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Objective: Acute‐on‐chronic liver failure (ACLF) causes organ system failures in patients and increases the risk of mortality. One of the main predictors of ACLF development in patients is the severity of systemic inflammation. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of resolvin D1 (RvD1) on the rat model of ACLF. Methods: The ACLF rats were induced by first intraperitoneally (ip) injecting CCl4 and porcine serum for 6 weeks to establish the chronic liver injury, followed by once administration (ip) of lipopolysaccharide and d‐galactose d‐GalN to cause acute liver injury (ALI). An hour before the ALI‐induced treatment, rats were administrated (ip) with 0.9% saline or different doses of RvD1 (0.3 or 1 µg/kg). Afterward, the control and treated rats were killed and samples were collected. Biochemical analysis, hematoxylin‐eosin and Sirius red staining, flow cytometry assay, and real‐time polymerase chain reaction were used to assess the rat liver histopathological injury, the percentage of Treg cells in the spleen, and the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels of transcription factors and immunologic cytokines in liver. Results: The necroinflammatory scores and the serum levels of transaminase significantly increased in ACLF rats compared with those in control rats. These impaired changes observed in ACLF rats could be attenuated by the administration of a low dose of RvD1 before the induction of ALI, which was associated with the increased proportion of regulatory T cells (Treg) in the spleen together with the increased gene expression ratio of Foxp3/RORγt and decreased mRNA level of Il‐17a and Il‐6 in the liver. Conclusion: A low dose of RvD1 can promote the resolution of inflammation in ACLF rats by increasing the proportion of Treg cells. RvD1, therefore, may be used as a potential drug for the treatment of patients with ACLF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toxicity and irritation associated with high amounts of surfactants restrict the extensive utilization of microemulsions. To address these shortcomings, employing mixed oils to enlarge microemulsion areas therefore reducing surfactant contents is a promising strategy. However, what kinds of mixed oils are more efficient in enlarging microemulsion areas still remains unclear. In this research, we found that the chain length and degree of unsaturation of oils play a key role in enlarging microemulsion areas. The combination of moderate chain saturated oil caprylic/capric triglyceride (GTCC) with long chain unsaturated oil glycerol trioleate significantly increased the microemulsion areas. Solubility of ibuprofen in the mixed oils was unexpectedly and remarkably increased (almost 300 mg/mL) compared with that (around 100 mg/mL) of the single oil (GTCC), which also resulted in greatly increased solubility of ibuprofen in mixed oils-containing microemulsions. By optimizing the mixed oil formulation, the absolute amount of surfactant in drug-loaded microemulsions was reduced but increased drug oral bioavailability in rats was maintained. It could be concluded that the combined use of moderate chain oils and long chain unsaturated oils could not only acquire enlarged microemulsion areas but also enhanced drug solubility, therefore doubly reducing surfactant amount, which is extremely beneficial for developing safe microemulsions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To separate short-lived nuclide Cs or Rb from fission products,the separation could be started from their parent nuclides (Xe or Kr). A setup with frozen cold trap is designed to separate such kinds of inert gas nuclides. The principle is based on that different gases have different saturated vapor tensions. With isotopic exchanging technology,the setup has been applied successfully in the separation of Cs or Rb from complicated fission products. Decontamination factors of main γ-emitters are higher than 1 × 10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ignition delay times of dimethyl carbonate were measured in a shock tube for the first time at T = 1100–1600 K, p = 0.12–1.0 MPa, fuel concentration = 0.5–2.0%, and ϕ = 0.5–2.0. A modified chemical kinetic model was developed and can well predict ignition delay times and activation energies. Further validation of the proposed kinetic model was made on the basis of the opposed flow diffusion flame data. Reasonable agreements were also achieved under the literature data. Reaction pathway analysis shows that at high temperature the DMC molecule is primarily consumed through the H-abstractions but not fuel unimolecular decompositions. Sensitivity analysis provides some key fuel-species reactions for DMC high temperature ignition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Strong and recyclable epoxy adhesives were developed from renewable soybean oil. • Both original and recycled adhesives showed excellent adhesion ability to substrates. • Dynamic borate ester bonds enabled the adhesives excellent recyclability. Biobased and recyclable epoxy vitrimer adhesives (ESOBV) containing dynamic borate ester bonds were formulated from epoxidized soybean oil (ESO) and a dithiol borate ester curing agent (BDB) via a thermally-induced "thiol-epoxy" click reaction. The cross-linked ESOBV adhesives showed superior adhesion strength (3.84–9.61 MPa) on various substrates including steel, glass, wood, and bamboo plates. The reaction between the epoxy groups from ESO and the sulfhydryl groups from BDB generates a large number of hydroxyl groups, which could form hydrogen bonds with substrates. The cured ESOBV adhesives had high tensile strength (18.74–25.14 MPa) and superior thermal stability. The dynamic borate ester bonds in the network undergo topological rearrangement at evaluated temperature, enabling the ESOBV good reprocessability and reusability. The adhesives could be recycled via molecular rearrangement, and the recycled solid ESOBV had comparable lap-shear strength on substrates to the original liquid ESOBV. This study provides a simple method for preparing strong and recyclable vegetable oil-based adhesives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One major drawback in research of animal mammary gland bioreactors is the low production rate of high-expressing transgenic animals due to position effects. To obtain high and stable expression of foreign gene, yeast and bacterial artificial chromosome have been used as transgene vector in recent research. Human lactoferrin is a bioactive, versatile protein, and has large potential in nutritional and therapeutic applications. Therefore, production of recombinant lactoferrin using animal bioreactors was studied widely to satisfy its large requirement. We reported here a transgenic mice model with high-level expression of recombinant human lactoferrin in mammary gland. Transgene construct used here was a human bacterial artificial chromosome containing intact lactoferrin-encoding transcript unit, approximately 90 kb 5′-flanking sequences and 27.2 kb 3′-flanking sequences. We obtained totally 10 transgenic mice whereas two of them lacked of part of upstream sequences of the gene. Milk of eight transgenic mice line was detected by Western blot and radioimmunoassay and seven lines expressed recombinant human lactoferrin at high but variable level (0.29, 0.53, 0.90, 1.23, 2.76, 3.58, and 8.02 mg/mL, respectively). The variability of expression indicates that even the 90 kb 5′ flanking sequence of the transgene can't overcome position effects completely. Moreover, we also determined sequences of 9.3 kb regulatory region and 10.6 kb encoding region of the gene and thus supplemented all unknown sequences. Our results suggested that transgene vector used here has potential to be used in large farm animals for production of recombinant human lactoferrin in industrial scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An adhesive serves as a vital tool in construction, repair, and rehabilitation projects. Typically crafted from polymer materials such as epoxies or polyurethane latex, it facilitates the creation of resilient bonds between a variety of surfaces, ranging from concrete-concrete and metal-concrete to concrete-composites. However, employing epoxy or polyurethane individually as adhesives often demonstrate insufficient performance and weak interfacial adhesion during service. In this study, an adhesive combining polyurethane and epoxy was synthesized, featuring an interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) structure. This innovative agent was created using polyols sourced from soybean oil and a commercial epoxy resin. By tuning the infusion of polyurethane content, the resultant resin exhibited favorable flowability in civil applications, simultaneously improved strength and toughness due to the IPN structure, and outstanding thermal stability. Notably, the incorporation of 20 wt% polyurethane yielded a polymer with a remarkable tensile strength of 35.9 MPa. Additionally, the bonding adhesion of the prepared resins on concrete specimens was investigated through splitting tensile test and shear strength test. The study explored the influences of polyurethane content, concrete strength, and adhesive layer thickness on interfacial bonding strength. The introduction of an IPN structure within the PU-20 agent proved advantageous for enhancing the bonding adhesion of the concrete, resulting in remarkable interfacial tensile and shear strengths of 4.56 MPa and 21.73 MPa, respectively. [Display omitted] • A concrete adhesive was developed with soybean oil-based PU/EP IPN structure. • Good viscosity and curing degree contributed to a dense crosslinked network. • Manipulated PU and EP compatibility and adhesive strength with PU content. • Strong adhesion of PU/EP adhesive enhanced concrete specimen bonding strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To overcome the limitations of existing biochemical detection methods in sensing applications, a highly sensitive sensor that can effectively detect refractive-index changes in both gas and liquid environments is required. Hence, this paper proposes a surface plasmonic sensor based on a double-layer nested grating, which exhibits self-reference characteristics and can be used for refractive-index (RI) sensing in gas and liquid environments within the infrared band. The double-layer nested grating constitutes a gold nano-grating embedded in a silica substrate (lower-layer grating) and a gold nano-grating exposed to the analyte medium environment (upper-layer grating). The lower layer grating is a metal/silica grating while the upper layer grating is a metal/medium grating. The gold nano-grating in the upper and lower layers of the grating are interlaced with each other in the vertical direction. The plasmon phenomenon excited by the sensor is discussed with respect to the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method and theoretical analysis. The results reveal that the sensor can efficiently excite two propagating surface plasmon resonance (PSPR) modes, one of which can be used for self-reference and the other for sensing. The sensor exhibits the advantages of being suitability for gas and liquid environments, high sensitivity, a high figure of merit (FOM), and strong detection signals. Furthermore, the sensor exhibits a strong sensing performance with a sensitivity of approximately 1000 nm/RIU and a maximum FOM of 237 RIU−1 in gas and liquid environments. The sensitivities of the self-reference channel in the gas and liquid environments are 17 nm/RIU and 18 nm/RIU, respectively. The proposed sensor demonstrates significant potential for application in the field of biochemical detection. • The proposed sensor has the advantages of simple structure, easy processing and large area integration. • Based on a double-layer nested grating structure, the sensor can realize two propagating surface plasmon resonance (PSPR) modes with ultra-high detection signals that the reflectance of about 0.1. • The proposed sensor can realize high sensitivity sensing with self-reference characteristics in gas and liquid environments. • The sensor exhibits a strong sensing performance with a sensitivity of approximately 1000 nm/RIU and a maximum FOM of 237 RIU−1 in gas and liquid environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead‐based radicals in the oxidation state of +1 are elusive species and are highly challenging to isolate in the condensed phase. In this study, we present the synthesis and characterization of the first isolable free plumbylyne radical 2 bearing a one‐coordinate Pb(I) atom. It reacts with an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) to afford a two‐coordinate NHC‐ligated Pb(I) radical 3. 2 and 3 represent the first isolable Pb(I)‐based radicals. Theoretical calculations and electron paramagnetic resonance analysis revealed that the unpaired electron mainly resides at the Pb 6p orbital in both radicals. Owing to the unique one‐coordinate nature of the Pb atom in 2, it possesses two‐fold orbital pseudo‐degeneracy and substantial unquenched orbital angular momentum, and exhibits hitherto strongest g‐factor anisotropy (gx,y,z=1.496, 1.166, 0.683) amongst main group radicals. Preliminary investigations into the reactivity of 2 unveiled its Pb‐centered radical nature, and plumbylenes were isolated as products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As diversified reaction paths exist over practical catalysts towards CO2 hydrogenation, it is highly desiderated to precisely control the reaction path for developing efficient catalysts. Herein, we report that the ensemble of Pt single atoms coordinated with oxygen atoms in MIL-101 (Pt1@MIL) induces distinct reaction path to improve selective hydrogenation of CO2 into methanol. Pt1@MIL achieves the turnover frequency number of 117 h−1 in DMF under 32 bar at 150 °C, which is 5.6 times that of Ptn@MIL. Moreover, the selectivity for methanol is 90.3% over Pt1@MIL, much higher than that (13.3%) over Ptn@MIL with CO as the major product. According to mechanistic studies, CO2 is hydrogenated into HCOO* as the intermediate for Pt1@MIL, whereas COOH* serves as the intermediate for Ptn@MIL. The unique reaction path over Pt1@MIL not only lowers the activation energy for the enhanced catalytic activity, but also contributes to the high selectivity for methanol. Controlling the reaction path is instrumental for developing efficient catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation. Here, the authors report that the ensemble of Pt single atoms coordinated with oxygen atoms in MIL-101 induces distinct reaction path to improve selective hydrogenation of CO2 into methanol relative to nanocrystal counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soybean oil has been utilized as a raw material to develop biobased polymer to replace petroleum-based counterparts due to its abundance, renewability, and molecular designability. Acrylated epoxidized soybean oil (AESO) is a commercially available product and has been used in coatings, plasticizers, and composites. The curing of AESO resins normally refers to the free-radical polymerization of C C bonds, which is closely related to the types of initiators and reactive diluents (RDs). In this work, the processing parameters and curing kinetic mechanism of AESO resins were investigated based on the extrapolation method, Kissinger, Crane, and Friedman equations, and the influences of initiators and RDs on the curing of the resins were explored. Results indicated that the types of initiators significantly affected the processability and curing kinetics of AESO resins, and the curing temperatures and reaction activation energy of the resins were strongly associated with the decomposition temperature and activation energy of the initiators. The number of C C bonds and molecular structure of RDs considerably influence the curing characteristics of the resins. The addition of RDs endowed the reaction more complexity, and the activation energy significantly depended on the level of C C conversion. • The non-isothermal curing kinetics of AESO resins were studied. • Effects of initiators and reactive diluents on the curing kinetics of AESO resins were revealed. • The curing behavior of resins was related to the decomposition temperature and activation energy of initiators. • The molecular structure of comonomers greatly affected the curing characteristics of the resins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolation of triplet pnictinidenes, which bear two unpaired electrons at the pnictogen centers, has long been a great challenge due to their intrinsic high reactivity. Herein, we report the syntheses and characterizations of two bismuthinidenes MsFluind tBu-Bi (3) and MsFluind*-Bi (4) stabilized by sterically encumbered hydrindacene ligands. They were facilely prepared through reductions of the corresponding dichloride precursors with 2 molar equivalents of potassium graphite. The structural analyses revealed that 3 and 4 contain a one-coordinate bismuth atom supported by a Bi–C single σ bond. As a consequence, the remaining two Bi 6p orbitals are nearly degenerate, and 3 and 4 possess triplet ground states. Experimental characterizations with multinuclear magnetic resonance, magnetometry and near infrared spectroscopy coupled to wavefunction based ab initio calculations concurred to evidence that there exist giant and positive zero field splittings (>4300 cm–1) in their S  = 1 ground states. Hence even at room temperature the systems almost exclusively populate the lowest-energy nonmagnetic Ms  = 0 level, which renders them seemingly diamagnetic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the concentrations of PM2.5 in urban ambient air in China have been declining; however, the strong atmospheric oxidation capacity (AOC) represents challenges to the further reduction of PM2.5 concentration and the continuous improvement of ambient air quality in China in the future, since the overall AOC is still at a high level. For this paper, based on ground observation data recorded in Beijing from 2016 to 2019, the variation in AOC was characterized according to the concentration of odd oxygen (OX = O3 + NO2). The concentrations of the primary and secondary components of PM2.5 were analyzed using empirical formulas, the correlation between AOC and the concentrations of secondary PM2.5 and the secondary inorganic components (SO42−, NO3−, NH4+, and SNA) in Beijing were explored, the impact of atmospheric photochemical reaction activity on the generation of atmospheric secondary particles was evaluated, and the impact of atmospheric oxidation variations on PM2.5 concentrations and SNA in Beijing was investigated. The results revealed that OX concentrations reached their peak in 2016 and reached their lowest point in 2019. The OX concentrations followed a descending seasonal trend of summer, spring, autumn, and winter, along with a spatial descending trend from urban observation stations to suburban stations and background stations. The degree of photochemical activity and the magnitude of the AOC have a large influence on the production of atmospheric secondary particles. When the photochemical reaction was more active and the AOC was stronger, the mass concentrations of the secondary generated PM2.5 fraction were higher and accounted for a higher proportion of the total PM2.5 mass concentrations. In the PM2.5 fraction, SNA accounted for 50.7% to 94.4% of the total mass concentrations of water-soluble inorganic ions in the field observations. Higher concentrations of the atmospheric oxidant OX in ambient air corresponded to a higher sulfur oxidation ratio (SOR) and nitrogen oxidation ratio (NOR), suggesting that the increase in AOC could promote the increase of PM2.5 concentration. Based on a relationship analysis of SOR, NOR, and OX, it was inferred that the relationship between OX and SOR and the relationship between OX and NOR were both nonlinear. Therefore, when establishing PM2.5 control strategies in Beijing in the future, the impact of the AOC on PM2.5 generation should be fully considered, and favorable measures should be taken to properly regulate the AOC, which would be more effective when carrying out further control measures regarding PM2.5 pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The nitrogen removal was promoted by 20 μg/L FQs in an anammox system. • Simultaneous removal of FQs was achieved with an average efficiency of 36–51%. • Metagenomic analysis revealed three dominant MAGs belonging to AnAOB. • Enzymes were more active in nitrite reduction and hydrazine dehydrogenation. • Core metabolism and biosynthesis were up-regulated in anammox consortia. It has been widely reported that fluoroquinolones (FQs) can affect the anaerobic ammonium oxidization (anammox) microorganisms, which interferes with the performance of nitrogen removal from wastewater. However, the metabolic mechanism of anammox microorganisms responding to FQs has rarely been explored. In this study, it was found that 20 μg/L FQs promoted the nitrogen removal performance of anammox microorganisms in batch exposure assays, and 36–51% of FQs were removed simultaneously. Combined metabolomics and genome-resolved metagenomic analysis revealed up-regulated carbon fixation in anammox bacteria (AnAOB) , while purine and pyrimidine metabolism, protein generation and transmembrane transport were enhanced in AnAOB and symbiotic bacteria by 20 μg/L FQs. Consequently, hydrazine dehydrogenation, nitrite reduction, and ammonium assimilation were bolstered, improving the nitrogen removal efficiency of the anammox system. These results revealed the potential roles of specific microorganisms in response to emerging FQs and provided further information for practical application of anammox technology in wastewater treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first germanimidoyl chloride MsFluindtBu-Ge(Cl)＝NMes (2, where MsFluindtBu is a bulky hydrindacene skeleton) was synthesized through the reaction of MsFluindtBu-GeCl (1) and mesityl azide (MesN3). In contrast, treatment of 1 with a less bulky azide ArN3 (Ar = 4-tBuC6H4) produced a germatetrazole chloride MsFluindtBu-Ge(Cl)N4Ar2 (3), and a salt [MsFluindtBu-GeN4Ar2]+[BArF4]− (4; ArF = 3,5-(CF3)2C6H3) followed by chloride abstraction with NaBArF4, both bearing a five-membered GeN4 ring. Functionalization of 2 with Ar′Li (Ar′ = 3,5-tBu2C6H3) or MeLi furnished a germanimine MsFluindtBu-Ge(Ar′)＝NMes (5) or an amide lithium salt MsFluindtBu-Ge(Me)2-N(Mes)Li(thf) (6). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A surface plasmonic refractive index (RI) sensor is proposed based on a square hole array and gold film coupling structure. This sensor enables high-sensitivity sensing with self-reference characteristics in gas and liquid environments. The reflectance spectrum and electric fields are calculated using a finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Meanwhile, the cases of rotating square-hole arrays and changing the incident light of the polarization direction are discussed, respectively. The results show that the varying polarization direction of the incident light does not affect the reflectance spectrum of the composite structure. Rotating the array of square holes further enhances the signal strength of the resonance modes excited by the proposed sensor. The sensor has two resonance modes with different functions: one for self-reference and the other for sensing. In the sensing mode, the sensor sensitivity is 1037 and 1063 nm/RIU in gas and liquid environments, respectively; whereas in self-reference mode, the sensitivity decreases to 0 and 21 nm/RIU in gas and liquid environments, respectively. The sensor has a maximum figure of merit (FOM) of 103 RIU-1. These characteristics realize a highly sensitive sensors with a high FOM and self-reference capabilities, which are advantageous for bioassay detection applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]