrocatalytic activity with a low overpotential of 120 mV and a current density of 10 mA/cm2 with a Tafel slope of 90.8 mV/dec, which is approaching to that of the Pt/C (42.8 mV/dec). The double-layer capacitances (Cdl) of CdS@PCN-224(Ni) are 9.75 mF/cm2 which is distinctly superior to that of the PCN-224 (2.33 mF/cm2). Even more to the point, this innovative electrochemical catalyst has a wonderful durability in acid solution, which means it could reach a sustainable utilization. In conclusion, the high activity and low-cost catalyst could be a promising candidate for HER devices in acid media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional catalysts with photodegradation of organic contaminants and electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution are extremely urgent. In this work, a unique MoS2 hollow microsphere with a diameter of 1.5 μm was fabricated without adding any spherical template by an improved hydrothermal process. Interestingly, the MoS2 hollow microspheres with introduction of the NiS and Pd nanoparticles greatly restrain recombination rates of electron‐hole pairs, resulting in the outstanding photocatalytic activity. The RhB removal rates of the MoS2 hollow microsphere and the NPMS composites were 7 and 10 times higher than that of pure MoS2, respectively, for the high concentration of macrocyclic contaminants under visible‐light illumination. Furthermore, the optimal robust NPMS hybrids exhibite a lower overpotential of 100 mV (at 10 mV cm−2) and a smaller Tafel slope of 50 mV dec−1. The unique structure composite catalysts possess more exposed active sites and defects to enhance the catalytic activity for HER and removal of organic pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To exploit non-precious metallic and earth-abundant elements for effective electrocatalytic hydrogenation catalysts, a unique structure electrocatalytic hydrogenation catalyst is fabricated using hydrangea-like molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) hollow microsphere with an average external diameter of 2.5 μm and the needle-like graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) with an average length of 1 μm. The special morphology of the g-C3N4/MoS2 composite heterostructure with advantages of more exposed edge, better conductivity and defect-structures remarkably improves electrochemical active sites, which leads to an outstanding electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with a small Tafel slop of 55.7 mV decade−1 and low overpotential (98.8 mV at 10 mA cm−2) more than most MoS2-based catalysts reported. The unique g-C3N4/MoS2 composite heterostructure can be applied in the field of energy conversion and storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to consequent non‐renewable resource consumption and environmental pollution,the renewable hydrogen energy has been a new energy candidate. But the sluggish kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER) still hampersthe hydrogen production by water electrolysis. So, to design and synthesize an efficient OER catalyst for electrochemical conversion technologiesstill keeps challenge. Herein, an ideal precursor of bimetallic porphyrinicMOF (Co–CuTCPP)/reduced graphene oxide (Co–CuTCPP/rGO) composite has been fabricated by an ultrathin porphyrinic MOF (Co–CuTCPP) nanosheet loaded onto graphene oxide (GO)via hydrothermal process. Owing to synergetic effect of the rGOand bimetallic porphyrin MOF scaly structure, the optimized Co–CuTCPP/rGO‐10 catalyst exhibited high electrocatalytic activity with a low overpotential of 396 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a Tafel slope of 58 mV dec−1, and had good stabilityin alkaline conditions. So, the lowcost, stable, and heterogeneous electrocatalyst might be a promising candidate for the OER devices in alkaline conditions without requirement of pyrolysis process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multifunctional core‐shell structural nanoparticles (NPs) integrating of therapeutic and imaging modalities have presented superior prospects as drug delivery systems in the treatment of cancer. In this work, graphene quantum dots (GQDs) and doxorubicin (DOX) were encapsulated into the cores of PLGA (Poly (D, L‐lactide‐co‐glycolide)) nanoparticles coated with bovine serum albumin via a double emulsion‐solvent evaporation method to construct pH‐responsive nanoparticles (DOX/PB and GQDs@DOX/PB NPs) with spherical core‐shell structures. Subsequently, the cellular uptake, cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of the NPs were studied via in vitro experiments. The results demonstrated that DOX/PB NPs and GQDs@DOX/PB NPs exhibit high drug‐loading efficiency and promote the release of DOX in a mild acidic microenvironment, which was expected to result in intelligent intracellular drug carriers. In vitro cytotoxicity measurements showed that all the NPs exhibit dose‐ and time‐dependent cytotoxicity to the HeLa cells and PLGA NPs loaded with GQDs contribute to reducing cancer cell viability. Moreover, no significant difference in ROS level was determined during the endocytosis. In addition, all the NPs displayed excellent blood compatibility by hemolysis assay. These results demonstrate that pH‐responsive NPs may be excellent candidates for efficient cancer therapy and in vivo biological imaging probes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here we report a high‐efficiency visible‐light responsive tube‐sheet nanocomposite (Zn‐TCPP NS/TNTs) fabricated by an improved hydrothermal method. The characterization results give deep insights into the structures and interaction between the TNTs and Zn‐TCPP NS. The composites consisting of 5% Zn‐TCPP NS show a marvelous photocatalytic performance for the initial high concentration MB solution (30 mg/l) under visible light, which was about 2 times more than that of the pure TNTs. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the 5% Zn‐TCPP NS/TNTs composites are obviously lower than that of the 1% Zn‐TCPP NS/TNTs composites and pure TNTs, and the photocurrent of the 5% Zn‐TCPP NS/TNTs composites is 3.8 times than the pure TNTs. The reason is that,on one hand, the TNTs can be activated by sun light, and generate photoexcited electron‐hole pairs, which can react with H2O and O2 to produce ⋅OH and ⋅O2− radicals, resulting in degradation of waste water. On the other hand, the reaction scheme has a little changed when the TNTs modified by Zn‐TCPP NS. A high‐efficiency visible‐light responsive tube‐sheet nanocomposite (Zn‐TCPP NS/TNTs) was fabricated by an improved hydrothermal method. The composites containing 5% Zn‐TCPP NS show a marvelous photocatalytic performance for the initial high concentration MB solution (30 mg/l) under visible light, which was about 2 times more than that of the pure TNTs. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of the 5% Zn‐TCPP NS/TNTs composites are obviously lower than the pure TNTs, and the photocurrent is 3.8 times than the pure TNTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, visible‐light response and high–efficient photocatalysis for polycyclic organic pollutants of cancer risk has attracted great attention. However, the efficient control and heterojunction fabrication of nanocomposite catalysts for enhanced separation and transfer of interfacial charges remains challenging. Herein, a ternary heterojunction composite photocatalyst (HTTC) was fabricated by utilizing the ultrathin layered titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanostructures, with photocatalytic reactive facets (A101 and R101) prepared from the commercially available TiO2, coating onto outside surface of multi‐walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with chemical connection of Ti‐O=C and Ti‐O−C bond, and then the single layer H2TCPP molecules chemically coated onto outside surface of ultrathin layered TiO2 nanostructures with formation of Ti−O‐C=O chemical bond by layer‐by‐layer (LbL) assembly. The interface layer synergistic effects greatly enhance photocatalytic efficiency for high concentrations solution of polycyclic organic pollutants (methylene blue (MB), Rhodamine B (RhB) and oxytetracycline (OTC) under visible light irradiation, and the photodegradation rates of the photocatalysts for MB (and RhB) were 61 times (and 8 times) higher than that of pure P25. The joint interfacial fabrication strategy and composite engineering affords us a facile guideline for the nanocomposite photocatalysts for environmental protection and ecological conservation. A ternary heterojunction composite photocatalyst was successfully fabricated by simple and high‐effective approach for environment. H2TCPP, serves as light‐harvesting agent. Meanwhile, CNTs can improve the photocatalytic efficiency, serves as electron conductor and absorbent. HTTC composite exhibited better chemical stability because of the formation of Ti‐O−C and Ti−O‐C=O bonds. The unique tube‐tube hybrid structure of the photocatalysts was contributed to induce interfacial charge transfer and enlarge specific surface area. Thus, the new material was of great significance to wastewater purification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this research is to design and fabricate a novel ternary hybrid nanostructure heterojunction with high-efficiency visible-light-driven photocatalysis. The porous layered TiO2 nanotubular structures (TNTs) with high percentage of photocatalytic reactive facets, which were turned into by commercially available TiO2, were wrapped on the surface of hydroxylation carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through the formation of Ti-O=C and/or Ti-O-C bond between CNTs and TiO2. Then the TNT@CNT nanotubular composites were coated by ultrathin g-C3N4 nanosheets with a thickness of 3-4 nm. The ternary nanocomposites owned strong absorption performance, low charge recombination rates and high-efficiency photocatalytic activities, which were all owe to high surface areas and excellent adsorptivity of the CNTs, photocatalytic performance of TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) and moderate band gap of g-C3N4 nanosheet. What’s more, the formation of chemical bonds greatly improved visible-light photocatalytic activity with a degradation rate of 98.2 and 97.9% for methylene blue and rhodamine B in 60 min under visible-light irradiation, which showed ~ 10 times enhancement compared to pure TiO2. In addition, the existence of h+ and ·OH and ·O2− radicals played main role in the photocatalytic process. The new material was of great significance to environmental protection and energy criss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel composite photocatalyst, reduced graphene oxide (rGO) modified superlong TiO nanotubes (LTNTs) with length of about 500 nm, has been successfully synthesized by improved hydrothermal process and heating reflux method. The prepared rGO-LTNT catalysts have been characterized and analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The results from these investigations provided a deep insight into the physical structure and chemical composition of the rGO-LTNT nanocomposites and pure LTNT. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of rGO-LTNT nanocomposites for degradating methylene blue (MB) solution was evaluated under visible light irradiation. The obtained 1.5% rGO content of rGO-LTNT photocatalyst showed a purification of more than 50% MB in MB solution for an hour, which was about five times higher than that of the pure TNT. The results confirmed that the prepared rGO-LTNT nanocomposite photocatalysts showed excellent co-photocatalytic ability. That's because rGO played a critical role in utilizing solar light and increasing separation of the electron-hole pairs more efficiently, and which greatly accelerated the decomposition of organic pollutants in waste water or air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Layered titanate nanosheets (TNS) were directly synthesized by one step in a special reaction system called weak base hydrothermal system, without organic stabilizer and washing or proton exchange. Reduced graphene oxide (rGO)/TNS nanocomposites were synthesized by improved hydrothermal treatment. The obtained samples were characterized by Scanning electron microscope, Transmission electron microscope, X-ray powder diffraction, Raman spectrum, Fourier Transform Infrared spectra, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectrum, Photoluminescence, X-rayphotoelectron spectroscopy, X-band electron paramagnetic resonance. The results confirmed that titanate nanosheets were homogeneously dispersed on rGO sheets, and three factors play an important part in the high photocatalytic performance of the samples, including the formation of a Ti-O-C bond expanding the light wavelength absorption range, the adsorption of contaminant molecules, the high separation rate of electron-hole pairs based on the sufficient contact of TNS and rGO nanosheets. The photocatalytic performance of as-prepared rGO/TNS nanocomposites were evaluated by degradation of methylene blue under visible-light irradiation (λ ≥ 400 nm). The acquired results showed that the photocatalytic performace of rGO/TNS nanocomposites were better than that of pure TNS. It could be attributed to the phenomenon that the photogenerated electrons in TNS were easily transferred to the rGO sheets via Ti-O-C between TNS and rGO. This process decreases the recombination rate of electron-hole pairs and lead to the improvement of photocatalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One conceptually different approach has been developed to synthesize Ti3+ self-doped TiO2−x mesocrystals to narrow the band gap of TiO2. This simple and economical one-pot solvothermal method uses TiCl3 and tetrabutyltitanate (TBT) as a precursor and exhibits practical application. Different morphology including uniform spindle shape, tetragonal bipyramid, and capsule-like mesocrystals can be tailored easily by tuning the precursor ratio of TiCl3 to TBT. We have shown that our band gap engineered TiO2−x exhibits unique mesocrystal phase and owns substantial high visible light driven photocatalytic activities. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) studies of this sample verified the presence of oxygen centered radicals, namely, hydroxyl (·OH) and superoxide radicals (O2−·/·OOH). The catalysts have been characterized using transmission electron microscope, fluorescence spectra, Raman spectra, EPR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Ultraviolet–visible absorption spectra, etc. It shows high catalytic stability. The findings of this work provide new insights for developing morphology tailored for visible light driven devices and other applications via controlled band gap engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To conduct research into the long-term preservation of fragile wool textile relics unearthed at archeological sites, it is essential to simulate the aging process and evaluate the factors affecting the degradation of wool fabrics. An accelerated aging method is therefore proposed to simulate the degradation process using either CaCl2 or NaCl in conjunction with hydrothermal treatment. The accelerated aging of wool fabrics was investigated by color measurement, scanning electron microscopy, cross-sectional observation, attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and amino acid analysis. Wool fabrics subjected to NaCl-hydrothermal or CaCl2-hydrothermal treatment exhibit an apparent yellowing with increasing treatment time. Fluctuations of cysteic acid and cystine dioxide content are shown to be the most prominent, and a distinct conversion of α-helices into β-sheets is observed with increasing treatment time. These results indicate that the effect of Ca2+ was greater than Na+ in promoting the degradation of disulfide groups in the hydrothermal degradation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-TiO nanotube (TNT) composites sensitized by Meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin (HTCPP/rGO-TNT) have been synthesized successfully with improved hydrothermal and heat reflux synthesis process. The chemical structure and performances of HTCPP/rGO-TNT composites have been characterized by TEM-EDS-SAED, DRS and XRD. The influences of both rGO and/or HTCPP for TNT to adsorb and degrade Rhodamine-B (RhB) have been analyzed by DRS. In addition, the degradation results showed a purification of more than 93 % RhB in wastewater, which is about 4.6 times higher than that of the pure TNT. The experimental results revealed that HTCPP/rGO-TNT own superior degradation activity. This phenomenon is due to the excellent photons-capture system of the HTCPP, and the high photoinduced electron mobility characteristic of graphene acceptor. Thus, these materials can be employed to degrade organic pollutants, and effectively applied in wastewater quality control and its treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a neoteric copper (II) meso-tetra (4-carboxyphenyl) porphine (CuTCPP) was combined with TiO nanotubes to prepare photocatalyst under visible light through the methods of the improved hydrothermal and heating reflux process. The material was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), diffuse reflectance UV-Vis spectra (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The photocatalytic effects of TiO nanotubes sensitized with this copper (II) porphyrin were surveyed by the photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) in aqueous solution under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the TiO nanotubes sensitized by CuTCPP could enlarge the wavelength response range, transfer the excited electrons and separate the photo-generated electron-hole pairs more effectively. The photocatalytic activity was improved under visible light irradiation in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using Phillips et al. (2012, 'Testing for Multiple Bubbles', Yale University) bubble test and the ratio of monthly housing price to rent in China, we cannot find that there were bubbles in the housing market for all provinces including urban and rural sectors during January 2000 to August 2011, but we found that there were housing bubbles for the 36 major cities during December 2004 to July 2011. By the panel provincial data during 1995-2010 in China, we found that the bubbly housing price, especially in the urban sector, significantly raises the household saving rate in cities as well as nationwide after controlling for the life cycle and the other related factors. Based on the micro household data for six major cities in China in 2005, we also find that the increase in housing price and housing loans has significantly positive impacts on household saving, even after controlling for other possible factors. The empirical results here are consistent with the predictions of the speculative saving hypothesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electric fabric heaters have demonstrated potential applications in a wide range of fields for medical electrothermal, human healthcare and athletic rehabilitation. Whereas, little attention has been paid to the resistance variations and the interface of electric heaters. Here, this paper focuses on the resistance temperature-sensitive behavior and interfacial electricity of reduced graphene oxide (RGO)/polyester (PET) fabrics, which are obatained through a facile and scalable dip-coating method. When a current of 0.055 ampere (A) is applied, the RGO/PET fabric can achieve an equilibrium temperature about 89 °C in 20 s, with a maximum heating rate of 11.78 °C/s. Besides, the relative resistance changes of RGO/PET fabric are linearly related to the temperature. When the RGO/PET fabric reaches its steady-state temperature of 89 °C, the value of ΔR/R0 drops by ∼30%, showing that the fabric is endowed with temperature sensitivity. These prominent results indicate that the RGO/PET fabric owns great promise in the field of wearable electric heaters. Notably, the contact resistance at the interface of RGO/PET fabric heater is investigated and the mechanism of the temperature in middle part of heater is higher than that of both ends is analyzed. This provides a qualitative decoupling analysis method for the study and analysis of interfacial electricity and electrothermal distribution of carbon materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indirect tax such as sales tax collection is difficult as the government has difficulty monitoring the actual economic dealings. To bring out private information on transaction only known to a firm and a consumer, China's government has set up a lottery receipt system which has been tried out in many areas. This paper empirically examines the validity of this new system. Estimation is performed based on panel data for different periods during 1998–2003 from a total of 37 districts in Beijing and Tianjin. It is found that the lottery receipt experiment (LRE) has significantly raised the sales tax and the growth of sales tax and total tax revenues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Novel cellulosic fibers modified by β-cyclodextrin (CFEC) were prepared for adsorption for heavy metal ions like copper (II) and organic dye like neutral red from their aqueous solutions. The modified cellulosic fibers gave higher copper ion adsorption, and showed copper ion uptake values of 6.24 mg/g at 293°C, as against no adsorption for unmodified cellulosic fibers. Adsorption isotherm model indicated the adsorption of the novel modified fibers for heavy metal ions best fitted for Langmiur model. The adsorption was an exothermic reaction, and the reaction caloric was 6.295 kJ/mol. Copper ions could form a 7:4 complex with β-cyclodextrin ( β-CD). The novel modified cellulosic fibers could also form inclusion complexes with neutral red via β-CD molecules. In addition, it was found that the novel modified cellulosic fibers had nearly the same mechanical and thermal properties as the unmodified cellulosic fibers because the modification did not destroy the main chain of cellulose molecules. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we conduct a dynamic panel analysis of the determinants of the household saving rate in China using a life cycle model and panel data on Chinese provinces for the 1995–2004 period from China's household survey. We find that China's household saving rate has been high and rising and that the main determinants of variations over time and over space therein are the lagged saving rate, the income growth rate, (in many cases) the real interest rate, and (in some cases) the inflation rate. However, we find that the variables relating to the age structure of the population have the expected impact on the household saving rate in only one of the four samples. These results provide mixed support for the life cycle hypothesis as well as the permanent income hypothesis, are consistent with the existence of inertia or persistence, and imply that China's household saving rate will remain high for some time to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypotheses of non-addiction, myopia and rational addiction are tested using annual, quarterly and monthly data. Changes in the prices of Japanese cigarettes can be viewed as exogenous from the point of view of consumer behaviour, because the Japanese government controls cigarette prices. The empirical results of this paper support the addiction hypothesis. The short-run and long-run price elasticities range from -0.338 to -0.421, and from -0.679 to -0.686, respectively; thus, increases in tax revenues in the long run are likely to be smaller than those in the short run. As a result, tax increases would be an effective means of curbing smoking and reducing its social cost. Furthermore, the debt compensation programmes for the Japan Railway and the National Forestry will not go according to plan, unless revenues are increased in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphene-based textile strain sensors were reviewed in terms of their preparation methods, performance, and applications with particular attention on its forming method, the key properties (sensitivity, stability, sensing range and response time), and comparisons. Staple fiber strain sensors, staple and filament strain sensors, nonwoven fabric strain sensors, woven fabric strain sensors and knitted fabric strain sensors were summarized, respectively. (i) In general, graphene-based textile strain sensors can be obtained in two ways. One method is to prepare conductive textiles through spinning and weaving techniques, and the graphene worked as conductive filler. The other method is to deposit graphene-based materials on the surface of textiles, the graphene served as conductive coatings and colorants. (ii) The gauge factor (GF) value of sensor refers to its mechanical and electromechanical properties, which are the key evaluation indicators. We found the absolute value of GF of graphene-based textile strain sensor could be roughly divided into two trends according to its structural changes. Firstly, in the recoverable deformation stage, GF usually decreased with the increase of strain. Secondly, in the unrecoverable deformation stage, GF usually increased with the increase of strain. (iii) The main challenge of graphene-based textile strain sensors was that their application capacity received limited studies. Most of current studies only discussed washability, seldomly involving the impact of other environmental factors, including friction, PH, etc. Based on these developments, this work was done to provide some merit to references and guidelines for the progress of future research on flexible and wearable electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]