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Anti-virulence strategy has been considered as one of the most promising approaches to combat drug-resistant bacterial infections. Pore-forming toxins (PFTs) are the largest class of bacterial toxins, inflicting their virulence effect through creating pores on the cell membrane. However, current solutions for eliminating PFTs are mostly designed based on their molecular structure, requiring customized design for different interactions. In the present study, we employed erythroliposome (denoted as RM-PL), a biomimetic platform constructed by artificial lipid membranes and natural erythrocyte membranes, to neutralize different hemolytic PFTs regardless of their molecular structure. When tested with model PFTs, including α -hemolysin, listeriolysin O, and streptolysin O, RM-PL could completely inhibit toxin-induced hemolysis in a concentration-dependent manner. In vivo studies further confirmed that RM-PL could efficiently neutralize various toxins and save animals' lives without causing damage to organs or tissues. In addition, we explored the underlying mechanisms of this efficient detoxification ability and found that it was mainly macrophages in the spleen and the liver that took up RM-PL-absorbed toxins through a variety of endocytosis pathways and digested them in lysosomes. In summary, the biomimetic RM-PL presented a promising system for broad-spectrum and powerful toxin neutralization with a mechanism of lysosome-mediated toxin degradation. A biomimetic platform, erythroliposome, was constructed and employed for broad-spectrum and powerful neutralization of bacterial pore-forming toxins (PFTs) with the help of macrophage uptake and degradation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polypropylene (PP) becomes a superior candidate material for new environmental-friendly cable insulation layer with its excellent heat resistance, electrical properties and degradability. At present, most of studies focus on the insulation layer of PP cable. However, there are few studies on semi-conductive shielding layer of PP cable which match its insulation layer. In this paper, polypropylene (PP)/styrene ethylene butylene styrene (SEBS) is adopted as matrix of PP cable semi-conductive layer to matching its insulation layer. Meanwhile, Maleic anhydride grafted polypropylene (MAH- g -PP) is used to cooperatively improve the compatibility between PP and SEBS. The physicochemical properties, space charge injection properties and compatibility of semi-conductive composites with different CB and MAH-g-PP contents is studied by combining experiment and simulation methods. The experimental results show that the surface roughness of the semi-conductive layer and the space charge inside the insulation layer decrease first and then increase with the increase of CB addition. Among them, the two parameters of 25 phr CB semi-conductive layer is the lowest, respectively 13.98 nm and 2.25 × 10−8C. These two parameters are significantly reduced after the addition of compatibilizer MAH-g-PP, which decreased by 29.47 % and 62.22 %, respectively. The simulation results show that the Flory-Huggins interaction parameters (χ) of MAH-g-PP with PP and SEBS are −73.3 and −45.2, respectively, which are 236.24 % and 107.34 % lower than those of PP/SEBS. The χ value of MAH-g-PP/CB is 8.20, which is 33.27 % and 9.59 % lower than CB/PP and CB/SEBS, respectively. It shows that MAH-g-PP can effectively improve the compatibility of matrix and filler. This work has important guiding significance for the research of semi-conductive layer formulation of PP cable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Snow and ice are important reservoirs of atmospheric ions, yet a comprehensive understanding of ions in snow/ice remains a challenge due to spatiotemporal limitations of field campaigns. To address this issue, mathematical statistics were employed to summarize global observational data from 49 published sources covering 546 snow and 19 ice core sampling sites. The findings show remarkable variability in ion concentrations and compositions in snow, with differences spanning 4 to 6 orders of magnitude. This variation changes with elevation, season and historical development, and differs regionally and within regions. These complex patterns of ion distribution in snow and ice are shaped by a range of factors, including local and remote emission sources, trans-regional transports, atmospheric circulations, natural climate variability, geographical features and environmental factors. This comprehensive global analysis would effectively enhance our understanding of snow and ice chemistry and its significant environmental implications, particularly in the context of a rapid changing global climate. • A comprehensive global assessment of ions in snow and ice cores was conducted based on 546 snow samples and 19 ice cores. • Ions exhibited divergent spatiotemporal patterns in types, concentrations and sources. • The complex patterns of ion distribution were shaped by a range of influencing factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper analyzes factors affecting LBE-EMFM measurement in high-temperature medium. • As temperature rises, magnetic field and wall velocity gradient grow. • An increase in temperature results in reduced linearity and a non-linear decrease in LBE-EMFM sensitivity. • Research findings provide key insights for instrument optimization & online LBE-EMFM calibration. Lead-bismuth-eutectic (LBE) is one of the preferred transmutation targets and coolants for the fourth-generation nuclear reactors. There are complex and interactive factors affecting the flow control of LBE in high temperature operation, which makes it difficult to trace the quantity-value of a lead–bismuth-eutectic electromagnetic flowmeter (LBE-EMFM). In this paper, the measuring characteristics of LBE-EMFM at high temperature are analyzed and studied. The results show that the magnetic field intensity and flow field distribution are the main factors affecting the performance of the flowmeter. With the increase of temperature, the magnetic field intensity and the flow velocity gradient near the measuring tube wall increase, the linearity of LBE-EMFM decreases, and the sensitivity decreases non-linearly. The research of this paper provides an important reference for detecting the flow parameters of LBE and optimizing the performance of LBE-EMFM in the control process of the nuclear industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The artificial damp simulation experiments were conducted in different acidic and alkaline environments. • The physicochemical and electrical properties of XLPE and SIR specimens are evaluated. • Strong alkali has the strongest corrosive effect on specimens, with the most severe degradation of electrical properties. • The Material Studio is used to simulated the effect for electrical properties of breakage molecular chain. The insulation performance of the cable accessories is critical to the safe operation of the power grid. The environment in which the distribution cables are laid affects the insulating properties of the cable accessories. In this paper, the artificial damp simulation experiments were conducted in different acidic and alkaline environments. The physicochemical and electrical properties of specimens were evaluated. The patterns and laws of volume resistivity, breakdown strength, and surface flashover behavior before and after etching were investigated. The results indicated that the resistivity of specimens declined gradually with the extent of etching time. After 28 days, the resistivity of XLPE etched in strong acid (pH = 1) and strong alkali (pH = 13) solutions dropped rapidly, and the SIR decreased by 34.2% (pH = 1) and 26.5% (pH = 13), respectively. The breakdown strength of the two specimens exhibited an overall trend of decline. The XLPE was reduced by 19.08% (strong acid), and 20.61% (strong alkali), respectively, and the SIR was reduced by 15.59% and 17.50% after 28 days compared to the untreated specimens. The flashover voltage of SIR is more severely reduced than that of XLPE. The patterns and principles of the influence of acidity and alkalinity and ion concentration on the electrical properties of the specimens were discussed based on the experimental results. The work has an important guideline for the moisture-proof material selection and damp fault analysis of the cable accessories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Acupressure is a non-invasive complementary treatment method that can positively affect the relief of cancer pain symptoms. The results from clinical trials have revealed that the effects of acupressure (including auricular acupressure) on cancer pain management are inconsistent. Our objective was to systematically evaluate the effect of acupressure on cancer pain. Seven databases (CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Database, SinoMed, Pubmed, Embase, and The Cochrane Library) were searched from their inception to November 2021 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupressure used for cancer pain. All analyses were conducted by RevMan5.3. The Cochrane RoB tool and GRADE were used to assess the risk bias and quality of evidence, respectively. Twenty-eight RCTs involving 2630 patients were included. Combined results showed the acupressure group had better outcomes in pain remission rate [RR 1.20, 95%CI (1.10, 1.30), P < 0.0001, I²= 61%], pain intensity [SMD -1.78, 95% CI, (-2.21, -1.35), P < 0.00001, I2= 94%], quality of life [SMD 0.62, 95%CI (0.35, 0.89), P <0.00001, I2=61%], patient satisfaction with analgesia [RR 1.14, 95%CI (1.05, 1.23), P = 0.001, I2=43%] compared with a control group. Two studies mentioned that acupressure as an adjunctive treatment could reduce the dose of analgesics. The bias of most studies was unclear because of irregular reporting according to the ROB tool, and meanwhile, most studies had high risk with no blinding. The GRADE evidence level was rated as moderate to very low. No studies measured adverse reactions. Acupressure (including auricular acupressure) group seemed to be more effective than the control group for cancer pain. However, the results were inconclusive due to weak evidence, and robust methodological RCTs with appropriate blinding are still needed to reconfirm the findings of our review. (osf.io/vyeum Registration DOI:10.17605/OSF.IO/VYEUM) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Axial back-and-forth-reflection (BFR) inside capillary was investigated. • A photometer based on axial -BFR inside capillary was proposed. • Optical-path enhancement of axial -BFR is more efficient than that of radial -BFR. • In comparison with radial -BFR, axial -BFR features low transmission loss. • The photometer features high sensitivity, compact, low cost and easy fabrication. As for photometry analysis, increasing the optical-path (OP) via multi-reflection is an effective method for improving the detection sensitivity. In this paper, a photometer based on axial multi-reflection between two end-faces of capillary was proposed and investigated. The probe light can be back and forth reflected inside the capillary, by employing apertured silver-mirrors at both ends of a metal-capillary. With designed aperture profile (i.e., a central disc-aperture and a peripheral ring-aperture) of the mirror, a 4.2-fold enhancement on OP was realized (i.e., OP is 4.2 times the capillary length). Moreover, the photometer was applied to detecting nitrite with a detection limit of 1 nM, which exhibits 8.6~15 fold improvement compared with that of previous photometers with similar capillary length and the same chromogenic reagent without sample enrichment. The photometer features compact, low cost and easy fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although association between polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposure and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) was researched by traditional linear model extensively, most of these studies analyzed independent effect of each PAHs metabolite and adjust for the confounding other metabolites concomitantly, without considering others interactions. As a complex organic pollutant, a reasonable statistical method is needed to study toxic effects of PAHs. Therefore, we aimed to conduct a novel statistical approach, Bayesian Kernel Machine Regression (BKMR), to explore the effect of PAHs exposure on mtDNAcn among coke oven workers. In this cross-sectional study, the concentrations urinary of PAHs metabolites were measured using high performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The mtDNAcn was measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in peripheral blood of 696 Chinese coke oven workers. The relationship of urinary of PAHs metabolites and mtDNAcn were evaluated by BKMR model. And the results showed a significant negative effect of PAHs metabolites on mtDNAcn when PAHs metabolites concentrations were all above 35th percentile compared to the median and the statistically significant negative single-exposure effect of 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE on mtDNAcn when all of the other PAHs are fixed at a particular threshold (25th, 50th, 75th percentile). The changes in log 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE from the 25th to the 75th percentile when other PAHs metabolites were at the 50th percentile were associated with change in mtDNAcn of −0.082 (−0.021, −0.124) and −0.048 (−0.021, −0.090) respectively. And evidence of a linear effect of urinary 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE were found. Finally, our findings suggested that PAHs cumulative exposures and particularly single-exposure of 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE might compromise mitochondrial function by decreasing mtDNAcn in Chinese coke oven workers. Image 1 • Mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) can sense environmental change. • The effect of PAHs on mtDNAcn was determined by Bayesian kernel machine regression. • Reduction of mtDNAcn was associated with PAHs cumulative exposure. • Negative single-exposure effect of 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE on mtDNAcn. BKMR suggested PAHs cumulative exposures and single-exposure of 2-OHNAP and 2-OHPHE might decrease mtDNAcn in Chinese coke oven workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benzo [ a ]pyrene (BaP) have been demonstrated to induce lung cancer risk in humans and many different animal models, with aberrant gene methylation as one of the epigenetic errors; however, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we used three types of human lung-derived cells with BaP exposure as a model and attempted to investigate the long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) H19 /S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase (SAHH) pathway that regulates gene methylation in vitro exposure to BaP. Results showed that compared to the controls, BaP-treated cells H19 expressions were increased in a dose- and time-dependent manner, whereas SAHH protein expressions were decreased. Indeed, H19 binds to and attenuates SAHH expressions and activity, and this interaction will be enhanced by BaP. However, suppression of H19 exaggerates SAHH protein expression and activity exposed to BaP. Although BaP-treated cells H19 single knockdown expectedly increased long interspersed nuclear elements-1 ( LINE-1 ) methylation and inhibited benzo [ a ]pyrene-7,8-dihydrodiol-9,10-epoxide (BPDE) -DNA adducts formation with altering SAHH protein expressions and activity, the double knockdown restored methylation to the control level and exacerbated BPDE-DNA adducts formation. Overall, our results uncover a H19 /SAHH circuit involving gene-methylation alterations by carcinogen BaP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neuronal damage in the hippocampal formation is more sensitive to ischemic stimulation and easily injured, causing severe learning and memory impairment. Therefore, protection of hippocampal neuronal damage is the main contributor for learning and memory impairment during cerebral ischemia. Atorvastatin has been reported to ameliorate ischemic brain damage after ischemia reperfusion (I/R). However, its molecular mechanism has not been elucidated clearly. In this study, we established four-vessel occlusion model in rats with cerebral ischemia. Here, we demonstrated that atorvastatin significantly improves the behavior of I/R-rat in open field tasks. We also found that atorvastatin significantly shortens the distance and time of loading onto the hidden platform in the positioning navigation process, decreases the latency in the space exploration process when cognitive testing with Morris water maze was performed during ischemic stroke in rats. Furthermore, the survival rate of neurons in the CA1 area of the hippocampus and the phosphorylation of Akt (Ser473) in the neurons are increased, whereas the expression of caspase-3 are inhibited by atorvastatin. However, after an intracerebroventricular injection of LY294002 (an inhibitor of Akt1), the above neuroprotective effects of atorvastatin are attenuated. In summary, our results imply atorvastatin may improve the survival rate of hippocampal neurons and reduce the impairment of learning and memory by downregulating the activation of the caspase-3 via increasing the phosphorylation of Akt1 during ischemia/reperfusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Previous publications have indicated that polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) exposures are associated with increased DNA damage and abnormal cell cycle arrest; however, the details of mechanisms remain largely unknown. This study aimed to quantify the associations of 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (OGG1) methylation with urinary PAHs metabolites, DNA damage and cell cycle arrest, and further to assess the role of OGG1 methylation in mediating the association of urinary PAHs metabolites with DNA damage and cell cycle arrest. Urinary biomarkers of PAHs exposure and a marker of oxidative DNA damage (8-hydroxy-2′-deoxyguanosin, 8-OHdG) were measured by high performance liquid chromatography. Cell cycle of lymphocyte was analysed with flow cytometry and OGG1 methylation in venous blood was measured by pyrosequencing. After adjusting for covariates, urinary 1-OHP levels were positively associated with lymphocyte S phase arrest and oxidative DNA damage, while were negatively associated with G0/G1 phase arrest. OGG1 methylation was not only positively correlated with urinary 1-OHP in a dose-responsive manner (P trend = 0.008) but was also associated with G0/G1 phase arrest (OR : 0.63, 95% CI : 0.41–0.97), S phase arrest (OR : 1.55, 95% CI : 1.01–2.40) and oxidative DNA damage (OR : 1.71, 95% CI : 1.02–2.86). Mediation analysis estimated that OGG1 methylation mediated about 20% of associations between urinary 1-OHP levels and cell cycle arrest and oxidative DNA damage, respectively (all P < 0.05). Our findings suggested that urinary 1-OHP concentrations were associated with cell cycle arrest and oxidative DNA damage by a mechanism partly involving OGG1 methylation. Highlights • Urinary 1-OHP was associated with cell cycle and oxidative DNA damage. • OGG1 methylation was associated with cell cycle and oxidative DNA damage. • OGG1 methylation showed a positive correlation with urinary 1-OHP. • OGG1 methylation mediated PAHs-related cell cycle arrest and oxidative DNA damage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Spinal cord injury can result in visual-related brain gray matter atrophy in acute patients. • Spinal cord injury can lead to visual-related brain network-level functional changes in the early stage. • No structural or functional alterations are found in primary sensorimotor cortex of spinal cord injury patients. • There is an association between the fALFF change of orbital frontal cortex and clinic motor function. Abstract Visual-related cortex plays an important role in the process of movement. It is of great importance to clarify whether traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI), which is a typical disease that results in sensorimotor dysfunction, leads to the alteration of visual-related brain structure and function area. To address this issue, multimodality MRI was applied on eleven patients with acute incomplete cervical cord injury (ICCI) and eleven healthy controls (HCs) to explore possible structural and functional changes of the brain. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analysis was performed to investigate the changes in brain structure of ICCI patients. The fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) was used to characterize changes in regional neural activities, and independent component analysis (ICA) was carried out to explore alterations in the resting-state networks (RSNs) after ICCI. We also investigated correlations among brain imaging metrics and between the metrics and clinical variables. Compared with HCs, ICCI patients exhibited significant gray matter atrophy in the left hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus (SFG), and middle frontal gyrus (MFG) and also a decrease in fALFF in the left orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Moreover, ICCI patients exhibited decreased intra-network functional connectivity (FC) in the medial vision network (mVN). The mean fALFF value was correlated with clinical motor scores of the left extremities and the total motor scores. Our findings proved that ICCI can not only cause structural changes in visual-related brain regions, but also result in visual-related brain functional alterations, revealing the possible mechanism of the effects of visual feedback training in motor function rehabilitation of SCI patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermoelectric materials have been widely used in the power generation and cooling. Tellurium (Te) nanomaterial has gained great attention due to its enhanced thermoelectric performance, however, the researches are lacking of practical applications for energy harvesting. Here, a simple thermoelectric device was built with n -type and p -type Te-based (Bi 2 Te 3 and Te-PEDOT:PSS composite) nanowires (NWs) thin film as legs for the first time. Firstly, a facile solution method was used to synthesize Te and Bi 2 Te 3 NWs. A composite thin film was composed of Te NWs and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) to achieve a higher thermoelectric performance and a better environmental stability. The thermoelectric thin film device, consisting of Bi 2 Te 3 NWs as n -type leg and Te-PEDOT:PSS as p -type leg, exhibits a stable output voltage of 56 mV and high output power density value of 32 μW cm −2 at temperature difference of 60 K, which is only 20% lower than that composed of commercial Bi 2 Te 3 . However, Te-based thin film device can effectively decrease its costs and be further improved to achieve a larger output voltage in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Usually, Er 3+ doping concentration effect on the temperature sensing properties of Er 3+ containing materials is ignored. In this work, we demonstrated the influence of Er 3+ concentration and excitation path on the spectral and temperature sensing properties in Er 3+ , Yb 3+ co-doped NaGdTiO 4 system. The NaGdTiO 4 : Er 3+ /Yb 3+ phosphors were prepared by a high temperature solid state reaction method. Different spectral patterns for down- and up-conversion processes were observed and ascribed to the different excitation and population routes. The concentration quenching behaviors for down- and up-conversion processes were explained via cross relaxations between Er 3+ ions. Most importantly, the Er 3+ concentration dependent optical temperature sensing performance was observed and experimentally explained as a fact that the optical transition rate of Er 3+ in different samples was changed with various Er 3+ doping concentration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Tm3+ and Dy3+ co-doped YAl3(BO3)4 phosphors were synthesized by the solid state reaction method. The phosphors show blue emission band centered at 450nm originated from the transition of Tm3+ ions and yellow band of 573nm ascribed to Dy3+ ions excited by UV light. The emission colors are tuned from blue to white and ultimately to yellow through concentration variation of luminescent centers of Tm3+ and Dy3+ in YAl3(BO3)4 phosphors. A white light can be achieved from YAl3(BO3)4:0.03Tm3+, 0.09Dy3+ phosphor with chromaticity coordinates of (0.310, 0.331) under excitation at 365nm. The results show that the single-phased YAl3(BO3)4:Tm3+, Dy3+ phosphors are a potential phosphors for current illuminated light source. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series of NaSrBO3:xEu3+ and NaSr1−2x BO3:xEu3+, xM+ (M=Li, Na, K) phosphors were synthesized by the solid state reaction. The crystal structure, photoluminescence properties and concentration quenching of NaSrBO3:Eu3+ phosphors were systematically investigated. The excitation spectra indicate that the phosphors can be efficiently excited by 394nm, which is matched well with the emission wavelength of near-UV LED chip. All the samples show the characteristic red emission of Eu3+ ions (5D0→7F J , J=0, 1, 2, 3 and 4). The maximum intensity of luminescence is observed at the Eu3+ concentration around x=0.11. The concentration quenching of Eu3+ in NaSrBO3:Eu3+ phosphor can be mainly attributed to quadrupole–quadrupole interaction. The relative emission intensities of Eu3+ (5D0→7F2) in NaSrBO3:Eu3+ phosphors with Li+, Na+ or K+ introduced as charge compensator are significantly enhanced, and the phosphors added with K+ ions show the strongest emission. The emission intensities of NaSr1−2x BO3:xEu3+, xM+ (M=Li, Na, K) are about 1.47, 1.64 and 2.08 times than that of commercial red phosphor Y2O2S:Eu3+. These results indicate that NaSr1−2x BO3:xEu3+, xM+ (M=Li, Na, K) phosphors exhibit potential applications in the field of near-UV LED as an efficient red-emitting phosphors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Eu3+-activated Ca2BO3Cl with different charge compensation approaches were synthesized by the solid state reaction method, and systematically characterized by photoluminescence excitation and emission spectra, concentration quenching and CIE 1931 chromaticity coordinates at room temperature. All the samples show the characteristic red emission of Eu3+ ions with good CIE chromaticity coordinates. The relative emission intensities of Eu3+ (5D0→7F2) in Ca2BO3Cl:Eu3+ phosphors with Li, Na, K introduced as charge compensators are enhanced about 2.1, 1.6 and 1.5 times than that of direct charge balanced. Such difference is considered to be due to the different ion radii effect on the spin–orbit couplings and crystal field of Eu3+ ions. These results show that Ca2−1.5x BO3Cl: and Ca2−2x BO3Cl, , (x=0.04, M=Li, Na, K) phosphors exhibit potential applications in the field of solid state illumination. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A compact and low-cost LIF based on pinhole metal-capillary (PMC) was proposed • The background signal (noise) can be effectively suppressed in PMC • The stringent requirement on laser beam-quality can be alleviated in PMC-LIF • An overall ~480 fold improvement on SNR was realized by using PMC and laser diode • A detection limit of 0.4 pM was realized for rhodamine B detection For laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), the SNR and related concentration detectability was severely limited by background signal (noise). Herein, an axial-excitation LIF based on pinhole metal-capillary (PMC) and direct laser-diode excitation was proposed. An overall ~480 fold improvement on SNR was realized, because the laser-sidewall interaction (LSI) and related background signal (noise) can be effectively suppressed in PMC by avoidance of laser leakage and laser contact with capillary sidewall. For rhodamine B detection without sample enrichment, a detection limit of concentration (DLC) of 0.4 pM was obtained, which is 2.5 fold lower than the DLC (1 pM) of commercial LIFs equipped with bulky and expensive Ar+ laser. For selective detection of Cu2+, a DLC of 5 pM was realized, which is more than 40 fold lower than that of previous fluorimetry detection with similar quantum-dot probe. The PMC-LIF features compact (16 × 4 × 4 cm3), low-cost and high concentration detectability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A novel green phosphor NaSrBO3:Tb3+, Li+ was synthesized by the solid state reaction. The crystal structure, photoluminescence properties and concentration quenching of NaSrBO3:Tb3+, Li+ phosphor were systematically investigated. The phosphor shows monoclinic structure and the optimal Tb3+ concentration in NaSrBO3:Tb3+, Li+ is 6mol%. The phosphor presents bright green emission centered at 542nm corresponding to 5D4 → 7F5 transition of Tb3+ ions under the ultraviolet excitation of 378nm. The concentration quenching mechanism can be mainly attributed to the quadrupole–quadrupole interaction. The present work suggests that NaSrBO3:Tb3+, Li+ phosphor is a potential green-emitting phosphor for UV LEDs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of interrelated risk factors, which increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer. The prevalence of MetS might be affected by environmental pollution and individual's poor lifestyles. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to evaluate the interactions effect of PAHs exposure and poor lifestyles on MetS among coke oven workers. We measured the concentrations of 11 urinary PAH metabolites among 682 coke oven workers by HPLC-MS. China adult blood lipid abnormality prevention guide (2016) was employed for diagnosing MetS. An interaction effect was tested in the modified Poisson regression models. The results showed that the urinary level of 1-NAP (P for trend = 0.043) and 2-FLU (P for trend = 0.037) had significant dose-response relationships with increased PR of MetS. For 1-NAP, statistically significant positive association was with low HDL among individuals (P for trend = 0.003). Besides, smoking was associated with a significantly increased risk of prevalence ratio of MetS (PR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.00–1.13), high triglycerides (PR = 1.13; 95% CI 1.05–1.20) and low HDL (PR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.01–1.14). Smokers who with high levels of 1-NAP and 2-FLU had higher prevalence ratio of MetS compared with non-smokers who with low levels of 1-NAP [PR (95% CI): 1.17 (1.06–1.29); P for trend = 0.002] and 2-FLU [PR (95% CI): 1.17 (1.06–1.29); P for trend = 0.004]. Our findings suggested PAHs exposure increased the prevalence ratio of MetS and this effect can be modified by smoking status. Image 1 • Relationship of PAH exposure and MetS was analysed by modified Poisson regression. • PAHs exposure can increase the prevalence ratio of MetS in coke oven workers. • Smoking modifies the prevalence ratio of MetS induced by PAHs exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]