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Salvia miltiorrhiza Bge (SMB) has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Growing clinical usage has led to a huge demand for artificial planting of SMB. Thus, continuous cropping of SMB is an important challenge that needs to be addressed. Continuous cropping can alter the metabolic profile of plants, resulting in poor growth and low yield. In this study, we attempted to image the spatial location and variation of endogenous metabolites in continuously cropped SMB using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI-MSI). Spatially resolved expression of tanshinones, salvianolic acids, polyamines, phenolic acids, amino acids, and oligosaccharides in normal and continuously cropped SMB roots was compared. The expression of dihydrotanshinone I, tanshinone II A, dehydromiltirone, miltirone, dehydrotanshinone IIA, spermine, salvianolic acid B/E, tetrasaccharide, and pentasaccharide in continuously cropped SMB roots were much lower than that in normal roots. There was little difference in the expression of caffeic acid and salvianolic acid A in normal and continuously cropped SMB roots. Ferulic acid was more widely distributed in the xylem regions of normal SMB but strongly expressed in the xylem, phloem, and cambium of continuously cropped SMB. The spatially resolved metabolite information enhances our understanding of the metabolic signature of continuously cropped SMB and also provides insights into the metabolic effects of continuous cropping in other plants.

Lycorine-nanoparticles (LYC-NPs) were successfully synthesized using anti-solvent precipitation-freeze drying method, and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), particle size analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Then, the antitumor effects of LYC-NPs against HepG2 cells were investigated, and the underlying molecular mechanisms were explored. Our results showed that LYC-NPs displayed potent antiproliferative against HepG2 cells concentration dependently. Flow cytometry analysis exhibited that LYC-NPs triggered apoptosis and impeded cell cycle in G0/G1 phase. Moreover, the up-regulated expression of cleaved caspases-3 and Bax, and decrease of mitochondrial membrane potential and the Bcl-2 expression were involved in LYC-NPs apoptosis, implying that LYC-NPs induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis pathway. Furthermore, LYC-NPs distinctly impaired HepG2 cells migration and invasion with down-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and MMP-9 expression. These results indicated that LYC-NPs could be an favorable agent for restraining the growth and metastasis of HepG2 cells.

Controlled synthesis of noble metal nanoparticles with well-defined size and good dispersion on supports has been a long-standing challenge in heterogeneous catalysis. Here we report a facile photo-assisted H2 in situ reduction process to synthesize monodispersed Pd nanoparticles with 2–4 nm size on photo-insensitive Sm2O3 rare-earth metal oxide with nanorod morphology. Thanks to the contribution of UV irradiation, the photoelectrons generation in the Sm2O3 support accelerates the H2 reduction of Pd2+ ions into Pd0 and stabilize the growth of very small Pd nanoparticles homogeneously dispersed on the support. The homogeneous distribution of the Pd NPs on the surface of Sm2O3 is most likely attributed to the profuse nucleation sites created by the UV irradiation and the abundance of hydroxyl groups on the support. The hydrogenation of styrene to ethylbenzene was studied as a model reaction. As a result, the UV radiated sample shows an excellent TOF value of 7419 h−1, which is quadruple of the sample without UV irradiation, under the condition of 0.1 MPa H2 at a content of 1.0 wt% Pd. Besides, UV radiated sample shows a negligible performance degradation during the repeated cycling process. This photo-promoted H2 reduction process provides a convenient and straightforward route for assembling materials with novel structures and functions for nanotechnology applications.

The electrosynthesis of valuable chemicals via carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR) has provided a promising way to address global energy and sustainability problems. However, the selectivity and activity of deep-reduction products (DRPs) still remain as big challenges. Here, a copper–carbon-based catalyst with a hydrophobic core–shell architecture has been constructed and was found to exhibit excellent DRPs of methane generation with a faradaic efficiency of 81 ± 3% in a neutral medium and a maximum partial current density of −434 mA cm−2 in a flow cell configuration, which is among the best of CO2-to-CH4 electrocatalysts. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the hydrophobic structure decreasing the water coverage on the catalyst surface can promote the protonation of the *CO intermediate and block CO production, further favoring the generation of methane. These results provide a new insight into the electrosynthesis of DRPs via constructing a hydrophobic core–shell architecture for tuning the surface water coverage.

Global warming is becoming a challenging issue due to the emission of a large number of greenhouse gases, mainly CO2. The transformation of CO2 into chemicals with high additional value is considered a promising and sustainable way to solve the “greenhouse effect”. Herein, a series of polyamine-functionalized imidazolyl poly(ionic liquid)s (PILs) modified by triethylenetetramine (TETA) were synthesized as heterogeneous catalysts to convert CO2 into cyclic carbonates. The synergistic effect of nucleophile (bromide anions) and polyamine groups in promoting CO2 conversion was explored by density functional theory (DFT) calculations, which is critical to improve the catalytic performance. When the anions of ionic liquids acted as nucleophiles to attack the epoxide from the C–O bond with less steric hindrance, the substrate epoxide and CO2 can be activated by hydrogen bonding with amine group protons. Therefore, PILs modified by TETA (N4-PIL-x) have been verified to possess high efficiency and stable reusability for the cycloaddition of epoxides with CO2 without solvent, metal, and co-catalyst, of which N4-PIL-2 can achieve 98.0% conversion of epichlorohydrin (ECH) with a turnover frequency (TOF) value as high as 42.4 h−1 under ambient pressure; moreover, the complete conversion of epichlorohydrin is obtained in only 4 h at 1.0 MPa CO2 pressure.

Blocking non-specific binding of fluorescent biomolecules in single-molecule detection is one of the most important approach to minimize the background noise. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and its derivatives are the most frequently-used self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) for surface passivation because they are particularly effective at reducing the adsorption of a majority of fluorescent biomolecules. Most studies about mechanism focus only on biomolecules themselves and sparse literature exists examining the interactions between commercial fluorophores and organosilane SAMs. The objective of this study was studying the interactions between fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and PEG SAMs in solutions with different ionic strengths. Total internal reflection microscopy (TIRM) was utilized for quantitative analysis of the interactions. In low ionic strength solution, strong electrostatic attractions between PS-silica-FITC particles and PEG500 SAMs were detected even though both bodies were negatively charged. The origin of the attractive force was the charge correlations between the heterogeneous surfaces. In high ionic strength, the electrostatic attractions were completely screened, only left with the van der Waals attractions between the PS-silica-FITC particles and PEG SAMs. Due to the polarizability of FITC molecule, Hamaker constant was enlarged and the measured attractive forces depended on the thickness of PEG SAMs. The phenomenon can be explained by the mechanism of biomolecular resistance, including steric repulsion and hydration shell. The energy penalty of a small molecule is much less than that of a large biomolecule while penetrating into the PEG layers. This work reveals that the PEG SAMs not only fail to prevent the non-specific binding of FITC molecules, but also attract the fluorophores through van der Waals interactions.

The intense requirement for bifunctional electromagnetic wave (EMW) absorbing materials is becoming the urgent focus and upgraded exploration for advanced application of absorbing EMW device in complex and extreme environments. Based on high dielectric loss capacity and superior chemistry inertness of graphite nanosheets, a two-dimensional (2D) graphite nanosheet decorated with graphite encapsulating soft-magnetic Ni3Fe nanocapsules was designed and exploited by introducing novel nitrogen catalyst in one-pot non-balance evaporating strategy. Through modulating the impedance matching and further optimal mass ratio, a minimum reflection loss (RL) of −35.8 dB at 7.35 GHz with an absorber thickness of 3.5 mm and a wide effective absorption bandwidth (EAB) of 5.5 GHz (RL ≤ −10 dB), which almost covered whole Ku-band, were realized with an absorber thickness of 2 mm. Combining the prominent EMW absorption, this 2D nanocomposite showed excellent comprehensive anti-corrosion ability to maintain the original microstructure in acidic, neutral and alkaline salty corrosion conditions. The successful exploration of 2D anticorrosive EMW absorber provides a significant insight for rational fabrication of futural bifunctional EMW absorbing devices in complex circumstances.

There is an urgent need to elucidate the pathogenesis of myocardial ischemia (MI) and potential drug treatments. Here, the anti-MI mechanism and material basis of Ginkgo biloba L. extract (GBE) were studied from the perspective of energy metabolism flux regulation. Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) was performed to investigate energy metabolism flux disorder and the regulatory nodes of GBE components in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced ischemia-like cardiomyocytes. It showed that [U–13C] glucose derived m+2 isotopologues from the upstream tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle metabolites were markedly accumulated in ISO-injured cardiomyocytes, but the opposite was seen for the downstream metabolites, while their total cellular concentrations were increased. This indicates a blockage of carbon flow from glycolysis and enhanced anaplerosis from other carbon sources. A Seahorse test was used to screen for GBE components with regulatory effects on mitochondrial aerobic respiratory dysfunction. It showed that bilobalide protected against impaired mitochondrial aerobic respiration. MFA also showed that bilobalide significantly modulated the TCA cycle flux, reduced abnormal metabolite accumulation, and balanced the demand of different carbon sources. Western blotting and PCR analysis showed that bilobalide decreased the enhanced expression of key metabolic enzymes in injured cells. Bilobalide's efficacy was verified by in vivo experiments in rats. This is the first report to show that bilobalide, the active ingredient of GBE, protects against MI by rescuing impaired TCA cycle flux. This provides a new mechanism and potential drug treatment for MI. It also shows the potential of MFA/Seahorse combination as a powerful strategy for pharmacological research on herbal medicine., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • A strategy for herbal medicine research by stable isotopic tracing metabolic flux analysis combined with Seahorse test. • A blockage of carbon flow from glycolysis and enhanced anaplerosis in TCA cycle during myocardial ischemia. • Bilobalide is against myocardial ischemia by rescuing impaired TCA cycle flux and mitochondrial aerobic respiration.

Background: Bacterial cellulose (BC) and its derivatives are a rich source of renewable natural ingredients, which are of great significance for biomedical and medical applications but have not yet been fully exploited. BC is a high-purity, biocompatible, and versatile biomaterial that can be used alone or in combination with other ingredients such as polymers and nanoparticles to provide different structural organization and function. This review briefly introduces the research status of BC hydrogels, focusing on the preparation of BC-based composite hydrogels and their applications in the field of biomedicine, particularly the wound dressings, tissue engineering scaffolds, and drug delivery. Methods: By reviewing the most recent literature on this subject, we summarized recent advances in the preparation of BC-based composite hydrogels and their advances in biomedical applications, including wound dressings, tissue engineering, and drug delivery. Results: BC composite hydrogels have broadened the field of application of BC and developed a variety of BC-based biomaterials with excellent properties. BC-based hydrogels have good biocompatibility and broad application prospects in the biomedical field. Conclusion: BC-based composite hydrogels with the advantages of 3D structure, nontoxicity, high purity, and good biocompatibility, have great prospects in the development of sustainable and multifunctional biomaterials for biomedical applications.

Although great potential hazards and threats still occur from sulfur mustard, there are no specific medicine or therapy for the intoxication of sulfur mustard. Herein, we have demonstrated a supramolecular approach for the detoxification of the sulfur mustard simulant CEES (4) in vitro and in vivo by carboxylatopillar[5]arene potassium salts (CP[5]AK 1) efficiently based on host-guest interactions. The encapsulation of CEES (4) by the cavity of the pillar[5]arene 2 is driven by C-H···π interactions between CEES (4) and the electron-rich cavity of pillar[5]arene 2, which was investigated by 1H NMR titration, density functional theory studies, and the independent gradient model studies. CEES (4) is degradated to the reactive sulfonium salts quickly in aqueous media, resulting in the alkylation of DNA and proteins. The sulfonium salts can be encapsulated by CP[5]AK 1 efficiently, which accelerates the degradation of the sulfonium salts about 14 times. The cell and animal experiments indicated that the bioactivities of the sulfonium salts are inhibited with the formation of stable host-guest complexes, and CP[5]AK 1 has a good therapeutic effect on the damages caused by CEES (4) at either pre- or post-treatments. Due to the low cytotoxicity and good therapeutic effect, the anionic pillar[5]arenes are expected to be developed as specific antidotes against sulfur mustard (HD).

Substantial inconsistencies exist in current guidelines regarding recommendations of metformin usage with the administration of a contrast medium. We aimed to perform a meta-analysis to determine whether the risks of contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) and lactic acidosis increase with metformin use in diabetic patients receiving a contrast medium. Studies were retrieved from databases from inception to May 15, 2021. Studies that compared the outcomes of using metformin with not using metformin during contrast medium administration were included. The primary outcomes were incidence of CI-AKI and lactic acidosis. The secondary outcomes were renal function changes from baseline. Data analysis was using risk ratio (RR) for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences (MD) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) for continuous outcomes. Analyses of two randomized controlled trials and four retrospective cohorts examining a total of 1459 patients revealed no significant differences in the incidence of CI-AKI (RR = 1.08; 95% CI, 0.72 to 1.63) and in changes in renal function measurements (serum creatinine: MD = 0.00 mg/dL, 95% CI, − 0.05 to 0.05; estimated glomerular filtration rate: MD = 0.22, 95% CI, − 2.47 to 2.91) after contrast medium administration between patients using and not using metformin. There is no evidence that continuing metformin during contrast medium administration is associated with a higher risk of CI-AKI, lactic acidosis, or renal function deterioration compared to patients who discontinued metformin or who were not metformin users. The limited quality of the included studies may compromise the strength of evidence provided in this meta-analysis.

To observe the effect of amygdalin on liver fibrosis in a liver fibrosis mouse model, and the underlying mechanisms were partly dissected in vivo and in vitro. Thirty-two male mice were randomly divided into 4 groups, including control, model, low- and high-dose amygdalin-treated groups, 8 mice in each group. Except the control group, mice in the other groups were injected intraperitoneally with 10% carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-olive oil solution 3 times a week for 6 weeks to induce liver fibrosis. At the first 3 weeks, amygdalin (1.35 and 2.7 mg/kg body weight) were administered by gavage once a day. Mice in the control group received equal quantities of subcutaneous olive oil and intragastric water from the fourth week. At the end of 6 weeks, liver tissue samples were harvested to detect the content of hydroxyproline (Hyp). Hematoxylin and eosin and Sirius red staining were used to observe the inflammation and fibrosis of liver tissue. The expressions of collagen I (Col-I), alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), CD31 and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β)/Smad signaling pathway were observed by immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot, respectively. The activation models of hepatic stellate cells, JS-1 and LX-2 cells induced by TGF-β1 were used in vitro with or without different concentrations of amygdalin (0.1, 1, 10 µmol/L). LSECs. The effect of different concentrations of amygdalin on the expressions of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) dedifferentiation markers CD31 and CD44 were observed. High-dose of amygdalin significantly reduced the Hyp content and percentage of collagen positive area, and decreased the mRNA and protein expressions of Col-I, α-SMA, CD31 and p-Smad2/3 in liver tissues of mice compared to the model group (P

(-)-5-Methylmellein (1) and its new dimer (2) were isolated from cultures of the basidiomycete Inonotus sinensis. Their structures were elucidated on the basis of extensive spectroscopic methods including UV, IR, HR-EI-MS, 1D NMR and 2D NMR. The structure of Compound 2 was determined by single-crystal X-ray crystallographic analysis. Compound 2 was tested for the cytotoxicities against five human cancer cell lines.

A direct, efficient, and versatile glycosylation methodology promises the systematic synthesis of oligosaccharides and glycoconjugates in a streamlined fashion like the synthesis of medium to long-chain nucleotides and peptides. The development of a generally applicable approach for the construction of 1,2-cis-glycosidic bond with controlled stereoselectivity remains a major challenge, especially for the synthesis of β-mannosides. Here, we report a direct mannosylation strategy mediated by ZnI2, a mild Lewis acid, for the highly stereoselective construction of 1,2-cis-β linkages employing easily accessible 4,6-O-tethered mannosyl trichloroacetimidate donors. The versatility and effectiveness of this strategy were demonstrated with successful β-mannosylation of a wide variety of alcohol acceptors, including complex natural products, amino acids, and glycosides. Through iteratively performing ZnI2-mediated mannosylation with the chitobiosyl azide acceptor followed by site-selective deprotection of the mannosylation product, the novel methodology enables the modular synthesis of the key intermediate trisaccharide with Man-β-(1 → 4)-GlcNAc-β-(1 → 4)-GlcNAc linkage for N-glycan synthesis. Theoretical investigations with density functional theory calculations delved into the mechanistic details of this β-selective mannosylation and elucidated two zinc cations' essential roles as the activating agent of the donor and the principal mediator of the cis-directing intermolecular interaction. We thank the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (no. 31610011 to F.D.), the Province Natural Science Fund of Guangdong (no. 42030015 to F.D.), and the Sun Yat-sen University Startup Fund (no.18841224 to F.D.) for financial support and the grant-in-aid for Specially Promoted Research (no. 16H06290 to Y.I. and A.I.) and for Scientific Research (no.18K05345 and 19H00929 to A.I.) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.

The engagement of unactivated alkyl halides in copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions has been historically challenging, due to their low reduction potential and the slow oxidative addition of copper(I) catalysts. In this work, we report a novel strategy that leverages the halogen abstraction ability of aryl radicals, thereby engaging a diverse range of alkyl iodides in copper-catalyzed Negishi-type cross-coupling reactions at room temperature. Specifically, aryl radicals generated via copper catalysis efficiently initiate the cleavage of the carbon-iodide bonds of alkyl iodides. The alkyl radicals thus generated enter the copper catalytic cycles to couple with a difluoromethyl zinc reagent, thus furnishing the alkyl difluoromethane products. This unprecedented Negishi-type difluoromethylation approach has been applied to the late-stage modification of densely functionalized pharmaceutical agents and natural products.

Penicisteckins A-D (1-4), two pairs of atropodiastereomeric biaryl-type hetero- and homodimeric bis-isochromans with 7,5'- and 7,7'-linkages and a pair of atropodiastereomeric 2-(isochroman-5-yl)-1,4-benzoquinone derivatives [penicisteckins E (5) and F (6)], were isolated from the Penicillium steckii HNNU-5B18. Their structures including the absolute configuration were determined by extensive spectroscopic and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis and TDDFT-ECD calculations. Both the bis-isochromans and the isochroman/1,4-benzoquinone conjugates represent novel biaryl scaffolds containing both central and axial chirality elements. The monomer anserinone B (8) exhibited potent antibacterial activities against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus with minimal inhibition concentration values ranging from 2 to 8 μg mL-1. Plausible biosynthetic pathways of 1-6 are proposed, which suggest how the absolute configurations of the isolates were established during the biosynthetic scheme.

Hyperbilirubinemia caused severe hepatobiliary diseases with various causes, especially hepatic fibrosis and cirrhosis caused by end-stage hepatitis B and C. Plasma adsorption perfusion (PP) has a tremendous advantage in treating patients with hyperbilirubinemia and liver failure, wherein, a safe and effective adsorbent is the key to filter out bilirubin successfully in PP. In this work, a simple engineering strategy, a new porous polymer adsorption resin ERM-0100 based on the homopolymer predispersion system, is proposed to produce high-performance bilirubin adsorbents. Preliminary experimental results show that ERM-0100 exhibits a large surface area and uniformly porous structure. Experimental results verify that ERM-0100 has high biocompatibility and bilirubin adsorption efficiency (TBIL:35%, direct bilirubin [DBIL]:30%, IBIL:87%) that is significantly higher than most of the reported adsorbents. Animal experiments prove that ERM-0100 has high bilirubin adsorption efficiency and can improve the liver function of animals. The combination of high biocompatibility and high adsorption capacity positions the ERM-0100 as a promising candidate for bilirubin removal.

While rich chemistry of phospholyl anions is discovered, phosphafluorenyl anions are only proposed as the critical intermediates for the synthesis of phosphafluorenes. In this article, we reported the direct synthesis of phosphafluorenyl lithiums from white phosphorus (P4) through direct P–C bond formation. The reaction between P4 and biphenyl dilithio reagents efficiently afforded phosphafluorenyl lithiums, which were further used to synthesize different kinds of organophosphorus compounds. The aggregation states of phosphafluorenyl lithiums were investigated for the first time. Mechanistic studies by DFT calculations revealed a cooperative nucleophilic attack of two C−Li bonds on P4 molecule.

Excessive manganese (Mn) exposure can cause nerve damage and mitochondrial dysfunction, which may involve defects in mitochondrial dynamics. Resveratrol (RSV) exerts a wide range of beneficial effects via activation of sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) and thus may positively impact Mn-induced mitochondrial damage through the regulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) by SIRT1. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms by which RSV alleviates the nerve injury and mitochondrial fragmentation caused by Mn in C57 BL/6 mice. Our results demonstrated that RSV activated the deacetylase activity of SIRT1 and protected against the surge of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and the attenuation of ATP caused by Mn. RSV, therefore, inhibits mitochondrial fragmentation and safeguards neural cells. Increased deacetylase activity led to a reduction in the acetylation of PGC-1α, which directly regulates DRP1 expression by binding to the DRP1 promoter. The resultant attenuation of DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fragmentation in RSV-pretreated mice was abolished by the addition of the SIRT1 inhibitor EX527. Taken together, these findings indicate that RSV alleviates Mn-induced mitochondrial dysfunction mediated by DRP1 by modulating the SIRT1/PGC-1α signaling pathway.

As most of the known systems are flashtype, long-lasting chemiluminescence (CL) emissions are extremely needed for the application of cold light sources, accurate CL quantitative analysis, and biological mapping. In this work, the flashtype system of luminol was altered to a long lasting CL system just because of the paper substrate. The Cu(II)-based organic complex was loaded on the paper surface, which can trigger luminol-H2O2 to produce a long lasting CL emission for over 30 min. By using 1,10-phenanthroline-2,9-dicarboxylic acid (PDA) as the ligand, a hexacoordinated Cu(II)-based organic complex was synthesized by the simple freeze-drying method. It is interesting that the complex morphology can be controlled by adding different amounts of water in the synthesizing procedure. The complex with a certain size can be definitely trapped in the pores of the cellulose. Then, slow diffusion, which can be attributed to the long lasting CL emission, was produced. With the high catalytic activity of the complex, reactive oxygen species from H2O2 was generated and was responsible for the high CL intensity. By using the paper substrate, the flash-type luminol system can be easily transferred to the long-duration CL system without any extra reagent. This long-lasting emission system was used for hydrogen sulfide detection by the CL imaging method. This paper-based sensor has great potential for CL imaging in the clinical field in the future.

Loop heat pipe (LHP) is widely used in high-power electronic cooling as a passive cooling device. In this paper, the LHP system was designed with a flat evaporator and a capillary biporous wick with cupric oxide nanofluids as working fluid in LHP. The capillary biporous wick was sintered by nickel powder and the nanofluids were prepared by a two-step method. The startup tests, variable heat load tests, and performance degradation tests of LHP were conducted respectively and the thermal resistance was further analyzed. The results showed that, compared with distilled water, the maximum heat load increased from 290 W to 310 W and the minimum startup heat load decreased from 40 W to 20 W with nanofluids as working fluid. Both the temperature of the evaporator wall and the thermal resistance were reduced in startup tests. At the heat load of 50 W, the performance improvement was the most noticeable, where the temperature of the evaporator wall was reduced by 12.7 °C, the thermal resistance of the evaporator was reduced by 26.9%, and the thermal resistance of the LHP system was reduced by 17.6%. With a variable heat load ranging from 50 W to 290 W, the response speed of LHP became faster and the temperature fluctuation was smaller. The LHP with nanofluids as working fluid still operated normally and the change of thermal resistance with the varies of heat load had the same tendency as the previous experiment in performance degradation tests of 2 months.

Grey models should give different weights to old and new information when dealing with different cases, whereas existing grey models always give greater weight to new information. With this in mind, a novel grey model is proposed in this paper. The model introduces an exponential parameter that regulates the weight of information by adjusting the size of the parameter. This model is used to study the carbon dioxide emissions of BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) countries. Firstly, the intelligent algorithm is used for multiple iterations to find the exponential order that minimizes the simulation error. Secondly, the raw data on CO2 emissions from BRICS countries are processed and grey differential equations are developed. Finally, the least squares method is used to solve the coefficients of the differential equation and to predict the CO2 emissions of these countries based on the corresponding time series. The results show that carbon dioxide emissions in Brazil and Russia are on a downward trend. China and South Africa show a slight upward trend in carbon dioxide emissions. India has a large trend of increasing carbon dioxide emissions. The results can provide reference value for the relevant authorities.

The synthesis of two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has invoked much research interest in recent years. In this work, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) was employed to grow a novel molybdenum disulfide. The synthesis reaction was operated in an inert gas environment, with the sulfur precursor placed in the upstream zone of a double zone tube furnace, and the molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) precursor placed in a small tube in the downstream zone. A piece of glass was used as the substrate, which was placed beside the small tube. We intentionally built a high concentration of molybdenum precursor above the substrate. The specific morphology hinged highly on the concentration of molybdenum. Abundant molybdenum atoms adsorbed on the edges of the bottom MoS2 and formed defects, which promoted the nucleation of the top layer MoS2 and preferentially grew from the edges. This result provides an innovative method to controllably synthesize novel bilayer molybdenum disulfide by a one-step method of chemical vapor deposition.

Being a novel energy storage medium, ice slurry has the advantage of good fluidity, high latent heat and heat transfer efficiency, which has a broad application prospect. In this work, the ice making characteristics of different types of additives (MgCl2, ethylene glycol and magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles) in a binary ice system by vacuum flash evaporation under the action of solid adsorption were experimentally investigated. Subcooling, flash rate, ice packing factor, latent heat and thermal conductivity were measured to evaluate the performance of ice production. The results showed that 0.075% wt of iron oxide nanoparticles and 1% wt of MgCl2 are more suitable to be used as additives for binary ice preparation than ethylene glycol, with the former outperforming the latter. Under optimal conditions, compared with pure water for ice making, the subcooling degree of iron oxide nanofluid was reduced by 55.80%, and the thermal conductivity and ice packing factor were increased by 98.80% and 54.22%, respectively. The subcooling degree of the MgCl2 solution was reduced by 37.52% and the ice packing factor was improved by 59.51%. Meanwhile, DSC tests showed that the latent heat of the nanofluid was almost independent of the nanoparticle concentration. However, the increase of MgCl2 solution would cause the decrease of latent heat. In addition, high concentrations of additives can inhibit ice crystal nucleation and growth, but a certain concentration of additives facilitates ice crystal refinement in vacuum ice making process, which is conducive to the transportation of ice slurry.

Background As we know, radiotherapy plays an irreplaceable role in the clinical management on solid tumors. However, due to the non-specific killing effects of ionizing radiation, normal tissues damages would be almost simultaneous inevitably. Therefore, ideal radioprotective agents with high efficiency and low toxicity are always desirable. In this work, atomically precise Ag14 clusterzymes were developed, and their applications in radioprotection were studied in vitro and in vivo for the first time. Methods The ultra-small glutathione supported Ag14 clusterzymes were synthesized by convenient sodium borohydride (NaBH4) reduction of thiolate-Ag (I) complexes and then they were purified by desalting columns. The enzyme-like activity and antioxidant capacity of Ag14 clusterzymes have been tested by various commercial kits, salicylic acid method and electron spin resonance (ESR). Next, they were incubated with L929 cells to evaluate whether they could increase cell viability after γ-ray irradiation. And then Ag14 clusterzymes were intravenously injected into C57 mice before 7 Gy whole-body γ-ray irradiation to evaluate the radioprotection effects in vivo. At last, the in vivo toxicities of Ag14 clusterzymes were evaluated through biodistribution test, hematological details, serum biochemical indexes and histological test in female Balb/c mice with intravenous injection of Ag14 clusterzymes. Results Our studies suggested atomically precise Ag14 clusterzymes were potential radioprotectants. Ag14 clusterzymes exhibited unique superoxide dismutase (SOD)-like activity, strong anti-oxidative abilities, especially on •OH scavenging. The Ag14 clusterzymes could effectively improve cell viability through eliminating ROS and prevent DNA damages in cells dealt with γ-ray irradiation. In vivo experiments showed that Ag14 clusterzymes could improve the irradiated mice survival rate by protecting hematological systems and repairing tissue oxidative stress damage generated by γ-ray irradiation. In addition, bio-distribution and toxicological experiments demonstrated that the ultrasmall Ag14 clusterzymes could be excreted quickly from the body by renal clearance and negligible toxicological responses were observed in mice up to 30 days. Conclusion In summary, atomically precise, ultrasmall and water soluble Ag14 clusterzymes with SOD-like activity were successfully developed and proved to be effective both in vitro and in vivo for radioprotection. Furthermore, with atomically precise molecular structure, Ag14 clusterzymes, on aspect of the catalytic and optical properties, may be improved by structure optimization on atom-scale level for other applications in disease diagnosis and treatment. Graphical Abstract

Background Panax notoginseng is a highly valued medicinal herb used widely in China and many Asian countries. Its root and rhizome have long been used for the treatment of cardiovascular and hematological diseases. Imaging the spatial distributions and dynamics of metabolites in heterogeneous plant tissues is significant for characterizing the metabolic networks of Panax notoginseng, and this will also provide a highly informative approach to understand the complex molecular changes in the processing of Panax notoginseng. Methods Here, a high-sensitive MALDI-MS imaging method was developed and adopted to visualize the spatial distributions and spatiotemporal changes of metabolites in different botanical parts of Panax notoginseng. Results A wide spectrum of metabolites including notoginsenosides, ginsenosides, amino acids, dencichine, gluconic acid, and low-molecular-weight organic acids were imaged in Panax notoginseng rhizome and root tissues for the first time. Moreover, the spatiotemporal alterations of metabolites during the steaming of Panax notoginseng root were also characterized in this study. And, a series of metabolites such as dencichine, arginine and glutamine that changed with the steaming of Panax notoginseng were successfully screened out and imaged. Conclusion These spatially-resolved metabolite data not only enhance our understanding of the Panax notoginseng metabolic networks, but also provide direct evidence that a serious of metabolic alterations occurred during the steaming of Panax notoginseng.

Plant bacteria such as Xanthomonas axonopodispv. citri (Xac), Pseudomonas syringaepv. actinidiae (Psa), Xanthomonas oryzaepv. oryzae (Xoo), and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) have created huge obstacles to the global trade of food and economic crops. However, traditional chemical agents used to control these plant diseases have gradually become disadvantageous due to long-term irregular use. Therefore, finding new and efficient antibacterial and antiviral agents is becoming imperative. In this study, a series of myricetin derivatives containing a quinazolinone moiety were designed and synthesized, and the antibacterial and antiviral activities of these compounds were evaluated. The bioassay results showed that some target compounds exhibited good antibacterial activities in vitro and antiviral activities in vivo. Among them, the median effective concentration (EC50) value of compound L18 against Xac was 16.9 μg/mL, which was better than those of the control drugs bismerthiazol (BT) (62.2 μg/mL) and thiodiazole copper (TC) (97.5 μg/mL). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results confirmed that compound L18 inhibited the growth of Xac by affecting the morphology of cells. Microscale thermophoresis (MST) test results indicated that the dissociation constant (Kd) value of compound L11 against TMV-CP was 0.012 μM, which was better than that of the control agent ningnanmycin (2.726 μM). This study reveals that myricetin derivatives containing a quinazolinone moiety are potential antibacterial and antiviral agents.

Sanguinarine (SAN) and chelerythrine (CHE) have significant anti-inflammatory and growth-promoting activities and have been widely used in medicine and stockbreeding. However, SAN and CHE are present in only small amounts (0.5% capsule dry weight) in the Chinese herbal medicine Macleaya cordata, resulting in a consistently high price of their derivative products. Here, we generated transgenic plants overexpressing the key SAN and CHE biosynthetic pathway gene, protopine-6-hydroxylase (P6H), via genetic transformation. Quantitative detection by ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem/triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (UPLC-QQQ-MS) showed that the contents of SAN and CHE increased in the overexpressing plants compared with the wild-type plants. Moreover, these plants had a higher relative expression of level of McP6H in the roots, stems and leaves, and the relative expression of the downstream enzyme dihydrobenzophenanthridine oxidase (McDBOX) also increased significantly. These results indicate that overexpression of the P6H gene is a promising approach to improve SAN and CHE production and is significant in the study of the synthesis pathways of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids (BIAs) to obtain germplasm resources with high alkaloid contents.

PURPOSE To assess liver necroinflammation in HCV patients undergone antiviral therapy by Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MRI with histopathologic analyses as reference. METHODS HCV patients were enrolled in this prospective study before antiviral treatment between 09-2016 and 07-2017. Unenhanced MR, Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR, and liver biopsy were performed before and 24 weeks after treatment of daclatasvir with asunaprevir (DAA). DWI was obtained using a breath-hold single-shot echo planar spin-echo sequence. Twenty minutes after administration of Gd-EOB-DTPA, the relative enhancement (RE) and the contrast enhancement index (CEI) were recorded. Liver necroinflammatory activity grades (G0-18) were categorized on the Ishak Scoring systems. CEI, RE, and DWI of baseline and 24 weeks after treatment were compared by paired t test. Relationship between MR parameters and histologic scores was evaluated by Pearson's correlation. Receiver operating characteristic analysis evaluated the measurements' diagnostic performance. MRI variability between two readers was assessed using the intraclass correlation coefficient.Results RESULTS: A decrease of liver necroinflammatory activity grade (p

Mercury (Hg) is one of the harmful pollutants in the atmosphere, and the determination of atmospheric Hg is a difficult task because of its low concentration in the air. Usually, use of an adsorbent for the enrichment of atmospheric Hg must be needed before an analysis of it in the air, but the conventional adsorbent materials are usually expensive and difficult to be prepared. In this study, a new composite membrane fabricated by electrospinning polystyrene integrated with thioglycollic acid was evaluated for the adsorption of Hg in the air. The morphological structure of the novel nanofiber membrane was characterized and their ability to capture atmospheric Hg was also investigated. The adsorptive capacity of nanofiber membrane for atmospheric Hg can be greatly improved after the incorporation of mercapto-function group, which was four times larger than that of the commercial quartz film. Furthermore, the electrospun nanofiber was easier to prepare compared with the traditional Hg adsorption material, sulfhydryl cotton, and exhibited lower pressure drop. It was found that thioglycollic acid-modified electrospun nanofibers can be a potential adsorbent for Hg in the air.

In plants, glucose (Glc) plays important roles, as a nutrient and signal molecule, in the regulation of growth and development. However, the function of Glc in fiber development of upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is unclear. Here, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), we found that the Glc content in fibers was higher than that in ovules during the fiber elongation stage. In vitro ovule culture revealed that lower Glc concentrations promoted cotton fiber elongation, while higher concentrations had inhibitory effects. The hexokinase inhibitor N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) inhibited cotton fiber elongation in the cultured ovules, indicating that Glc-mediated fiber elongation depends on the Glc signal transduced by hexokinase. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) analysis and hormone content detection showed that 150mM Glc significantly activated brassinosteroid (BR) biosynthesis, and the expression of signaling-related genes was also increased, which promoted fiber elongation. In vitro ovule culture clarified that BR induced cotton fiber elongation in a dose-dependent manner. In hormone recovery experiments, only BR compensated for the inhibitory effects of NAG on fiber elongation in a Glc-containing medium. However, the ovules cultured with the BR biosynthetic inhibitor brassinazole and from the BR-deficient cotton mutant pag1 had greatly reduced fiber elongation at all the Glc concentrations tested. This demonstrates that Glc does not compensate for the inhibition of fiber elongation caused by BR biosynthetic defects, suggesting that the BR signaling pathway works downstream of Glc during cotton fiber elongation. Altogether, our study showed that Glc plays an important role in cotton fibre elongation, and crosstalk occurs between Glc and BR signaling during modulation of fiber elongation.

More than 25% of chemical transformations involve at least one hydrogenation step. Selective hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes is an essential process in the industrial production of pesticide...

We report a highly efficient and selective catalytic system, ABNO (9-azabicyclo-[3.3.1]nonane N-oxyl)/HNO3, for the aerobic oxidation of substituted furans to cis-2-ene-1,4-diones under mild reaction conditions using oxygen as the oxidant. The catalyst system is amenable to various substituted (mon-, di-, and tri-) furans and tolerates diverse functional groups, including cyano, nitro, naphthyl, ketone, ester, heterocycle, and even formyl groups. Based on the control and 18O-labeling experiments, the possible mechanism of the oxidation is proposed.

INTRODUCTION The medical demand for lymphedema treatment is huge since the disease mechanism remains unclear, and management are difficult. Our purpose was to develop a reliable lymphedema model mimicking the clinical scenario and allows a microsurgical approach. MATERIALS AND METHODS Male Lewis rats weighing 400 to 450 g were used to create lymphedema with groin and popliteal lymph node dissection and creation of 5 mm circumferential skin defect (n = 6). A skin incision was made and closed primarily for control group (n = 5). Evaluation included indocyanine green (ICG) lymphangiography 1 and 2 months postoperatively, volume difference between bilateral hindlimbs measured using micro-CT, and the skin was harvested for histological evaluation 2 months postoperatively. RESULTS Larger volume differences present in the lymphedema group (17.50 ± 7.76 vs. 3.73 ± 2.66%, p

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) has recently emerged as an important regulatory mechanism for gene expression and aberrant m6A modification plays an important role in tumor progression. Emerging evidence has shown that aberrant m6A modification induced by cigarette smoking is involved in carcinogenesis, but whether cigarette smoking affects m6A modification and thus deteriorates to non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is still unclear. Here, we identified a tumor suppressor gene-DAPK2 which was significantly associated with poor prognosis of NSCLC patients, especially in patients with a smoking history. Low levels of DAPK2 were detected in smokers and in NSCLC tissues. Cigarette smoking induced aberrant N6-methyladenosine modification of DAPK2, which resulted in decreased DAPK2 mRNA stability and expression of its mRNA and protein. This modification was mediated by the m6A “writer” METTL3 and the m6A “reader” YTHDF2. Mechanistically, we further demonstrated that DAPK2 functions as a tumor suppressor and downregulation of DAPK2 substantially enhances the proliferation and migration abilities in vitro and in vivo by activating NF-κB signaling pathway. Notably, the BAY 11–7085, a NF-κB signaling selective inhibitor, was shown to efficiently suppressed downregulation of DAPK2-induced oncogenic phenotypes of NSCLC cells. Our study reveals that cigarette smoking induces aberrant N6-methyladenosine of DAPK2 to promote NSCLC progression, which provides new insight into the mechanisms of NSCLC progression and a specific therapeutic target for NSCLC patients with a smoking history.

Lipoxygenase (LOX, EC 1.13.11.12) is a non-haeme iron-containing dioxygenase family that catalyzes the oxygenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids into bio-functionally fatty acid diverse (oxylipins) and plays vital role in plant growth and development and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. Though LOX genes have been studied in many plant species, their roles in Brassicaceae species are still unknown. Here, a set of 14, 18, and 33 putative LOX genes were identified in Brassica rapa, Brassica oleracea and Brassica napus (allotetraploid rapeseed), respectively, which could be divided into 9-LOX (LOX1/5), 13-LOX type I (LOX3/4/6), and type II (LOX2) subgroups. There was an expansion of LOX2 orthologous genes in Brassicaceae. Most of the LOX genes are intron rich and conserved in gene structure, and the LOX proteins all have the conserved lipoxygenase and PLAT/LH2 domain. Ka/Ks ratio revealed that the majority of LOXs underwent purifying selection in Brassicaceae. The light-, ABA-, MeJA-related cis-elements and MYB-binding sites in the promoters of BnaLOXs were the most abundant. BnaLOXs displayed different spatiotemporal expression patterns and various abiotic/biotic stress responsive expression patterns. BnaLOX1/5 were slightly or no response to phytohormones and abiotic stresses. BnaLOX3/4/6 predominantly express in roots and were strongly up-regulated by salinity and PEG treatments, and BnaLOX3/4 were the methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and salicylic acid (SA) early response genes and strongly induced by infection of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum; while the BnaLOX2 members predominantly express in stamens, were MeJA and SA continuous response genes and strongly repressed by cold, heat and waterlogging treatments in leaves. Our results are useful for understanding the biological functions of the BnaLOX genes in allotetraploid rapeseed.

Catabolite control protein C (CcpC) belongs to the LysR-type transcriptional regulator (LTTR) family, which regulates the transcription of genes encoding the tricarboxylic acid branch enzymes of the TCA cycle by responding to a pathway-specific metabolite, citrate. The biological function of CcpC has been characterized several times, but the structural basis for the molecular function of CcpC remains elusive. Here, we report the characterization of a full-length CcpC from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens (BaCcpC-FL) and a crystal structure of the C-terminal inducer-binding domain (IBD) complexed with citrate. BaCcpC required both dyad symmetric regions I and II to recognize the citB promoter, and the presence of citrate reduced citB promoter binding. The crystal structure of CcpC-IBD shows two subdomains, IBD-I and IBD-II, and a citrate molecule buried between them. Ile100, two arginines (Arg147 and Arg260), and three serines (Ser129, Ser189, and Ser191) exhibit strong hydrogen-bond interactions with citrate molecules. A structural comparison of BaCcpC-IBD with its homologues showed that they share the same tail-to-tail dimer alignment, but the dimeric interface and the rotation between these molecules exhibit significant differences. Taken together, our results provide a framework for understanding the mechanism underlying the functional divergence of the CcpC protein.

Background Pulmonary fibrosis is a fatal lung disease with limited treatment options. Icaritin is the active ingredient derived from the traditional Chinese medical plant Epimedium and possesses many biomedical activities. This study aimed to investigate the effects and molecular mechanisms of icaritin on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in mice. Methods To assess its preventative effects, bleomycin treated mice received 0, 0.04, 0.2, and 1 mg/kg of icaritin from day 1 onwards. To assess its therapeutic effects, bleomycin treated mice received 0 and 1 mg/kg of icaritin from day 15 onwards. Mice were sacrificed on day 21 and lung tissues were collected, stained with HE, Masson and immunohistochemistry. Q-PCR was used to measure Collagen I and Collagen III expression, western blotting was used to quantify α-SMA, Collagen I expression. Hydroxyproline content was measured using a biochemical method. NIH3T3 and HLF-1 cells were treated with TGF-β1with or without icaritin, and α-SMA, Collagen I were tested. PPARγ antagonist GW9662 and PPARγ-targeted siRNA were used to investigate the mechanism of icaritin in inhibiting myofibroblast differentiation. Results Both preventative and therapeutic administration of icaritin improved the histopathological changes, decreased Collagen and α-SMA, lowered hydroxyproline content in bleomycin-treated lung tissues. Icaritin decreased α-SMA and Collagen I expression in TGF-β1-stimulated NIH3T3 and HLF-1 cells. However, its effect in reducing α-SMA and Collagen I expression was suppressed when expression or activity of PPARγ was inhibited. Conclusions Icaritin has therapeutic potential against pulmonary fibrosis via the inhibition of myofibroblast differentiation, which may be mediated by PPARγ.

A single-crystal islands (SCI) technique using low thermal budget pulse laser process is proposed and demonstrated to fabricate single-crystal silicon islands over amorphous dielectric for monolithic 3-D and back-end-of-line (BEOL) FinFET circuits. By laser recrystallizing mask-defined a-Si islands encapsulated with conformal silicon nitride film, designed single-crystal Si islands can be obtained. The single crystallinity of the island are verified with SECCO Etch, high-resolution electron microscopy (HREM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and electron backside scattering (EBSD). About 40 nm FinFETs were successfully fabricated in the SCI Si islands and shown to exhibit excellent electrical performance and low variability that are compatible with the FinFETs fabricated on commercial silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer.

Achieving high-efficiency deep blue emitter with CIEy 10% has been a long-standing challenge for traditional fluorescent materials in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Here, we report the rational design and synthesis of two new deep blue luminogens: 4-(10-(4′-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-2,5-dimethyl-[1,1′-biphenyl]-4-yl)anthracen-9-yl)benzonitrile (2M-ph-pCzAnBzt) and 4-(10-(4-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)-2,5-dimethylphenyl)anthracen-9-yl)benzonitrile (2M-pCzAnBzt). In particular, 2M-ph-pCzAnBzt produces saturated deep blue emissions in a non-doped electroluminescent device with an exceptionally high EQE of 10.44% and CIEx,y (0.151, 0.057). The unprecedented electroluminescent efficiency is attributed to the combined effects of higher-order reversed intersystem crossing and triplet-triplet up-conversion, which are supported by analysis of theoretical calculation, triplet sensitization experiments, as well as nanosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. This research offers a new approach to resolve the shortage of high efficiency deep blue fluorescent emitters.

Two-dimensional graphene oxide (GO) membranes exhibit great potential for environmental aqueous separation and purification. However, their viability and performance are greatly limited under cross-flow conditions due to the enlargement of interlayer spacing and peeling of stacked GO laminates in aqueous environments. Herein, inspired by natural nacre structure, we present a dual-functional and ultra-stable β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) -polyacrylic acid (PAA) -GO composite membrane, with a constant d-spacing in both wet and dry states. Nanosheets and chain polymers construct a typical “brick-mortar” structural configuration, which exhibits great anti-swelling property compared with other reported GO membranes. By rationally optimizing and tuning the membrane structures, the ultrathin GO membrane (∼50 nm) exhibits outstanding stability in cross-flow and long-term filtration. Moreover, the designed membrane shows dual functions (high-throughput enantioselectivity and excellent dyes rejection) with the increase of molecular size. This strategy boosts the ongoing research in designing robust lamellar membrane materials for practical engineering applications in aqueous environments.

Urinary metabolomics is a useful non-invasive tool for large-scale screening of disease-related metabolites. However, no comprehensive urinary metabolomic analysis of vitiligo is presently available. To investigate the urine metabolic pattern of vitiligo patients, we conducted a combined cross-sectional and prospective self-control cohort study and an untargeted urinary metabolomic analysis. In the cross-sectional study, 295 vitiligo patients and 192 age‐ and sex‐matched controls were enrolled, and 71 differential metabolites between two groups were identified. Pathway enrichment analysis revealed that drug metabolism-cytochrome P450, biopterin metabolism, vitamin B9 (folate) metabolism, selenoamino acid metabolism, and methionine and cysteine metabolism showed significant enrichment in vitiligo patients compared with the status in healthy controls. In the self-control cohort, 46 active vitiligo patients were recruited to analyse the urinary metabolic signatures after treatment. All of these patients were asked to undertake follow-up visits every 2 months three times after first consulting and the disease stage was evaluated compared with that at the last visit. Folate metabolism, linoleate metabolism, leukotriene metabolism, alkaloid biosynthesis, and tyrosine metabolism were predicted to be involved in vitiligo activity. Our study is the first attempt to reveal urinary metabolic signatures of vitiligo patients and provides new insights into the metabolic mechanisms of vitiligo.

A series of pyridinium-based chiral ionic liquid crystals were designed and synthesized. All of them exhibit enantiotropic smectic phases. The methylation on the pyridine ring not only decreases th...

A novel nitrogen-doped carbon quantum dots (N-CDs) were prepared by the microwave irradiation method. The fluorescence quenching effect of Co(II) on the N-CDs was studied in the sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) medium and the fluorescence quenching was sensitized in the SDS. The linear range of calibration curve for the determination of Co(II) was 0.17µg/mL-11.8µg/mL and the limit of detection was 0.052µg/mL. The method has been applied for the determination of Co(II) in samples with satisfactory results.

Two series of acrylate liquid crystals with enantiotropic SmA and SmC phases were synthesised. With increasing the alkoxy chain length, SmC phase was favourable to be formed. The mesophases were confirmed by taking small angle X-ray scattering patterns. Moreover, a diacrylate liquid crystal with an enantiotropic SmA phase was synthesised. Smectic liquid crystal mixtures were prepared using the diacrylate liquid crystal (or a mixture of an acrylate liquid crystal and the diacrylate one) and a dichroic dye. After photopolymerisation at the SmA phase, polymeric polarisers were obtained. The degree of polarisation was increased with increasing the dye concentration and film thickness.