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[Display omitted] Enhancing the interfacial dispersion and suspension stability is crucial for magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH) 2) nanomaterials in the long-term deacidification of paper-based cultural relics. However, because of the low specific surface area and the poor solvent compatibility of as-prepared large-sized Mg(OH) 2 , it often tends to agglomerate and settle down during the usage and storage, that is harmful for paper protection due to its unevenly deacidification and nonuniformly distribution on paper cellulose. Herein, we propose a feasible preparation of colloidal Mg(OH) 2 ultrathin nanoflakes with high dispersion stability via a simple one-step surfactant-assisted strategy. The surfactant acts as both a structure-direct agent to confine the growth of Mg(OH) 2 with rich active sites and a surface modifier to enhance its solvent adaptability and dispersion stability, avoiding the common fussy procedure with additional steric stabilizer. Owing to the evenly interaction with free acid species therein and the uniformly distribution on the paper fiber as alkaline reserve, the as-obtained Mg(OH) 2 presents the superior paper protection performance characterized by its safer pH of 7.29 for the original aged paper (pH = 5.03) and the excellent long-term anti-acidification effect with competitive pH of 5.47 after accelerated-aging at 105 °C for 5 months. Furthermore, Mg(OH) 2 nanoflakes with surfactant-modified structure also endue them as an improved flame retardant for multifunctional paper protection. The protection with Mg(OH) 2 has little effect on the paper surface properties and cellulose crystallinity, in line with the principle of least intervention. This work will put forward a feasible way toward colloidal Mg(OH) 2 nanoflakes with excellent paper protection performance, shedding light on the development of emerging protection materials for paper-based cultural relics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the growing emphasis on sustainable development, green policies have become a crucial factor influencing both environmental pollution and the career progression of officials in China and other countries. However, the mechanisms behind this relationship remain unclear. This paper aims to enhance the understanding of how environmental pollution impacts official promotion by analyzing the performance of provincial leaders in China and their incentives to address pollution. Using provincial panel data from 1998 to 2020 and a probit model, our study uncovers significant findings. We demonstrate that the intensified green attention by China's central government has notably reduced the promotion prospects for provincial officials with poor environmental protection records, particularly since 2013. Furthermore, our research extends the analysis of micro-level mechanisms, illustrating how the central government's political incentives effectively influence local environmental governance. This study underscores the central government's capability to leverage its personnel system to achieve desired outcomes in sustainable development. • Analysis unveils incentives for provincial governors to tackle pollution issues. • Green attention from top leadership lowers promotion chances for officials with poor environmental records. • Impact is stronger during periods of heightened national environmental awareness. • Central government's green attention influences local leaders' priorities towards quality or quantity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The laccase mediator system (LMS) with a broad substrate range has attracted much attention as an efficient approach for water remediation. However, the practical application of LMS is limited due to their high solubility, poor stability and low reusability. Herein, the bimetallic Cu/ZIFs encapsulated laccase was in-situ grown in poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) polymer matrix. The PVA-Lac@Cu/ZIFs hydrogel was formed via one freeze-thawing cycle, and its catalytic stability was significantly improved. The mediator was further co-immobilized on the hydrogel, and this hierarchically co-immobilized ABTS/PVA-Lac@Cu/ZIFs hydrogel could avoid the continuous oxidation reaction between laccase and redox mediators. The co-immobilized LMS biocatalyst was used to degrade malachite green (MG), and the degradation rate was up to 100 % within 4 h. More importantly, the LMS could be recycled synchronously from the dye solutions and reused to degrade MG multiple times. The degradation rate remained above 69.4 % after five cycles. Furthermore, the intermediate products were detected via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and the potential degradation pathways were proposed. This study demonstrated the significant potential of utilizing the MOF nanocrystals and hydrogel as a carrier for co-immobilized LMS, and the effective reuse of both laccase and mediator was promising for laccase application in wastewater treatment. [Display omitted] • Cu/ZIFs encapsulated laccase was in-situ grown in the PVA polymer matrix. • The LMS was co-immobilized by MOF/hydrogel, enhancing catalytic stability. • PVA-Lac@Cu/ZIFs exhibit over 80 % of initial activity after 8 reaction cycles. • The PVA/ABTS-Lac@Cu/ZIFs was efficient for MG dye degradation practically 100 %. • The co-immobilized LMS could recycle synchronously from dye solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead (Pb), a naturally occurring element, is redistributed in the environment mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Pb pollution is a crucial public health problem worldwide due to its adverse effects. Environmental bacteria have evolved various protective mechanisms against high levels of Pb. The pbr operon, first identified in Cupriavidus metallidurans CH34, encodes a unique Pb(II) resistance mechanism involving transport, efflux, sequestration, biomineralization, and precipitation. Similar pbr operons are gradually found in diverse bacterial strains. This review focuses on the pbr -encoded Pb(II) resistance system. It summarizes various whole-cell biosensors harboring artificially designed pbr operons for Pb(II) biomonitoring with fluorescent, luminescent, and colorimetric signal output. Optimization of genetic circuits, employment of pigment-based reporters, and screening of host cells are promising in improving the sensitivity, selectivity, and response range of whole-cell biosensors. Engineered bacteria displaying Pb(II) binding and sequestration proteins, including PbrR and its derivatives, PbrR2 and PbrD, for adsorption are involved. Although synthetic bacteria show great potential in determining and removing Pb at the nanomolar level for environmental protection and food safety, some challenges must be addressed to meet demanding application requirements. [Display omitted] • The pbr operon varies among diverse bacteria and mediates the detoxification of lead (Pb). • Bacterial biosensors harboring artificial pbr operon can sense bioavailable Pb(II). • Designed bacteria employing members of the pbr operon are powerful in Pb(II) biosorption. • Synthetic bacteria based on natural pbr operons have been emerging to tackle Pb pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant role of MOFs as heterogeneous photocatalysts in enabling organic transformations. • Light harvesting Ru-polypyridyl complexes were incorporated into a semiconductor-like metal-organic framework (MIL-125). • Disclosing photoinduced electron transfer among photocatalysis. • The prepared Ru(bpy) 3 @MIL-125 exhibited good recyclability during reaction. Visible-light-driven selective photocatalytic organic synthesis has recently become a topic of great interest due to its environmental friendliness and sustainability. It is demanding for photocatalysis to utilize the wider range of light, such as visible light, and its performance is often plagued by the sluggish separation of photogenerated charge carriers. An approach is now reported to address these issues by incorporating light harvesting RuII-polypyridyl complexes into a semiconductor-type metal-organic framework (MIL-125). Delightedly, the obtained Ru(bpy) 3 @MIL-125 photocatalyst presents a remarkably stable and high photoactivity toward the selective oxidative coupling of amines under ambient air with visible light irradiation (λ > 440 nm). The mechanistic investigation unveiled that both effectively photoexcited electrons transfer from [Ru(bpy) 3 ]Cl 2 to MIL-125 and the interaction of C H bonds with superoxide radical (O 2 ·−) play a critical role in photo-catalyzing selective aerobic oxidative coupling of amines. This work highlights a significant role of MOFs as heterogeneous photocatalysts in photocatalytic organic transformations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A NIR fluorogenic probe Cy-PITC with mitochondrially-targeted ability has been elaborately developed by the novel analyte-replacement strategy. • NIR probe Cy-PITC showed excellent performances for ClO−/HClO including ultrafast response time (within 5 s) and ultralow LOD (2.28 nM). • NIR probe Cy-PITC was triumphantly applied in the fluorescence imaging of exogenous/endogenous mitochondrial ClO−/HClO inside living cells. • NIR probe Cy-PITC was successfully employed for early diagnosis of ClO−/HClO-related rheumatoid arthritis joint tissues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food safety can be seriously threatened by the existence of both aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and ochratoxin A (OTA) in milk and corresponding products. The importance of intestine integrity in preserving human health is widely understood in vitro, but the fundamental processes by which AFM1 and OTA cause disruption of the intestinal barrier are as yet unknown, especially in vivo. Based on the analysis of the whole transcriptome of BALB/c mice, the competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) regulation network was obtained in the current study. Each of 12 mice were separated into five treatments: saline solution treatment, 1.0% DMSO vehicle control treatment, 3.0 mg/kg b.w. individual AFM1 treatment (AFM1), 3.0 mg/kg b.w. individual OTA treatment (OTA), and combined mycotoxins treatment (AFM1 +OTA). The study period lasted 28 days. The jejunum tissue was collected for the histological assessment and whole transcriptome analysis, and the whole blood was collected, and determination of serum biochemical indicators. The phenotypic results demonstrated that AFM1 and OTA caused intestinal barrier disruption via an increased apoptosis level and decreased expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins. The ceRNA network demonstrated that AFM1 and OTA induced cell apoptosis through activating the expression of DUSP9 and suppressing the expression of PLA2G2D , which were regulated by differentially expressed microRNAs (DEmiRNAs) (miR-124-y, miR-194-z, miR-224-x, and miR-452-x) and differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (DElncRNAs) (FUT8 and GPR31C). And AFM1 and OTA decreased TJ proteins via inhibiting the expression of PAK6 , which was regulated by several important DEmiRNAs and DElncRNAs. These DE RNAs in intestinal integrity were involved in MAPK and Ras signaling pathway. Overall, our findings expand the current knowledge regarding the potential mechanisms of intestinal integrity disruption brought on by AFM1 and OTA in vivo. [Display omitted] • AFM1 and OTA induced a disrupted intestinal barrier in vivo. • An intestinal barrier-related ceRNA network were conducted. • The disrupted intestinal barrier was related with an increased apoptosis level and decreased tight junction proteins level. • The MAPK and Ras signaling pathway was involved in the intestinal toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The degradation of phenol from wastewater is crucial for environmental protection. Biological enzymes, such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP), have shown great potential in the degradation of phenol. In this research, we prepared a hollow CuO/Cu 2 O octahedron adsorbent with a carambola matrix shape through the hydrothermal method. The surface of the adsorbent was modified by silane emulsion self-assembly, where 3-aminophenyl boric acid (APBA) and polyoxometalate (PW 9) were combined with silanization reagents and grafted onto the surface. The adsorbent was then molecularly imprinted with dopamine to obtain boric acid modified polyoxometalate molecularly imprinted polymer (Cu@B@PW 9 @MIPs). This adsorbent was used to immobilize HRP, which served as a biological enzyme catalyst from horseradish. The adsorbent was characterized, and its synthetic conditions, experimental conditions, selectivity, reproducibility, and reusability were evaluated. The maximum adsorption amount of HRP under optimized conditions was 159.1 mg g−1, as determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). At pH 7.0, the immobilized enzyme showed a high efficiency of up to 90.0% in removing phenol, after 20 min of reaction with 25 mmol L−1 H 2 O 2 and 0.20 mg mL−1 Cu@B@PW 9 @HRP. Growth tests of aquatic plants confirmed that the adsorbent reduced harm. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) tests revealed that the degraded phenol solution contained about fifteen phenol derivatives intermediates. This adsorbent has the potential to become a promising biological enzyme catalyst for dephenolization. The horseradish peroxidase was immobilized on the boric acid modified polyoxometalate molecularly imprinted polymer to establish a biocatalytic enzyme system. A catalytic oxidation system was constructed using hydrogen peroxide, providing a new method for removing phenol from wastewater (Cu@B: Boric acid modified CuO/Cu 2 O; PW 9 : polyoxometalate; HRP: Horseradish peroxidase; Cu@B@PW 9 : Boric acid and polyoxometalate modified CuO/Cu 2 O; Cu@B@PW 9 @MIPs: boric acid modified polyoxometalate molecularly imprinted polymer). [Display omitted] • A novel boric acid modified polyoxometalate molecularly imprinted polymer have been successfully prepared. • Adsorbent can immobilize horseradish peroxidase (HRP) from plant horseradish. • Measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the adsorbent have excellent kinetic properties. • The method has a good removal effect on phenol, which can effectively reduce toxicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An oxygen-vacancies-engaged photocatalytic mechanism was proposed to address the poor photo absorption and sluggish electron-hole separation of TiO 2. Electrons and holes are fully utilized for nitrobenzene reduction coupled with benzyl alcohol oxidation under visible light irradiation. • Oxygen vacancies (OVs) were generated through surface complexation under mild condition. • Fully making use of the photogenerated charge carriers rapidly promoted its separation and transfer efficiency. • Disclosing photoinduced electron transfer among photocatalysis. • The prepared TiO 2 exhibited good recyclability. Defects can greatly optimize the solar light harvesting capability and electronic structure of oxide materials. However, it remains challenging to achieve a defect engineering strategy under mild conditions. Meanwhile, the simultaneous exploitation of photogenerated holes (h+) and electrons (e−) to promote both photooxidation and photoreduction in a coupled system has rarely been reported. For the first time, we reveal an oxygen-vacancies-mediated photocatalytic strategy in which the electrons and holes are fully utilized for nitrobenzene reduction coupled with benzyl alcohol oxidation. The oxygen vacancies (OVs) generated in situ on the surface of TiO 2 greatly extend light absorption into the visible region and promote the photogenerated electron transport for efficient photocatalysis. The experimental and theoretical results together indicate that chemisorption on the TiO 2 surface decreases the oxidation potential of benzyl alcohol and causes an upward shift in its HOMO, which facilitates the oxidation reaction of benzyl alcohol to benzaldehyde. The in situ generated surface OVs also act as a bridge to enable the trapping and transferring of the photoinduced electrons to the nitrobenzene. This work provides a new perspective of utilizing the chemisorption between the reactant and catalyst to achieve a defect engineering strategy for synergetic photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of molybdenum in the form of CoMoO 4 nanoparticles has led to the success of M 0.3 NCP@NF as an excellent multifunctional self-supported electrocatalyst for HER, OER and UOR. [Display omitted] The sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and substantial barriers in the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) significantly impede its application in hydrogen production. To address this issue and enhance energy efficiency in hydrogen generation, we explored a high-activity alkaline HER catalyst while concurrently coupling it with the urea oxidation reaction (UOR). In this work, we designed and synthesized porous molybdenum (Mo)-modulated nickel-cobalt bimetallic phosphide nanoarrays (M 0.3 NCP@NF). This multifunctional self-supported electrocatalyst demonstrates superior performance in HER, OER, and UOR. The introduction of Mo, in the form of CoMoO 4 nanoparticles, promotes interfacial electron transfer to reduce the electron density around the cations in phosphides, enhancing the kinetics and intrinsic activity. Furthermore, the morphological changes induced by Mo accelerate both electron and mass transfer processes. Density functional theory and operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy indicate that Mo introduction optimizes the interaction with HER intermediate H*, facilitating the conversion to a high-valent active intermediate for OER and accelerating UOR kinetics. Benefiting from dual optimization of morphology and structure, the as-prepared M 0.3 NCP@NF electrocatalyst demonstrates outstanding HER, OER, and UOR performances. Notably, a full urea electrolysis device powered by M 0.3 NCP@NF operates with a cell voltage of only 1.53 V to achieve a current density of 100 mA cm−2. which is 240 mV lower than that of conventional water electrolysis, demonstrating the competitive potential of our approach for efficient and energy-saving hydrogen production, along with simultaneous urea wastewater remediation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study utilizes the environmental tax reform in China as a quasi-natural experiment to investigate the effect of environmental taxes on income inequality. In January 2018, the Environmental Protection Tax Law (EPTL) came into effect in China, provinces began to collect environmental taxes in accordance with the law. We find that the reform contributes to lower within-firm wage inequality. The reform leads to declines in executive compensation and increases in worker wages. We further find that tax enforcement, environmental regulations, fiscal stress and tax competition vary the relationship between the reform and wage inequality. Heterogeneity analyses show that the effect is greater in non-state-owned firms, small firms, and firms with higher board shareholdings. Extensive robustness tests corroborate our inferences. This paper verifies the effectiveness of environmental regulation in enhancing social welfare, and is beneficial for assessing the welfare effects of environmental regulation more accurately. The findings can also help the government reduce obstacles in the implementation of environmental taxes, and further enhance the effectiveness of the EPTL. [Display omitted] • Environmental taxes contribute to lower income inequality. • The reform results in lower executive compensation and higher worker wages. • Tax enforcement varies the effect of environmental taxes. • Fiscal stress and tax competition influence the effectiveness of the reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The codling moth Cydia pomonella (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is a major invasive pest of pome fruits and walnuts worldwide. Lambda-cyhalothrin (LCT) and abamectin (AM) have been frequently used in C. pomonella control, but control of this pest is very difficult because shortly after hatching, larvae of this insect bore tunnels and hide inside host plant fruit. In this study, a simulated field spray bioassay method was developed against neonate larvae of C. pomonella and concentration-response bioassays were conducted to evaluate the susceptibility of the neonate larvae to LCT and AM. Exposure of neonate larvae to sublethal concentration (LC 30) of LCT or AM significantly reduced the survival rate of larvae (4th and 5th instars), lowered the mean weight of larvae and pupae, and decreased the daily maximal number of eggs laid and the total number of eggs laid (fecundity) per female. The sublethal effects, including reduced body mass, mean fecundity and net reproductive rate, extended mean generation time, and shortened oviposition period, were also found in transgenerational offspring. Furthermore, the transgenerational maternal effects were more obvious for AM than LCT, in comparison to the control. Additionally, the estimated population size was decreased by exposure to LC 30 of LCT and AM, and the observed reduction of fecundity and population size within and across generations was likely the result of the downregulation of the reproduction-related vitellogenin gene (CpVg) after exposure to LC 30 of LCT and AM. These results provide a better understanding of the overall effects of LCT and AM on C. pomonella and the transgenerational effects which should be taken into consideration when using insecticides in order to control C. pomonella. [Display omitted] • Developed a simulated field spray bioassay method against neonate larvae of C. pomonella. • Exposure of neonate larvae to sublethal concentrations of insecticides has negative effects on key life history traits and reproduction. • The sublethal effects were found in transgenerational offspring, including reduced weight and fecundity, extended generation time, and shortened oviposition period. • Transgenerational maternal effects were more obvious for abamectin than lambda-cyhalothrin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study demonstrated a dye-sensitized TiO 2 -polyoxometalate system (denoted TiO 2 -(PW 12 -TH) 8 , where PW 12 = PW 12 O 40 3− and TH = thionine) for selective oxidation of alcohols under visible light. The results showed that various substituted alcohols were transformed into their corresponding aldehydes with high selectivity. Due to more efficient electrons transfer, large surface area, and enhanced visible light absorption, the photocatalytic activity of TiO 2 -(PW 12 -TH) 8 was superior to any other dye-sensitized system reported to date. The response in the photocurrent-time curves over several on/off cycles of intermittent irradiation showed good reproducibility. The photocurrent response of TiO 2 -(PW 12 -TH) 8 was much higher than that of TiO 2 /TH (physical mixture of TiO 2 and TH), SiO 2 -(PW 12 -TH) 8 or P25-(PW 12 -TH) 8 (P25 = Degussa P25), attributed to the more efficient transfer and longer lifetime of photoexcited electrons. This photocatalytic process confirmed that efficient electron transfer during photocatalytic oxidation plays a vital role in determining the reaction conversion and obtaining good selectivity. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra and radical scavenging experiments proved that superoxide radicals and electrons were the main reactive species in the proposed system, the absence of hydroxyl radicals and holes is demonstrated to be the key of high reaction selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the effect of ultrasonic, heating, and enzymatic treatments on the structural and emulsifying attributes of walnut protein isolate (WNPI) was assessed and compared. Ultrasonic, heating, and enzymatic treatments all effectively improved WNPI's emulsifying capacity and stability, especially ultrasonication. Ultrasonication (400 W, 30 min) obviously made WNPI's structure looser and more unfolded, in turn led to 1.57-fold and 2.67-fold increase in EAI and ESI of WNPI, respectively. Besides, the exposure of WNPI′ hydrophobic groups induced by sonication, reflected in a 3.64-fold increase in WNPI's surface hydrophobicity, may also contributes to the increase of WNPI's emulsifying properties. Furthermore, the emulsion stabilized by UT-WNPI exhibited the best lipid and protein oxidative stabilities during storage at 55 °C for 7 days. Compared to emulsion stabilized by the untreated WNPI, hydroperoxide, TBARS, and protein carbonyl contents in the emulsion stabilized by UT-WNPI decreased by 46.92%, 40.74%, and 33.89%, respectively. Our results clarify ultrasonication is the best for improving the emulsifying properties of walnut protein, thereby broadening walnut protein's application in the emulsified food. [Display omitted] • Developing walnut protein as a potential emulsifier in the food industry. • The sonicated walnut protein exhibited the best emulsifying properties. • The sonicated walnut protein stabilized emulsion had the best oxidative stability. • The sonication converted walnut protein's α-helix into random coil. • The sonication improved walnut protein's surface hydrophobicity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Synthesis of ROS-responsive camptothecin prodrugs containing allyl phenyl selenides (CPTSe1-CPTSe7). • CPTSe1-CPTSe7 showed good selectivity for tumor cells over normal cells. • CPTSe1 was more stable than CPT-B. • CPTSe1 enabled real-time monitoring of CPT release and H 2 O 2 detection in tumor cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-responsive prodrugs have received significant attention due to their capacity to target tumors to relieve the side effects caused by chemotherapy. Herein, a series of novel H 2 O 2 -activated theranostic prodrugs (CPTSe1-CPTSe7) were developed containing allyl phenyl selenide moieties as H 2 O 2 acceptors. Compared with conventional boronate ester-based prodrug CPT-B , CPTSe1 was more stable in human plasma and showed a more complete release of camptothecin (CPT) in H 2 O 2 inducing experiment. The selectively activated fluorescence signals of CPTSe1 in tumor cells make it useful for real-time monitoring of CPT release and H 2 O 2 detection. Furthermore, excellent selectivity of CPTSe1 was achieved for tumor cells over normal cells. Our results provide a new platform for the development of H 2 O 2 -responsive theranostic prodrugs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The generation of hydroxyl radicals (HO ) by H 2 O 2 decomposition over solid catalysts (a Fenton-like reaction) will play an important role in the design of new processes for water treatment. More specifically, the understanding of H 2 O 2 decomposition on Au nanoparticles (NPs) is crucial for the optimization of the structure of active sites and the evaluation of cytotoxicity of Au NPs. Here, the kinetic behavior of H 2 O 2 decomposition over supported Au NPs was investigated in a buffer solution at pH ∼ 6.8. Over a range of H 2 O 2 concentrations, the decay of H 2 O 2 followed a pseudo-first-order kinetic rate law with an apparent activation energy of 142 kJ/mol. The observed rate constant was linearly increased from (3.0 ± 1.0) × 10 −3 to (66.7 ± 2.3) × 10 −3 min −1 with the increase in the Au NPs concentration. Further increase in the surface concentration of H 2 O 2 may reduce the HO generation efficiency. A dual intermediate model was proposed for the generation mechanism of HO . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a simple, low-cost and one-step microwave approach has been demonstrated for the synthesis of water-soluble carbon dots (C-dots). The average size of the resulting C-dots is about 4 nm. From the photoluminescence (PL) measurements, the C-dots exhibit excellent biocompatibility and intense PL with the high quantum yield (QY) at Ca. 25%. Significantly, the C-dots have excellent biocompatibility and the capacity to specifically target the cells overexpressing the folate receptor (FR). These exciting results indicate the as-prepared C-dots are promising biocompatible probe for cancer diagnosis and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pine nut oil (PNO) was gelled by solvent exchange and absorption methods through soy protein-tannic acid covalent hydrogel. The current study aimed to compare the in vitro digestion of oleogels prepared by different methods: solvent exchange (network oleogel [SNO] and particulate oleogel [SPO]) and absorption methods (AO), and probe the effect of oleogelation on oxidation. Results showed that the preparation affected the physicochemical properties of oleogels; during in vitro digestion, lipolysis was delayed for the oleogels as compared to that for PNO, and the extent of lipolysis followed the order of AO > SNO > SPO > PNO. The fatty acid profile in the micelle fraction demonstrated enhanced solubilization of unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), especially pinolenic acid. During storage, oleogels had lower peroxide, thiobarbituric acid, and conjugated diene values than PNO, indicating superior oxidation stability. Thus, this work provides valuable directions for designing a delivery system to facilitate UFAs digestion and improve the oxidation stability of PNO. [Display omitted] • Tannic acid modified-soy protein can structure liquid oil. • Lipolysis kinetic during gastrointestinal tract digestion was affected by oleogel preparation. • Oleogel could increase bioavailability of unsaturated fatty acid. • Oleogel could improve the oxidative stability of pine nut oil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural odour compounds could be a potential alternative to synthetic herbicides. The odour compound of Periploca sepium Bunge, named 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde (HMB), is a herbicidal compound. However, its herbicidal mechanism is unclear. In this experiment, the physiological and biochemical indices, ultrastructure, and photosynthetic function of the leaves of Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr. treated by HMB were assessed to elucidate the herbicidal mechanism. The results of physiological and biochemical indices are as follows: First, after 4 h of treatment with 2.5 and 5.0 mg/mL, the damage rates in the membrane permeation assay were 74.7% and 89.1%, respectively. Second, compared to the negative control group, multiple physiological and biochemical indices of the two treated groups were changed, including catalase content (−18.5 and −26.5 ng/mL), superoxide dismutase content (−27.4 and −56.6 ng/mL), peroxidase content (382.0 and 880.0 ng/mL), reactive oxygen species content (16.7 and 27.2 ng/mL), malondialdehyde content (8.9 and 25.2 nmol/g), and water potential values (0.2 and 0.3 MPa), except for the photosynthetic pigment contents (chlorophyll a, b, and carotene). Furthermore, the results of transmission electron microscopy showed that the organelles in the mesophyll tissue cells disappeared and severe plasmolysis led to cell atrophy after 4 h of treatment. There were fewer starch granules after 24 h of treatment, but there was no obvious abnormality in the upper and lower epidermal cells. The results of photosynthetic function showed that in the light response, the net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), and stomatal limitation value of the tested leaves were lower than those of the negative control group by 26.6 μmol·m−2·s−1, 7.7 mmol·m−2·s−1, 0.9 mol·m−2·s−1, and 0.2, respectively. However, the intercellular CO 2 concentration (Ci) increased and was higher than the air CO 2 concentration. In the CO 2 response, the Pn, Tr and Gs of the tested leaves first increased and then decreased, but the Ci value continuously increased and finally reached 1727.5 μmol·mol−1. It is obvious that HMB may have inhibited the effect on the photosynthetic system of the tested leaves. Overall, HMB killed the weeds by destroying the structure and multiple physiological functions of the tested leaves. [Display omitted] • The odor compound from Periploca sepium Bunge, named 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde (HMB), is an herbicidal compound. • HMB have significantly affected the leaf physiology of Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr. • The transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results showed that the organelles in the mesophyll cells of leaves disappeared. • The results of photosynthetic function showed that HMB have inhibited net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of test leaves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The solubility of rutaecarpine and evodiamine was measured in (ethanol + water) mixed solvents with different values of mole fraction ethanol from ( φ = 0.30 to 0.80) over the temperature range of ( T = 288.2, 298.2, 308.2, 318.2 and 328.2) K. With increasing temperature and mole fraction ethanol, the solubility of rutaecarpine and evodiamine increased. The experimental solubility values were well correlated by the modified Apelblat equation, simplified thermodynamic equation and semi-empirical Buchowski–Ksiazczak λh equation. The correlated results by the modified Apelblat equation were better than those by other two equations. The enthalpy of dissolution (Δ dis H o ) and entropy of dissolution (Δ dis S o ) of rutaecarpine and evodiamine during the dissolution process in (ethanol + water) mixed solvents were calculated by the van’t Hoff equation. The results indicate that the dissolution process is endothermic and entropy-driven. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a widespread environmental pollutant that is a threat to humans and livestock and remains a global concern to public health. It has negative effects on both humans and animals that are in a continuously exposed environment. The compromised intestinal barrier caused by OTA has aroused widespread concern. This study aimed to investigate the mechanism of OTA-induced tight junction (TJ) protein damage and the relevant components of the intestinal barrier through in viv o whole transcriptome analysis combined with in vitro functional verification. Bioinformatics analysis in OTA-treated Balb/c mice demonstrated that regulated TJ protein related mRNAs were perturbed, and activated the WNT/Ca2+ signaling pathway possibly regulated by key lncRNAs and miRNAs. Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network analysis revealed that lncRNA Zeb1 regulated FZD4 binding with WNT5a to release Ca2+ by targeting miR-1258-x and reduced the expression of TJ proteins, thus damaging the function of the intestinal barrier. An in vitro experiment with Caco-2 cells verified that an increase in Ca2+ level was involved in OTA-induced decreases in the expression of TJ proteins. Taken together, these results will help to identify targets in the intestinal barrier that are compromised by OTA, and will provide the basis for preventing the associated hazard and risk. [Display omitted] • In vivo whole transcriptome combined with in vitro verification was firstly performed to profile the mRNAs and ncRNAs changes response to OTA treatment. • OTA induced TJ proteins damage through WNT/Ca2+ signaling pathway, vitro verification proved that WNT/Ca2+ signal cascade did play a key role in regulating expression of TJ proteins. • lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA ceRNA network expounding the compromised TJ proteins of OTA are constructed based on the data of the whole transcriptome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A luminous Zn-MOF(1), formulated as [Zn 2 (3-DBB) (1,4-bib) 1.5 (Ac)]·H 2 O (3-H 3 DBB ​= ​3-(3,5-dicarboxylato benzyloxy) benzoic acid and 1,4-bib ​= ​1,4-bis (1-imidazoly)benzene) has been prepared hydrothermally. Structural analysis shows that Zn ions linked by 3-DBB3- into 2D brick-wall-like double layer-like structure, further assembling 3D framework by 1,4-bib pillared ligands. The Zn-MOF has been discovered to selectively detect Dy3+ by the luminescent enhancement with the detection limit (LOD) of 1.16 ​× ​10−5 ​M, and is highly selective and sensitive to nitrobenzene (LOD:1.40 ​× ​10−6 ​M) and aniline (LOD:2.03 ​× ​10−7 ​M) as well. The theoretical calculation and absorption spectra results verify the correctness of organic solvents detection. Therefore, the material might be used as a multi-response luminescent sensor. [Display omitted] A luminous 3D Zn-MOF is assembled by the 1,4-bib-pillared ligands with 2D brick-wall-like double layer-like structure and prepared hydrothermally. The Zn-MOF has been discovered to high selectively detect Dy3+, and is highly selective and sensitive to nitrobenzene and aniline as well. The theoretical calculation and absorption spectra results verify the correctness of nitrobenzene detection. Therefore, the Zn-MOF might be used as a multi-response luminescent sensor. • A luminous Zn-MOF based on a flexible 3-(3,5-dicarboxylato benzyloxy) benzoic acid and a long N-donor ligand. • The excellent fluorescent properties of Zn-MOFs in solid state or in aqueous solution. • Highly sensitively detection for Dy3+, and to nitrobenzene and aniline as well in aqueous solution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cigarette seriously affects human health, and electronic cigarette (e-cigarette), considered as cigarette substitutes, become popular as its contribution to quit smoking. But scientific evidence about the absolute safety of e-cigarette is insufficient. Previous studies also have indicated that different dosages of cigarette can lead to different biological effects. Thus, the impact of cigarette at toxicological dose such as IC50 compared with that of e-cigarette are highly needed. In this study, we investigated the effects of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) at toxicological dose compared with e-cigarette smoke condensate (ECSC) in equivalent nicotine level. Nicotine content of CSC and ECSC were determined by UPLC. Human lung epithelial cells (BEAS-2B) were exposed to 0–32 μg/ml of CSC and ECSC for 24 h to determine IC50 of cell viability and morphological assessment. Inflammation, apoptosis, cell cycle analysis and RNA-Seq transcriptome analysis were performed to characterize the differences between CSC and ECSC. We found that acute exposure of BEAS-2B cells to CSC at IC50 leaded to morphological change, inflammatory cytokines production and cell apoptosis, while ECSC did not exert such cell effects in equivalent nicotine level. The transcriptome analysis showed that differentially expressed genes in CSC were far more than that in ECSC, and mainly enriched in the category of cell cycle, DNA repair, cancer, and metabolic related pathways. Such cell cycle arrest was further experimentally confirmed. These results suggested that toxicological dose of ECSC might be much higher than that of CSC. Based on equivalent nicotine content, an acute exposure to CSC had significant impacts on cell effects and gene expression profile compared to ECSC. Our results provided a reference for the safety studies of conventional cigarette and e-cigarette. • IC50 of cell viability or toxicological dose of ECSC might be much higher than those of CSC. • An acute exposure to CSC had significant impacts on cell effects and gene expression profile compared to ECSC. • We provided a good reference for the safety studies of conventional cigarette and e-cigarette. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The odor compound from Periploca sepium Bunge, 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde (HMB), is an allelochemical agent and is one of the least investigated isomers of vanillin. In this study, we used label-free quantitative proteomics analysis technology to investigate the effect of HMB on the protein expression of Humulus scandens (Lour.) Merr. leaves in July 2019 on Guiyang. A total of 269 proteins of 624 identified proteins were differentially expressed, among which 21.18% of the proteins were up-regulated and 32.71% down-regulated. These proteins were classified into 11 cell components and more than 20% of differentially expressed proteins were located in cell membrane and chloroplast. Functional classification analysis showed that 12 molecular functions were altered upon HMB treatment, and the ratio of catalytic activity was the highest (19.53%). At least 12 biological functions were affected, which involved small molecule metabolic processes, organic substance metabolic processes, gene expression, and photosynthesis. Our data provide resources and insights into the biochemical mechanism by which HMB kills weeds. [Display omitted] • Two-hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde (HMB) was isolated from Periploca sepium Bunge. • A total of 269 proteins of tested leaves were 21.18% of up-regulated and 32.71% of down-regulatedy. • Over 20% of differentially expressed proteins were located in the cell membrane and chloroplast. • The differentially proteins were altered upon HMB treatment. • Twelve biological functions were affected by HMB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three novel structural diversiform lead(II) complexes, formulated as [Pb(HDBB)(dppz)] (1), [Pb(HDBB)(H 2 O)]·H 2 O(2), [Pb 4 Na(DBB) 3 (o -phen) 3 ](3), have been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions based on 4-(3,5-dicarboxylatobenzyloxy) benzoic acid (H 3 DBB) and two N-donor ligands: dipyrido (3,2-a:2′,3′-c) phenazine (dppz) and 1,10-phenanthroline (o -phen). Structural analyses reveal complex 1 possesses 1D double-helical ladder-like chain sharing a common axis, and then the π···π interactions between adjacent dppz ligands give rise to supramolecular architecture. 2 features 2D (4,4) network based on 1D double-stranded slight helixes chains and the bridging of DBB ligands. For 3 , a 3D framework arises from a hexagonal unit with the trinuclear central groups. The structural diversity from 1D to 3D of these complexes might be attributed to the coordination of auxiliary ligands. Solid-state fluorescence properties for these crystalline materials are also presented. Three novel lead (II) complexes was obtained based on 4-(3,5-dicarboxylatobenzyloxy) benzoic acid and two chelated N-donor ligands under hydrothermal condition. The structural diversity comes from the different coordination fashions of lead ions and DBB3− ligands and the existing of N-donor ligands. All the fluorescence analyses of complexes 1–3 exhibit the ligand-based luminescence. Image 1 • Three novel lead (II) complexes based on 4-(3,5-dicarboxylatobenzyloxy) benzoic acid and two chelated N-donor ligands. • The structural diversity from 1D ladder-like chain, 2D network to 3D framework. • The characteristic luminescence of Pr3+ ion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schematic illustration of the treatment and mechanism of PIOVV nanoparticles complexes target colorectal cancer Colorectal cancer is a prevalent malignancy with insidious onset and diagnostic challenges, highlighting the imperative for innovative therapeutic approaches to enhance theranostic outcomes. In this study, we elucidate the unique temperature-resistant properties of oncolytic vaccinia virus (OVV), which can synergistically target tumors under photothermal conditions. Capitalizing on this characteristic, we harness the potential of OVV by surface-loading it with indocyanine green (ICG) and encapsulating it within a platelet membrane (PLTM), resulting in the creation of PLTM-ICG-OVV (PIOVV). This innovative complex seamlessly integrates virotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photothermal therapy (PTT). The morphology, size, dispersion stability, optical properties, and cellular uptake properties of PIOVV were evaluated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In vitro and in vivo experiments reveal PIOVV's remarkable specificity for cancer cells, effectively inducing apoptosis and suppressing proliferation of CT26 cell. In mouse models, PIOVV exhibits enhanced fluorescence at tumor sites, accompanied with prolonged blood circulation. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, PIOVV significantly impedes tumor growth. This pioneering strategy holds immense potential for advancing phototherapy, oncolytic virology, drug delivery, and tumor-specific targeting, particularly in the context of CRC theranostics. [Display omitted] Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a prevalent malignancy with insidious onset and diagnostic challenges, highlighting the need for therapeutic approaches to enhance theranostic outcomes. In this study, we elucidated the unique temperature-resistant properties of the oncolytic vaccinia virus (OVV), which can synergistically target tumors under photothermal conditions. To capitalize on this characteristic, we harnessed the potential of the OVV by surface-loading it with indocyanine green (ICG) and encapsulating it within a platelet membrane (PLTM), resulting in the creation of PLTM-ICG-OVV (PIOVV). This complex seamlessly integrates virotherapy, photodynamic therapy (PDT), and photothermal therapy (PTT). The morphology, size, dispersion stability, optical properties, and cellular uptake of PIOVV were evaluated using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In vitro and in vivo experiments revealed specificity of PIOVV for cancer cells; it effectively induced apoptosis and suppressed CT26 cell proliferation. In mouse models, PIOVV exhibits enhanced fluorescence at tumor sites, accompanied by prolonged blood circulation. Under 808 nm laser irradiation, PIOVV significantly inhibited tumor growth. This strategy holds the potential for advancing phototherapy, oncolytic virology, drug delivery, and tumor-specific targeting, particularly in the context of CRC theranostics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] Although photothermal therapy (PTT) is effective at killing tumor cells, it can inadvertently damage healthy tissues surrounding the tumor. Nevertheless, lowering the treatment temperature will reduce the therapeutic effectiveness. In this study, we employed 2,2′-((2Z,2′Z)-((4,4,9,9-Tetrahexyl-4,9-dihydro-s-indaceno[1,2- b :5,6- b ']dithiophene-2,7-diyl)bis(methanylylidene))bis(3-oxo-2,3-dihydro-1H-indene-2,1-diylidene)) dimalononitrile (IDIC), a molecule possessing a conventional acceptor–donor-acceptor (A-D-A) structure, as a photothermal agent (PTA) to facilitate effective mild photothermal therapy (mPTT). IDIC promotes intramolecular charge transfer under laser irradiation, making it a promising candidate for mPTT. To enhance the therapeutic potential of IDIC, we incorporated quercetin (Qu) into IDIC to form IDIC-Qu nanoparticles (NPs), which can inhibit heat shock protein (HSP) activity during the process of mPTT. Moreover, IDIC-Qu NPs exhibited exceptional water dispersibility and passive targeting abilities towards tumor tissues, attributed to its enhanced permeation and retention (EPR) effect. These advantageous properties position IDIC-Qu NPs as a promising candidate for targeted tumor treatment. Importantly, the IDIC-Qu NPs demonstrated controllable photothermal effects, leading to outstanding in vitro cytotoxicity against cancer cells and effective in vivo tumor ablation through mPTT. IDIC-Qu NPs nano-system enriches the family of organic PTAs and holds significant promise for future clinical applications of mPTT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dewatering is the first step in the subsequent treatment and disposal of food waste digestate (FWD). However, FWD is difficult to dewatering. In this study, persulfate was synergistic oxidized by ozone to improve digestate dewaterability. The optimal conditions was at pH = 3, O 3 ＝40 mg/g TS and PDS＝0.1 g/g TS, under which the reductions in the normalized capillary suction time (NCST) and bound moisture (BM) of the FWD were 89.97% and 65.79%, respectively. Hydrophilic functional groups (oxygen- and nitrogen-containing groups) and hydrophilic protein molecular structures were decomposed by the reactive species of sulfate radical (SO 4 ·-) and hydroxyl radicals (·OH) generated in the ozone-persulfate oxidation process, disrupting the binding between EPS and water molecules. The contributions of SO 4 ·- and ·OH to digestate dewaterability were 42.51% and 28.55%. In addition, the introduction of H+ reduced electrostatic repulsion and contributed to the condensation of digestate flocs. The environmental implication assessment and economic analysis suggested that the O 3 /PDS oxidation process was cost-effective and has a low environmental implication when applied to the FWD dewaterability improvement process. These results can serve as a reference for the management of FWD and further improvement of FWD treatment and disposal efficiency. [Display omitted] • Ozone was effective in PDS activation for digestate dewaterability improvement. • Protein in ECPS were effectively decomposed at the presence of active radicals. • SO 4 ·- was the dominated radical species in ozone-persulfate oxidation process. • Acidic conditions can accelerate the formation of SO 4 ·-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The NiFe(OH)F@NiFe 1-x S, NiCo(OH)F@NiCo 1-x S, CoFe(OH)F@CoFe 1-x S autogenous heterostructure on Ni foam are constructed through hydrothermal and the following electrodeposition route. This work authenticates the feasibility of developing autogenous heterostructure electrocatalysts for the production of hydrogen and oxygen in alkaline and seawater. [Display omitted] • The M I M II (OH)F@M I M II1-x S autogenous heterostructure on Ni foam are constructed successfully. • The heterostructure modulates local electronic environment and generates hydroxyl oxides with high electrocatalytic activity. • The core–shell structure and the neat morphology favors the exposure of more active sites. • The M I M II (OH)F@M I M II1-x S demonstrate outstanding overpotential for HER and OER in alkaline and simulated seawater. • This work develops autogenous heterostructured electrocatalysts for the production of hydrogen and oxygen. Constructing heterostructure is considered as one of the most promising strategies to reveal high efficiency hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and oxygen evolution reaction (OER) performance. Nevertheless, it is highly challenging to obtain stable interfaces and sufficient active sites via conventional method. In addition, Ni, Co and Fe elements share the valence electron structures of 3d6-84s2, the appropriate integration of these metals to induce synergistic effect in multicomponent electrocatalysts can enhance electrochemical activity. Herein, in this work, the M I M II (OH)F@M I M II1-x S (NiFe(OH)F@NiFe 1-x S, NiCo(OH)F@NiCo 1-x S, CoFe(OH)F@CoFe 1-x S) autogenous heterostructure on nickel foam are constructed. As a result, NiFe(OH)F@NiFe 1-x S-0.05, NiCo(OH)F@NiCo 1-x S-0.05, and CoFe(OH)F@CoFe 1-x S-0.05 demonstrate outstanding overpotential for HER (70 mV, 90 mV, 81 mV at −10 mA cm−2) and OER (370 mV, 470 mV, 370 mV at 10 mA cm−2) in alkaline electrolyte, while the overpotential for HER is 176 mV, 189 mV, 167 mV at −10 mA cm−2 and corresponding OER is 290 mV, 390 mV, 300 mV at 10 mA cm−2 in simulated seawater, respectively. In addition, the NiFe, NiCo, CoFe-based electrolyzer acquire favorable overall water splitting activity in alkaline (1.72 V, 1.87 V, 1.66 V) and simulated seawater (1.73 V, 1.75 V, 1.69 V) at 10 mA cm−2. Overall, the above results authenticate the feasibility of developing autogenous heterostructure electrocatalysts for providing hydrogen and oxygen in alkaline and simulated seawater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, without Rüssmann's nondegenderate condition we show the persistence of KAM invariant tori. Using this theorem we obtain the persistence of invariant tori for degenerate systems rising from restricted three-body problems, especially, for Lagrange equilibrium position L2 with certain degeneracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multilayered wrinkled C 3 N 4 nanosheets is obtained via thermal-control synthesis. • The catalyst displays excellent selectivity, recycling stability, long-term durability, notable generality. • Cocatalysis of O 2 − and 1O 2 results in the unprecedented activity in sulfide oxidation. • The electron photoexcitation is valid under the competitive formation of charge carriers and excitons. Incorporating visible light into sulfide oxidation is an emerging desirable strategy to produce versatile sulfoxides. We introduce the design and synthesis of multilayered wrinkled C 3 N 4 nanosheets and demonstrate their unprecedented sulfide oxidation activity. Due to the wrinkled surfaces with a large S BET (208.6 m2g−1), wrinkled C 3 N 4 nanosheets exhibit a sensitive optical response, facilitating the electron photoexcition. Layer structure confinement enables robust e−-h+ interactions and valid photoexcited excitons formation, allowing rapid 1O 2 reactive species production. Integrating the sensitive optical response with robust e−-h+ interactions, photoexcited electrons and excitons are jointly produced, giving large yields of ⋅O 2 − and 1O 2 reactive species that are conductive to O 2 − and 1O 2 cocatalysis with an activity that is up to 33-fold that of bulk C 3 N 4. In the cocatalysis mechanism, both O 2 − and 1O 2 , can produce peroxysulfoxide intermediates, resulting in target sulfoxides. This is the first report on sulfide oxidation via O 2 − and 1O 2 cocatalysis and a promising study on catalyst exploitation for high-efficiency and high-selectivity production process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Triclosan (TCS) contaminant has aroused wide concerns due to the high risk of converting into toxic dioxin in aquatic environments. During the wastewater treatment process, considerable amounts of TCS are accumulated in activated sludge but the mechanisms are still unclear. Especially, roles of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS), the main components of activated sludge, in TCS removal have never been addressed. In this work, the binding properties of loosely-bound EPS (LB-EPS) and tightly-bound EPS (TB-EPS) of activated sludge to TCS are investigated by fluorescence quenching approach. The influences of aquatic conditions including solution pH, ionic strength and temperature on the interactions between EPS and TCS are explored. Possible interaction mechanisms are discussed as well as the corresponding environmental implication. Results indicate that binding processes of EPS to TCS are exothermic mainly driven by the enthalpy changes. The proteins components in EPS dominate the interactions between EPS and TCS by hydrogen bond and hydrophobic interaction. The binding strength could be improved under the condition of weak alkaline and relative high ionic strength. Generally, LB-EPS exhibit stronger binding ability to TCS than TB-EPS under neutral environment, playing more crucial roles in the binding process. This work highlights the important contributions of EPS to TCS removal, that is beneficial to comprehensively understand the migration of TCS in activated sludge system. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • EPS of activated sludge could bind with TCS spontaneously. • The proteins components of EPS dominate the binding process. • LB-EPS play more crucial roles in the binding process compared to TB-EPS. • TCS could be released from EPS with environmental variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we study the persistence of invariant tori in nearly integrable multiscale Hamiltonian systems with highorder degeneracy in the integrable part. Such Hamiltonian systems arise naturally in planar and spatial lunar problems of celestial mechanics for which the persistence problem connects closely to the stability of the systems. We introduce multiscale nondegenerate condition and multiscale Diophantine condition, comparable to the usual Diophantine condition. Using quasilinear KAM method, we prove a multiscale KAM theorem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Airborne particulate matter (PM) pollution has become a serious threat to human health, thus it is highly desired for a high-filtration-performance and good-wearing-comfort face mask. Herein, a highly breathable and thermal comfort filter medium consisting of electret polyethersulfone/barium titanate nanofibrous membrane (PES/BaTiO 3 NFM) integrated on a nonwoven polypropylene substrate was developed. Benefiting from the high porosity and optimized injection charge energy, the PES/BaTiO 3 membrane was endowed with a good air permeability of 743 mm s −1 , a modest water vapor permeability of 6.24 kg m −2  d −1 , and an enhanced charge storage stability. In addition, the electret PES/BaTiO 3 NFM1.5 medium with a low basis weight of 4.32 g m −2 still shows a high filtration efficiency of 99.99% and a low pressure drop of 67 Pa after being treated at 200 °C for 45 min, which is better than that of commercial media. Moreover, 3D simulation based on the characters of composite membrane was processed to graphically express the airflow distribution during the filtration process. Significantly, the NFM1.5 with a high infrared (IR) transmittance of 93.4% led to an effective radiative cooling to human body radiation. This multifunctional fibrous medium design may provide new insights into the development of environmental adaptive protection materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present paper, we consider a class of resonant Hamiltonian systems x ′ = J H x ( t , x ) in R 2 N . We will use saddle point reduction, Morse theory combining the technique of penalized functionals to obtain the existence of nontrivial rotating periodic solutions, i.e., x ( t + T ) = Q x ( t ) for any t ∈ R with T > 0 and Q an symplectic orthogonal matrix. In the case: Q k ≠ I 2 N for any positive integer k , such a rotating periodic solution is just a quasi-periodic solution. Moreover, if H is even in x , we will give the multiplicity of nontrivial rotating periodic solutions by using two abstract critical theorems and previous techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel liquid nitrogen quenching treatment is creatively proposed to induced lattice tensile strain of nitrogen/fluorine co-doping Fe 3 O 4 nanocubes assembled on the discarded chrysanthemum tea derived porous carbon as the potential electrocatalyst for optimizing hydrogen evolution. [Display omitted] In this work, the lattice tensile strain of nitrogen/fluorine co-doping ferroferric oxide (Fe 3 O 4) nanocubes assembled on chrysanthemum tea-derived porous carbon is induced through a novel liquid nitrogen quenching treatment (named as TS-NF-FO/PC X -Y, TS: Tensile strain, NF: Nitrogen/Fluorine co-doping, FO: Fe 3 O 4 , PC: Porous carbon, X: The weight ratio of KOH/carbon, Y: The adding amount of porous carbon). Besides, the electrocatalytic activity influenced by the adding amount of porous carbon, the type of dopant, and the introduction of lattice tensile strain is systematically studied and explored. The interconnected porous carbon could improve electrical conductivity and prevent Fe 3 O 4 nanocubes from aggregating. The induced nitrogen/fluorine could cause extrinsic defects and tailor the intrinsic electron state of the host materials. Lattice tensile strain could tailor the surface electronic structure of Fe 3 O 4 via changing the dispersion of surface atoms and their bond lengths. Impressively, the designed TS-NF-FO/PC 5 -0.25 delivers a low overpotential of 207.3 ± 0.4 mV at 10 mA/cm2 and demonstrates desirable reaction dynamics. Density functional theory calculations illustrate that the electron structure and hydrogen adsorption free energy (ΔG *H) are optimized by the synergistic effect among porous carbon, nitrogen/fluorine co-doping and lattice tensile strain, thus promoting hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalytic activity. Overall, this work paves the way to unravel the enhancement mechanism of HER on transition metal oxide-based materials by electronic structure and phase composition modulation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of high-concentration rhodamine B (RhB) wastewater was investigated in a three-dimensional electrochemical reactor (3DER) packed with granular activated carbon (GAC) particle electrodes. Response surface methodology (RSM) coupled with grey relational analysis (GRA) was used to evaluate the effects of voltage, initial pH, aeration rate and NaCl dosage on RhB removal and energy consumption of the 3DER. The optimal conditions were determined as voltage 7.25 V, pH 5.99, aeration rate 151.13 mL/min, and NaCl concentration 0.11 mol/L. After 30 min electrolysis, COD removal rate could arrive at 60.13% with an extremely low energy consumption of 6.22 kWh/kg COD. The voltage and NaCl were demonstrated to be the most significant factors affecting the COD removal and energy consumption of 3DER. The intermediates generated during the treatment process were identified and the possible degradation pathway of RhB was proposed. It is worth noting that 3DER also showed an excellent performance in total nitrogen (TN) removal under the optimal condition. The activated chlorine generated from chloride had great contributions to eliminate carbon and nitrogen of RhB wastewater. The treatment effluent had a good biodegradability, which was suitable for subsequent biological treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pyrolysis of waste sludge in sewage treatment can achieve a substantial reduction in solid waste and obtain sludge-based biochars with multiple functions. However, the electrochemical properties of sludge-derived biochar as electrode modification material and the electrocatalytic ability of biochar-modified electrodes are still unclear. In this study, sludge-based biochars were prepared at various pyrolysis temperatures (400 °C, 500 °C, 600 °C, 700 °C, and 800 °C) and then were cast on glassy carbon electrodes to fabricate composite biochar-electrodes (GC400, GC500, GC600, GC700, and GC800). The results of elemental analysis and Raman spectra showed that sludge-based biochar prepared at higher temperatures exhibited higher aromaticity and degree of defect structures. And the results of cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectra confirmed that biochar-modified electrodes prepared at higher temperatures (>600 °C) possessed better electrocatalytic activity and electrochemical stability, and their higher oxygen evolution potential than control test could improve the electrocatalytic efficiency. In the electrocatalytic oxidation of methyl orange, the removal rate with GC800 was the highest, reaching 94.49% within 240 min, and the removal rates with other composite electrodes were 90.61% (GC700) > 86.96% (GC600) > 80.32% (GC). The free radical quenching experiment revealed that the electrocatalytic degradation of methyl orange mainly depended on the indirect oxidation of hydroxyl radicals generated by electrocatalysis, accounting for 81.3% of the removal rate. The biochar-modified electrode not only greatly improved the electrocatalytic ability of the electrode for the degradation of azo dyes, but also achieved the recycling application of products after pyrolysis of sludge waste. [Display omitted] • Sludge-based biochars were prepared at various pyrolysis temperatures (400–800 °C). • Sludge-derived biochars were used as electrode modification materials. • Biochar-modified electrode (>600 °C) possessed better electrocatalytic activity. • The oxygen evolution potential of biochar-modified electrodes increased up to 1.85 V. • The removal rate of methyl orange by electrocatalysis with GC800 reached 94.49%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Afforestation plays a crucial role in environmental management for many countries. Yet, frequently extreme high temperature (EHT) events in arid and semi-arid regions easily cause the death of artificially planted saplings. To address this, we present a new in-situ supplementary irrigation device (SID) consisting of a rainwater catching board, a storage tank, and ceramic emitters. A continuous EHT experiment combined with the HYDRUS-2D model in North China is further conducted to investigate the soil water-heat properties of the in-situ SID and the growth performance of the planted saplings (Platycladus orientalis) under EHT. The results show that in-situ SID keeps a stable and suitable soil water-heat status in the root layer of the planted saplings under EHT. Especially, the in-situ SID with one ceramic emitter maintains the soil water moisture in a narrow and suitable range from 0.149 cm3 cm−3 to 0.153 cm3 cm−3, and reduces the maximum soil temperature by 2.7 °C compared to the traditional irrigation method. Furthermore, the in-situ SID with one ceramic emitter presents the highest average leaf water content (66.9%), new shoot (35.0 mm), and tree height (62.0 mm). The economic benefit analysis finds that the in-situ SID provides a shorter time to recover high funds and saves a large amount of irrigation water resources. Overall, this study provides an effective irrigation device for forest managers to improve the ecological service effectiveness of afforestation in areas with frequent EHT events and scarce water resources. [Display omitted] • A new supplemental irrigation device (SID) using the ceramic emitter is presented. • A HYDRUS-2D model for assessing soil water-heat status is proposed and verified. • SID creates a suitable soil water-heat status under extreme high temperature events. • SID using one ceramic emitter is recommended to promote growth of the young forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] It is a Holy Grail to realize the goal-oriented synthesis of zeotype crystals via direct thermodynamic/kinetic control of crystallization in the simplest inorganic system. Especially, the most commonly used counter cations (i.e., Na+ and K+) are in turn believed to play merely the role of balancing charges and stabilizing frameworks, which make the simple ion-based morphology/porosity control remain big challenges. We re-examined the role of Na+ and K+ to fine-tune the classical/nonclassical crystallization process in a seed-induced system with the simplest composition (Si/Al sources, inorganic alkali, and H 2 O), and proposed an "ion switch" strategy. By analyzing the multiple growth curves, tracking the precursor evolution, and observing epitaxial crystallization behavior, a distinctive "ion switch"-worked nonclassical mechanism was uncovered. By the "ion switch" strategy, ZSM-5 mesocrystals were fine-regulated with diverse architecture from single crystal to nanocrystallite assembly and intracrystal mesopore-enriched crystal. Such simple ions-controlled crystallization was achieved through microstructure heterogeneity of zeolitic building-blocks triggered by different counterions and their corresponding assembly behavior from oriented attachment to random deposition. Furthermore, this protocol can be extended to a wider H 2 O/SiO 2 range, mixed Na+/K+ systems, and other alkali metal ions from Li+ to Cs+, and ZSM-5 mesocrystals with extended morphologies can be obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs, less than 5 mm in size) are widely distributed in surroundings in various forms and ways, and threaten ecosystems security and human health. Its environmental behavior as pollutants carrier and the after-effects exposed to MPs has been extensively exploited; whereas, current knowledge on technologies for the separation and degradation of MPs is relatively limited. It is essential to isolate MPs from surroundings and/or degrade to safe levels. This in-depth review details the origin and distribution of MPs. Provides a comprehensive summary of currently available MPs separation and degradation technologies, and discusses the mechanisms, challenges, and application prospects of these technologies. Comparison of the contribution of various separation methods to the separation of NPs and MPs. Furthermore, the latest research trends and direction in bio-degradation technology are outlooked. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insufficient awareness of water issues is a crucial bottleneck restricting the sustainable utilization of water resources. To accurately measure citizens' water knowledge stock and overcome the differences between scales and respondents' characteristic levels on test results, the research focuses on developing and evaluating water knowledge stock test scales. The mechanism for identifying indicators is designed based on the grounded theory, and as a result, the water knowledge stock test indicator system is derived. The data was collected by the form of survey questionnaire developed with the test indicator system. A two-parameter multidimensional item response theoretical model is constructed based on item parameter estimation, data model fitting, and item information function. The survey data and optimization model are used to optimize the water knowledge stock test scale and verify the fitting degree with the characteristics of the respondents. The test information function and standard error function indicate that the scale is most informative for individuals with characteristic levels ranging from −2 to 3, resulting in a highly reliable test effect. The research has established a measurement indicator system, methodology, and presented results that serve as a foundation for measuring the stock of water knowledge. • Grounded theory was used to identify the measurement indicators system. • A scale evaluation model based on two-parameter-multidimensional IRT is proposed. • Four items with low information or high psychological impact were removed. • The optimized scale has a reliable test effect on ordinary respondents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been reported to be a risk factor for premature death, while a high diet quality is thought to lower mortality risk. We aimed to examine whether PCBs were associated with higher all-cause and cause-specific mortality risk and whether such associations could be modified by the diet quality among US middle-aged and older adults. Included were 1259 participants aged 40 years or older from the 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination surveys. Exposure to PCBs was assessed in non-fasting serum samples, and mortality status was ascertained through December 31, 2019 using the public-use, linked mortality files. Diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index-2015 based on 24-h dietary recalls. Cox proportional hazard regression was applied to assess the associations of different PCB congener groups with mortality and the modifying effect by the diet quality. During a median follow-up of 17.75 years, 419 deaths occurred, including 131 from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and 102 from cancer. Serum concentrations of dioxin-like PCBs and non-dioxin-like PCBs were significantly associated with all-cause mortality, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.84 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.10, 2.99) and 1.82 (1.09, 3.03) for extreme-tertile comparisons. A significant interaction was noted between dioxin-like PCBs and diet quality (P for interaction: 0.012), with a substantially more pronounced association among participants with a low diet quality (HR, 3.47; 95% CI: 1.29, 9.32), compared to those with a high diet quality (HR, 0.98; 95% CI: 0.40, 2.43). A similar weaker association was observed for total PCBs in participants with a high diet quality (P for interaction: 0.032). However, effect modifications by diet quality were not noted for the associations between different PCB groups and CVD mortality. While our findings need to be validated in other populations and mechanistic studies, they may suggest that a high quality diet could potentially attenuate the harmful effects of chronic PCB exposure. • Serum concentrations of most polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congener groups were associated with higher mortality risk. • The positive association was noted predominantly among participants with low diet quality, but not among those with a high diet quality.. • Our findings may suggest that adhering to a healthy diet could potentially attenuate the harmful effects of PCB exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radioactive Cs+ is one of the most dangerous environmental pollutants. It is necessary for radioactive Cs+ management and removal. Titanium-type cesium ion sieve with a strong Ti–O bond has the advantages of structural stability, radiation resistance and no secondary contamination, which is a promising adsorbent material. In this paper, The CTO (Cs 2 Ti 6 O 13) is prepared for the first time by sol-gel and de-templating methods, and cesium ion sieves (HTO/PMMA) are further obtained with diluted HCl elution. Compared with the ionic sieves (HTO) prepared by direct sol-gel method, the adsorption capacity is improved from 224.32 mg/g to 299.15 mg/g. The prepared HTO/PMMA has a larger specific surface area (67.282 m2/g). More exchange sites are provided for the adsorption of Cs ions. Moreover, Adsorption involves the cleavage of O–H bonds and the formation of O–Cs bonds, which is a typical ion exchange reaction. A series of batch experiments are carried out. The results showed that the equilibrium adsorption capacity of HTO/PMMA is 307.69 mg/g and remained high in the interfering ion solution as well (280.38 mg/g). The pseudo second order model and Freundlich model can well describe the ion exchange process. Thermodynamic study shows that adsorption is spontaneous and exothermic, and low temperature is conducive to adsorption in H+- Cs+ exchange system. Finally, the reusability of HTO/PMMA is evaluated. The adsorption capacity did not decrease significantly after 5 cycles of use. Therefore, HTO/PMMA is expected to be an excellent material for recovering radioactive Cs+. [Display omitted] • A novel material (HTO/PMMA) for the Adsorption of Cs+. • The HTO/PMMA has a large specific surface area (67.282 m2/g). • The adsorption mechanism involves the cleavage of O–H bonds and the generation of O–Cs bonds. • The adsorption uptake remains 281.94 mg/g after 5 cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• DFT calculations were performed on selective autocatalyzed α -alkylation of ketones with alcohols. • Ketones are not only the reactants, but also are the initiators that facilitate the formation of the catalytic aldehydes. • Reaction temperature and alcohol concentration govern the production selectivity. • Dioxygen can further enhance the ketone product selectivity. Base-promoted transition-metal-free α -alkylation of ketones with alcohols is an efficient, practical, and green method for the formation of new C C bonds. Here, we present a DFT study on NaOH/KOH-promoted selective autocatalyzed α -alkylation of ketones with alcohols. For the production of alkylated alcohol, the disodium alkoxide species Na1D is the mediator, and the transformation involves four stages: (I) aldehyde formation; (II) aldol condensation; (III) chalcone reduction to generate an alkylated ketone and an aldehyde; and (IV) reduction of the alkylated ketone to produce an alkylated alcohol. Stage I only occurs at the beginning of the reaction, and the subsequent reaction proceeds via the catalytic cycle cyc-Na involving stages II, III, and IV. The energetic span and the turnover frequency (TOF) of cyc-Na are 35.2 kcal/mol and 5.7 × 10 - 7 1/s, respectively. For the production of alkylated ketone, the dipotassium alkoxide species K1D is the mediator, and the transformation includes dioxygen-assisted oxidation of alkylated alcohol (stage V) and the above four stages. Stage I only takes place initially, too, but the subsequent reaction has two selectable channels. The main channel is the catalytic cycle cyc-K consisting of stages II and III. The energetic span and the TOF of cyc-K are 29.5 kcal/mol and 8.8 × 10 - 5 1/s, respectively. The side channel involves stages II, III, IV, and V, in which the apparent activation energy (AAE) is 34.1 kcal/mol. The calculations present the TOF-determining intermediates and the TOF-determining transition state, and uncover the essence of autocatalysis and the origins of the product selectivity. One important finding is the alkylated ketone selectivity may be enhanced by adding a small quantity of aldehyde corresponding to the alcohol reactant and lowering the reaction temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The process of anaerobic co-digestion is vital importance to resource recovery from organic solid wastes such as food waste and municipal sludge. However, its application is hindered by the limited understanding on the complex substrates-products transformation reactions and mechanisms therein. In this study, food waste (FW) and excess sludge (ES) from municipal wastewater treatment were mixed at various ratios (ES/FW 5:0, 4:1, 2:1, 1:1, 1:2, 1:4, w/w), and the co-digestion process was studied in a batch test. The consumption of substrates including soluble proteins and carbohydrates, the variation in the intermediates such as various volatile fatty acids, and the production of hydrogen and methane gases were monitored. The results suggested that 4:1 was likely the optimal ratio where substrates were consumed and biogas generated efficiently, whereas 1:2 and 1:4 caused severe inhibition. Fermentation of ES alone produced mainly acetic and propionic acid, while the addition of FW led to butyric acid type fermentation. Intermediates in the fermentation liquid were tentatively identified, and the levels of NADH quantified using 3D-excitation/emission fluorescence spectrometry. One class of the intermediates, tryptophan-like proteins were correlated to the butyric acid accumulation in ES/FW mixtures, and NADH level was proposed as an indicator of VFAs production activities. Highlights • Food waste and municipal sludge were mixed in an anaerobic co-digestion process. • Sludge to food waste ratio of 4:1 was optimal whose degradation efficiency was high. • 3 kinds of proteins and fulvic-acid like substances were identified as metabolites. • Tryptophan-like proteins were correlated to butyrate accumulation in ES/FW mixtures. • NADH was correlated with VFAs production and can be an indicator of metabolic state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rational design and preparation of low-cost and visible-light-active catalysts for photodegradation of methylene blue (MB) have been regarded as an efficient way for the utilization of solar energy to address the environmental issues. Herein, in this work, a novel MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 ternary Z-scheme heterojunction to be applied in pollutant photodegradation is fabricated via hydrothermal method. Under visible light illumination, the as-prepared 2.4% MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 -2.0 composites display desirable photocatalytic activity with removal efficiency of 96.0% towards MB and the total organic carbon removal rate of 73.5% within 120 ​min. The apparent reaction rate constant of 2.4% MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 -2.0 (0.0256 min−1) is approximately 16 and 5.2 times higher than those of pure Bi 2 MoO 6 (0.0016 min−1) and CdS (0.0049 min−1), respectively. Meanwhile, the as-prepared ternary photocatalyst possess favorable universality. Combined with a series of characterization results, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of 2.4% MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 -2.0 is mainly attributed to the successful formation of the ternary Z-scheme photocatalysts, which could boost the separating/transferring efficiency and reduction/oxidation ability of charge carriers. In addition, the cycling experiments demonstrate that 2.4% MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 -2.0 possesses favorable stability and recoverability. Overall, this work put forward a simple strategy for synthesizing visible-light-active ternary Z-scheme photocatalytic materials. MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 ternary Z-scheme heterojunction has been successfully prepared via hydrothermal method, which exhibit the greatest photocatalytic activity with 96.0% of MB removal efficiency under visible light illumination. [Display omitted] • Preparation of MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 Z-scheme heterojunctions via a hydrothermalmethod • MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 heterojunctions inhibit the recombination of photogenerated carries. • MoS 2 /CdS/Bi 2 MoO 6 exhibits high photocataltic degradation efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the existence of periodic solutions of Fokker–Planck equations is obtained by discussing the existence of periodic solutions in distribution for some stochastic differential equations. To prove the existence of periodic solutions in distribution for stochastic differential equations, a new criterion analogous to Halanay's criterion is given. Actually, the criterion is similar to a law of large numbers. Based on this criterion, the existence of periodic solutions in distribution for stochastic (functional) differential equations is established by Lyapunov's method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: α-Mn2O3 nanocrystals with uniform morphology prepared by calcining a self-assembled Mn3O4 precursor have proved active (ca. 0.14moleculenm-2 s-1 at 153°C) toward CO oxidation at low temperatures. The reaction orders with respect to CO and O2 were measured in the temperature range 100–190°C. Operando and in situ Raman spectroscopy are used to determine the near-surface structure of α-Mn2O3 nanocrystals during the adsorption and oxidation of CO for the first time. A surface phase transformation from α-Mn2O3 to Mn j O k (1< j <2, 1< k <3, and 1< k/j <1.5) intermediate species was observed in gaseous CO with the change in temperature. In addition, with the combination of the temperature-programmed desorption of O2, temperature-programmed surface reaction of CO oxidation, operando Raman spectra, and kinetics parameters, we conclude that the oxidation of CO may proceed through the Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism (<200°C) to the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism (>350°C) with increasing reaction temperature. In particular, the adsorbed oxygen is deduced to be responsible for CO oxidation at lower temperatures. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Mechanistic study of the preferential CO oxidation was carried out over a Pt(1.0wt.%)/NaY zeolite catalyst from 300 to 523K by combination of kinetics and spectroscopy. The mechanism of CO oxidation at 300K was proposed on the basis of spectroscopic study, and the activity at low temperatures was assumed to originate from small Pt clusters. The analysis of XPS and TEM revealed that metallic state of Pt was rather stable after the reaction. The kinetics suggests a Langmuir–Hinshelwood mechanism in the oxygen-limited low-rate branch (O2 adsorption/dissociation is strongly depressed by adsorbed CO), being responsible for CO oxidation in H2-rich gas in the temperature range of 423–523K. In situ DRIFT spectra show that the Pt surface is dominated by linearly bound CO species, and the presence of H2 leads to a significant red-shift of the C frequency, which indicates a Had-induced modification of the Ptnot just a coverage-dependent frequency shift. Consequently, CO oxidation was significantly enhanced in H2-rich gas. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]