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The present study developed a smart and novel strategy to elucidate the linkage and stereochemistry characters during phenolic antioxidant product formation. A series of phenolic isomers or analogues were treated with 2-phenyl-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide radical, to create 16 antioxidant dimerization reactions in aqueous solution. The products were rapidly identified by ultraperformance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization quadrupole time-of-flight tandem mass-spectrometry. Through a systematic function–structure relationship analysis of these reactions and theoretical calculations, it is concluded that the phenolic antioxidant product is formed via linear linkage or furanocyclic linkage. The linear linkage is fulfilled via a radical coupling and controlled by the O–O linkage exclusion, meta-linkage exclusion, and catechol-activated principles. However, when an exocyclic π-bond conjugates with the phenolic core and is affixed at the −OH para-position, the furanocyclic linkage may occur via a subsequent intramolecular Michael addition. The intramolecular addition always lacks Re-attack to show “α,β diastereoselectivity.” The α,β diastereoselectivity is the stereochemistry character of furanocyclic linkage during phenolic antioxidant product formation. All these novel findings can benefit not only the field food science but also other fields as well.

Herein, we demonstrate the ability of a dual-purpose periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) probe to track the complex chlorinated paraffin (CP) composition in living animals by assembling it as an adsorbent-assisted atmospheric pressure chemical ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APCI-FT-ICR-MS) platform and synchronously performing it as the in vivo sampling device. First, synchronous solvent-free ionization and in-source thermal desorption of CP homologues were achieved by the introduction of the PMO adsorbent-assisted APCI module, generating exclusive adduct ions ([M – H]−) of individual CP homologues (CnClm) with enhanced ionization efficiency. Improved detection limits of short- and medium-chain CPs (0.10–24 and 0.48–5.0 pg/μL) were achieved versus those of the chloride-anion attachment APCI-MS methods. Second, the dual-purpose PMO probe was applied to extract the complex CP compositions in living animals, following APCI-FT-ICR-MS analysis. A modified pattern-deconvolution algorithm coupled with the sampling-rate calibration method was used for the quantification of CPs in living fish. In vivo quantification of a tilapia exposed to technical CPs for 7 days was successfully achieved, with ∑SCCPs and ∑MCCPs of the sampled fish calculated to be 1108 ± 289 and 831 ± 266 μg/kg, respectively. Meanwhile, 58 potential CP metabolites were identified in living fish for the first time during in vivo sampling of CPs, a capacity that could provide an important tool for future study regarding its expected risks to humans and its environmental fate.

The ever-increasing environmental risks posed by nanoplastics (NPs) have been drawing more concerns to their biological effects, but with limited information on pathogenic bacteria. This work reported the alterations in bacteriological properties of Escherichia coli O157:H7(E. coli O157:H7) under exposure to polystyrene (PS) NPs of different sizes. Results found that E. coli O157:H7growth was promoted by the addition of PS-NPs. At environmentally relevant exposure levels, E. coli O157:H7underwent metabolic adaptation after different PS-NP treatments, showing differentiated responsive volatile metabolic features. Moreover, enzymatic activity analysis suggested that E. coli O157:H7could address PS-NP-induced oxidative stress mainly viasupporting glutathione (GSH) synthesis. Furthermore, it could fuel the TCA cycle through highly expressing regulatory enzymes as well with a greater response to small PS-NPs. Also, there was an observed increase in the expression of the AcrAB-TolCefflux pump after the treatment of PS below 100 nm and with a possible consequence of heightening E. coli O157:H7resistance. Together, our findings provided the first look into the potential implications mediated by PS nanoparticles on E. coli O157:H7growth and development and in turn emphasized a potential increased contamination of E. coli O157:H7as a waterborne pathogen in PS-NP polluted water.

The collaborative intrusion detection technique is an effective solution to protect users from various cyber-attacks, among which the large-scale trusted sharing and real-time updating of attack instances are the main challenges. However, the existing collaborative intrusion detection systems (CIDS) either can only achieve real-time instance sharing in a centralised setting or implement large-scale instance sharing through blockchain. In this paper, we propose a novel blockchain-based CIDS scheme. Specifically, we present a reputation-based consensus protocol, which incentivises service providers (SP) to evaluate the attack instances collected from collectors and punishes the malicious evaluators. Then, only trusted attack instances will be published on the blockchain to provide large-scale trusted intrusion detection services. Furthermore, we introduce a redactable blockchain technique to achieve dynamic instances update, which enables our scheme to provide a real-time intrusion detection service. Finally, we demonstrate the practicality of the proposed scheme through security analysis, theoretical analysis and performance evaluation.

4′,5,7-OHs are common substituents of natural flavonoids, a type of effective phenolic antioxidant. However, the antioxidant processes between 4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavonoids with different structural types have not been compared systematically, and the antioxidant products are challenging to determine. This study compared four 4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavonoids, including apigenin, genistein, kaempferol, and naringenin. In quantum chemical analyses, the four 4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavonoids showed different thermodynamic properties, and the C4′–OH (or C3–OH of kaempferol) possessed the strongest activity. Moreover, the reaction rate constants were larger when a hydrogen atom was transferred from C4′–OH (or C3–OH of kaempferol) than from C5–OH. When different atoms were linked to 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), the C3′–DPPH adducts showed the smallest energy. In experimental assays, the scavenging ability for neutral free radicals, radical cations, and radical anions was negatively correlated with the corresponding theoretical parameters. Finally, mass spectroscopy detected the apigenin–DPPH, genistein–DPPH, and naringenin–DPPH adduct peaks. In conclusion, the structural type of 4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavonoids can affect the antioxidant ability, site, and speed, but not the mechanism. After hydrogen abstraction at C4′–OH, 4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavones, 4′,5,7-trihydroxyisoflavones, and 4′,5,7-trihydroxyflavanones will produce antioxidant products viaC3′–radical linking.

Eldecalcitol is a novel active vitamin D31,25(OH)2D3derivative used in the treatment of osteoporosis. To investigate and compare the pharmacokinetic and bioequivalent profiles of two eldecalcitol soft capsule formulations at a single dose of 0.75 µg in healthy Chinese volunteers, we conducted a randomized single‐dose, open‐label, two‐period crossover study under fasting and fed conditions. Eligible subjects were randomly assigned to receive reference eldecalcitol soft capsules or test capsules in the first treatment period and to receive another formulation in the second period. Serial blood samples were collected for pharmacokinetic analysis. Adverse events were recorded. In total, 28 healthy subjects were enrolled in the fasting trial and 30 subjects were enrolled in the fed trial. The geometric mean ratios of the test formulation to the reference formulation for Cmax, AUC0‐t, and AUC0‐∞were 94.2%, 94.0%, and 103.3%, respectively, under fasting conditions and 100.1%, 97.3%, and 96.0%, respectively, under fed conditions. No severe adverse events were observed. The results showed that the test and reference eldecalcitol formulations were bioequivalent and well tolerated in healthy Chinese subjects under fasting and fed conditions.

ABSTRACTThis paper proposes an approach under the framework of deep learning for the task of identification and extraction of high-voltage transmission wires in power grids based on high-resolution optical remote sensing images. First, the task is defined as a semantic segmentation problem. Based on the recently proposed Swin-Unet framework, an intuitive improvement named ‘Swin-Unet-M’ with a refined linear embedding is proposed, improving the wire segmentation performance. Second, an effective sample synthesis technique is developed to generate training images containing wires. The wire target is randomly merged in background images to generate a rich pseudo-wire segmentation training dataset. Consequently, the cost of manually pixel-wise wire labelling is largely reduced. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed Swin-Unet-M model can obtain higher segmentation performance and effectively identify and extract the wires in real images.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising technology for treating high-salinity mine water. However, MD membranes are known to have low membrane flux and are prone to fouling. In this study, we used the cost-effective and controllable vapor-induced phase separation (VIPS) technology to prepare polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) membranes, replacing the traditional immersion precipitation method and optimizing the membrane structure by including LiCl and acetone as porogen in the casting solution. The results showed that the membrane prepared using the VIPS method exhibited a highly open interconnected porous surface. Unlike traditional MD membranes with a dense epidermal layer and large finger-like pores, these optimized membranes had a symmetrical and uniform internal structure, leading to a high flux of 8.62 kg·(m2·h)−1during direct contact membrane distillation testing. Different porogens produced varied results on the VIPS process and varying effects on membrane structure. The use of LiCl promoted the formation of PVDF β-phase, resulting in a decrease in the number of spherical nodules on the membrane surface, as well as improved density and smoothness. Consequently, this reduced fouling risk during membrane distillation while slightly decreasing membrane flux. On the other hand, acetone rapidly evaporated during the VIPS process, facilitating pre-gelatinization and α-phase formation of PVDF. This concurrent effect effectively restricted excessive nodule growth on the membrane surface, endowing the membrane with antifouling capabilities while preserving high flux.

Rivaroxaban is a direct factor Xa inhibitor used for the management of thromboembolic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, pharmacokinetic profile, and bioequivalence of a generic and a branded rivaroxaban formulation (Xarelto) under fasted and fed conditions in healthy Chinese volunteers. An open‐label, randomized, single‐dose, 4‐period complete, and replicate crossover study in healthy Chinese volunteers was performed. A single oral dose of 20 mg of 2 rivaroxaban formulations was administered to 72 healthy volunteers, with 36 in the fasted group and 36 consuming a high‐fat diet. The evaluated pharmacokinetic parameters, including maximum rivaroxaban concentration, the area under the concentration‐time curve (AUC) from time 0 to the last measurable concentration, and AUC from time 0 to infinity, were assessed for BE. The plasma concentrations of rivaroxaban were measured by a validated liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method. The geometric mean ratios with 90% confidence intervals of the maximum rivaroxaban concentration, AUC from time 0 to the last measurable concentration, and AUC from time 0 to infinity were all within the range of 80% to 125% under fasted and fed conditions. The within‐subject variability of the test and reference products was compared, and the upper limit of the 90% confidence intervals for the test‐to‐reference ratio of the within‐subject variability was <2.5, which indicated that the rivaroxaban test and the rivaroxaban reference formulation were bioequivalent. No serious adverse events were reported during either fasted or fed conditions of the study.

Membrane distillation (MD) is a promising membrane separation technique used to treat industrial wastewater. When coupled with cheap heat sources, MD has significant economic advantages. Therefore, MD can be combined with solar energy to realize the large-scale and low-cost treatment of highly mineralized mine water in the western coal-producing region of China. In this study, highly mineralized mine water from the Ningdong area of China was subjected to vacuum MD (VMD) using polyvinylidene fluoride hollow-fiber membranes. The optimal operation parameters of VMD were determined by response surface optimization. Subsequently, the feasibility of VMD for treating highly mineralized mine water was explored. The fouling behavior observed during VMD was further investigated by scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDS). Under the optimal parameters (pressure =  − 0.08 MPa, temperature = 70 °C, and feed flow rate = 1.5 L/min), the maximum membrane flux was 8.85 kg/(m2h), and the desalination rate was 99.7%. Membrane fouling could be divided into three stages: membrane wetting, crystallization, and fouling layer formation. Physical cleaning restored the flux and salt rejection rate to 94% and 97% of the initial values, respectively; however, the cleaning interval and cleaning efficiency decreased as the VMD run time increased. SEM–EDS analysis revealed that the reduction in flux was caused by the precipitation of CaCO3. The findings also demonstrated that the membrane wetting could be attributed to the formation of NaCl on the cross section and outer surface of the membrane. Overall, the results confirm the feasibility of MD for treating mine water and provide meaningful guidance for the industrial application of MD.

Long-lived room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) from coordination polymers has attracted considerable attention owing to their intensive applications in diverse fields. However, the reported compounds are all based on aromatic ligands. Here, we report a two-dimensional RTP coordination polymer (1) based on a nonconventional nonaromatic ligand. It is facilely synthesized by recrystallizing calcium acetate in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solvent and has a blue-green RTP with a lifetime of 534.64 ms. The density of carboxyl groups is considered to be an important factor in affecting the RTP properties of such coordination polymers based on nonaromatic carboxyl ligands. In addition, the RTP emission of such nonconventional RTP materials is proved to be tunable by trace doping of organic phosphors. Blue, green, yellow, and orange RTP emissions with durations of 3–7 s can be obtained by doping different phosphors into 1. Finally, lifetime-encoding application is successfully performed using the doped systems. The work not only greatly expands the range of ligands that can be used to construct RTP coordination polymers but also achieves a wide range of adjustments to the RTP emission color of nonconventional RTP materials.

In this study, a biocompatible solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with high-coverage capture capacity based on a nitrogen-rich porous polyaminal was developed. The fiber was used to track the bioaccumulation and elimination of carbamates (isoprocarb, carbofuran, and carbaryl) and their metabolites (o-cumenol, carbofuran phenol, and 1-naphthalenol) in living Chinese cabbage plants (Brassica campestrisL. ssp. chinensis Makino(var. communisTsen et Lee)). A case-and-control model was applied in the hydroponically cultured plants, with the exposed plant groups contaminated under three carbamates at 5 μg mL–1. Both bio-enrichment and elimination of carbamates and their metabolites in living plants appeared to be very fast with half-lives at ∼0.39–0.79 and ∼0.56–0.69 days, respectively. Statistical differences in the endogenous plant metabolome occurred on day 3 of carbamate exposure. In the exposed group, the plant metabolic alterations were not reversed after 5 days of contaminant-free growth, although most contaminates had been eliminated. Compared with prior nutriological and toxicological studies, >50 compounds were first identified as endogenous metabolites in cabbage plants. The contents of the glucosinolate-related metabolites demonstrated significant time-dependent dysregulations that the fold changes of these key metabolites decreased from 0.78–1.07 to 0.28–0.82 during carbamate exposure. To summarize, in vivo SPME provided new and important information regarding exogenous carbamate contamination and related metabolic dysregulation in plants.

The widespread existence of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in various environmental matrices has been demonstrated, yet studies on the toxicological effects of LCMs are considerably scarce and are urgently needed to be conducted to assess the adverse impacts on ecology and human health. Here, we conducted a bacteriological study on two representative human commensal bacteria, Escherichia coli(E. coli) and Staphylococcus epidermidis(S. epidermidis), to investigate the effect of LCMs at human-relevant dosage and maximum environmental concentration on growth, metabolome, enzymatic activity, and mRNA expression. Microbial growth results exhibited that the highest inhibition ratio of LCMs on S. epidermidisreached 33.6% in our set concentration range, while the corresponding data on E. coliwas only 14.3%. Additionally, LCMs showed more dose-dependent toxicity to S. epidermidisrather than E. coli. A novel in vivosolid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber was applied to capture the in vivometabolites of microorganisms. In vivometabolomic analyses revealed that dysregulated fatty acid metabolism-related products of both bacteria accounted for >50% of the total number of differential substances, and the results also showed the species-specific and concentration-dependent metabolic dysregulation in LCM-exposed bacteria. The determination of enzymatic activity and mRNA relative expression levels related to oxidative stress confirmed our speculation that the adverse effects were related to the oxidative metabolism of fatty acids. This study complements the gaps in toxicity data for LCMs against bacteria and provides a new and important insight regarding metabolic dysregulation induced by environmental LCMs in human commensal bacteria.

•Generalized chemical master equation models of gene expression s are studied.•Analytical expressions for our models are obtained.•Molecular memory suppresses the noise of the protein number.

Directed differentiation of stem cells plays a vital role in cell replacement therapy. Many activators and inhibitors targeting different signaling pathways have been identified to contribute to each step of differentiation. Most studies relied on empirically optimizing the combinations of the aforementioned factors for each step to optimize the efficiency of differentiation, which are time-consuming and nonsystematic. Design-of-experiment (DOE) is a powerful strategy to identify the critical combinations from multiple factors systematically. However, it is prohibitively complicated for typical laboratories, given a large number of potential combinations. Here, we develop a multilayer polymethyl methacrylate-based, reusable microfluidic chip to directly facilitate the DOE in the differentiation of stem cells. The chip consists of an inlet layer and multiple disperse layers. Different solutions are injected simultaneously to the chip through the inlet layer. Subsequently, the channels in the disperse layers split and recombine the flow streams to generate solution combinations based on hard-wired DOE designs. We demonstrated that it is in quantitative agreement with the designs using fluorescent dyes. Moreover, we constructed a human-induced pluripotent stem reporter cell line to improve the consistency of the cellular state measurements and use the chip to identify critical factors for cell differentiation to definitive endoderm (DE). We found that the differentiation efficiencies under various factor combinations are significantly different, and CHIR99201 and GDF8 are the most critical factors for differentiation to DE. Our method is potentially applicable to the optimization of factor combinations for multi-step stem cell differentiation and combinatorial drug screening.

Graphical Abstract: In this review, a critical overview is given on the development, synthesis, chemical stability and remaining challenges facing for halide SSEs. The design strategies for optimizing ionic conductivity of halide SSEs like elements substitution, crystal structures design are summarized in detail. Future perspectives are given on how to design high-performance electrode/electrolyte materials.

Underground coal gasification (UCG) has its own reaction characteristics with the growth of the combustion cavity because the coal seam is fixed while the gasification face moves. The theoretical understanding of UCG requires continuous and deep research. In order to explain the UCG mechanism by means of simulation calculation, based on the analysis of the reaction process of UCG, radial and axial reaction models are established. The comprehensive heat transfer coefficient of the coal seam is determined by comparing the calculation results with the field test results. The differential method is used to calculate variations in the composition of the outlet gas, the temperature field distribution in the channel, the thickness of the radial reaction zone, and the influence of the oxygen fraction on the length of the oxidation zone. The results indicate that in one gasification cycle, the changes of gas composition is close to that of the field test, which initially increases and then decreases with increasing gasification time. The radial expansion of the coal seam mainly occurs in the high-temperature zone, consistent with the trend of the channel temperature field. The radial expansion thickness in the coal seam is between 0.2 and 0.8 m. The higher the oxygen fraction in the gasifying agent is, the shorter the range of the oxygen distribution along the axial direction will be, that is, the shorter the length of the oxidation zone.

Two types of conjugated microporous polymer photocatalysts inherently possessing a high surface area (up to 1265 m2g−1) have been synthesized viaSonogashira–Hagihara cross-coupling polycondensation and applied for the removal of different organic contaminants (rhodamine B, phenol and tetracycline) viaadsorption–photocatalysis synergy. The study on the photocatalytic performance and mechanism demonstrated that the specific surface areas and the backbone structures of the polymers had a great influence on the photocatalytic performances. A higher specific surface area and an increased adsorption efficiency for pollutants contributed to the enhanced photocatalytic activity. The optical and electrochemical characterization studies revealed that compared with its counterpart with a network structure, the linear polymer (based on 1,4-diethynylbenzene) showed a narrower band gap and a higher photogenerated charge separation efficiency due to its better extended conjugated system, which boosted its photocatalytic activity. The above features made the polymers exhibit superior adsorption-photocatalytic activity compared with the reported photocatalysts. This work highlights the potential of developing porous organic semiconductors as highly efficient photocatalysts for environmental remediation.

Nanostructured materials have great potential for solid phase microextraction (SPME) on account of their tiny size, distinct architectures and superior physical and chemical properties. Herein, a core–shell TiO2@C fiber for SPME was successfully fabricated by the simple hydrothermal reaction of a titanium wire and subsequent amorphous carbon coating. The readily hydrothermal procedure afforded in situ synthesis of TiO2nanowires on a titanium wire and provided a desirable substrate for further coating of amorphous carbon. Benefiting from the much larger surface area of subsequent TiO2and good adsorption property of the amorphous carbon coating, the core–shell TiO2@C fiber was utilized for the SPME device for the first time and proved to have better performance in extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In comparison to the polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and PDMS/divinylbenzene (DVB) fiber for commercial use, the TiO2@C fiber obtained gas chromatography responses 3–8 times higher than those obtained by the commercial 100 μm PDMS and 1–9 times higher than those obtained by the 65 μm PDMS/DVB fiber. Under the optimized extraction conditions, the low detection limits were obtained in the range of 0.4–7.1 ng L–1with wider linearity in the range of 10–2000 ng L–1. Moreover, the fiber was successfully used for the determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Pearl River water, which demonstrated the applicability of the core–shell TiO2@C fiber.

Incomplete separation and recycling of nanoparticles are causing undesirable nanopollution and thus raising great concerns with regard to nanosafety. Since microorganisms are important regulator of physiological processes in many organisms, the interaction between nanopollution and microbial metabolomics and the resultant impact on the host’s health are important but unclear. To investigate how typical nanopollution perturbs microbial growth and metabolism, Escherichia coli(E. coli) in vitro was treated with six water-dispersible nanomaterials (nanoplastic, nanosilver, nano-TiO2, nano-ZnO, semiconductor quantum dots (QDs), carbon dots (CDs)) at human-/environment-relevant concentration levels. The nanomaterials exhibited type-specific toxic effects on E. coligrowth. Global metabolite profiling was used to characterize metabolic disruption patterns in the model microorganism exposed to different nanopollutants. The percentage of significant metabolites (p< 0.05, VIP > 1) accounted for 6%–38% of the total 293 identified metabolites in each of the nanomaterial-contaminated bacterial groups. Metabolic results also exhibited significant differences between different nanopollutants and dose levels, revealing type-specific and untypical concentration-dependent metabolic responses. Key metabolites responsive to nanopollution exposures were mainly involved in amino acid and purine metabolisms, where 5, 4, and 7 significant metabolic features were included in arginine and proline metabolism, phenylalanine metabolism, and purine metabolism, respectively. In conclusion, this study horizontally compared and demonstrated how typical nanopollution perturbs microbial growth and metabolomics in a type-specific manner, which broadens our understanding of the ecotoxicity of nanopollutants on microorganisms.

•Cardiac lymphangiogenesis is required for exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth by VEGFR3 activation, while exercise-induced myocardial hypertrophy and increased proliferation marker in cardiomyocytes are altered by VEGFR3 inhibition.•Lymphatic endothelial cell (LEC)-conditioned medium promotes both hypertrophy and proliferation of cardiomyocytes in a VEGFR3-dependent manner. IGF-1 and RELN may serve as potential mediators in the crosstalk between LECs and cardiomyocytes.•AKT activation and the C/EBPβ–CITED4 axis contribute to the effect of LEC-conditioned medium on cardiomyocytes.•Cardiac lymphangiogenesis contributes to exercise-induced physiological cardiac growth, and may promote further investigations of the potential contribution of lymphangiogenesis in exercise-mediated myocardial protection.

This study investigates the effects of various dosages of belite replacing ordinary Portland cement (OPC) on properties of OPC binders using carbonation curing. Mechanical strength was examined, pore-related test and microstructural/mineralogical analyses including water absorption, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis and 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance (29Si-NMR) were carried out. Extra attention was paid on the changes in the thickness and porosity of interfacial transition zone (ITZ) of mortars. Compared to normal curing, carbonation curing increased the compressive strength of all mortar mixes, especially given a longer period of curing and/or with belite addition. The greatest increase (73.18%) in the compressive strength was seen in the specimen with 35% of belite after 28 days of carbonation curing compared its peer under normal curing condition. Besides, specimens with 5% and 15% belite obtained higher flexural strength than that of the control after 7 and 28 days of carbonation curing. Carbonation curing led to about 92.75% increment in the flexural strength of the specimen with 15% belite. Regardless of curing conditions, in most cases, belite modified mortars had higher fractural toughness, probably due to the formation of more C-S-H gels instead of Portlandite. Compressive and flexural strength are more sensitive towards the thickness of ITZ than its porosity and carbonation curing strengthened this sensitivity. Carbonation curing densified the bulk OPC binders, especially after a long period of curing incorporated with belite. Microstructural analyses indicate that although in general belite hinders the hydration process of OPC, a suitable amount (5 wt.%) improved the hydration degree of OPC when cured in carbonation environment. The polymerization degree of C-S-H gels could be enhanced when belite is added irrespective of curing conditions.

Multistimuli-responsive luminescent materials have wide and promising applications but their designs and syntheses are very challenging. Here, we report a new dual-emitting Eu-based multiemissive coordination polymer (CP, 1) that can respond to different stimuli, i.e., grinding, pH, and aspartic acid (Asp). 1exhibits a mechanoluminescence (MCL) property with a visible color change (pink ⇌ blue) upon grinding and can be restored upon exposure to dimethylformamide (DMF) vapor. Moreover, it undergoes a reversible color switching (pink ⇌ blue) with the pH interval in the range of 3–4 and can serve as a selective, reusable, and fast ratiometric probe for Asp in aqueous media, with a limit of detection (LOD) down to 2.48 μM. Moreover, a rapid, highly sensitive, and visualizable response to Asp is demonstrated using a CP-based luminescent film and logic device. Detailed mechanism studies including characterization of single-crystal-to-single-crystal transformation reveal that the multistimuli-responsive property is due to the different responses of the two emissions to the mechanical and pH stimuli and the accompanying changes in the energy transfer efficiency from the ligand to the Eu3+ion (antenna effect). Multiemissive coordination polymers can be a very promising candidate for multistimuli-responsive luminescent materials with significantly improved functionalities to meet diverse applications.

Pepper, celery, eggplant and tomato were used as preceding crops to study their effects on the yield, soil microorganism quantity and soil enzyme activities of cucumber. Results showed that four preceding crops all increased soil microorganism quantity in cucumber, but decreased population of Fusarium oxysporum.The effect of pepper was more significant than that of the others. Populations of soil bacteria, fungi and actinomyces of pepper treatment were significantly higher than those of the other treatments, except that the populations of fungi had no significant difference with celery and eggplant treatments on 50 days after transplanting, while that of Fusarium oxysporumwas fewer than that of the other treatments. The soil microorganism quantity in celery and eggplant treatment was more significant than tomato, but lower population of Fusarium oxysporum.Four preceding crops all increased soil enzyme activities. Invertase and urease activities of pepper treatment were significantly higher than those of the other treatments, catalase activities of pepper, celery and eggplant treatments were significantly higher than those of tomato and the control treatments. All preceding crops remarkably increased cucumber yield, with pepper as the highest. Comparing with the control, cucumber yields of pepper, celery and eggplant treatments increased by 24.9%, 13.6% and 11.9%, respectively. Results suggested that four preceding crops all improved soil microbial ecology and increased cucumber yield. The pepper was the most suitable preceding crop, then followed by celery and eggplant. Tomato had the similar effect as the control.

Controlled release of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) protein by albumin-heparin microparticles administered via intramuscular vaccination in conjunction with HIV DNA vaccines stimulated HIV Gag-specific immune responses. In the murine model, Gag-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) and T helper (Th) responses were significantly enhanced by administration of murine GM-CSF microparticles. This effect was comparable to a GM-CSF encoded plasmid. In three of four rhesus monkeys, enhancement of Gag-specific antibody (Ab), Th, and CTL responses was observed 1 month after the first immunization with coadministration of human GM-CSF microparticles and HIV Gag plasmid. The second, third, and fourth booster immunizations, however, did not increase the Gag-specific immune responses. Subsequent application of Gag protein in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA) significantly enhanced Ab and Th, but not CTL. However, Gag-specific CTL response was triggered by cytokine and Gag p55-encapsulated microparticles in all animals. The strategy of priming immune responses by coadministration of cytokine microparticles and DNA vaccines, followed by boosting with cytokine and antigen protein-encapsulated microparticles, may prove effective in improving an HIV DNA vaccine design.