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Flue gas desulfurization facilities produce flue gas desulfurization ash (FGDA), which has ecological and economic benefits. In this article, we explored the possibility and impact of using FGDA as the sole reinforcing filler to mechanically improve epoxidized natural rubber (ENR). The influence on the properties of the composites was examined. FGDA exhibits good interfacial interaction and compatibility with ENR, which improves the mechanical properties of ENR. When 15 phr FGDA was added, the tensile strength of the composites increased by approximately 41.4% compared with that of pure ENR. This work demonstrates the possibility of using FGDA as an effective and sole reinforcing material to enhance the properties of rubber materials. Highlights * FGDA improves the mechanical properties of ENR as a sole reinforcing filler. * FGDA reacts with ENR during vulcanization, enhancing compatibility. * Adding 15 phr FGDA to ENR increases the tensile strength by 41.4%. KEYWORDS composites, mechanical properties, rubber, vulcanization, 1 | INTRODUCTION Flue gas desulfurization ash (FGDA) is a substance created during the semidry desulfurization process, which involves using Ca[(OH).sub.2] to react with S[O.sub.2] generated from fossil fuel combustion [...]

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that leads to dementia and poses a serious threat to the health of the elderly. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) presents as a promising novel therapeutic therapy for preventing and treating dementia. Studies have shown that natural products derived from kidney-tonifying herbs can effectively inhibit AD. Furthermore, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is a critical factor in the pathology of AD. Regulation of ER stress is a crucial approach to prevent and treat AD. Thus, in this study, we first collected kidney-tonifying herbs, integrated chemical ingredients from multiple TCM databases, and constructed a comprehensive drug-target network. Subsequently, we employed the endophenotype network (network proximity) method to identify potential active ingredients in kidney-tonifying herbs that prevented AD via regulating ER stress. By combining the predicted outcomes, we discovered that 32 natural products could ameliorate AD pathology via regulating ER stress. After a comprehensive evaluation of the multi-network model and systematic pharmacological analyses, we further selected several promising compounds for in vitro testing in the APP-SH-SY5Y cell model. Experimental results showed that echinacoside and danthron were able to effectively reduce ER stress-mediated neuronal apoptosis by inhibiting the expression levels of BIP, p-PERK, ATF6, and CHOP in APP-SH-SY5Y cells. Overall, this study utilized the endophenotype network to preliminarily decipher the effective material basis and potential molecular mechanism of kidney-tonifying Chinese medicine for prevention and treatment of AD., Competing Interests: The authors do not have any potential conflicts of interest.The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)