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• A novel core–shell CM-P was prepared via a facile cation-driven electrostatic self-assembly strategy. • The charge redistribution in CM-P heterostructures was observed. • The CM-P cathodes exhibited a high specific capacity of 260 mAh/g. • The CM-P//Zn ZISCs showed a high energy density of 217.1 Wh kg−1 along with power density of 22.3 kW kg−1. Rechargeable aqueous Zn-ion hybrid supercapacitors (ZISCs) with the superiorities of high theoretical capacity, low redox potential and aqueous electrolytes with superior ionic conductivity (∼1 S cm−1) are promising energy storage systems. However, a primary concern persists due to the absence of cathode materials with both high energy densities and satisfactory cycling stability for robust ZISCs. In this study, we design a spherical core–shell covalent organic frameworks@Ti 3 CN MXene (CM-P) cathode via a cation-driven electrostatic self-assembly strategy. The CM-P with the constructed heterostructures shows both well-organized pore channels and excellent intrinsic conductivity, facilitating fast accessibility to intrinsic redox-active sites (such as C = O and N), and promoting effective ion diffusion characterized by low energy barriers. Consequently, the CM-P cathodes demonstrate excellent electrochemical performance, featuring an ultrahigh specific capacity of 260 mAh/g at 0.1 A, a high-rate capability with 68 % retention at 1 A/g, and long-term cycling stability. First-principle calculations elucidate that the enhanced charge-storage mechanism relies on the heterostructures of CM-P, accelerating ion adsorption/diffusion and electron transfer. Furthermore, the assembled CM-P//Zn ZISCs devices show a high energy density of 217.1 Wh kg−1 along with power density of 22.3 kW kg−1. This work provides an innovative approach to design COFs-based heterostructures for advanced ZISCs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • An acid–induced dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction is developed. • Analytes are extracted by in situ formation of deep eutectic solvents with formed fatty acids. • The method is successfully used for detection of bisphenol A and alkylphenols. • The method is simple, rapid, sensitive, low cost, and environmentally friendly. • The new method expands the application pathway and scope of deep eutectic solvents. This study describes the development of an acid induced dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction method based on the in situ formation of hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents for the extraction of bisphenol A and alkylphenols from environmental water and beverage samples. Hydrochloric acid altered the hydrophilic-hydrophobic state of fatty acid salts to obtain hydrophobic fatty acids, which formed hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents with analytes in situ to extract the analytes. Under optimized conditions, the limits of detection and limits of quantitation were 0.03–0.1 μg L-1 and 0.12–0.3 μg L-1, the intraday and interday relative standard deviations were less than 3.9 %, and the enrichment factor was 29–32. The recoveries of bisphenol A and alkylphenols were 95.9–104.9 % and 86.9–105.0 %, respectively. The extraction process used only hydrochloric acid and fatty acid salts, and the extraction process required less than 1 min. This method has the advantages of simplicity, speed, low cost and environmental friendliness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aliphatic aldehydes are a class of organic compounds containing aldehyde groups, which are widespread, and closely related to people's daily life and health. In this work, a series of terpenes based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents were designed and synthesized using hexafluoroisopropanol as hydrogen bond donor and menthol/thymol as hydrogen bond acceptor. Then they are used as extraction solvent in dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction for extracting and determining seven aliphatic aldehydes from drinking water and alcoholic beverage combined with high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet. Due to the fact that these hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents are liquid at the room temperature, a density greater than that of water, a lower viscosity (≤26.10 mPa s, 25 °C), after extraction and centrifugation, the microvolume DES-rich phase in the bottom is convenient for collection and direct analysis without further dissolution or dilution with organic solvents. Some factors affecting the extraction recovery were optimized by one-variable-at-a-time and response surface methodology. Under the optimal conditions, the enrichment factors for the seven aliphatic aldehydes were 48–56. The method had good performance: linear ranges of 1.0–200, 0.5–200, 0.2–200, 0.4–400, 1.0–400, 0.4–400 and 0.4–400 μg L−1 for seven aliphatic aldehydes (r 2 ≥ 0.9949), limits of detection of 0.1–0.5 μg L−1, intra-day and inter-day precisions <4.9%. The recoveries of seven aliphatic aldehydes ranged from 76.0 to 119.0%. The proposed dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction method is simple, rapid, highly efficient, and green, which effectively reduces the amount of toxic chemical reagents used and their impact on the environment. Rapid and efficient detection of aliphatic aldehydes helps ensure a healthy diet and has great application prospects in food safety analysis. [Display omitted] • Terpenes based HDESs with low viscosity and high density were designed and prepared. • A terpenes HDESs based DLLME was established for enrichment of aliphatic aldehydes. • The DES-rich phase in the bottom is easy to be collected and directly analyzed by HPLC. • The method is simple, rapid, effective and green for detecting aliphatic aldehydes. • The green profile of the method was assessed by AES and AGREE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ti 3 AlC 2 ceramic exhibits potential in Ag-based composite electrical contact materials, but its interface characteristic with Ag matrix remains unexplored. In this work, sessile drop experiment is carried out to investigate the high-temperature wetting behavior of molten Ag with Ti 3 AlC 2. Stable Ti 3 AlC 2 is hardly wetted by molten Ag below 1000 °C(contact angle of 148.5°), but the wettability of Ag/Ti 3 AlC 2 improves with the increasing temperature(final 14° at ∼1130 °C). In contrast, the Ti 3 C 2, a MXene with Al layer removed from its parent Ti 3 AlC 2 , exhibits inferior wettability with Ag(final 56.5° at ∼1130 °C). Wetting mechanism of Ag/Ti 3 AlC 2 is proposed on the basis of the interfacial structure and chemical composition. Increasing temperature accelerates dissociation of Ti 3 AlC 2 , and outward-escaping Al reacts with Ag to form interface layer with a composition of Ag 4.86 Ti 8.66 AlC 7.59 , Ag also diffuses along Ti 3 AlC 2 grain boundaries and forms gradient reactive products(Ag–Ti–Al–C), which promotes their wettability. Finally comprehensive properties of Ag/Ti 3 AlC 2 and Ag/Ti 3 C 2 are compared. Al–Ag interdiffusion slightly decreases the electrical conductivity of Ag/Ti 3 AlC 2 bulk material, but strengthen the interface bonding of composite and promote the viscosity of the molten pool, leading to the superior mechanical and anti-arc erosion properties. Absence of Al–Ag interdiffusion does remarkably improve the electrical conductivity of Ag/Ti 3 C 2 bulk materials, but lack of Al layer damages the mechanical core and wettability with Ag, resulting in a drastic decrease of anti-arco erosion property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • 1 Five kinds of hydrophobic DESs were designed and prepared for the first time. • 2 The prepared DESs showed high extraction efficiency for formaldehyde (HCHO). • 3 The DES was applied to extract and determine of HCHO in biological and gas samples. • 4 Hydrophobic DESs based VA-LLME combined with HPLC method was developed. Abstract Hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a new class of green solvents, and their research and application are a brand new area. So far, only a few hydrophobic DESs have been reported as extraction solvents. In this paper, five kinds of hydrophobic DESs composed of trioctylmethylammonium chloride and hydroquinone, 4-phenylphenol or 4-cyanophenol are designed and prepared for the first time. Melting point / glass transition temperature and density are also determined for these DESs. Coupled with HPLC, these hydrophobic DESs have been used as extractants in vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction for the selective enrichment and indirect determination of formaldehyde. The optimization of reaction and extraction conditions, such as pH value, reaction time and temperature, concentration of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, type and dosage of the extraction solvent, speed and time of vortex, salt addition and centrifugation time are investigated in detail. It is found that under the optimized experimental conditions, the calibration curve of this method is linear in the range of 1.0–200.0 μg L−1 with the linear correlation coefficient (r2) of 0.9994. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) and limit of quantification (S/N = 10) are 0.2 μg L−1 and 1.0 μg L−1, and the intra-day and inter-day precision (RSD, n = 5) are 1.1% and 3.5%, respectively. The interference of some common coexisting ions and neutral molecules have been also tested. The proposed method has been successfully used for the determination of formaldehyde from biological and indoor air samples. The recovery of formaldehyde is in the range from 83.1% to 104.4%, and the relative standard deviation is lower than 5.9%. Furthermore, the analytical parameters of the proposed method have been compared with other extraction and microextraction methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A novel, green and environmental benign TC-AALLME-SFDES technique was developed. • Solid DES was used as extraction solvent. • The method was applied for the determination of TCS and APs from water samples. • The green profile of the method was assessed by analytical Eco-Scale and ComplexGAPI. • The method opened up the application of solid DESs in LLME technique. A novel and green microextraction technique, temperature-controlled air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction based on the solidification of floating deep eutectic solvents (DESs), was developed and applied for the extraction of triclosan and alkylphenols in different environmental waters. Hydrophobic DESs composed of menthol and myristic acid with melting points slightly higher than room temperature (25 ± 2 °C) were prepared and used as extraction solvent. First, the solid DES was transformed into liquid DES while the aqueous sample was heated in a water bath. Then, fine droplets were formed by withdrawing and injecting the mixture of aqueous sample and DES with a 1 mL pipette several times. After extraction, the solidified DES phase was obtained in an ice water bath. And then the analyses were performed by HPLC-UV. The microextraction parameters were investigated by the Plackett-Burman design and central composite design. The analytical parameters of this method were investigated and good linear ranges (0.5/1.0–400 μg/L, R2 ≥ 0.9950), limits of detection (0.1–0.5 μg/L) and precision (≤5.9 %) were obtained. This method was successfully applied for the determination of triclosan and alkylphenols from five water samples with satisfactory recoveries (80.0–104.3 %). Subsequently, the green profile of the method was assessed by analytical Eco-Scale and Complementary Green Analytical Procedure Index. This method has the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, low cost, high sensitivity and green, which expands the application of solid solvents in liquid–liquid microextraction and has a wide application prospect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• One-step derivatization and TC-VA-LLME-SFDES method was developed. • Hydrophobic DESs were used as both reducing agent and extraction solvent. • Only 2 min was needed for derivatization and extraction process. • The method was applied for analysis of total Fe in water and food samples. • The method opened up the application of solid DESs in LLME technique. In our work, hydrophobic thymol-based deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with strong reducibility, a lower density than water, and a slightly higher melting point than room temperature were synthesized. Based on these solid DESs, one-step derivatization and temperature-controlled vortex-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction based on the solidification of a floating DES (TC-VA-LLME-SFDES) via UV–Vis spectrophotometry for the rapid determination of total iron was developed. The derivatization and TC-VA-LLME were carried out simultaneously by the addition of DES as both the reducing agent and extraction solvent. After optimization, the calibration curve (5–250 μg L−1, R2 = 0.9982), limit of detection (1.5 μg L−1), limit of quantitation (5.0 μg L−1), precision (≤4.0%) and enrichment factor (92) was obtained. This method was applied for the determination of total iron in water and food samples with satisfactory recoveries (85.4–106.2%). One-step derivatization and TC-VA-LLME only required 2 min. Furthermore, this method opened up the application of solid DESs in liquid–liquid microextraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A simple, rapid and selective method based on diazotization-coupling reaction for determination of nitrite ion in complex samples using shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) was developed. Based on diazotization-coupling reaction, nitrite was transformed into azo dye, which has strong SHINERS activity. Subsequently the concentration of nitrite ion can be determined indirectly from the SHINERS of azo dye. The SHINERS active substrate was composed of gold nanoparticle as core with an ultrathin silica shell having pinhole on the surface. Various factors that influence reaction and SHINERS intensity were investigated. Under the optimal conditions, the linearity was observed in the range of 0.5–6.0mgL−1 with good correlation coefficient (r 2>0.9793). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for five replicate measurements were less than 14.5%. The limit of detections of the method (S/N=3) were 0.07, 0.08 and 0.10mgL−1 at 1137, 1395 and 1432cm−1, respectively, without sample preconcentration. The selectivity of the proposed method was also tested. The performance of SHINERS to determine the concentration of nitrite in food, biological and environmental samples was evaluated. The results indicate that SHINERS shows great potential as a useful analytical tool for trace analysis of nitrite in real samples. This proposed method provides a practical protocol for determination of compounds with weak Raman response, and can be expanded for the indirect detection of iodate ion, phenols and aromatic amines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Ti 3 AlC 2 ceramic-reinforced Ag matrix composites exhibit superior electrical contact performance. However, the arc corrosion mechanism of the Ti 3 AlC 2 reinforcing phase has not been clarified; in particular, the intrinsic relationship between the microstructure and mechanical properties needs to be further explored. In this work, by combining micro/nano-indentation, microstructural and chemical composition analysis, COMSOL simulation, and accelerated aging experiments, the relationship among phase transition, microstructural evolution, and macro/micro/nano-mechanical property changes were compared and analyzed. The cycles of arc discharge produced heat accumulation, which was transmitted from the contact surface to the interior in a gradient (divided into Areas α , β , γ). Changes in the structural dissociation, oxidation, and interfacial bonding of Ti 3 AlC 2 with the Ag matrix resulted in different micro/nano-mechanical properties in these areas in terms of micro-hardness, nano-hardness, modulus, and elastic-plasticity. These findings demonstrate the key role of the phase and microstructural evolution of Ti 3 AlC 2 on the mechanical properties of such composites while also providing a mechanical theoretical basis for future structural design and interfacial optimization of eco-friendly Ti 3 AlC 2 -reinforcing phases in Ag matrix composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: An ionic liquid dispersive liquid–liquid microextraction high-performance liquid chromatography (IL-DLLME-HPLC) method for effective enrichment and determination of nitrite ion in water and biological samples was developed. The method was based on the reaction of nitrite ion with p-nitroaniline in the presence of diphenylamine in acid media and IL-DLLME of azo product. The optimization of reaction and extraction conditions, such as kind and concentration of acid, reaction time, volume of reaction solvent, temperature, kind of extraction and dispersive solvent, volume of extraction and dispersive solvent, addition of salt, extraction and centrifugal time were studied. Under the optimal conditions, 1-octyl-3-methylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide IL-DLLME procedure provided high enrichment factor of 430 and good extraction recovery of 91.7% for nitrite ion. The linearity was observed in the range of 0.4–500.0μgL−1 with good correlation coefficient (r 2 =0.9996). The relative standard deviations (RSDs) for five replicate measurements varied between 1.5% and 4.8%. The limit of detection of the method (S/N=3) was 0.05μgL−1. The interference effect of some anions and cations was also tested. The developed method allowed achieving an excellent enrichment factor, yielding a lower LOD in comparison with other methods. Moreover, the proposed method was able to analyze nitrite ion in water and biological samples with satisfactory recovery ranged from 96.5% to 107.3%. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• DESs with low viscosity, density and melting point near room temperature were designed and used. • A centrifugation-free AA-LLME-SFDES method was developed. • Placket-burman design and central composite design were used for the method optimization. • This method was used for simultaneous analysis of bisphenols and PAHs in 15 tea infusions samples. • This method may be developed as a fully automated AA-LLME method. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are a new class of green "designer solvent"; its physicochemical properties can be easily tuned by adjusting DES′ constituents, chemical ratio and water content. In this study, three hydrophobic DESs with low viscosity, low density, and melting points close to room temperature were designed and synthesized. Based on these DESs, an air-assisted liquid–liquid microextraction technique was developed based on the solidification of floating DESs for the simultaneous determination of bisphenols and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) via HPLC. The microextraction parameters were optimized via the Plackett-Burman design and response surface methodologies. The method shows satisfactory linearity (R2 ≥ 0.9928), a low limit of detection (0.16–0.75 μg L−1) and satisfactory precision (≤2.3%), and was successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of bisphenols and PAHs from tea infusions with satisfactory recoveries (82.0–116.6%). This method is simple, rapid, economical, environmentally compatible, dispersive solvent-frees and centrifugation-free, and has promising applications in food safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report a novel biomarker, the antibodies to Endophilin A2 (EA2), for early detection of breast cancer, which represents an improvement over existing serological tumor marker. Combined with the existing serum tumor markers, the positive rate of early breast cancer patients could be significantly improved. With regard to clinical application, EA2 antibody appears to be a diagnostically sensitive biomarker and can therefore serve as a more convenient and accurate auxiliary tool. [Display omitted] • We report a novel biomarker, the antibodies to Endophilin A2, for early detection of breast cancer which represents an improvement over existing serological tumor marker. • Serum Endophilin A2 antibody level has suggestive effect on a variety of cancers, including breast cancer, liver cancer, stomach cancer, and colon cancer. Among them, the diagnosis effect of breast cancer is the best, especially for early breast cancer patients. • We have established a mature detection method, which is convenient, reproducible and more suitable for clinical use. • The combined detection of multiple tumor markers significantly improves the detection rate of early breast cancer patients. Due to the lack of early symptoms, breast cancer is frequently overlooked, leading to distant metastases and multi-organ lesions that directly threaten patients' lives. We have identified a novel tumor marker, antibodies to endophilin A2 (EA2), to improve early diagnosis of breast cancer. Antibody levels of EA2 were analyzed in sera of patients with cancers of different origins and stages by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Diagnostic accuracy and reference range were determined by the area under the receiver operating curve and distribution curve. The levels of EA2 antigen in sera were determined by sandwich ELISA. The levels of antibodies against EA2 were higher in sera of patients with breast cancer (P < 0.0001), liver cancer (P = 0.0005), gastric cancer (P = 0.0026), and colon cancer (P = 0.0349) than those in healthy controls, but not in patients with rectal cancer (P = 0.1151), leukemia (P = 0.7508), or lung cancer (P = 0.2247). The highest diagnostic value was for breast cancer, particularly in early cases (AUC = 0.8014) and those with distant metastases (AUC = 0.7885). The titers of EA2 antibodies in sera were correlated with levels of EA2 antigen in breast cancer patients. Antibodies to EA2 are novel blood biomarkers for early diagnosis of breast cancer that warrants further study in larger-scale cohort studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Novel AA-LLME based on solidification of floating DES method was developed. • DESs with low viscosity, density and melting point near room temperature were used. • Central composite design was used for the method optimization. • This method is simple, low cost, centrifugal-free, and environment friendly. For this work, a novel air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction based on solidification of floating deep eutectic solvent (AA-LLME-SFDES), coupled with a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was developed for the detection of benzophenone and salicylate ultraviolet filters in water samples. Three types of fatty acid-based hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DESs) with low viscosity, low-density, and melting point close to room temperature were prepared and employed as extraction solvents. This air-assisted liquid-liquid microextraction was carried out in a glass centrifuge tube. Subsequently, the glass tube was introduced into ice-water bath and held for 3 min, during which the upper DES phase was solidified. The water phase was easily extracted using a syringe equipped with a long needle, and later, the glass tube was removed from ice-water bath. The solidified DES phase was immediately melted at room temperature and used for HPLC analysis. The response surface methodology was employed to optimize some influencing parameters such as the volume of the extraction solvent, the pH value of sample solution, the number of extraction cycles, and the addition of salt. A quadratic model, namely a central composite design, was used to replace the conventional single factor analysis. It was found that under optimal conditions, the limits of determination and quantification were 0.045–0.54 µg L−1 and 0.15–2.0 µg L−1, respectively. The relative standard deviations for inter-day (n = 5) and intra-day (n = 5) precision were ≤ 4.2%, whereas the enrichment factors for the ultraviolet filters were obtained from 41 to 50. Furthermore, this novel method was successfully employed for the detection of benzophenone and salicylate ultraviolet filters from real water samples. The recoveries ranged from 87.5% to 105.8%, whereas the RSDs were lower than 3.6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• MDRD-C equation may overestimate GFR for early CKD patients over other equations. • CysC-C equation may overestimate GFR for end stage CKD patients over other equations. • CKD-EPI and Cr-CysC equations are suitable for the comprehensive estimation of GFR. • Cr-CysC equation showed higher sensitivity than CKD-EPI equation. Accurate estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and staging of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are important. Thus far, few studies in China have systematically assessed the differences among the various estimated GFR (eGFR) equations in large cohort. A total of 6287 CKD patients and 679 healthy individuals were enrolled. To estimate the GFR values in patients, MDRD, MDRD-China (MDRD-C), CKD-EPI, cystatin-C-China (CysC-C), cystatin-C-KDIGO (CysC-K), and creatinine-cystatin C-KDIGO (Cr-CysC) equations were used. The κ values between the MDRD, MDRD-C, Cr-CysC, CysC-K, and CysC-C equations and the CKD-EPI equation were 0.864, 0.914, 0.638, 0.487, and 0.388, respectively. For patients with lower-stage CKD, the GFR values from MDRD and MDRD-C equations were the highest compared with other equations, whereas the GFR values from CysC-C and CysC-K equations were the lowest. For patients with higher-stage CKD, the CKD-EPI, MDRD, MDRD-C, and Cr-CysC equations showed good consistencies among each other, whereas eGFR from CysC-C equation were higher and the CysC-C and CysC-K equations showed many obviously overestimated outliers. CKD-EPI and Cr-CysC equations were better correlated and consistent with each other in most of the CKD stages. The CKD-EPI and Cr-CysC equations may be more suitable for the comprehensive estimation of GFR in patients with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A serious problem with integrated masonry linings ladle was that the ladle wall bricks were difficult to be partially replaced. Thus, the service life of the ladle was determined by the properties of ladle wall bricks. In this study, the new generation of MgO–Al 2 O 3 –C bricks with bauxite aggregates was tested in a ladle lining of an integrated steel ladle for 103 cycles, and the corroded microstructure of the used brick was investigated. A multilayered structure of bauxite aggregates could be observed in the used brick, which inhibited the slag penetration along the boundary of the magnesia aggregates and reduced the degree of the aggregates fall off from the used bricks. Besides, during the process of slag penetration, bauxite aggregates could melt into the slag, which increased the viscosity of the slag and weakened the penetration ability of the slag. The MgO–Al 2 O 3 –C bricks with bauxite addition could improve the service life of the ladle to a certain extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The shallow and middle plough layers increased soil nutrient accumulation in 0–30 cm. • The deep plough layers increased soil nutrient accumulation in 30–50 cm soil layers. • The middle and deep plough layer promoted root development. • The shallow plough layers presented early maturity and premature senescence. • Soil plough layer 30 cm is conducive to the growth and development of cucumber. Perennial shallow tillage (PST) causes shallow plough layer thickness, deep plough sole layer thickness, and soil quality deterioration during intensive production. Cucumber is an economically important vegetable crop in the world, but it is generally sensitive to PST. Since little information is available regarding the response of soil quality and vegetable growth to PST, a greenhouse field experiment was conducted to investigate effects of plough layer (PL) thickness on soil nutrients, root characteristics, and crop productivity-related parameters in 2017 and 2018. The treatments considered were 10 (PL 10), 20 (PL 20), 30 (PL 30), 40 (PL 40), and 50 cm (PL 50) PLs. Overall, soil nutrients were mainly accumulated in 0–30 cm soil layer (55.6%–93.1%), and generally exhibited lower levels under PL 40 and PL 50 than under other PL treatments. The shallow PL treatments (PL 10 and PL 20) showed lower root volume density, root diameter and root length density, while the deep PL treatments (PL 40 and PL 50) showed higher specific root length. The medium PL treatment (PL 30) promoted root distribution in 0–30 cm soil layer as compared to other PL treatments. Moreover, the PL 30 treatment generally showed the highest values in not only crop productivity-related parameters (i.e. plant biomass and fruit yield) but also soil quality index. In summary, PL thickness played an important role in determining soil nutrient level, root growth and thereby crop yields. The optimal PL thickness for cucumber production was 30-cm, which could benefit not only crop growth but also soil quality. Solid and dotted lines indicate positive and negative correlations, respectively. * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • One-pot Solvent-free Synthesis strategy is proposed to prepare polycycloalkanes. • Novel NbOPO 4 nanosheets were fabricated to integrate alkylation and HDO processes. • Accessible Brønsted acidic sites of NbOPO 4 nanosheet favors alkylation. • Cocatalysts of NbOPO 4 and Ru/C accelerate the hydrodeoxygenation rate. • A renewable fuel of perhydrofluorene and dicyclohexylmethane was selectively prepared. Upgrading lignocellulose biomass to renewable fuels is essential to achieve carbon neutrality. However, the multiple synthetic, and purification steps as well as the employment of solvents in the production of renewable fuel inhibit the overall yields and cause the waste of energy and resources. Herein, a new catalytic strategy for one-pot solvent-free sequential synthesis (OSS) of perhydrofluorene and dicyclohexylmethane was developed from lignin-derivatives. A two-dimensional layered nanosheet niobium phosphate (NbOPO 4 -IB) catalyst was fabricated to efficiently integrate the alkylation of phenol and benzyl alcohol and sequential hydrodeoxygenation with a cocatalyst of Ru/C. The high crystalline NbOPO 4 phase and the lamellar morphology contributes to the large specific surface area to expose more active sites, especially more Brønsted acid sites. The NbOPO 4 -IB catalyst with a suitable Brønsted/Lewis acid ratio of 1.49 favors the selectivity of fuel precursors benzyl phenol in the alkylation and also provides the appropriate acid strength to promote hydrodeoxygenation activity. NbOPO 4 -IB also shows good reusability. Excessive phenol plays a vital role in promoting the alkylation reaction by dissolving the intermediates, and then into cyclohexane to enhance the H 2 dissolution in the hydrodeoxygenation. A possible mechanism of OSS from lignin-derivatives into polycycloalkanes over the cocatalysts was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecularly-imprinted polymers (MIPs), possessing tailor-made recognition sites, can specifically rebind to a target molecule in preference to analogous compounds. Molecular-imprinting technology is a powerful tool in the development of highly selective analytical methods. MIPs are especially good candidates as adsorbents for sample preparation, due to their high selectivity and their ability to pre-concentrate the analytes from a complex sample matrix. In this article, we review and discuss the recent applications of MIPs to sample preparation. We briefly discuss the principle and the synthesis of MIPs. We critically evaluate novel applications of MIPs in different formats, including solid-phase extraction, solid-phase microextraction, stir-bar sorptive extraction, and magnetic beads. We especially highlight new formats and microextraction methods. We then discuss the problems and the future expected trends in these research areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• CsMYB6 is an important component of the molecular network that regulates fruit spine and tubercule formation in cucumber. • CsMYB6 directly interacts with the key spine formation factor CsTTG1 to regulate spine development in cucumber. • CsMYB6 negatively regulates tubercule formation in cucumber by interacting with the C2H2-type zinc-finger protein CsTu. Cucumber fruit wart composed of tubercule and spine (trichome on fruit) is not only an important fruit quality trait in cucumber production, but also a well-studied model for plant cell-fate determination. The development of spine is closely related to the initiation and formation of tubercule. The spine differentiation regulator CsGL1 has been proved to be epistatic to the tubercule initiation factor CsTu , which is the only connection to be identified between spine and tubercule formations. Our previous studies found that the MIXTA-LIKE transcription factor CsMYB6 can suppress fruit spine initiation, which is independent of CsGL1. How the formation of spine and tubercule is regulated at the molecular level by CsMYB6 remains poorly understood. In this study, we characterized cucumber 35S : CsMYB6 transgenic plants, which displayed an obvious reduction in the number and size of fruit spines and tubecules. Molecular analyses showed that CsMYB6 directly interacted with the key spine formation factor CsTTG1 in regulating the formation of fruit spine, and CsTu in regulating the initiation of fruit tubercule, respectively. Based on these evidences, a novel regulatory network is proposed by which CsMYB6/CsTTG1 and CsMYB6/CsTu complexes play an important role in regulating epidermal development, including spine formation and tubercule initiation in cucumber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Nanozymes' activities could be regulated by a simple and effective pH change in an in situ manner. In this work, for the first time, the peroxidase-like activity of Ni/Co layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was regulated via the alkaline-promoted reaction of fluorogenic substrate homovanillic acid and H 2 O 2 , and a promising tool for pH sensing was developed over the pH range of 8.3–9.6. As peroxidase nanozyme model, Ni/Co LDHs showed ease of preparation, low-cost, and water-solubility, which played an important role in this luminescence system. Based on the pH-dependent regulation of the Ni/Co LDHs activity, we constructed the bioassay platform for the determination urea, urease, penicillin G, and penicillinase with a wide linear range of 17–1000 µM, 3.3–270 mU mL−1, 3.3–1300 µM and 3.3–100 mU mL−1, respectively. This study not only demonstrated the alkaline-promoted modulation the nanozymes' activities, but also established a facile approach to develop novel bioassays. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • The alkaline-promoted regulating Ni/Co LDHs' peroxidase-like activity has been explored. • A pH sensor was developed based on the system of Ni/Co LDHs-HVA-H 2 O 2. • A platform for the detection urea, urease, penicillin G, and penicillinase was established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The synthesis of nanoscale zero-valent iron (NZVI) with dimensions ranging from 20 to 100 nm has received tremendous attention in the control of environmental pollutants. However, due to strong magnetic attraction and van der Waals forces of NZVI, creating well-dispersed and stable NZVI particles with subnanometre size while avoiding their aggregation and retaining surface activity is a challenge. Here, for the first time, a novel Fe0@NH 2 -SiO 2 nanocomposite was prepared by making SiO 2 amino-functionalization in a simple process of hydrolysis polymerization, grafting Fe3+ on NH 2 -SiO 2 nanospheres, and reduction by sodium borohydrid. It was found that the surface of NH 2 -SiO 2 nanospheres (around 200 nm) was uniformly decorated by plentiful of well-defined Fe0 nanoparticles with a diameter of <10 nm. The as-synthesized NZVI particles exhibited some unique features, such as ultra small size and excellent dispersibility, which significantly enhanced their reactivity in the removal of pollutants from water. Compared with the unsupported NZVI, these supported Fe0 nanoparticles showed a remarkable reduction activity in the application for the removal of water pollutants, and could be recycled easily with the aid of NaBH 4. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • NH 2 -SiO 2 nanospheres were successfully prepared for the first time in a facile one-step method. • NZVI particles were successfully decorated on the surface of NH 2 -SiO 2 under mild conditions. • Highly dispersed NZVI particles have ultrafine particles sizes (<10 nm). • Fe0@NH 2 -SiO 2 nanocomposite exhibits high-performance removal of water pollutants. • Fe0@NH 2 -SiO 2 can be recycled easily in the presence of NaBH 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Eruption of the rising bubbles causes the sand particles to be elutriated. • Lateral fuel injection leads to a non-uniform distribution of fluxes and gas species. • Temperature variation at z = 0.5 m leads to the sudden changes in gas thermal properties. • The HTC of sand particles ranges from 80 to 200 W/(m2·K) in the BFBG. • Sand particles have a larger Rep in the bubble phase but a smaller Rep in the dense phase. A reactive multiphase particle-in-cell approach is developed to explore the air-blown coal gasification in a bubbling fluidized bed reactor. The model is validated by comparing the predicted bed hydrodynamics and product yields with experimental data. Subsequently, the gas thermal properties and particle-scale behaviours are comprehensively explored. The results show that: (i) the density difference between two solid species gives rise to spatial segregation, which further affects the gasification process. The presence of coal feeding port causes the non-uniform distribution of bed hydrodynamics. (ii) the combustible gases species distribute above the coal feeding port. The concentration of gas species continuously increases while the gas temperature changes little in the dense region. (iii) the slip velocity of sand particles ranges from 0 to 4 m/s; the temperature ranges from 1000 K to 1150 K, and the heat transfer coefficient ranges from 80 W/(m2·K) to 200 W/(m2·K). Compared with sand, coal particles have a larger heat transfer coefficient and particle Reynolds number (Rep). Coal particles reach the maximum temperature of about 1100 K in the period of 3 s after being injected into the bed. (iv) bubble and emulsion phases give a larger Rep and smaller Rep due to the dominant role of the interphase drag force and inter-particle collision force, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A method for separating FWA52 from foods by in situ formation of hydrophobic DES was established. • High concentration of inorganic salts and organic compounds had no effect on the separation process. • This strategy could be used directly to extract FWA52 at ultra-trace level (0.05 μg/L) • The established method was simple, rapid and environment-friendly. Fluorescent brightener 52 (FWA52) is a coumarin-based compound, and it is difficult to degrade owing to its high chemical stability. Up to now, several methods have been developed to extract and determine FWAs, but toxic, volatile and harmful organic solvents are often used. In this paper, a novel method for the extraction and analysis of FWA52 is proposed for the first time by in situ formation of hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent (DES) with parabens in aqueous solution. The effects of paraben structure, solution pH, system temperature, extractant dosage and initial FWA52 concentration on the extraction recovery were investigated systematically. It is shown that FWA52 can be extracted by 2-ethylhexyl 4-hydroxybenzoate at ultra-trace level (0.05 μg/L FWA52) at room temperature without using harmful organic solvents, and various coexisting inorganic ions and organic compounds have little effect on the extraction efficiency. Based on these results, a novel and simple strategy is developed for the accurate determination of FWA52 in water. It is found that under the optimal experimental conditions, the linear range of this method is 0.20~25 μg/L (R2 = 0.9995), and the detection limit and the quantity limit are 0.045 μg/L and 0.20 μg/L respectively. This method has been successfully applied for the determination of FWA52 in actual food samples and food contact materials, such as noodles, fish balls, mushroom and paper cups, with a recovery from 82 to 113% and a relative standard deviation (RSD) from 4.7 to 9.9%. In addition, the separation mechanism was investigated by FT-IR and 1H NMR, and was discussed from strong hydrogen bonding between FWA52 and 2-ethylhexyl 4-hydroxybenzoate and the formation of corresponding DES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highly efficient and selective separation of Cr (VI) is great of importance in environmental pollution control. In this study, a novel family of hydrophobic DESs has been designed and synthesized by mixing parabens and quaternary ammonium, and then used to extract heavy metal Cr (VI) from water phase and the content of Cr (VI) is measured by 1,5-diphenylcarbazide spectrophotometry. It is found that the hydrophobic DESs exhibit excellent extraction performance towards Cr (VI). At the 1:1 M ratio of DES to Cr (VI), the extraction capacity is as high as 66.7 mg g−1, the extraction efficiency is greater than 90% for ultra-trace Cr (VI) (0.51 μg L−1), and the preconcentration factor is up to 700. When the concentration of coexisting metal ions (Cd2+, Cu2+) and organic compounds ((C 6 H 10 O 5) n , C 6 H 12 O 6 ·H 2 O) is 2000 times that of Cr (VI), the extraction efficiency is still above 90%. Compared with ionic liquid extractants, the preparation process of DES is very simple, the atomic utilization rate is 100%, and no waste is produced. These hydrophobic DESs have been used to separate and enrich Cr (VI) from actual water samples with satisfactory recoveries. The possible extraction mechanism is investigated by FT-IR and 1H NMR. Image 1 • Five kinds of novel hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents (DES) are designed and prepared for the first time. • The preparation process is simple, cheap and does not produce any waste, and the DESs themselves have low toxicity. • The hydrophobic DESs exhibit outstanding extraction performance towards Cr (VI) at both high concentration and ppb level. • Inorganic metal ions and organic compounds do not interfere with the extraction of Cr (VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]