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The low-cost and highly-efficient photocatalysts for solar-light induced water splitting had drawn great attention to develop the renewable hydrogen economy. To enhance the solar-light driven H2 evolution of Mn0.5Cd0.5S, Mn0.5Cd0.5S was modified by S,N-codoped carbon (3-MCS/SN-C) via the in-situ sulfurization at high temperature. In contrast with Mn0.5Cd0.5S (11.13 mmol g-1 h-1) and S-doped g-C3N4 (0.35 mmol g-1 h-1), the optimal 3-MCS/SN-C with a mass ratio of Mn0.5Cd0.5S to S,N-codoped carbon of 1:3 exhibited the best H2 evolution rate of 27.58 mmol g-1 h-1 and an apparent quantum yield of 27.43% at 400 nm. The photo-corrosion induced to the decreased H2 evolution capacity of 3-MCS/SN-C from 131.13 to 126.52 mmol g-1 after five cycles of 5 h. S,N-codoped carbon could efficiently capture visible light and absorb the photons, leading to the efficient transformation and separation of photo-generated carriers at the junction interface between Mn0.5Cd0.5S and S,N-codoped carbon.

This paper focused on the oxidation–alkaline extraction process of vanadium–chromium–reducing residue. The affected parameters including reaction temperature, KMnO4 dosage, reaction time, NaOH dosage, and liquid-to-solid ratio on the extraction process were investigated. The E–pH diagram and the thermodynamic analysis indicated that KMnO4 was suitable for the oxidation of low-valence vanadium and chromium. Vanadium (97.24%) and chromium (56.20%) were extracted under the following optimal reaction conditions: reaction temperature of 90 °C, reaction time of 90 min, dosage of KMnO4 at m(KMnO4)/m(residue) = 0.40, dosage of NaOH at m(NaOH)/m(residue) = 0.30, and liquid-to-solid ratio at 5:1 mL/g. The extraction process of vanadium was controlled by the reactant through the solid product layer and the extraction kinetics behavior fitted well with the shrink core model with an Ea of 15.37 kJ/mol. At the same time, the surface chemical reaction was the controlling step for chromium extraction, which was difficult with an Ea of 39.78 kJ/mol.

Taking the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation to Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation shale reservoirs in western Chongqing area as the study target, the argon ion polishing scanning electron microscope and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments of different saturated wetting media were carried out. Based on the image processing technology and the results of gas desorption, the pore-fracture configuration of the shale reservoirs and its influence on gas-filled mechanism were analyzed. (1) The reservoir space includes organic pores, inorganic pores and micro-fractures and there are obvious differences between wells in the development characteristics of micro-fractures; the organic pores adjacent to the micro-fractures are poorly developed, while the inorganic pores are well preserved. (2) According to the type, development degree and contact relationship of organic pore and micro-fracture, the pore-fracture configuration of the shale reservoir is divided into four types. (3) Based on the differences in NMR T2 spectra of shale samples saturated with oil and water, an evaluation parameter of pore-fracture configuration was constructed and calculated. The smaller the parameter, the better the pore-fracture configuration is. (4) The shale reservoir with good pore-fracture configuration has well-developed organic pores, high porosity, high permeability and high gas content, while the shale reservoir with poor pore-fracture configuration has micro-fractures developed, which improves the natural gas conductivity and leads to low porosity and gas content of the reservoir. (5) Based on pore-fracture configuration, from the perspective of organic matter generating hydrocarbon, micro-fracture providing migration channel, three types of micro gas-filled models of shale gas were established.

Bamboo is a fast-growing perennial plant rich at lignocellulose convertible for biofuels and biochemical production. Despite various physical and chemical pretreatments have been implemented for bamboo biomass utilization, it becomes essential to explore optimal technology for complete biomass saccharification to maximize bioethanol production in the desirable bamboo substrates. In this study, the steam explosion followed with optimized green-liquor pretreatments were conducted in different-year-old bamboo samples using response surface methodology. Compared to the older samples, the one-year-old bamboo (PhY1) showed a complete biomass enzymatic saccharification with hexoses yield of 100.0% (% cellulose), leading to the highest bioethanol yield of 20.3% (% dry biomass) achieved among all previously-reported bamboo processes. Notably, those combined pretreatments could not only cause an effective co-extraction of hemicellulose-lignin complexes, but also distinctively modify major wall polymer features (cellulose DP and accessibility, hemicellulosic Xyl/Ara and lignin S/G) for significantly reduced lignocellulose recalcitrance, which should lead to an integrated enhancement to biomass enzymatic saccharification in the PhY1 bamboo sample. Therefore, this study has demonstrated a powerful strategy for a green-like biomass process, providing an applicable technology to achieve maximum bioethanol production in bamboo and other lignin-rich bioenergy crops.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is one of the most widely used methods in the field of sustainable bioenergy production from various feedstock. One such feedstock is algae waste which has become an increasingly serious environmental problem. AD of algal biomass is hindered by the presence of resistant cell walls; hence a pretreatment step is usually required to decompose the cell wall structure. This study uses green algae (Enteromorpha) and anaerobic sludge as raw materials to explore the impact of autoclave (AC) pretreatment on biogas production. AC pretreatment was performed at 120 °C and 80 °C. The cumulative biogas production of the 120 °C AC pretreatment, 80 °C AC pretreatment and control group were 600 mL, 450 mL and 400 mL, respectively. The results showed that AC pretreatment improved the biodegradability of biomass as 120 °C AC pretreatment group achieved higher degradation rate of cells (95.99 %). The energy evaluation showed that the net energy ratio of the 120 °C AC pretreatment group was 1.07, indicating high overall energy gain via AD process. The experimental data is further modeled by using Modified Gompertz Model (MGM) and Logistic Function Model (LFM). To check the applicability of better model for this AD process, an Akaike Information Criteria (AIC) test was performed. AIC showed that the MGM is basically consistent with the experimental data and more reliable for prediction modeling of Enteromorpha AD.

Bioenergy crops provide enormous renewable biomass resources convertible for biofuel production, but lignocellulose recalcitrance fundamentally determines its enzymatic saccharification at high cost and low efficiency. In this study, total 30 diverse Miscanthus lignocellulose substrates were incubated with T. reesei strain to secret lignocellulose-degradation enzymes, and their major wall polymers features (cellulose crystallinity, hemicellulose arabinose and lignin H-monomer) were meanwhile examined with distinct impacts on the enzyme activities. Using characteristic Miscanthus (Msi62) de-lignin residue as inducing substrate with the reesei strain, this study detected that the Msi62-induced enzymes were of consistently higher enhancements on enzymatic saccharification of various lignocellulose residues examined in 17 grassy and woody bioenergy crops, particularly for the hemicellulose hydrolyses, compared to other two reesei-secreted cellulases and three commercial enzymes. Notably, based on SDS-gel protein separation profiling and LC-MS/MS analysis, the Msi62-induced enzymes consist of distinct cellulases (CBHI, BG, EGII) compositions and high-activity xylanases. Therefore, this study has demonstrated an applicable approach to achieve the optimal cellulases and xylanases cocktails that enable for low-costly and high-efficient enzymatic saccharification of diverse lignocellulose sources, providing a potential strategy for large-scale biofuel production in all major bioenergy crops.

An asymmetric [3 + 2] cycloaddition of vinyl ethylenecarbonates (VECs) and (E)-3-arylvinyl substituted benzo[d] isothiazole 1,1-dioxides has been developed using the Pd complex of a bidentate phosphoramidite (Me-BIPAM) as the catalyst, providing a wide variety of chiral multistereogenic vinyltetrahydrofurans in good yields with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities (up to >20:1 dr, 99% ee).

Convenient and integration fabrication process is a key issue for the application of functional nanofibers. A surface functionalization method was developed based on coaxial electrospinning to produce ultraviolet(UV) protection nanofibers. The titanium dioxide(TiO2) nanoparticles suspension was delivered through the shell channel of the coaxial spinneret, by which the aggregation of TiO2 nanoparticles was overcome and the distribution uniformity on the surface of polyethylene oxide(PEO) nanofiber was obtained. With the content of TiO2 increasing from 0 to 3%(mass fraction), the average diameter of nanofibers increased from (380± 30) nm to (480±100) nm. The surface functionalization can be realized during the electrospinning process to gain PEO/TiO2 composite nanofibers directly. The uniform distribution of TiO2 nanoparticles on the surface of nanofibers enhanced the UV absorption and resistance performance. The maximum UV protection factor(UPF) value of composite nanofibers reaches 2751. This work presented a novel surface-functionalized way for the preparation of composite nanofiber, which has great application potential in the field of micro/nano system integration fabrication.

Combination therapy such as photodynamic therapy (PDT)-enhanced chemotherapy is regarded as a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY), as close relatives of porphyrins, was widely used in PDT. However, poor water solubility, rapid metabolism by the body and lack of targeting limits its clinical application. Lenvatinib, as the first-line drug for molecular-targeted therapy of liver cancer, restricted its clinical application for its side effects. Herein, to achieve the synergy between PDT and chemotherapy, we synthesized two halogenated BODIPY, BDPBr2 and BDPCl2, which were prepared into self-assembly nanoparticles with lenvatinib, and were encapsulated with Pluronic F127 through the nanoprecipitation method, namely, LBPNPs (LBBr2 NPs and LBCl2 NPs). The fluorescence quantum yields of LBPNPs were 0.73 and 0.71, respectively. The calculated loading rates of lenvatinib for LBBr2 NPs and LBCl2 NPs were 11.8 and 10.2%, respectively. LBPNPs can be hydrolyzed under weakly acidic conditions (pH 5.0) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the release rate of lenvatinib reached 88.5 and 82.4%. Additionally, LBPNPs can be effectively taken up by Hep3B and Huh7 liver cancer cells, releasing halogenated BODIPY and lenvatinib in the acidic environment of tumor cells to enhance the targeting performance of chemotherapeutics. Compared with free lenvatinib and separate halogenated BODIPY, LBPNPs can inhibit tumor growth more effectively through pH-responsive chemo/photodynamic synergistic therapy and significantly promote the cascade of caspase apoptotic protease. This study shows that LBPNPs can be a promising nanotheranostic agent for synergetic chemo/photodynamic liver cancer therapy.

The dynamics of adsorption and desorption of counterions on a polyelectrolyte chain in aqueous solution is studied at a single molecular level. The investigation is through the process of fluoresce...

Jia Yu,1,* Hongyan Sun,2,* Jinhua Zhu,3,* Xintong Wei,1 Hongfei Shi,2 Bin Shen,3 Liyun Ren,1 Yan He,1 Rongyan Zhang,3 Mingzhi Zhang,1 Hao Peng1,4 1Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Center for Disease Prevention and Control of Tianning District, Changzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Center for Disease Prevention and Control of Wujiang District, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Preventive and Translational Medicine for Geriatric Diseases, Soochow University, Suzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Hao PengDepartment of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Medical College of Soochow University, 199 Renai Road, Industrial Park, Suzhou, 215123, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 512 6588 0078Fax +86 512 6588 0052Email penghao@suda.edu.cnObjective: The relationship between obesity and hyperuricemia has been demonstrated by many studies. However, whether or to what extent metabolic condition influents the association between obesity and hyperuricemia was not clear. Here, we aimed to examine the association between obese-metabolic phenotype and hyperuricemia in a large sample of Chinese adults.Methods: According to BMI and metabolic syndrome, obese-metabolic phenotype was defined as metabolically unhealthy obesity (MUO), metabolically healthy obesity (MHO), metabolically unhealthy non-obesity (MUNO) and metabolically healthy non-obesity (MHNO)in the Tianning cohort (N=5072). We conducted a cross-sectional analysis between obese-metabolic phenotype and hyperuricemia, followed by a Mendelian Randomization analysis using GWAS summary data to confirm the causality between uric acid and BMI.Results: The average level of serum UA showed 41.87-higher μmol/L in participants with MHO (β=41.87, P< 0.001) and 63.18-higher μmol/L in participants with MUO (β=63.18, P< 0.001), compared to those with MHNO. Compared to participants with MHNO, those with MUO had the highest likelihood to have hyperuricemia (OR=4.56, P< 0.001), followed by those with MHO (OR=3.32, P< 0.001). Mendelian randomization analysis indicated that uric acid was more likely to be a consequence of BMI (β=0.059, P=6.54× 10− 154).Conclusion: MUO, in comparison with MHO, was significantly associated with hyperuricemia in Chinese adults.Keywords: metabolic syndrome, obesity, serum uric acid, hyperuricemia

In this paper, the aluminum (Al) treatment-induced doping effect on the formation of conductive source-drain (SD) regions of self-aligned top-gate (SATG) amorphous indium gallium zinc oxide (a-InGaZnO or a-IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs) is systematically investigated. Average carrier concentration over 1 × 1020 cm-3 and sheet resistance of around 500 Ω/sq result from the Al reaction doping. It is shown that the doping effect is of bulk despite the treatment at the surface. The doping process is disclosed to be a chemical oxidation-reduction reaction, that generates defects of oxygen vacancies and metal interstitials at the metal/a-IGZO interface. Both the generated oxygen vacancies and metal interstitials act as shallow donors, and the oxygen vacancies diffuse rapidly, leading to the bulk-doping effect. The fabricated SATG a-IGZO TFTs with the Al reaction-doped SD regions exhibit both high performance and excellent stability, featuring a low width-normalized SD resistance of about 10 Ω cm, a decent saturation mobility of 13 cm2/(V s), an off current below 1 × 10-13 A, a threshold voltage of 0.5 V, a slight hysteresis of -0.02 V, and a less than 0.1 V threshold voltage shift under 30 V gate bias stresses for 2000 s.

RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) is a well-validated tool for detecting gene fusions in fresh-frozen tumors; however, RNA-seq is much more challenging to use with formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tumor samples. We evaluated the performance of RNA-seq to detect gene fusions in clinical FFPE tumor samples. Our assay identified all 15 spiked-in NTRK fusions from RNA reference material and six known fusions from five cancer cell lines. Limit of detection for the assay was assessed with a series of dilutions of RNA from the cell line H2228. These fusions can be detected when the dilution is down to 10%. Good intra-assay and interassay reproducibility was observed in three specimens. For clinical validation, the assay detected 10 of 12 fusions initially identified by a DNA panel (covering 23 gene fusions) in clinical specimens (83.3% sensitivity), whereas one fusion (MET fusion) was identified in another 34 fusion-negative tumor specimens as determined by the DNA panel (negative prediction value of 94.3%). This MET fusion was confirmed by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing, which found that this is a false-negative result for the DNA panel. The assay also identified 26 extra fusions not covered by the DNA panel, 20 (76.9%) of which were validated by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Therefore, this RNA assay has reasonable performance and could complement DNA-based next-generation sequencing assays.

Targeting the SARS-CoV-2 main protease Vaccines are an important tool in the fight against COVID-19, but developing antiviral drugs is also a high priority, especially with the rise of variants that may partially evade vaccines. The viral protein main protease is required for cleaving precursor polyproteins into functional viral proteins. This essential function makes it a key drug target. Qiao et al. designed 32 inhibitors based on either boceprevir or telaprevir, both of which are protease inhibitors approved to treat hepatitis C virus. Six compounds protected cells from viral infection with high potency, and two of these were selected for in vivo studies based on pharmokinetic experiments. Both showed strong antiviral activity in a mouse model. Science, this issue p. 1374, Designed SARS-CoV-2 Mpro (main protease) inhibitors display excellent antiviral activity both in vitro and in a transgenic mouse model., The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continually poses serious threats to global public health. The main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 plays a central role in viral replication. We designed and synthesized 32 new bicycloproline-containing Mpro inhibitors derived from either boceprevir or telaprevir, both of which are approved antivirals. All compounds inhibited SARS-CoV-2 Mpro activity in vitro, with 50% inhibitory concentration values ranging from 7.6 to 748.5 nM. The cocrystal structure of Mpro in complex with MI-23, one of the most potent compounds, revealed its interaction mode. Two compounds (MI-09 and MI-30) showed excellent antiviral activity in cell-based assays. In a transgenic mouse model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, oral or intraperitoneal treatment with MI-09 or MI-30 significantly reduced lung viral loads and lung lesions. Both also displayed good pharmacokinetic properties and safety in rats.

In nature, permafrost regions and deep ocean sediments contain a large amount of gas hydrate. As a basic property of the sediments, the particle size of the porous media is a critical factor affect...

Context Eriodictyol (EDT) is a flavonoid with strong anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and antioxidant properties. Objective To investigate the protective effect and mechanism of EDT in ulcerative colitis (UC). Materials and methods UC model was induced by 3% dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) solution for 7 days, meanwhile, EDT and Smoothened (Smo) inhibitor cyclopamine (Cyc) were intraperitoneally injected. In the first experiment, C57BL/6 mice divided into blank control, DSS, DSS + EDT (20 or 40 mg/kg) groups. In second experiment, added Cyc (5 mg/kg) and EDT + Cyc groups. All mice were sacrificed on day 8. Disease activity index (DAI), colon length and colon histology as well as MDA levels, SOD, and GSH-Px activities were measured. The expression of Sonic hedgehog (Shh), Patched, Smo, glioblastoma-1, zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1), occludin, cleaved caspase 3, Bax and Bcl-2 in colon was detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting. Results After EDT treatment, compared with the DSS group, DAI (2.33 ± 0.516 vs. 3.67 ± 0.516), colon shortening (5.27 ± 0.476 vs. 4.53 ± 0.528 cm) and histological score (6.67 ± 1.211 vs. 12 ± 1.265) was significantly decreased. EDT also reduced inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis in colon. Additionally, EDT increased the expression of the tight junction proteins ZO-1 (35%) and occludin (66.3%). Mechanistically, EDT upregulated the Shh signalling pathway. However, Cyc-mediated inhibition of the Shh pathway partially abolished the effects of EDT. Discussion and Conclusions These results indicate EDT attenuates DSS-induced colitis by activating the Shh pathway. Further clinical trials are needed to demonstrate its efficacy on UC.

The dissolution–precipitation behavior of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) in molten lithium fluoride–beryllium fluoride (LiF–BeF2, (2 : 1 mol, FLiBe)) eutectic salt at 873 K was studied. The results of the dissolution experiment showed that the saturated solubility of ZrO2 in the FLiBe melt was 3.84 × 10−3 mol kg−1 with equilibrium time of 6 h, and its corresponding apparent solubility product (K′sp) was 3.40 × 10−5 mol3 kg−3. The interaction between Zr(IV) and O2− was studied by titrating lithium oxide (Li2O) into the FLiBe melt containing zirconium tetrafluoride (ZrF4), and the concentration of residual Zr(IV) in the melt gradually decreased due to precipitate formation. The precipitate corresponded to ZrO2, as confirmed by the stoichiometric ratio and X-ray diffraction analysis. The K′sp was 3.54 × 10−5 mol3 kg−3, which was highly consistent with that from the dissolution experiment. The obtained K′sp of ZrO2 was in the same order of magnitude as that of uranium dioxide (UO2), indicating that a considerable amount of ZrF4 could inhibit the UO2 formation when oxide contamination occurred in the melt containing ZrF4 and uranium tetrafluoride (UF4). Further oxide titration in the LiF–BeF2–ZrF4 (5 mol%)–UF4 (1.2 mol%) system showed that ZrO2 was formed first with O2− addition less than 1 mol kg−1, and the precipitation of UO2 began only after the O2− addition reached 1 mol kg−1 and the precipitation of ZrO2 decreased the ZrF4 concentration to 0.72 mol kg−1 (3 mol%). Lastly, UO2 and ZrO2 coprecipitated with further O2− addition of more than 1 mol kg−1. The preferential formation of ZrO2 effectively avoided the combination of UF4 and O2−. This study provides a solution for the control of UO2 precipitation in molten salt reactors.

The banana is an important fruit crop that generates enormous quantities of lignocellulose-rich pseudostem residues that can be converted into biofuels and biochemicals. By performing response surface methodological modeling, optimized green liquor (GL) and liquid hot water (LHW) pretreatments of representative banana samples were studied. Using banana (BP-1) pseudostem residues rich in directly fermentable soluble sugars (27% hexoses and 2.7% pentoses via dry matter) and easily digestible xyloglucans, we measured nearly complete enzymatic saccharification with a hexose yield of 99% (% cellulose) from the most optimal GL pretreatment under relatively mild conditions. Notably, both optimal LHW (20 min, 110 °C) and GL (26.74% TTA, 105 °C, 26 min) pretreatments led to the highest bioethanol yields achieved thus far, at 27% and 31% (% dry matter), respectively, subjective to yeast fermentation with all hexose sources obtained in the BP-1 sample. Furthermore, we determined that optimal LHW and GL pretreatments extracted lignin by 25% and 40%, and reduced the cellulose crystalline index by 35% and 44% and polymerization degree by 34% and 36%, respectively, with distinctively altered lignin and hemicellulose features. Cellulose accessibility was increased 2–3 fold for remarkably enhanced enzymatic saccharification of biomass. Hence, we propose a mechanism model to elucidate why banana lignocellulose underwent complete biomass enzymatic saccharification under mild green-like pretreatments, providing an applicable strategy that can be used to produce large quantities of bioethanol from banana lignocellulose residues and beyond.

Enantioselective copper-catalyzed cascade inter- and intramolecular amidation was achieved between ethynyl benzoxazinanones and α-halohydroxamates in the presence of an indapybox ligand. The one-pot cascade transformation was triggered by the attack of hydroxamates to dipolar copper–allenylidene intermediates, followed by a nucleophilic annulation reaction. Thus, a series of exo-methylene 3-aminoindoline derivatives were obtained in good yields with high enantioselectivities under mild reaction conditions.

Vanadium-chromium reducing residue was not only a typical solid waste in the steel industry but also a valuable secondary source for recovery of vanadium and chromium. A highly efficient oxidative-alkaline-leaching technology with Na

Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) plays a significant role in DNA repair responses; therefore, this enzyme is targeted by PARP inhibitors in cancer therapy. Here we have developed a number of fused tetra- or pentacyclic dihydrodiazepinoindolone derivatives with excellent PARP enzymatic and cellular PARylation inhibition activities. These efforts led to the identification of pamiparib (BGB-290, 139), which displays excellent PARP-1 and PARP-2 inhibition with IC50 of 1.3 and 0.9 nM, respectively. In a cellular PARylation assay, this compound inhibits PARP activity with IC50 = 0.2 nM. Cocrystal of pamiparib shows similar binding sites with PARP with other PARP inhibitors, but pamiparib is not a P-gp substrate and shows excellent drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics (DMPK) properties with significant brain penetration (17-19%, mice). The compound is currently being investigated in phase III clinical trials as a maintenance therapy in platinum-sensitive ovarian cancer and gastric cancer.

Apoptosis of osteoblasts caused by glucocorticoid (GC) is the biological basis of steroid‐induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head (SANFH). We found that GC can induce osteoblast apoptosis and autophagy through the ROS/JNK/c‐Jun signaling pathway, which contributes to SANFH. Therefore, the autophagy inhibitor 3‐MA might have potential for development into a treatment for SANFH., Osteonecrosis of the femoral head (ONFH) is a common clinical disease with a high disability rate. Apoptosis of osteoblasts caused by high‐dose short‐term or low‐dose long‐term glucocorticoid (GC) administration is the biological basis of steroid‐induced avascular necrosis of the femoral head (SANFH). The pathogenesis of SANFH has not yet been fully elucidated, and there is currently a lack of effective clinical treatments. Here, we investigated the role of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)/JNK/c‐Jun signaling pathway in SANFH. Dexamethasone (Dex) was used to induce apoptosis in osteoblasts, and this resulted in a significant increase in levels of p‐JNK, p‐c‐Jun, Bax, caspase‐3, caspase‐9, cytochrome C, Beclin‐1, and LC3, and a decrease in levels of P62 and Bcl‐2. In addition, intracellular ROS levels were increased and mitochondrial membrane potential was decreased. Administration of 3‐MA, an autophagy inhibitor, attenuated Dex‐mediated changes in autophagy and apoptosis. A rat model of ONFH exhibited severe bone trabecular hollow bone pits along with a significant increase in femoral head cell apoptosis compared with the control group. Additionally, micro‐CT analysis showed that both bone tissue content and femoral head integrity were significantly reduced in the ONFH group. Furthermore, 3‐MA treatment decreased the effect of Dex on GC‐induced ONFH and osteoblast apoptosis in rats and could counteract microstructure destruction due to femoral head necrosis. In summary, our data suggest that GC can induce osteoblast apoptosis and autophagy through the ROS/JNK/c‐Jun signaling pathway, which contributes to ONFH.

During coal and coal gangue combustion, many heavy metal pollutants are emitted and cause serious environmental problems. In this paper, the environmental effect values of As and Pb emission during coal gangue and coal combustion in the 330 MW pulverized coal boiler, 50 kW circulated fluidized bed boiler and laboratory were calculated by ReCiPe2016. The results show that when coal combustion in 330 MW pulverized coal boiler, the environment effect values of as for bottom slag, fly ash and flue gas are 3.28×10−6, 2.68×10−5 and 3.89×10−3 respectively; while the environment effect value of Pb for bottom slag, fly ash and flue gas are 8.57×10−6, 6.00×10−5 and 4.83×10−2, respectively. The environmental effects of As and Pb in bottom slag are lower than those in the fly ash; and the environmental effects of As and Pb on air are higher than those on soil. Moreover, when coal combustion in the 50 kW circulated fluidized boiler, the effect values of As and Pb in fly ash on environment are 3.26×10−5 and 1.28×10−4; and the effect values of As and Pb in bottom slag are 1.16×10−6 and 1.43×10−5 respectively. The results also show that when coal gangue combustion in the laboratory, the effect values of As and Pb emission increase with increasing of the temperature; and the proportions of total environmental effects of As and Pb on air are higher than those on soil. Besides that, this study also indicates that the effect of Pb emitted into environment is higher than that of As at the same conditions during coal combustion both in circulated fluidized boiler and pulverized coal boiler. The results may provide basic data for predicting the environmental effects of As and Pb during coal gangue combustion in circulating fluidized bed for life cycle impact assessment.

Chromium is a major strategic mineral widely used in industrial processes, yet mineral resources are decreasing, calling for advanced recycling techniques to recover chromium from ores, waste and contaminated media. Here, we review chromium resources and methods to leach out Cr, such as calcium-roasting, sodium-roasting, acidic leaching, alkaline leaching and sub-molten technology.

Driven by the persisting poor understanding of the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) on Pt in alkaline media, a direct correlation of the interfacial water structure and activity is still yet to be established. Herein, using Pt and Pt-Ni nanoparticles we first demonstrate a strong dependence of the proton donor structure on the HER activity and pH. The structure of the first layer changes from the proton acceptors to the donors with increasing pH. In the base, the reactivity of the interfacial water varied its structure, and the activation energies of water dissociation increased in the sequence: the dangling O-H bonds < the trihedrally coordinated water < the tetrahedrally coordinated water. Moreover, optimizing the adsorption of H and OH intermediates can re-orientate the interfacial water molecules with their H atoms pointing towards the electrode surface, thereby enhancing the kinetics of HER. Our results clarified the dynamic role of the water structure at the electrode-electrolyte interface during HER and the design of highly efficient HER catalysts.