Search

In this study, a comparative decomposition of toluene was investigated using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. The first-time decomposition of the tar model compound was investigated in pure CO gas. The effect of each carrier gas (N2, H2, CO2 and CO), which exists in product gas from the gasifier, was studied on the decomposition of tar analogue (toluene) and product distribution. The specific input energy (SIE) was also varied from 2.5 to 8.5 kJ/L to investigate the optimal removal of tar analogue. The maximum removal of toluene was 89.1% using N2 as carrier gas at 8.5 kJ/L and 1.43 s. However, the minimum removal of toluene was 62.5% using CO carrier gas under the same conditions. The decomposition of toluene in different carrier gases was in the following order: CO

Aprotic lithium-oxygen batteries possess ultrahigh energy density but suffer from the sluggish decomposition of discharge product, quick depletion of Li anode and cleavage of electrolyte, in close association with oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode. Herein, highly dispersed silver nanoparticles are used to enhance the lithium-oxygen battery with 1.0 M lithium perchlorate in dimethyl sulfoxide. It is observed that film-like amorphous lithium peroxide is formed through surface pathway instead of bulk crystals, due to the incorporation of silver nanoparticles dispersed in the electrolyte, which subsequently accelerates the decomposition of the discharge product by offering more active sites and improved conductivity. The released silver nanoparticles after battery charging can be re-used in the following cycles. Experiments and theoretical calculation further indicate that the suspended silver nanoparticles can adsorb the soluble oxygen reduction intermediates, which are responsible for the alleviation of oxidative cleavage of electrolyte and corrosion of lithium anode. The lifespan of lithium oxygen batteries is therefore significantly extended from 55 to 390 cycles, and the rate performance and full-discharge capacity are also largely enhanced. The battery failure is attributed to the coalescence and growth of silver nanoparticles in the electrolyte, and further improvement on colloid stability is underway.

In order to study the electrochemical corrosion law for the 13Cr stainless-steel tubing material in a high-speed Cl-containing liquid, a high-speed-flow experiment and a small three-electrode system, embedded in a small pipe, were used. The open circuit potential (OCP), polarization curve (PC) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) of the stainless-steel surface were tested in a medium with a flow velocity ranging from 10 to 22 m/s containing 1 w/% and 2 w/% of NaCl. By comparing it with the changes in the electrochemical-reaction parameters of the material in distilled water, the results of the experiment including the critical flow velocity, the change of corrosion rate and the electrochemical-reaction control steps were obtained. By theoretically solving the frictional force of the liquid against the wall surface and the adsorption capacity of the oxide film, and assuming that the oxide film is a macromolecular combination, the relationship between the adsorption capacity of different surface films and the critical flow velocity in the high-speed pipe flow was established. The results of this experiment and calculation can provide a preliminary prediction of the critical flow velocity corresponding to the inflection point of the wall-surface corrosion rate in an industrial pipe flow, thereby improving the process parameters and reducing the wall damage.

In recent years, carbon dots (CDs) have attracted great research interest in the field of nanochemosensors due to their fascinating optical properties. However, synthesis of CDs with novel recognition groups in a convenient method is still an area to be explored urgently. In this work, we reported a simple strategy to prepare fluorescent CDs with carbon-carbon double bonds (C═C) as the characteristic structure for phenylephrine (PHE) identification and detection. The itaconic acid and polyethylenimine (PEI) were selected as precursors to fabricate highly emissive CDs under the hydrothermal cross-linking and carbonization process. The fluorescence of designed CDs at 465 nm can be effectively quenched by bromine aqueous solution due to the electrophilic addition reaction with the double bonds. On the other hand, the presence of PHE can inhibit fluorescence quenching by bromine-consumption of a substitution reaction. Inspired by the novel findings, a convenient assay for PHE determination was established using the fluorescence of C═C bond functional CDs as an output signal and bromine as a bridge. The method demonstrated here provided a unique way to develop CD-based nanosensors.

Background Tenvermectin A is a new avermectin derivative that has good insecticidal and acaricidal effects. In order to study the resistance of Plutella xylostella to tenvermectin A, a sensitive strain (SS) and a laboratory-selected tenvermectin A-resistant strain (RS, 33.57-fold) were used to evaluate cross-resistance and fitness costs as well as to determine the resistance mechanism. Results There was no cross-resistance with common pesticides except for moderate cross-resistance with cypermethrin (resistance ratio = 10.26-fold) observed in RS. The activities of metabolic enzymes were measured, and the results showed that mixed function oxidase (MFO) and carboxylate esterase (CarE) in RS increased significantly by 2.92- and 2.86-fold, respectively, compared with SS. In addition, there was no obvious difference in glutathione-S-transferase (GST), which indicated that enhanced MFO and CarE activities may be the main mechanisms of detoxification. In the four typical resistance-related genes, expression of GluCl (4.86-fold), ABCC2 (3.85-fold), and CYP6 (2.94-fold) in RS were significantly promoted, but expression of GST was not. The clone and sequence of the PxGluClα subunit displayed six mutations that could lead to changes in the amino acid residues. Conclusion High suitability related to tenvermectin A resistance was observed in RS, and it was found that the developmental stages of RS were significantly shortened and the survival rate of females was reduced. In addition, the mechanism of resistance to tenvermectin A may be regulated by the glutamate-gated chloride channel, ATP-binding cassette transporter, and MFO. In general, the study of resistance and biochemical mechanisms can provide beneficial and rational information for the management of resistance in P. xylostella. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Microencapsulated ammonium polyphosphate (SiAPP) was prepared by sol-gel method with gel-silica as the shell material. And also, SiAPP was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), which confirmed the successfully fabrication of SiAPP. Furthermore, 30 php (parts per hundreds of polyol) SiAPP was introduced to prepare rigid polyurethane foam/microcapsulated ammonium polyphosphate composites (RPUF/SiAPP30). Flame retardancy, water resistance, physical properties and thermal stability of RPUF/SiAPP composites were compared with virgin RPUF and RPUF/APP composites. The results showed that RPUF/SiAPP30 which possessed excellent flame retardancy. Even after being immersed in water for 15 days, the underwriters laboratories vertical burning test (UL-94) of RPUF/SiAPP30 could pass V-1 rating with the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 21.8 vol%, which was better that of RPUF/APP30. Compressive strength of RPUF/SiAPP30 was 0.292 MPa, which was 12.3% higher that of RPUF/APP30. SEM and Raman spectra confirmed that RPUF/SiAPP30 possessed more compact char residue with higher thermal resistance, which could inhibit mass and heat transmission in combustion. Consequently, a possible gas-solid flame-retardant mechanism of RPUF/SiAPP composite was proposed.

Methane is the main component of biogas, which could be used as a renewable energy source for electricity, source of heat, and biofuel production after upgrading from biogas. It also contains toxic compounds which cause environmental and human health problems. Therefore, in this work, the removal of a toxic compound (toluene) from methane gas was studied using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. It was observed that the removal of the toxic compound could be achieved from methane carrier gas using a dielectric barrier discharge reactor, and it depends on plasma input power. The maximum removal of the toxic compound was 85.9% at 40 W and 2.86 s. The major gaseous products were H2 and lower hydrocarbons (LHC) and the yield of these products also increases with input power. In the current study, the yield of gaseous products depends on the decomposition of toxic compounds and methane, because the decomposition of methane also produces H2 and lower hydrocarbons. The percentage yield of H2 increases from 0.43–4.74%. Similarly, the yield of LHC increases from 0.56–7.54% under the same reaction conditions. Hence, input power promoted the decomposition of the toxic compound and enhanced the yield of gaseous products.

A series of polymeric titanium carbide (Ti3C2Tx) MXene composites were prepared by in situ polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene (EDOT) and poly(4-styrenesulfonate) (PSS) on Ti3C2Tx MXene ma...

Under the public spotlight, uranyl (UO22+) ions has attracted considerable attention for the extreme radioactive and chemical toxicity to ourselves and our environment. Herein, we present a simple and effective ratiometric fluorescence imaging method for the visualizing and quantitative detection UO22+ ions by cellphone-based optical platform. The sensing solution was prepared by mixing label-free red carbon dots (r-CDs) and blue carbon dots (b-CDs) together with a fixed photoluminescence intensity ratio of 4:1. When UO22+ ions were added, the fluorescence of r-CDs can be selectively quenched, while the fluorescence of b-CDs remains stable without spectral changes. With the gradually increase the amounts of UO22+ ions, the different response of dual-color CDs resulted in a signification color evolution from deep red to dark purple under the ultraviolet (UV) light illumination. Then, a cellphone-based optical platform was constructed for directly imaging the color change of the samples, and the built-in Colorpicker APP quickly output the red, green and blue (RGB) channel values of these images within one second. Interesting, there was a linear relationship between the ratio of red and blue (R/B) channel values and UO22+ ions concentration from 0 μmol/L to 30.0 μmol/L (R2 = 0.92804) with the detection limit of ∼8.15 μmol/L (signal-to-noise ratio of 3). In addition, the optical platform has also been applied to the quantification of UO22+ ions in tap water and river water sample. With the advantage of low-cost, portable, easy to operation, we anticipate that this method would greatly improve the accessibility of UO22+ ions detection even in resource-limited areas.

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are a new type of porous crystal materials that have been widely used in various fields. Owing to their adjustable porous structure, MOF photocatalysts with high catalytic activity have become a research hotspot. In this study, NH2-MIL-125/CoSx samples were investigated as a novel visible light-responsive catalyst for the removal of organic dye. The NH2-MIL-125/CoSx-20 composites showed the best photodegradation efficiency, where photodegradation of the rhodamine B reached 95.4% in 45 min. CoSx was able to effectively extend the wavelength absorption range of NH2-MIL-125 and effectively separate the photogenerated electrons and holes and that could lead to the improved photocatalytic performance of the composites. The reactive superoxide radical (·O2−) was identified as the main active species using reactive species capture experiments, and a reasonable photocatalytic mechanism was proposed. This paper is intended to guide the development of organic–inorganic hybrid materials for environmental remediation.

Investigation of dried whole herb of Callicarpa macrophylla Vahl. resulted in the isolation of two new phenylethanoid glycosides, macrophylloside E (1), macrophylloside F (2), together with eight known phenylethanoid glycosides (3-10). Their structures were established by extensive spectroscopic methods. In addition, all phenylethanoid glycosides (1–10) were evaluated for their antioxidant activity by DPPH assay and showed high to moderate effect (IC50 from 2.72 to 38.65 μM).

Fluorescent carbon dots (CDs) are admirable nanomaterials due to their superior optical properties and low cost. However, regulation of the emission colors in CDs for lighting device still remains a challenge. In this work, we developed a green hydrothermal method to obtain three emission colors of CDs using l -tyrosine (for blue CDs), o-phenylendiamine (for green CDs) and l -tyrosine/o-phenylendiamine mixture (for orange-red CDs). These CDs possess good water dispersibility, strong emission with high quantum yields, and excellent photostability. Furthermore, the resulting CDs were dispersed in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix to yield solid state films, where the self-quenching effect in solid state was effectively avoided. A full-color light-emitting diode was fabricated by packing the CDs-PVA composites on the top of a UV-chip, which have superior potential applications in CDs-based solid-state lighting system.

The structural characteristics and differences of coal tar and petroleum C7-asphaltenes were studied, such as chemical composition, functional groups and molecular structure, using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), improved B-L method and other methods. Furthermore, the association behavior and aggregation size of two different types of asphaltenes as well as the hydrogen bonds and acidic-basic interaction were analyzed by asphaltenes solubility parameters in polar solvents. The experiment results showed that the coal tar asphaltenes (CT-asp) was mainly composed of less aromatic rings with short alkyl branched chains and possessed a high aromaticity degree. The higher content oxygen heteroatoms of CT-asp were mostly presented as aromatic ether bonds and phenolic hydroxyl groups. The aromatic nucleus size and the average relative molecular weight of petroleum asphaltenes (M-asp) were larger than that of CT-asp. The M-asp consisted primarily of more aromatic rings with long alkyl branched chains and possessed a low aromaticity degree. The association and aggregation degree between CT-asp and M-asp was associated with the amount of substance ratio (nCT-asp/nM-asp) and their molecular structure characteristics. The association force of two types mainly was the hydrogen bonds and the acidic-basic interaction from heteroatomic functional groups.

Callicarpa kwangtungensis Chun is a traditional Chinese medicine that has various therapeutic effects. Despite its wide use in Chinese medicine, the study is still quite limited, especially its chemical compositions. In this research, an ultra-high-pressure liquid chromatography coupled with Q Exactive hybrid quadrupole-orbitrap high-resolution accurate mass spectrometry tandem mass spectrometry method was utilized to analyze its chemical compositions for the first time. As a result, a total of 124 compounds, including 20 phenylethanoid glycosides, 31 flavonoids, 36 organic acids, 26 terpenoids and 11 phenols, were identified or tentatively characterized in 30 min. Among them, 49 compounds, including 5 phenylethanoid glycosides, 12 flavonoids, 16 organic acids, 12 terpenoids, and 4 phenols, were identified in Callicarpa kwangtungensis Chun for the first time. Besides, the fragmentation pathways were also discussed. This research established a rapid and reliable method to analyze the chemical compositions of complicated herb without the process of isolation, and provide abundant information on the chemical material basis for further bioactivity and quality control studies.

Currently, herbal and dietary supplements have been widely applied to prevent and treat various diseases. However, the potential toxicities and adverse reactions of herbal and dietary supplements have been increasingly reported, and have gradually attracted widespread attention from clinical pharmacists and physicians. Metabolic activation of specific natural products from herbal and dietary supplements is mediated by hepatic cytochrome P450 or intestinal bacteria, and generates chemical reactive/toxic metabolites that bind to cellular reduced glutathione or macromolecules, and form reactive metabolites-glutathione/protein/DNA adducts, and these protein/DNA adducts can result in toxicities. The present review focuses on the relation between metabolic activation and toxicities of natural products, and provides updated, comprehensive and critical comment on the toxic mechanisms of reactive metabolites. The key inductive role of metabolic activation in toxicity is highlighted, and frequently toxic functional groups of toxic natural products were summarized. The biotransformation of drug cytochrome P450 or intestinal bacteria involved in metabolic activation were clarified, the reactive metabolites-protein adducts were selected as biomarkers for predicting toxicity. And finally, further perspectives between metabolic activation and toxicities of natural products from herbal and dietary supplements are discussed, to provide a reference for the reasonable and safe usage of herbal and dietary supplements.

Objective. To determine the subcellular localization of epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM) in labial salivary gland (LSG) and evaluate the diagnostic use of the extracellular domain of EpCAM (EpEX) and intracellular domain (EpICD) for primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS). Methods. Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis was conducted using EpEX and EpICD domain-specific antibodies on labial salivary gland biopsy (LSGB) from participants. Chi-square or Fisher’s exact analysis, Mann–Whitney U-test, and Kruskal-Wallis test compared differences among groups. Independent risk factors of pSS were determined by multiple logistic regression analysis. Receiver-operator characteristic curves (ROC) were carried out to estimate the diagnostic value. Results. Compared to non-SS controls, loss of membranous EpEX and EpICD expression was observed in LSGB of pSS patients, which occurred in parallel with increased accumulation of cytoplastic and nuclear EpICD. The subcellular EpEX/EpICD expressions were associated with various features of pSS patients, especially histopathological grade of LSGB. Furthermore, high IHC scores of membranous EpEX were independent risk factors for pSS, even for the pSS patients at early stage. The IHC scores of subcellular EpEX/EpICD were of great diagnostic value for pSS with high sensitivity (70-80%) and specificity (85-95%). Conclusion. This study first found the aberrant expression pattern of EpCAM in LSG of pSS patients. The IHC scores of subcellular EpEX/EpICD were demonstrated to have the potential to act as diagnostic biomarkers for pSS.

The multi-component composite microspheres of styrene-butyl acrylate resin co-encapsulated Pigment Yellow 53 (PY53), charge control agent (CCA) and paraffin wax for yellow ceramic toner were prepared by suspension polymerization method. The crystal structure, morphology, particle size, thermal properties and color performance of the composite microspheres were characterized by different analytical techniques. The results show that the pigment content had little effect on the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the composite microspheres, and the Tg was about 56 °C, which fits the thermal property of ceramic toner. When the PY53 content was moderate, the composite microspheres owned regular morphology, smooth surface and narrow particle size distribution. As the PY53 content increased, the L* value of the composite particles decreased, and the yellow value (b*) and the color saturation (C*) became larger. When the PY53 content was 2.0 g, comprehensive properties of the composite microspheres were the best.

In this study, molybdenum disulfide-reduced graphene oxide (MoS2-RGO) composites, as ideal electromagnetic (EM) wave absorbing materials, were synthesized by one-step hydrothermal method, and their morphology, components, structure and EM wave absorbing performances were characterized. The results show that the EM wave absorbing performances of MoS2-RGO composites were dependent on the graphene oxide (GO) content. When the original amount of GO was 20 mg, the minimum reflection loss (RL) value of MoS2-RGO composites was −48.54 dB at 6.70 GHz with a thickness of 3.5 mm, and effective reflection losses were obtained in a wide range of 3.98–15.28 GHz with the thickness of 2.0–5.0 mm. Especially, the 3 mm and 8 mm wave attenuation performances of composites were explored in detail, and the maximum attenuation values were 21.75 and 21.83 dB, respectively. In consequence, MoS2-RGO composites are expected to be good electromagnetic wave absorbing materials in broadband.

A Gram-stain-negative, facultative anaerobic, red-coloured, rod-shaped, non-flagellated, non-motile and non-gliding bacterium, designated strain Z0201T, was isolated from lake water in Yunnan, China (26° 16′ N, 99° 94′ E). Cells of strain Z0201T were 0.2–0.4 µm wide and 1.4–2.5 µm long, catalase-positive and oxidase-negative. Strain Z0201T was found to grow at 4–37 °C (optimum, 30 °C) and pH 6.5–8.5 (pH 7.5) in the presence of 0–2.0 % (w/v) NaCl (0–0.5 %). The sole respiratory quinone of strain Z0201T was MK-7 and the DNA G+C content was 41.2 mol%. The major fatty acid was iso-C15 : 0 (49.4 %). The polar lipid profile of strain Z0201T consisted of aminophospholipid, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylethanolamine, two unidentified phospholipids and five unidentified lipids. Based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis, strain Z0201T was a member of the genus Aquiflexum , appearing to be closely related to Aquiflexum balticum (95.4 %). On the basis of phenotypic distinctiveness and phylogenetic divergence, strain Z0201T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Aquiflexum , for which the name Aquiflexum aquatile sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Z0201T (=KCTC 62450T=MCCC 1H00328T).

A dielectric barrier discharge reactor was used to convert toluene (tar analogue) into methane (>90%). This study showed that wall temperature and plasma power played key roles on the product distribution. At ambient conditions, solid formation was observed inside the reactor at all tested powers (50–85 W). The maximum selectivity to lower hydrocarbon (C1-C6) was 63% at 85 W. However, complete conversion of the toluene to lower hydrocarbons was seen at power (75 W), when the surrounding temperature raised to 200 °C. Significant increase in selectivity also observed at 50 W, where selectivity increased from 35% to 84%, at 200 °C. The selectivity to various lower hydrocarbons was strongly dependent upon power. Methane showed maximum selectivity >90% at 85 W and 200 °C, whereas at 50 W the other hydrocarbons >C1 were >40% along with methane. The selectivity of C2-C6 started to decrease when increasing power due to increased cracking into methane.

A novel phosphine-catalyzed intermolecular cyclization between 2-sulfonamidobenzaldehyes and ynones is reported. This methodology serves as a conduit for the construction of benzo[ b]azepin-3-ones in good to excellent yields under mild conditions. The resulting 2-benzylidene moieties are formed exclusively in the E-configuration. Mechanistically, this unusual annulation occurs through a phosphine-catalyzed α-umpolung addition, followed by an aldol reaction. One of the benzo[ b]azepin-3-one products was converted to the core structure of 3-amino-[ a]benzazepin-2-one-1-alkanoic acids, many of which function as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

Color-tunable semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are highly attractive for a wide range of applications including imaging, sensing, and lighting. Herein, we reported a facile synthesis of copper-doped zinc sulfide quantum dots (ZnS:Cu QDs) with tunable emission colors, using a microwave-assisted one-pot reaction. 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) was used as a stabilizer agent and sulfide source for the formation of ZnS:Cu QDs. The photoluminescence of ZnS:Cu QDs showed a clear red-shift as increasing Cu concentration, which can be controlled by microwave irradiation time. As increasing the irradiation time, the emission color (peak) of ZnS:Cu QDs changed from blue (500 nm) to green (540 nm), yellow (580 nm), and to orange-red (595 nm). The obtained ZnS:Cu QDs were highly luminescent, as evidenced by their high quantum yields. The potential utility of ZnS:Cu QDs as a novel lighting source was demonstrated in a near-UV chip-based white light-emitting diode.

A multilayer film with high reflection wavebands and specific visible appearance has been designed based on principles of photonic crystals and optical interference. The angle and thickness sensitivities of this film, which is fabricated with germanium and zinc selenide, were studied and discussed. This multilayer film possesses a high average reflectance between 3 and 5 μm (92.1%) and 8–14 μm (84.2%) wavebands, thereby contributing to a low emissivity in those wavebands according to Kirchhoff's law of thermodynamics. As a result, IR energy from a hot object covered with this film would be suppressed, and low IR signature is expected to be realized. Chromaticity diagram shows that the chromaticity coordinates of this film is close to those of real green plants, which will make it more difficult to distinguish this film from green plant background. Combining the above features, this photonic crystal based film is promising to realize low IR and visible signatures under appropriate conditions.

Direct conversion of benzene to methane (>90%) was achieved in a hydrogen atmosphere in a non-thermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge reactor at atmospheric pressure. The distribution of products was a function of both plasma input power and temperature. At ambient temperature, the selectivity to lower hydrocarbons increased from 20 to 56% as the power was increased from 50 to 85 W. However, at a wall temperature of 200 °C, the selectivity to lower hydrocarbons increased to 80% at 50 W and 97% at 75 W. The major product was methane, reaching a selectivity to 90% at 85 W and 200 °C. Increasing input power and temperature both promoted the formation of methane. However, the selectivity to >C1 started to increase when increasing the concentration at a constant power (85 W) and temperature (200 °C).

Cracking of benzene in a non-thermal plasma (NTP) dielectric barrier discharge reactor (DBD) was investigated in CO2 and H2 carrier gases. Benzene was acting as an analogue for gasification tar, and CO2 and H2 are abundant in gasifier product gas. A parametric study in terms of specific input energy (SIE), residence time, concentration and temperature was performed to determine the optimal conditions for tar conversion. It was found that almost complete removal of benzene (36 g/Nm3) was observed in each carrier gas above 30 kJ/L and at 4.23 s. Lower hydrocarbons (

Sepsis, with its high morbidity and mortality, is a difficult problem in critical care medicine. The purpose of this study is to investigate the involvement of GRB2-associated binding protein 1 (GAB1) in septic lung injury. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced mouse model and A549 cell model were used to simulate septic lung injury. Haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining was used to observe the pathological changes. The terminal-deoxynucleotidyl transferase/(TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labelling (TUNEL) staining and flow cytometry were used to detect apoptosis. The levels of inflammatory factors in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In LPS-induced sepsis mice, GAB1 expression was markedly reduced, and GAB1 overexpression significantly attenuated cell apoptosis and decreased levels of macrophages, neutrophils, and inflammatory factors in the BALF. Our results also demonstrated that GAB1 overexpression significantly reduced LPS-induced apoptosis and inflammation of A549 cells. More importantly, GAB1 overexpression significantly inhibited the Toll-like receptor/ NFkappaB (TLR4/NF-κB) pathway, while silencing GAB1 significantly activated the TLR4/NF-κB pathway and induced apoptosis and increased expression of inflammatory factors. However, the TLR4 inhibitor TAK-242 eliminated the effect of GAB1 silencing on A549. In conclusion, GAB1 is a key regulator of sepsis by inhibiting TLR4/NF-κB mediated apoptosis and inflammation.

In the present work, the decomposition of benzene as a tar model compound was studied in a gas mixture (CO2, H2, CO, and CH4) using a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) non-thermal plasma reactor. The combined effect of temperature and power was studied to investigate the performance of the DBD reactor. The decomposition of tar compound increased from 49.9 to 96% with increasing specific input energy (SIE) from 2.05 to 16.4 kWh/m3. The major products were lower hydrocarbons (C2–C5) and solid residues. The higher temperature (400 °C) in the presence of plasma (40 W), decreased the conversion of tar compound from 96 to 78%. However, the selectivity of lower hydrocarbons increases substantially to 52%, and the formation of solid residues is significantly reduced. Hence, the problematic solid residues formation can be controlled at a higher temperature during the treatment of gasifier product gas using non-thermal plasma.

A Gram-stain negative, rod-shaped, facultatively aerobic, pale-beige-coloured bacterial strain, designated F7233T, was isolated from coastal sediment sampled at Jingzi Bay, Weihai, PR China. Cells of strain F7233T were 0.3–0.4 µm wide, 1.2–1.4 µm wide long, non-spore-forming and motile with one flagellum. Optimum growth occurred at 30 °C, with 1.0 % (w/v) NaCl and at pH 6.5–7.0. Positive for nitrate reduction, hydrolysis of Tweens and oxidase activity. The sole respiratory quinone of strain F7233T was ubiquinone-10 and the predominant cellular fatty acid was summed feature 8 (C18 : 1 ω7c/C18 : 1 ω6c). The major polar lipids were diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylcholine and one unidentified aminophospholipid. The G+C content of the chromosomal DNA was 63.3 mol%. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence revealed that the newly isolate belonged to the genus Stappia , with 96.8 % sequence similarity to Stappia indica MCCC 1A01226T, 96.1 % similarity to Stappia stellulata JCM 20692T and 95.5% similarity to Stappia taiwanensis CC-SPIO-10-1T. On the basis of phylogenetic, phenotypic and chemotaxonomic data, it is considered that strain F7233T should represent a novel species within the genus Stappia , for which the name Stappia albiluteola sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is F7233T (=MCCC 1H00419T=KCTC 72859T).

Background: Meropenem is a carbapenem antibiotic that has demonstrated excellent in vitro activity against gram-negative clinical isolates and is commonly used in critically ill patients. This study aimed to find the pharmacokinetic/ pharmacodynamic of meropenem in critically ill patients and whether prolonged injection duration is really beneficial to meropenem therapy. Method: We included 209 samples in 64 patients in this prospective study. PPK analysis and Monte Carlo dosing simulations were developed using Phoenix.Results: A two-compartment model described the data adequately. Clearance (CL), volume (V), clearance of peripheral compartment (CL2), volume of peripheral compartment (V2) were 6.15 L/h, 2.83 L/h, 17.40L, and 17.48L, respectively. Creatinine clearance and uric acid were significant covariates. Patients with creatinine clearance of 60 ml/min or less and uric acid greater than 400 μmol/l could achieve the target > 90% under the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 8 mg/L, even with the administration dose of 500 mg/8 h with a 2-h infusion. Prolonging the infusion time significantly improved the therapeutic effect when MIC＜4. However, for the pharmacodynamic (PD) effects of 100% fT > MIC and 100% fT > 4MIC, no significant statistical difference was observed in critically ill patients.Conclusions: Critically ill patients with lower creatinine clearance and higher uric acid levels were likely to need a lower dosage of meropenem. Prolonged infusion time were not always beneficial for those who need a higher therapeutic target (100% fT > MIC,100% fT > 4 MIC) or with MIC 4mg/L. Increasing dose or alternative therapeutic strategies may be required for critically ill patients with drug-resistant or severe infections. The study is of great significance to guide the rational use of meropenem in critically ill patients.Trial registration: The trial was registered in the China Clinical Trial (ChiCTR1900020672). Registered on 12 January 2019.

Background: Over/under-estimating renal function may increase inappropriate dosing strategy associated adverse outcomes; however, previously reported equations to estimate renal function have limited accuracy in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Consequently, we intended to develop a novel equation to precisely estimate renal function and subsequently guide clinical treatment for CKD patients.Methods: A novel approach, Xiangya-s equation, to estimate renal function for CKD patients was derived by linear regression analysis and validated in 1885 patients with measured glomerular filtration rate (mGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m2 by renal dynamic imaging at three representative hospitals in China, with the performance evaluated by accuracy, bias and precision. In the meanwhile, 2,165 atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who initiated direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) between December 2015 and December 2018 were identified and renal function was assessed by estimated creatinine clearance (eCrCl). Events per 100 patient-years was calculated. Cox proportional hazards regression was applied to compare the incidence of outcomes of each group.Results: Xiangya-s equation demonstrated higher accuracy, lower bias and improved precision when compared with 12 creatinine-based and 2 CysC-based reported equations to estimate GFR in multi-ethnic Chinese CKD patients. When we applied Xiangya-s equation to patients with AF and CKD prescribed DOACs, wide variability was discovered in eCrCl calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault (CG), Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study (MDRD), Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI), Xiangya equation which we had developed for generally patients and Xiangya-s equations, which persisted after grouping by different renal function stages. Equation choice affected drug-dosing adjustments, with the formulas agreeing for only 1.19%, 5.52%, 33.22%, 26.32%, and 36.61% of potentially impacted patients for eCrCl cutoffs of Conclusion: Xiangya-s equation provides more accurate GFR estimates in Chinese CKD patients who need consecutive monitoring of renal function, which may assist clinicians in choosing appropriate drug dosages.

Reprocessable acrylate vitrimer needs to enhance its strength to expand the application in photo-three-dimensional (photo-3D) printing. However, the methods for improving mechanical properties by the addition of nanofillers or a multifunctional resin into acrylate vitrimers are inappropriate for photo-3D printing due to the low curing speed of photopolymerization induced by weakening light transmittance or reduction of dimensional accuracy caused by large shrinkage. At present, we demonstrate a new strategy for developing a kind of mechanically robust and reprocessable 3D printing thermosets by combining hydrogen bonds and exchangeable β-hydroxyl esters into acrylate vitrimers. To realize this purpose, diacrylate prepolymer containing β-hydroxyl esters was first synthesized from glycidyl methacrylate and suberic acid. Then, the resin formulations for 3D printing comprising the synthesized diacrylate prepolymer together with acrylamide generate exchanged β-hydroxyl ester and pendent amide in cross-linked networks. Here, hydrogen bonds resulting from the amide group as sacrificial bonds dissipate vast mechanical energy under an external load. With the inclusion of 20 wt % acrylamide, the average tensile strength and Young's modulus are up to 40.1 and 871 MPa, which increased by about 4.4 and 3.85 times, respectively. The network rearrangement of cross-linked vitrimers can be achieved through the dynamic ester exchange reactions with gradual disappearance of hydrogen bonds at elevated temperatures, imparting reprocessability into the printed structures. Various photo-3D printing or UV irradiation shapes were successfully produced, and these dissolved in ethylene glycol could be remolded again.

In this work, amino-functionalized mesoporous silica nanospheres (NH2-mSiO2) anchored with carbon dots (CDs) have been designed to construct an outstanding fluorescent sensor for heavy metal detection. Uniform mSiO2 was chosen to provide an optically transparent scaffold for immobilizing CDs. With the help of amino group modification on the surface of silica, benzene-1,4-diboronic acid (BA) was used as raw material to load CDs in the pores of mSiO2 by one-step solvothermal method. The proposed nanohybrid can solve the problem of aggregation-induced fluorescence quenching, leading to bright blue emission at 450 nm. Meanwhile, the fluorescence of NH2-mSiO2@CDs showed high sensitivity to Cr(VI) in acetic acid buffer solution (pH = 4) with detection limit as low as 5 nM by inner filter effect (IFE) and electrostatic interaction (EI). The proposed method can also be extended to other CDs-based detection systems for chemical/biological sensors.

Background Lycorine hydrochloride (LH), an alkaloid extracted from the bulb of the Lycoris radiata, is considered to have anti-viral, anti-malarial, and anti-tumorous effects. At present, the underlying mechanisms of LH in gastric cancer remain unclear. MCL1, an anti-apoptotic protein of BCL2 family, is closely related to drug resistance of tumor. Therefore, MCL1 is considered as a potential target for cancer treatment. Methods The effect of LH on gastric cancer was assessed in vitro (by MTT, BrdU, western blotting…) and in vivo (by immunohistochemistry). Results In this study, we showed that LH has an anti-tumorous effect by down-regulating MCL1 in gastric cancer. Besides, we unveiled that LH reduced the protein stability of MCL1 by up-regulating ubiquitin E3 ligase FBXW7, arrested cell cycle at S phase and triggered apoptosis of gastric cancer cells. Meanwhile, we also demonstrated that LH could induce apoptosis of the BCL2-drug-resistant-cell-lines. Moreover, PDX (Patient-Derived tumor xenograft) model experiment proved that LH combined with HA14–1 (inhibitor of BCL2), had a more significant therapeutic effect on gastric cancer. Conclusions The efficacy showed in our data suggests that lycorine hydrochloride is a promising anti-tumor compound for gastric cancer.

As new luminescent nanomaterials, carbon dots have superior properties regarding their multi-color emission, chemical stability and biocompatibility, which are important for potential biological and medicine applications. Tuning the photoluminescence of carbon dots using hydroxyl radical through fast chemical reaction can be a simple and cost-effective method to modify their optical properties. Carbon dots of red fluorescence (r-CDs) were first prepared from phenylenediamines by a solvothermal method and subsequently treated with hydroxyl radicals or tert-butyl peroxyl radicals to generate carbon dots with new emission properties. Instead, other reactive oxygen such as singlet oxygen and hypochlorite could mainly quench the fluorescence of the r-CDs. With further investigation, it was found that these oxygen radicals played roles like chemical scissors cutting the surface chain groups of r-CDs to smaller-sized CDs, resulting in blueshift of emission. These findings may be helpful to investigate the mechanism relating to fluorescence properties of carbon dots, and it also provides a new method to control the emission of carbon dots through simple chemical treatment.

Redox-responsive block copolymer micelles have been studied extensively as drug carriers. In this study, tri-block copolymers, methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(e-caprolactone)-SeSe-b-poly(e-caprolactone)-b-methoxyl-poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG-PCL-SeSe-PCL-mPEG) and methoxyl poly(ethyleneglyco)-b-poly(e-caprolactone)-SS-b- poly(e-caprolactone)-b-methoxyl-poly(ethylene glycol) (mPEG-PCL-SS-PCL-mPEG), were synthesized to investigate the redox sensitivity differences between diselenide and disulfide micelles. The changes of micelles in size and structure were investigated under conditions with glutathione (GSH) or H2O2. The results showed that the size and PDI of (mPEG-PCL-Se)2 micelles presented more significant variations under redox condition in comparison with (mPEG-PCL-S)2 micelles. The DOX released faster and more from diselenide micelles than disulfide micelles. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of (mPEG-PCL-Se)2/DOX micelles was lower than that of (mPEG-PCL-S)2/DOX micelles against 4T1 and Hela cells. The amount of intracellular drug release from diselenide micelles was higher than from disulfide micelles in Hela cells with GSH 4.6 mM. Therefore, the (mPEG-PCL-Se)2 micelles similar to (mPEG-PCL-S)2 micelles are stimuli-responsive and may be more sensitive drug carriers.

A Gram-stain-negative, heterotrophic, facultative anaerobic, gliding and motile bacterium, approximately 0.6–0.9 µm wide and 1.5–2.6 µm long, designated F3105T, was isolated from a marine sediment sample collected along the coast of Rongcheng, China . The growth of strain F3105T occurred on media with 1.0–8.0 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum, 2.0–3.0 %) and a pH of 6.5–9.5 (optimum, pH 7.5) at 4–45 °C (optimum, 37 °C). The phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene and chemotaxonomic data revealed that the isolate belonged to the genus Aliidiomarina , and is closely related to Aliidiomarina shirensis (95.9 % sequence similarity). The sole isoprenoid quinone was Q-8. The major cellular fatty acids of the isolate were iso-C15 : 0, iso-C17 : 1ω9c and iso-C17 : 0, and its polar lipids consisted of phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol, aminolipid, two unidentified lipids and two unidentified aminophospholipids. The DNA G+C content of strain F3105T was 49.5 mol%. On the basis of phenotypic distinctiveness and phylogenetic divergence, strain F3105T is considered to represent a novel species of the genus Aliidiomarina , for which the name Aliidiomarina celeris sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is F3105T (=MCCC 1H00223T=KCTC 52891T).

Conventional cross-linked micelles may suffer from low drug loading efficiency, side effects or toxicity of residual cross-linkers and complicated preparation processes of drug-loaded micelles. Herein, pH-sensitive reversibly cross-linked micelles by phenol–yne click via curcumin (Cur) were developed by combining drug loading and cross-linking using poly(ethylene glycol)-b-poly(2-methacrylate ethyl 5-hexynoicate), (mPEG-b-PHEMA-5HA), as a drug delivery system. mPEG-b-PHEMA-5HA was synthesized by ATRP of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) using mPEG-Br as a macroinitiator and then by esterification with 5-hexynoic acid. mPEG-b-PHEMA-5HA could form micelles and the micelles could load Cur. Meanwhile, the Cur loaded micelles were readily cross-linked by a phenol–yne click reaction. The cross-linked micelles showed excellent stability after high dilution with water, and turned into smaller micelles under an acid environment (pH 5.0). The cross-linked micelles achieved a higher drug loading of Cur (17.81%, wt%) than the noncross-linked micelles, due to physical entrapment and chemical click reaction. Cur release from the Cur-cross-linked micelles was inhibited under physiological conditions (pH 7.4) but was faster at pH 5.0 in comparison with the noncross-linked micelles. The cross-linked micelles exhibited a superior antitumor activity with a lower IC50 of 4.86 and 9.6 μg mL−1 toward HeLa and 4T1 cells, respectively, resulting from effective internalization by tumor cells. In pharmacokinetics, the cross-linked micelles showed a prolonged circulation time, and thus exhibited more effective inhibition of tumor growth compared to free Cur and Cur loaded noncross-linked micelles in in vivo experiments. Therefore, pH-sensitive reversibly cross-linked micelles via Cur are promising as an antitumor drug delivery system.

Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is an attractive method for decomposing biomass gasification tars. In this study, the removal of toluene (as a gasification tar analogue) was investigated in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor at ambient and elevated temperatures with hydrogen as the carrier gas. This study demonstrated that higher temperature in the presence of a DBD opens up new (thermal) reaction pathways to increase the selectivity to lower hydrocarbons via DBD promoted ring-opening reactions of toluene in H2 carrier gas. The effect of plasma power (5–40 W), concentration (20–82 g/Nm3), temperature (ambient-400 °C) and residence time (1.43–4.23 s) were studied. The maximum removal of toluene was observed at 40 W and 4.23 s. The major products were lower hydrocarbons (C1–C6) and solids. The synergetic effect of power and temperature was investigated to decrease the unwanted solid deposition. It was observed that the selectivity to lower hydrocarbons (LHCs) increased from 20 to 99.97%, as temperature was increased from ambient to 400 °C, at 40 W and 4.23 s. Methane, C2 (C2H6 + C2H4), and benzene were the major gaseous products, with a maximum selectivity of 97.93% (60% methane, 9.93% C2 (C2H6 + C2H4), and 28% benzene). It is important to note that toluene conversion is not a function of temperature, but the selectivity to lower hydrocarbons increases significantly at elevated temperatures under plasma conditions.

Cleaning product gas from biomass gasification is one of the major challenges for the application of biomass as a renewable energy source for power generation and value-added chemical synthesis. Non-thermal plasmas are a novel alternative technology for decomposing such tar compounds. In this research, the use of a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor was investigated for the decomposition of toluene (a tar surrogate) in a synthetic product gas containing H2, CO and CO2. The effect of residence time (0.95–2.82 s), plasma power (5–40 W), concentration (20–82 g/N m3), and temperature (ambient −400 °C) were investigated. It was demonstrated that the percentage removal of tar increased with increasing plasma power and residence time. 99%+ removal of toluene was observed at a plasma power of 40 W (the highest power used) and a residence time of 2.82 s (the highest residence time used). At ambient temperature, the toluene decomposition products include CO, lighter hydrocarbons, and solid residue. Unfortunately, at low temperatures, there was substantial solid residue formation. The synergetic effect of temperature and plasma was investigated to determine whether it could decrease residue formation. It was found that the solid residue completely disappeared at 400 °C. Furthermore, the selectivity and the yield of lower hydrocarbons increased with operating temperature. However, the yield of CO decreased due to the termination of radicals through the combination of CO and O at higher temperatures. Overall, this work demonstrates that toluene can be almost completely converted to smaller molecules by a DBD non-thermal plasma, and that a degree of control can be established by varying power, residence time and temperature, including eliminating the problem of solid residue formation.

The role of N2 carrier gas toward the conversion of tar analogue (toluene) was studied in a non-thermal plasma dielectric barrier discharge reactor. The parameters investigated were power (5–40 W), residence time (1.43–4.23 s), toluene concentration (20–82 g/Nm3), and wall temperature (from ambient to 400 °C). Almost complete removal (99%) of toluene was observed at 40 W and 4.23 s. The main gaseous product was H2, with a maximum selectivity of 40%. The other gaseous products were lighter hydrocarbons (LHCs, C1–C6, 5.5%). The selectivity to these LHCs could be increased to 10% by increasing the temperature to 400 °C. Introducing H2 to the N2 carrier gas at elevated temperatures opened up new reaction routes to enhance the selectivity to LHCs. The selectivity to methane reached 44% at 35% H2 at 400 °C, and the total selectivity to LHCs reached 57%.

Fluorescent quantum dots (QDs) of carbon and semiconductors have superior optical properties and show great potential in sensing applications. This paper reports a novel method for rapid detection of uranyl ions via ratiometric fluorescence signals by employing two types of QDs as the key materials. As the most soluble and stable toxic uranium species, uranyl has been recognized as an important index for nuclear industrial wastewater. However, its on-site, rapid, and sensitive determination remains challenging. This work uses the ratiometric fluorescent signal of QDs and combines a smartphone-based handheld device for on-site and rapid detection of uranyl. The ratiometric fluorescent probe is achieved by integrating carbon dots (C-dots) and CdTe QDs (MPA@CdTe QDs) through chemical hybridization. The presence of uranyl ions greatly quenches the red fluorescence of the CdTe QDs, whereas the green fluorescence keeps constant, leading to an obvious color change. An app and a 3D-printed accessory have been developed on a smartphone to analyze and calculate the content of uranyl on the basis of captured fluorescence signals from a test strip with an immobilized probe. This new designed mobile detection system displays good analytical performance for uranyl ions in a wide concentration range of 1 to 150 μM, which shows a great potential application in controlling the nuclear industrial pollution.

Ozone is widely used in air sterilization, food and medical disinfection in modern society, but high ozone levels in the living environment are considered harmful and have been associated with various respiratory diseases. Therefore, quick detection for ozone of part per million (ppm) levels is significant for living environment and an excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) compound has been synthesized. Due to an intrinsic excited-state intramolecular proton transfer (ESIPT) process, this “off-on” probe can fluoresce in the solid-state. This intrinsic fluorescent property makes it easy to detect lower concentration of ozone since the reaction product of probe can avoid being affected by pH and solubility through luminescence in the solid-state. The limit of gaseous ozone detection can be as low as 0.28 ppm for obviously distinguishable fluorescence colour from blue to cyan, showing that the probe can be useful for detecting ozone without the need of elaborate equipment.

In this work, laser heat-mode lithography characteristics of ZnS-SiO2 composites are investigated by direct laser writing and wet-etching. In order to understand the lithography mechanism, the structural evolution of ZnS-SiO2 film is investigated. Chemically disordered ZnS:O crystalline structures and SiSnO4-n networks were found in the as-deposited sample, while ZnO and SiSn+1O3-n tetrahedral networks were formed after laser writing. Furthermore, the ZnO and SiSn+1O3-n tetrahedrons have higher solubilities in hydrofluoric acid than ZnS:O and SiSnO4-n networks. This leads to superior etching selectivity between laser-written and non-written regions. In addition to this, ZnS-SiO2 patterns can be used as a hard mask for the dry etching process; therefore, transferal of these patterns onto quartz glass is also performed.

Dried duckweed (Landoltia punctata) powder is applied to remove IO3− from aqueous solutions under various conditions. The results indicate the Kd is 150 ml g−1 under general conditions. The sorption kinetics follow the pseudo-second-order equation, and the isotherm is well described by the Freundlich model. Hydroxyl and carbonyl groups contribute to IO3− sorption by ion-exchange, electrostatic attraction and redox reactions. Spectroscopic analyses prove that IO3− is reduced to I2 and I− by hydroxyl groups. These results demonstrate that duckweed (Landoltia punctata) is a promising biosorbent for environmental remediation of radioactive iodine pollution.

Diallyl trisulfide (DATS) is a natural organic sulfur compound that may be isolated from garlic and has strong anticancer activity. DATS has been demonstrated to upregulate the expression of calreticulin (CRT) in various types of human cancers, which is associated with the prognosis of cancer and its response to therapy. However, whether DATS has the same effect on human osteosarcoma cells is not known. Therefore, in the present study, Saos-2 human osteosarcoma cells were cultured with different concentrations of DATS (0, 25, 50 and 100 µmol/l) for 24 h, or with 50 µmol/l DATS for different time periods (0, 12, 24 and 36 h). Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR), western blotting and immunofluorescent staining were used to detect CRT mRNA and protein in the Saos-2 cells. Exposure to DATS changed the morphology and inhibited the growth of the Saos-2 cells, and its effects appeared to be concentration- and exposure time-dependent. The optimum concentration and exposure time of DATS were 50 µmol/l and 24 h, respectively. The levels of CRT mRNA and protein in the Saos-2 cells were significantly upregulated following exposure to DATS. The upregulation of CRT expression by DATS may be a mechanism underlying the ability of DATS to inhibit the growth of human osteosarcoma Saos-2 cells.

Herein we report a fluorescent method for sensitive and selective detection of uranyl ions using CdTe quantum dots functionalized with mercaptopropionic acid, which the fluorescence of the quantum dots could be quantitatively quenched through electron transfer mechanism. The detection limit of the method was estimated to be 4 nM, less than the maximum allowed content of 130 nM for uranyl in drinking water defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Furthermore, the probe was successfully applied in detection of uranyl ions in real samples, demonstrating its potential practical applications for monitoring of uranyl ions in environment.

The decomposition of toluene (a model tar compound) in CO2 was investigated at ambient and elevated temperatures in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD). The effects of reaction parameters, such as the residence time (0.47–4.23 s), plasma power (5–40 W), toluene concentration (20–82 g/Nm3), and temperature (20–400 °C), were investigated. The DBD was shown to be an effective technique for tar removal. The percentage removal of tar increased with increasing the plasma power and residence time (to as high as 99% at the residence time of 4.23 s). The maximum selectivity to the two major gaseous products, CO and H2, was 73.5 and 21.9%, respectively. Solid residue formation was also observed inside the reactor. The synergetic effect of the temperature and plasma power was studied. As temperature increased, the decomposition of toluene decreased slightly from 99 to 88% (from ambient to 400 °C at 40 W) and the selectivity of CO and H2 decreased as a result of the increased rate of recombination of CO and O. The s...

Ceramic oxygen permeable membranes (OPMs) are widely considered the “next generation” technology for pure oxygen separation and catalytic membrane reactors. However, the main issue of OPM is high operating temperature (above 800 °C) and resulting implications for materials, cost, as well as operating complexities (e.g., sealing, creep deformation, and thermal shock during thermal cycling). A new design for coupling OPM La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3-δ with a dielectric barrier discharge plasma (a type of atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma) is proposed for highly efficient low-temperature (600 °C) oxygen permeation. This study demonstrates that the plasma can activate the surface exchange reactions. Applying 15 W air-plasma can effectively reduce the apparent activation energy of the permeation process from 136.6 to 43.1 kJ mol−1. The oxygen flux is increased by a factor of nearly 30 at 600 °C with a plasma power of 15 W. The newly developed plasma-membrane micro-reactor design enables further performance enhancement at lower operating temperatures and integration with solid oxide fuel cells, catalytic membrane reactors, and oxygen permeable membranes.

Phosphate additives especially superphosphate can reduce nitrogen loss, and increase phosphorus availability in composting. This study investigated the changes of different heavy metals fractions and their relationship with bacterial community and abiotic factors during pig manure composting with adding equimolar H3PO4, H2SO4 and K2HPO4. Results showed that both acidic and alkaline labile phosphate increased the potential ecological risk of heavy metals compared to control, but K2HPO4 decreased the accumulation of exchangeable Zn and Mn by 12% and 15% than that with H3PO4 and H2SO4 addition. Network analysis showed that K2HPO4 enhanced the proportion of negative links in bacterial species with heavy metals, but H3PO4 decreased the stability of bacterial network. Redundancy analysis demonstrated that pH was the key factor on metal speciation and risk with phosphate additives than bacterial role. The study presented theoretical basis for additive selection in controlling composting nitrogen fixation and environmental risk.

We demonstrated that a small molecule induced interchain Staudinger reaction can be employed for highly selective detection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), an important energy-storage biomolecule. A designed ATP split aptamer (A1) was first functionalized with a weakly fluorescent coumarin derivative due to an azide group (azido-coumarin). The second DNA strand (A2) was covalently linked with triphenylphosphine, which could selectively and efficiently reduce azido to amino group through the Staudinger reaction. The A2 was then hybridized with a half of another designed longer DNA strand (T1). The second half of T1 was a split aptamer and selectively recognized ATP with A1 to form a sandwich structure. The specific interaction between ATP and the aptamers drew the two functionalized DNA strands (A1 and A2) together to initiate the interchain Staudinger reduction at fmol-nmol concentration level, hence produced fluorescent 7-aminocoumarin which could be used as an indicator for the presence of trace ATP. The reaction process had a concentration dependent manner with ATP in a large concentration range. Such a strategy of interchain Staudinger reaction can be extended to construct biosensors for other small functional molecules on the basis of judiciously designed aptamers.