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Introduction: This report describes a case of elevated intraocular pressure following the use of 0.125% atropine eye drops in a child wearing orthokeratology lenses. Case Presentation: A 9-year-old boy presented to our clinic with myopia, and he had been wearing orthokeratology lenses overnight for 23 months. He was treated previously with a once-daily administration of topical 0.125% atropine eye drops to reduce myopic progression. Three days after treatment, his intraocular pressure was 36 mm Hg in the right eye and 32 mm Hg in the left eye. Two days after the discontinuation of atropine eye drops and overnight orthokeratology lenses, the intraocular pressure was 18/20 mm Hg in both eyes. Conclusion: Low-dose atropine eye drops can cause intraocular pressure elevation in patients wearing overnight orthokeratology lenses. Although it may resolve promptly, short-term follow-up with intraocular pressure checks may be necessary for the early diagnosis and treatment of this complication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During a search for natural inflammatory inhibitors, 1-O-acetylbritannilactone (ABL), a sesquiterpene lactone, was isolated from the flowers of Inula britannica. ABL significantly inhibited human neutrophil elastase (HNE) with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 3.2 ± 0.3 µM, thus did so more effectively than the positive control material (epigallocatechin gallate) (IC50 7.2 ± 0.5 µM). An enzyme kinetic study was performed. ABL noncompetitively inhibited HNE with an inhibition constant Ki of 2.4 µM. ABL inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide and prostaglandin E2 production by RAW 264.7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, as well as the protein-level expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2. The anti-inflammatory effect of ABL was confirmed using a transgenic Tg(mpx:EGFP) zebrafish larval model. The exposure of the larvae to ABL inhibited neutrophil recruitment to the site of injury after tail fin amputation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of retinal vascular structures is important for analyzing various ophthalmic diseases. Conventional trypsin digestion was used for separating retinal vasculatures in mouse, rat, and other animal models; however, the trypsin method alone is technically difficult to perform and has not been reported in zebrafish to date. In this study, we introduced a rapid and convenient method that allows the investigation of fine vessel structures at a cellular level in the relatively intact retinal vasculature of adult zebrafish. Using an anti-ZO-1 antibody, tight junction structures in retinal vessels were examined in detail and several different cell types constituting blood vessels in arterial and capillary areas were identified. In addition, using cell type-specific antibodies, we identified smooth muscle cells, blood cells, and endothelial cells in the retinal vasculature. Finally, using the hyperglycemic model, we observed the dilation of retinal vessels, the downregulation of tight junction proteins, and the reduction in smooth muscle cells. Based on these results, we provide a rapid and convenient method for the study of retinal vasculature disease in the zebrafish animal model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Acid-base dual-functional ZIF-8 (ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H) was prepared via post-synthetic modification. • ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H catalyst showed high catalytic performance in one-pot tandem deactalization-Knoevenagel condensation reaction. • Catalytic activity of ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H was compared with ZIF-8 and amine-functionalized ZIF-8 catalysts. • A plausible catalytic reaction mechanism was proposed. An acid-base bifunctional zeolitic imidazolate framework catalyst (ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H) with amine and sulfonic acid groups was successfully prepared through simple two step post-synthetic modification: preparation of amine-functionalized ZIF-8 with amine contents of 61% (ZIF8-A61) by the ligand exchange of 2-mIM with 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (Atz), followed by the sulfonic acid functionalization by the ring-opening reaction of 1,3-propanesultone with –NH 2 groups in ZIF8-A61. Amine-functionalized ZIF8-A materials with difference amine contents (15%, 34%, and 61%, respectively) were also prepared by controlling the synthesis time. All obtained ZIF catalysts evaluated as a heterogeneous catalyst for one-pot deacetalization-Knoevenagel condensation tandem reaction. Compared with ZIF-8 and amine-functionalized ZIF-8 catalysts, ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H catalyst showed good catalytic performance with 100% conversion of the reactant and 98% selectivity of the final Knoevenagel product. An enhanced catalytic activity can be attributed to the co-existence of site-isolated acid-base groups on the ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H catalyst in close proximity. The heterogeneous nature of the catalytic system was confirmed by a hot-filtering test and the catalyst also exhibited reusable in the five repeated cycles. A plausible catalytic mechanism of deacetalization-Knoevenagel condensation reaction over ZIF8-A61-SO 3 H was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Leaching of the valuable metals and utilizing carbon residue from spent lithium-ion batteries. • K 2 CO 3 impregnated carbon utilized as an adsorbent for indoor CO 2 capture. • An investigation of the reaction mechanism for CO 2 adsorption on supported K 2 CO 3 under humid condition. • At low CO 2 concentrations, the CO 2 adsorption capacity for K 2 CO 3 /carbon ranged from 5.1 to 7.3 wt% Recycling and reusing the carbon-residues (i.e., graphite), as well as recovering valuable metals by leaching from spent lithium-ion batteries, is environmentally and economically significant. In particular, since a large amount of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) will be generated along with the rapid growth of electric vehicles (EVs), research on recycling carbon-residues from LIB anodes is urgently needed. Herein, the battery powder (BP) was obtained from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) through physical-pyrolysis and sieving. Chemical composition analysis confirmed that the battery used in this work was composed of NCM cathode with high-nickel content and graphite anode material. The average particle size of the obtained BP was 87 μm. In order to obtain the residue having high concentration of carbon, the metal extraction was applied using an HCl solution. As a result, metals (Li, Ni, Co, Mn, Al, Cu, and Fe) in the final remnant were found to be less than 2%, and carbon was found to have a purity of 97% or more. The obtained BP was tested as both the adsorbent and support for indoor CO 2 capture. Various activation treatments were examined to enhance the textural properties of BP. BP-K (K 2 CO 2 impregnated BP) adsorbents were prepared, and their CO 2 adsorption performances were evaluated with CO 2 adsorption isotherms, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and 0.1 m 3 chamber (CO 2 IR analyzer) at low CO 2 level (1000–2000 ppm). Through XRD and FT-IR analyses, the adsorption mechanism between K 2 CO 3 and CO 2 under moisture-containing indoor air conditions was confirmed to depend on chemisorption in the following reaction pathway: R1–R3(K 2 CO 3 (s) + H 2 O (g) + CO 2 (g) ⇋ 2KHCO 3 (s) (R1), K 2 CO 3 (s) + 1·.5H 2 O(g) ⇋ K 2 CO 3 ·1·.5H 2 O(s) (R2), K 2 CO 3 ·1·.5H 2 O(s) + CO 2 (g) ⇋ 2KHCO 3 (s) + 0·.5H 2 O(g)(R3)). The adsorption working capacities of the recycled BP-K adsorbents were remained relatively constant during four consecutive cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In this paper, we demonstrate highly conductive and stretchable fiber interconnections for electronic textiles (e-textiles) using dry-spun carbon nanotube (CNT) fibers modified with ionic liquid (IL)/poly (vinylidene fluoride- co -hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) copolymer composite. By adopting direct infiltration of CNT fibers with a mixture of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide and PVDF-HFP, mechanical properties such as stretchability, maximum load and strain were significantly improved while minimizing the reduction in electrical conductivity. Such IL/PVDF modified CNT fibers (hybrid CNT fibers) exhibited electrical conductivity up to ∼1300 S/cm, with maximum load and strain values of 0.84 N and 35.7%, respectively. Using hybrid-CNT fibers, we demonstrated highly stretchable and electrically stable fiber interconnections for e-textiles by optimizing the interconnection pattern design. Particularly, by adopting a serpentine pattern, stretchability up to ∼70% and resistance variation of ∼2.7% at a tensile strain of 40% were achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Adsorption of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) over MIL-125-NH 2 was investigated by measuring their adsorption isotherms. Significant amounts of the VOCs were adsorbed, and their adsorption capacities followed the order of increasing polarity. Abstract Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) cause environmental and health problems by forming photochemistry smog, and development of an effective adsorbent for their removal is important. In this work, adsorption of a series of selected VOCs over an amine-functionalized metal organic framework, MIL-125-NH 2 , was investigated by measuring their adsorption isotherms at three different temperatures. Significant amounts of the VOCs were adsorbed, and their adsorption capacities increased with the increasing order of polarity (p -xylene < toluene < benzene < acetone < isopropanol). In addition, formaldehyde breakthrough capacities were measured and MIL-125-NH 2 , exhibited a clearly superior performance to other MOFs, probably because of the synergistic effects provided by the amine groups that strongly interacting with the formaldehyde and the small micropores in MIL-125-NH 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ionic liquid-modified silica particles with a large pore size were synthesized and used as the stationary phase for size exclusion chromatography coupled with a refractive index detector for the determination of polysaccharides, such as fucoidan, alginic acid, and laminarin from Undaria pinnatifida (seaweed). The molecular weight of polysaccharide was determined by a dextran standard curve (5-1100 kDa). The ionic liquid-modified silica column exhibited excellent size exclusion properties in separating laminarin from other components. The 1-butyl-3-methyl-imidazolium bis-(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)-amino silica column has superior resolution in laminarin separation than the other columns because the amino-group in ionic liquid provide π-π interactions due to aromaticity of the ring structure, which enhances the effect of the hydroxyl group in the target compound separation. The concentrations of polysaccharides were calculated using a standard linear equation to be 0.332-0.484 mg/g of fucoidan, 0.207-0.301 mg/g of alginic acid, and 0.154-0.297 mg/g of laminarin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) was developed for the separation of large molecules, such as proteins, polymer, peptides, nucleic acid, and polysaccharides. In this study, ionic liquid-modified silica was synthesized to examine the retention behavior of polysaccharides, such as dextran, fucoidan, alginic acid, and laminarin. Commercial SEC column separated large molecules according to their molecular size. However, Ionic liquid-modified silica is expected to retention behavior by the functional group between ionic liquid-modified silica surface with polysaccharides. The SilprBimCl column has larger retention than the other ionic liquid-modified silica columns owing to the large pore size and specific physical and chemical properties of the ionic liquids. 2.93 was the largest retention factor in SilprBimCl column from 5 kDa dextran. Under the SilprBimCl column, the molecular weights of fucoidan, alginic acid and laminarin were 205, 245, and 7–650 kDa respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A set of insulating foams based on sodium silicate were prepared using acid-treated fly ash as an additive. It was found that the HCl-treated fly ash was able to remove the undesirable transition/alkali metal impurities up to 74%. Furthermore, the effect of the fly ash amount and modulus (SiO 2 /Na 2 O mole ratio) on the thermal conductivity, density, and compressive strength of the product was evaluated. The insulating foam prepared using 12.5 wt% acid-treated fly ash and modulus of 1.8 exhibited a low thermal conductivity of 0.0428 W/m·K, density of 156.3 kg/m 3 , and high compressive strength of 1.12 MPa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous silica SBA-15 grafted with benzene-1,3,5-triamido-tetraphosphonic acid (SBA-15-BTATPA) was synthesized. After detailed characterization of the material using various analytical instrumentation, it was applied for the recovery of Nd 3+ as a function of the contact time, ion concentration, and pH. The adsorption equilibria and kinetics were also examined. Under the optimal conditions, adsorption equilibrium was reached within 60 min of contact time, and the adsorption capacity of Nd 3+ at room temperature and pH 6 was 129.8 mg g −1 , which was higher than that by other rare earth element (REE) ions tested for comparison (Y 3+ , La 3+ , and Ce 3+ ). The adsorbent showed excellent distribution coefficient for Nd 3+ greater than 1.0 × 10 5 mL/g. The preferential order of adsorption in the ion mixture with equal ion concentrations was Y 3+ >Nd 3+ >Ce 3+ >La 3+ , which followed the sequence of their decreasing atomic size and increasing stability constant. The competing adsorption by transition metal ions, such as Cu 2+ , Ni 2+ , Co 2+ , and Zn 2+ , on the REEs recovery was negligible (<2%). The observed adsorption isotherms could be fitted well to a Langmuir model (correlation factor R 2 > 0.99), whereas the adsorption kinetics could be described satisfactorily by a pseudo second order kinetic model. The material was reusable for up to 5 consecutive times with only a slight decrease in adsorption capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two porous aromatic polymers incorporated with carbonyl-functionality (CBAP-1 and CBAP-2) were synthesized via a Friedel-Crafts benzoylation reaction between 1,3,5-triphenylbenzene/biphenyl and terephthaloyl chloride/1,3,5-benzenetricarbonyl trichloride in the presence of anhydrous AlCl 3 as catalyst, and post-synthetically functionalized with ethylenediamine to obtain CBAP-1(EDA) and CBAP-2(EDA). The microporous carbon materials with BET surface areas up to 1063 m 2 g −1 were also prepared by carbonization of CBAP-1 and CBAP-1(EDA). After characterization using various analytical methods, these materials were tested as adsorbents for CO 2 and CH 4 capture at ambient conditions. High CO 2 /N 2 (97.2 and 87.8) and CO 2 /CH 4 (24.3 and 22.3) selectivities were observed for CBAP-1(EDA) and CBAP-2(EDA), respectively, at 273 K/1 bar, whereas the carbonized microporous materials exhibited high adsorption capacities for CO 2 (216.0–231.6 mg g −1 ) and CH 4 (36.6–38.1 mg g −1 ). This work demonstrates that post-synthesis functionalization of a porous aromatic polymer prepared by the simple Friedel-Crafts reaction can be an effective means to produce a family of host materials for effective gas adsorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large quantities of fly ash are discharged as a by-product from coal power plants. Therefore, an effective method to recycle this waste material is necessary. In this regard, the high silica content of fly ash makes it a potential useful source for the synthesis of nanoporous materials, such as zeolites, mesoporous silica or silica aerogels. In this mini review, zeolite synthesis from fly ash was examined by considering the ash composition, pretreatment procedures, and hydrothermal synthesis conditions (substrate composition and synthesis temperature/time) to identify an optimal set of synthesis conditions. These zeolites can be used as adsorbents and ion-exchangers for environmentally hazardous materials including those present in the fly ash itself. The synthesis of mesoporous silica materials with a high surface area and large pore volume derived from fly ash was next assessed for their use as a support and as a surface-functionalized host for capturing the global warming CO 2 and rare earth metal ions. Lastly, the utilization of fly ash for the preparation of silica aerogels or adiabatic foams, which are being considered as a potential building insulation materials, was briefly examined. Cases of synthesizing these nanoporous materials using other solid wastes as silica and/or alumina sources were also examined. The synthesis of diverse porous materials utilizing the waste sources would enable a high level of recycling for a sustainable society with a low environmental burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size-exclusion chromatography has been developed for the separation of large biological molecules including proteins, polymers, peptides, nucleic acids, and polysaccharide according to their molecular size. This study determined the retention factors for dextran (5, 25, 50, 270, 670, and 1100 kDa) and polysaccharides, such as fucoidan, alginic acid, and laminarin, in the size-exclusion chromatography stationary phase. In addition, the molecular weights and retention factor of three polysaccharides were calculated from the dextran standard curve. The largest retention factor was 4.26 using the size-exclusion chromatography columns (5 kDa dextran). The molecular weights of fucoidan, alginic acid, and laminarin were determined to be 250, 200, and 5 to 64 kDa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Size-exclusion chromatography has been developed for the separation of large biological molecules including proteins, polymers, peptides, nucleic acids, and polysaccharide according to their molecular size. This study determined the retention factors for dextran (5, 25, 50, 270, 670, and 1100 kDa) and polysaccharides, such as fucoidan, alginic acid, and laminarin, in the size-exclusion chromatography stationary phase. In addition, the molecular weights and retention factor of three polysaccharides were calculated from the dextran standard curve. The largest retention factor was 4.26 using the size-exclusion chromatography columns (5 kDa dextran). The molecular weights of fucoidan, alginic acid, and laminarin were determined to be 250, 200, and 5 to 64 kDa, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of aromatherapy with ginger essential oil on nausea and vomiting in abdominal surgery patients. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a nonequivalent control group and repeated measures. The experimental group ( n = 30) received ginger essential oil inhalation. The placebo control group ( n = 30) received normal saline inhalation. The level of postoperative nausea and vomiting was measured using a Korean version of the Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching (INVR) at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 h after aromatherapy administration. The data were collected from July 23 to August 22, 2012. Results: Nausea and vomiting scores were significantly lower in the experimental group with ginger essential oil inhalation than those in the placebo control group with normal saline. In the experimental group, the nausea and vomiting scores decreased considerably in the first 6 h after inhaled aromatherapy with ginger essential oil. Conclusion: Findings indicate that ginger essential oil inhalation has implications for alleviating postoperative nausea and vomiting in abdominal surgery patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a relatively new class of porous material, which are comprised of metal ions or clusters linked with poly-functional organic molecules. MOFs have been studied increasingly for heterogeneous catalysis applications because these hybrid materials have well-ordered tunable porous structures with exceptional textural properties and introduction of additional active sites can be carried out easily by relatively simple post-synthesis functionalization. This short review focuses on recent works on liquid phase catalytic reactions carried out over selected MOFs. The MOF membranes for catalysis and the potential of functionalized MOF materials for chiral reactions are also mentioned briefly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study focuses on process modeling and simulation of a biomass fast pyrolysis system. For the simulation of the biomass fast pyrolysis process, two types of simulation models were developed: lumped model and hybrid model. Employing the above models, the effect of reaction temperature on reaction rate and final product yields were analyzed. It was found that the hybrid model exhibited a peculiar characteristic of displaying multiphase reacting flow occurring in fluidized bed. This behavior of hybrid model could have attributed for the difference in product yields of the models (hybrid and lumped). For the yields of the tar and NCG, hybrid model prediction was very consistent with the experimental results than the lumped model. However, for char yield, the results of both the lumped model and the hybrid model were close to that of experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A densely-packed IRMOF-3 membrane (S-IRMOF-3(Mem)), ∼55 μm in thickness, on an Al 2 O 3 disc support was prepared via a sonochemical synthesis route, and the optimal fabrication conditions were established. Bare IRMOF-3 particles (S-IRMOF-3(p)) were synthesized independently to analyze the contribution of the Al 2 O 3 support. The overall physicochemical properties of the IRMOF-3 products produced via the sonochemical route were superior to those prepared by microwave heating. The IRMOF-3 materials produced were characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS-mapping, and N 2 adsorption–desorption measurements. S-IRMOF-3(p) exhibited satisfactory CO 2 adsorption capacities (54 mg/g at 298 K/1 bar; 732 mg/g at 298 K/20 bar) and CO 2 /N 2 selectivity (18 at 298 K/1 bar). Both S-IRMOF-3(Mem) and S-IRMOF-3(p) were assessed as a catalyst for a liquid phase Knoevenagel condensation reaction between benzaldehyde and ethyl cyanoacetate. S-IRMOF-3(Mem) and S-IRMOF-3(p) showed comparable conversions (87–89%) with 100% selectivity after a 4 h reaction at 333 K. The heterogeneous nature of the catalyst was confirmed by a hot filtering experiment, and S-IRMOF-3(Mem) could be recovered easily after the reaction and be recycled several times with little change in product yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new catalyst comprising Pd nanoparticles (NPs) supported on a microporous covalent triazine-based polymer (Pd/MCTP-1) was synthesized and applied for H 2 production via formic acid decomposition under ambient conditions without additives. The catalytic activity of Pd/MCTP-1 was found to be superior to those of the recently reported highly active Pd/MOF catalysts, Pd/C, and Pd/SBA-15, which may be attributed to two factors: i) the formation of monodisperse and smaller Pd NPs on MCTP-1 and ii) the neutral pH of the reaction medium attained in the presence of Pd/MCTP-1. Pd/MCTP-1 is highly stable and its catalytic activity was maintained without losses for three recycle runs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • KOH was impregnated on rice husk KOH-activated carbon, named as DKOH-AC. • DKOH-AC involved both chemi- and physi-sorption when KOH-AC allowed physi-sorption. • CO 2 adsorption on DKOH-AC followed Freundlich and pseudo second order models. • DKOH-AC adsorbed 2.1 mmol/g in an indoor condition. Relatively high indoor CO 2 concentration (greater than 1000 ppm) has a negative impact on human health. In this work, a cost-effective CO 2 adsorbent (DKOH-AC) was developed by impregnating KOH on rice husk-based KOH activated carbon (KOH-AC, 1439 m2/g). KOH can be successfully loaded on the surface of KOH-AC and significantly changed its surface properties. DKOH-AC still remained a considerable surface area (206 m2/g) and showed a similar S micro /S BET ratio. In-situ FTIR analysis confirmed that the major CO 2 adsorption mechanism of KOH-AC was based on physisorption while that on DKOH-AC involved both chemisorption and physisorption. DKOH-AC showed a higher heat of adsorption (34 ∼ 41 KJ/mol) and gas selectivity (16.6) than these of KOH-AC. KOH-AC quickly reached an adsorption equilibrium (about 50 min) as compared to that of DKOH-AC. In addition, DKOH-AC exhibited an excellent adsorption performance of 2.1 mmol/g for a low concentration of CO 2 (2000 ppm ∼ 500 ppm) under indoor conditions. Both the CO 2 adsorption isotherm on KOH-AC and DKOH-AC well followed the Langmuir and Freundlich models. The CO 2 adsorption kinetics on KOH-AC followed the pseudo-first order model whereas that on DKOH-AC obeyed the pseudo-second order model. The adsorption process was controlled by the intraparticle diffusion combined with the film diffusion model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-8, was prepared via a variety of synthesis routes: solvothermal, microwave-assisted, sonochemical, mechanochemical, dry-gel, and microfluidic methods. Their textural properties and morphology were examined by surface area measurements and scanning electron microscopy, and compared with those of commercial ZIF-8. Although the BET surface areas fell within a range of 1250–1600 m 2 g − 1 , the particle size of the samples prepared by dry-gel and sonochemical routes were significantly smaller than the others, which led to superior performance in the Knoevenagel condensation reaction. The effective incorporation of magnetic Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles into the ZIF-8 structure for easy particle separation in the liquid phase was feasible using solvothermal, dry-gel and mechanochemical synthesis methods. Dry-gel and mechanochemical synthesis produced a higher ZIF-8 yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of a zirconium-benzenedicarboxylate, UiO-66, was carried out in increasing production scales of 250 mL, 1 L and 5 L at 393 K. Investigation on the effect of synthesis parameters on the product yield and textural properties was carried out using autoclaves of 250 mL capacity, whereas systematic scale up works were conducted using glass reactors fitted with condensers under ambient pressure conditions. Finally, 100 L pilot scale synthesis of UiO-66 was carried out using commercial terephthalic acid as ligand with industrial-grade dimethylformamide solvent. The products were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and N 2 adsorption–desorption measurements. The pelletized UiO-66 using polyvinyl alcohol as a binder demonstrated excellent CO 2 /N 2 separation (36:1) with moderately high CO 2 adsorption capacity (191 mg/g) at 20 bar room temperature conditions. UiO-66 also showed excellent catalytic activity in cycloaddition of CO 2 to styrene oxide at 2.0 MPa and 373 K with close to 100% selectivity to carbonate. No appreciable particle size effect on the catalytic activity was observed, and UiO-66 could be reused 3 times without loss of catalytic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thiol-functionalized ZIF-90 (ZIF-90-SH) was prepared via condensation of the free aldehyde group of ZIF-90 with 2-mercaptoethylamine to an imine through a one-step post-synthesis route. A subsequent reaction with manganese(ii) acetate resulted in the formation of a new Mn(ii)-immobilized hybrid material (ZIF-90-S[Mn]). This material was characterized by chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction, N2 adsorption–desorption, thermogravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, which confirmed the successful functionalization of the as-synthesized ZIF-90. ZIF-90-SH employed as an adsorbent for the removal of Hg(ii) ions from an aqueous solution at room temperature exhibited an adsorption capacity of ca. 22.4 mg g−1. The material showed 96–98% removal of Hg(ii) ions in a low concentration range (0.1 to 10.0 mg L−1). ZIF-90-S[Mn] showed good catalytic activity and selectivity in the epoxidation of several important alkenes using molecular oxygen under atmospheric pressure. Recycling and hot filtration experiments coupled with a blank test showed that epoxidation proceeded over ZIF-90-S[Mn] on the external surface of the ZIF-90 matrices, where the active Mn(ii) sites were located. The catalyst could be recycled up to four times without significant loss of efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crack-free amorphous yttria layers were deposited by dip coating in solutions of different Y-chelate alkoxides complex. Three Y-chelate solutions of different concentrations were prepared using yttrium acetate tetrahydrate, yttrium stearic acid as Y source materials. PEG, diethanolamine were used as chelating agents, while ethanol, methanol and tetradecane were used as solvent. Three different combinations of chelating and solvents were used to prepare solutions for Y 2 O 3 dip coating on SUS, electropolished and non-electropolished Hastelloy C-276 substrates. The thickness of the films was varied by changing the number of dipping cycles. At an optimized condition, the substrate surface roughness (rms) value was reduced from ∼50 nm to ∼1 nm over a 10 × 10 μm 2 area. After Y 2 O 3 deposition, MgO was deposited using ion-beam assisted deposition (IBAD), then LaMnO 3 (LMO) was deposited using sputtering and GdBCO was deposited using reactive co-evaporation by deposition and reaction (RCE-DR). Detailed X-ray study indicates that LMO/MgO/Y 2 O 3 and GdBCO/LMO/MgO/Y 2 O 3 stack films have good out-of-plane and in-plane textures with strong c -axis alignment. The critical current (Ic) of GdBCO/LMO/MgO/Y 2 O 3 multilayer structure varied from 190 to 420 A/cm with different solutions, when measured at 77 K. These results demonstrated that amorphous yttria can be easily deposited by dip coating using Y-chelates complex as a diffusion barrier and nucleation layer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about an experiment to examine the cycloaddition of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) to propylene epoxide over Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) which are crystalline organic-inorganic hybrid structures formed by metal ions, with a quaternary ammonium salt as a co-catalyst. It adds that CO2 is a major greenhouse gas and chemical conversion of CO2 by cycloaddition reaction is a way of sequestration.

The adsorption behaviours of caffeine and theophylline on different metal-organic frameworks were examined by comparing their adsorption isotherms. Among C18, UIO-66, UIO-66-NH2 and MIL-125-NH2, UIO-66 showed the highest amount of adsorption of target compounds (i.e. caffeine and theophylline). The maximum adsorbed amounts of caffeine and theophylline on UIO-66 were 0.451 and 0.392 mg, respectively. The experimental parameters in the equilibrium isotherms were estimated by linear and non-linear regression analyses. The adsorption equilibrium data of caffeine and theophylline were investigated using the following four models: linear, Langmuir, Freundlich and Langmuir-Freundlich models. Of these models, the Langmuir-Freundlich model showed the best fit. The regression coefficients (r2) of the Langmuir-Freundlich model for adsorption of caffeine and theophylline on UIO-66 were 0.976 and 0.989, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To develop a new preservation method, the antimicrobial activity of grapefruit seed extract (GSE) against Makgeolli-brewing microorganisms and food-borne pathogens was assessed, and a general analysis and sensory evaluation of fresh Makgeolli with added GSE was made. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of GSE against 10 strains of Makgeolli-brewing microorganism were 0.0122 to 1.5625 μL/mL. The MIC values against 6 strains of food-borne pathogens were 0.0061 to 0.7813 μL/mL. On addition of 0.1% (v/v) and 0.2% GSE in bottled fresh Makgeolli, no significant difference in the pH, or the contents of total acids, ethanol, or methanol in the Makgeolli, were observed compared with control Makgeolli (with no GSE), during the preservation period (8 weeks) at 10 °C. In the Makgeolli with 0.1% and 0.2% GSE, the total bacterial counts decreased significantly by 4.9% ( P < 0.01) and 11.2% ( P < 0.001), respectively, versus the control. The decreases in yeast count were significantly lessened by 15.33% and 15.24% (both P < 0.001), respectively, after 8 weeks of storage, compared with the control. In the sensory evaluation of Makgeolli with 0.1% and 0.2% GSE, the refreshment and overall acceptability received significantly better scores than the control ( P < 0.01), with no change in sweetness, bitterness, sourness, turbidity, color, or odor. These results suggest that GSE controls the growth of Makgeolli-brewing microorganisms and extends the shelf life (ca. 2 wk), without decreasing overall acceptance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Multilayer transparent films with lower electrical resistance than the widely used transparent conductive electrodes, were prepared at room temperature on flexible PES [poly(ether sulfone)] substrates using an RF-magnetron co-sputtering system. The multilayered films consisted of three layers, titanium indium zinc oxide (TIZO)/Ag/TIZO. The optical and electrical properties of the multilayered TIZO/Ag/TIZO structure were investigated in relation to the thickness of each layer. A transparent and conductive film with a sheet resistance of 7.7Ω/□ and an average transmittance of 92% (normalized to the flexible PES substrate) at 550nm, was obtained at thicknesses of PES/TIZO(100nm)/Ag(10nm)/TIZO(40nm). The surface roughness (root mean square, RMS) values of the obtained multilayer films were below 1nm. Overall, the properties of the film were comparable or superior to those of other multilayer films such as indium tin oxide (ITO)/Ag//ITO, indium zinc oxide (IZO)/Ag/IZO, and indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO)/Ag/IZTO. For this reason, the new TIZO/Ag/TIZO multilayer film may serve as a viable, high-efficiency alternative for electrode applications in flexible photovoltaic cells. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The washout effect of summertime rain on surface air pollutants (O3, CO, NO2, SO2, and PM10) has been investigated over South Korea during 2002–2012 using routinely available air-monitored and meteorological data. Three new washout indices for PM10, SO2, NO2, and CO are developed to express the effect of precipitation scavenging on these pollutants. All of these pollutants show statistically significant negative correlations between their concentrations and rain intensity due to washout or convection. The washout effect is estimated for precipitation episodes classified by rain intensity (one set included all episodes and another included a subset of moderate intensity episodes that exclude Changma and typhoons), based on the log-transformed hourly data. The most sensitive air pollutant to the rain onset among these five air pollutants is PM10. The relative effect of the rainfall washout on the air pollutant concentrations is estimated to be: PM10 > SO2 > NO2 > CO > O3, indicating that PM10 is most effectively scavenged by rainfall. The analysis suggests that the O3 concentrations may increase due to vertical mixing leading to its downward transport from the lower stratosphere/upper troposphere. The concentrations of CO are reduced, probably due to both the washout and convection. The concentrations of NO2 are affected by the opposing influences of lightning-generation and washout and this are discussed as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An intention of the present work is to synthesize a quaternary metal oxide by a simple and cost-effective method. MoVMnAg-oxide@Ni-foam is synthesised by one-step hydrothermal method. The as-deposited MoVMnAg-oxide sample is systematically examined through XRD, FESEM, EDS-mapping, and TEM analysis. The electrochemical performance of an MoVMnAg@Ni-foam electrode is tested using CV, GCD, and EIS techniques. MoVMnAg-oxide@Ni-foam has a considerable high areal capacitance of 651 mFcm−2 with 0.13 mWhcm−2 energy at 1.8 mWcm−2 power density in 1 M KOH electrolyte calculated from GCD curves. Also, the electrode shows a diffusion coefficient of 1.52 × 10−7 cm2s−1 along with 91 % of diffusive-controlled contribution and a b -value of 0.51, which depicts faradaic charge storage mechanism. An assembled asymmetric supercapacitor device (MoVMnAg@Ni-foam//AC) delivers an areal capacitance of 312 mFcm−2 with 0.37 mWcm−2 power density at 1 mAcm−2 current density within 0 – 1.5 V voltage window. The asymmetric device showed cyclability and coulombic efficiency of 80.3% and 95% respectively measured up to 10,000 GCD cycles. These results demonstrate the deposition of quaternary metal oxide directly on Ni-foam showing highly competitive electrochemical performance so that they can be utilized in energy storage applications. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The monolayered nanosheets of layered [Mn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3]O2 are prepared by the exfoliation of protonated Li[Mn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3]O2 compound and applied as a precursor for synthesizing the hollow spheres of manganese cobalt nickel oxide. The hollow spheres of layered [Mn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3]O2 are synthesized via the layer-by-layer (LBL) coating of the nanosheets and polycations on the polystyrene (PS) beads and the following heat-treatment. According to powder X-ray diffraction and diffuse reflectance UV–vis spectroscopy, the layered crystal structure and optical property of [Mn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3]O2 nanosheets are well-maintained upon the coating on the PS beads. The high-resolution transmission electron microscopy clearly demonstrates the hollow sphere morphology of the obtained material. The electrode functionality of the [Mn1/3Co1/3Ni1/3]O2 hollow spheres is verified by cyclic voltammetry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Vanishing white matter (VWM) disease is a genetic leukodystrophy leading to severe neurological disease and early death. VWM is caused by bi-allelic mutations in any of the five genes encoding the subunits of the eukaryotic translation factor 2B (EIF2B). Previous studies have attempted to investigate the molecular mechanism of VWN by constructing models for each subunit of EIF2B that causes VWM disease. The underlying molecular mechanisms of the way in which mutations in EIF2B3 result in VWM are largely unknown. Based on our recent results, we generated an eif2b3 knockout (eif2b3−/−) zebrafish model and performed quantitative proteomic analysis between the wild-type (WT) and eif2b3−/− zebrafish, and identified 25 differentially expressed proteins. Four proteins were significantly upregulated, and 21 proteins were significantly downregulated in eif2b3−/− zebrafish compared to WT. Lon protease and the neutral amino acid transporter SLC1A4 were significantly increased in eif2b3−/− zebrafish, and crystallin proteins were significantly decreased. The differential expression of proteins was confirmed by the evaluation of mRNA levels in eif2b3−/− zebrafish, using whole-mount in situ hybridization analysis. This study identified proteins which candidates as key regulators of the progression of VWN disease, using quantitative proteomic analysis in the first EIF2B3 animal model of VWN disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The synthesis of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with in-built porphyrin units remains challenging. It takes long synthesis time under carefully controlled reaction conditions, and a mixed-phase with different crystal morphologies is still frequently observed. In this work, Zr-based porphyrinic MOF-525 and MOF-545 in high purity and uniform size were produced through a sonochemical route in 2.5 and 0.5 h, respectively, using zirconyl chloride octahydrate and tetrakis (4-carboxyphenyl) porphyrin. Benzoic acid was used as a modulator for MOF-525, and trifluoroacetic acid for MOF-545. The physicochemical properties of the MOF products were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and N 2 adsorption-desorption isotherms. Additionally, the defect sites in the MOF samples were analyzed by UV–vis spectrometry, thermogravimetric analysis, and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The sonochemically synthesized MOF samples had more defect sites than the conventionally prepared ones and exhibited improved textural properties. In particular, the MOF-545 had a significantly smaller (ca. 1.0 μ m) particle size than the conventionally prepared sample (ca. 4.8 μ m). The MOF-525 and MOF-545 prepared by the sonochemical route exhibited enhanced hydrolysis of the chemical warfare simulant dimethyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) and a faster and higher bisphenol-A adsorption than the conventionally prepared MOF samples. MOF-525 and MOF-545 were synthesized through a sonochemical route and tested for the hydrolysis of DMNP and adsorption of BPA. Image 1 • Sonochemical syntheses of zirconium-based porphyrinic MOF 525 and 545 were reported. • High-purity crystals of MOF-525 and MOF-545 were obtained within 2.5 h and 0.5 h, respectively. • These MOFs were tested for the hydrolysis of dimethyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (DMNP) and adsorption of bisphenol-A (BPA). • Enhanced performances of these MOFs due to increased defect sites, smaller particles size, and larger BET surface area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A dry gel conversion synthesis aided by fine-grinding of the synthesis precursors produces a MIL-101 product with a high surface area greater than 4100 m2 g−1 and a product yield approaching 90% in a very reproducible manner after only simple water washing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Compounds 1 – 18 are new and non-PAINS associated molecules. • 18 displayed good α-glucosidase inhibition with IC 50 of 5.69 ± 0. 5 µM via competitive inhibition. • 18 is non-toxic towards zebrafish in vivo model. • 18 participates in swv several important interactions in the binding sites of α-glucosidase. A series of aminated- (1 – 9) and sulfonamide-containing diarylpentadienones (10 – 18) were synthesized, structurally characterized, and evaluated for their in vitro anti-diabetic potential on α-glucosidase and DPP-4 enzymes. It was found that all the new molecules were non-associated PAINS compounds. The sulfonamide-containing series (compounds 10 – 18) selectively inhibited α-glucosidase over DPP-4, in which compound 18 demonstrated the highest activity with an IC 50 value of 5.69 ± 0.5 µM through a competitive inhibition mechanism. Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies concluded that the introduction of the trifluoromethylbenzene sulfonamide moiety was essential for the suppression of α-glucosidase. The most active compound 18 , was then further tested for in vivo toxicities using the zebrafish animal model, with no toxic effects detected in the normal embryonic development, blood vessel formation, and apoptosis of zebrafish. Docking simulation studies were also carried out to better understand the binding interactions of compound 18 towards the homology modeled α -glucosidase and the human lysosomal α -glucosidase enzymes. The overall results suggest that the new sulfonamide-containing diarylpentadienones, compound 18 , could be a promising candidate in the search for a new α-glucosidase inhibitor, and can serve as a basis for further studies involving hit-to-lead optimization, in vivo efficacy and safety assessment in an animal model and mechanism of action for the treatment of T2DM patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High performance adsorption of Gd3+ by the second generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimer immobilized on mesoporous silica foam (MSF) and fibrous nano-silica KCC-1. • Poly(amidoamine) dendrimer was grafted on mesoporous silica foam and fibrous silica KCC-1. • The prepared adsorbents were extensively characterized after each preparation step. • Gd3+ adsorption over the adsorbents was examined under various experimental conditions. • Mesoporous silica foam was more effective as a host than KCC-1 for the dendrimer. • High adsorption capacity and recyclability with good selectivity were confirmed. Separation and recovery of low concentration rare earth elements (REEs) from aqueous environment need to be considered to meet their growing demand for high-technology devices. In this work, the second-generation poly(amidoamine) dendrimers immobilized on a mesoporous silica foam (MSF) or a fibrous nano-silica KCC-1 (PAMAM@GTA-NH 2 -MSF and PAMAM@GTA-NH 2 -KCC-1, respectively) were prepared after systematic grafting of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and glutaraldehyde (GTA) as a cross-linking spacer. These were investigated for recovery of gadolinium ions (Gd3+) in water via adsorption. The prepared adsorbents were extensively characterized in each preparation step by various analytical instruments, and successful attachment of the organic groups on the silica supports was confirmed. The Gd3+ adsorption over the functionalized materials was examined under different conditions of the solution pH, initial Gd3+ concentrations, and adsorption time. PAMAM@GTA-NH 2 -MSF performed better than PAMAM@GTA-NH 2 -KCC-1, with exceptionally high adsorption capacity (ca. 132 mg/g) and recyclability with reasonable selectivity for potential commercial use. Gd3+ selectivity against competing ions could be further enhanced to ca. 86% by successive functionalization with N-(phosphonomethyl) iminodiacetic acid on PAMAM@GTA-NH 2 -MSF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA methylation is an epigenetic event that involves adding a methyl group to the cytosine (C) site, especially the one that pairs with a guanine (G) site (ie, CG or CpG site), in a human genome. This event plays an important role in both cancerous and normal cell development. Previous studies often assume symmetric methylation on both DNA strands. However, asymmetric methylation, or hemimethylation (methylation that occurs only on 1 DNA strand), does exist and has been reported in several studies. Due to the limitation of previous DNA methylation sequencing technologies, researchers could only study hemimethylation on specific genes, but the overall genomic hemimethylation landscape remains relatively unexplored. With the development of advanced next-generation sequencing techniques, it is now possible to measure methylation levels on both forward and reverse strands at all CpG sites in an entire genome. Analyzing hemimethylation patterns may potentially reveal regions related to undergoing tumor growth. For our research, we first identify hemimethylated CpG sites in breast cancer cell lines using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. We then identify hemimethylation patterns by grouping consecutive hemimethylated CpG sites based on their methylation states, methylation "M" or unmethylation "U." These patterns include regular (or consecutive) hemimethylation clusters (eg, "MMM" on one strand and "UUU" on another strand) and polarity (or reverse) clusters (eg, "MU" on one strand and "UM" on another strand). Our results reveal that most hemimethylation clusters are the polarity type, and hemimethylation does occur across the entire genome with notably higher numbers in the breast cancer cell lines. The lengths or sizes of most hemimethylation clusters are very short, often less than 50 base pairs. After mapping hemimethylation clusters and sites to corresponding genes, we study the functions of these genes and find that several of the highly hemimethylated genes may influence tumor growth or suppression. These genes may also indicate a progressing transition to a new tumor stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

DNA methylation is an epigenetic event that involves adding a methyl group to the cytosine (C) site, especially the one that pairs with a guanine (G) site (ie, CG or CpG site), in a human genome. This event plays an important role in both cancerous and normal cell development. Previous studies often assume symmetric methylation on both DNA strands. However, asymmetric methylation, or hemimethylation (methylation that occurs only on 1 DNA strand), does exist and has been reported in several studies. Due to the limitation of previous DNA methylation sequencing technologies, researchers could only study hemimethylation on specific genes, but the overall genomic hemimethylation landscape remains relatively unexplored. With the development of advanced next-generation sequencing techniques, it is now possible to measure methylation levels on both forward and reverse strands at all CpG sites in an entire genome. Analyzing hemimethylation patterns may potentially reveal regions related to undergoing tumor growth. For our research, we first identify hemimethylated CpG sites in breast cancer cell lines using Wilcoxon signed rank tests. We then identify hemimethylation patterns by grouping consecutive hemimethylated CpG sites based on their methylation states, methylation "M" or unmethylation "U." These patterns include regular (or consecutive) hemimethylation clusters (eg, "MMM" on one strand and "UUU" on another strand) and polarity (or reverse) clusters (eg, "MU" on one strand and "UM" on another strand). Our results reveal that most hemimethylation clusters are the polarity type, and hemimethylation does occur across the entire genome with notably higher numbers in the breast cancer cell lines. The lengths or sizes of most hemimethylation clusters are very short, often less than 50 base pairs. After mapping hemimethylation clusters and sites to corresponding genes, we study the functions of these genes and find that several of the highly hemimethylated genes may influence tumor growth or suppression. These genes may also indicate a progressing transition to a new tumor stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exposure to heavy metals, including arsenic (As), lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg), is a major health hazard. The toxic effects of these heavy metals can exist in a latent state. These metals may accumulate through persistent exposure, causing adverse effects after several years to decades. Heavy metals are found in rice, the main staple food in East Asia. We studied the ecological effects of heavy metals on rice plant roots, straws, and seeds, and the soil and water used for rice cultivation. Food-grade rice grains were also analyzed. The toxicity level of As changed with the chemical form; therefore, species separation analysis of As was conducted. The concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The Pb concentration was the highest in soil (59.32 × 102 μg/kg), whereas Cd and As concentrations were the highest in rice roots at 52.36 and 20.65 × 102 μg/kg, respectively. In all samples, Hg was below the detection limit of the employed instrumentation. None of the heavy metal concentrations in the samples exceeded the Korean safety guideline levels. The heavy metal concentrations in the rice samples were the highest near the soil and decreased with distance, particularly As. The concentration of inorganic As was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ICP-MS. The separation of As species in rice, consumed as food, showed the concentration of inorganic As was 69.51 μg/kg, which is below the Korean safety guideline levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical approaches for quantitative precipitation nowcasts (QPNs) have emerged with recent advances in sensors in geostationary orbits, which provide more frequent observations at higher spatial resolutions. Several investigations have reported that extrapolation-based prediction can be more effective than numerical weather model-based prediction for a short lead time of less than a few hours. This study introduces the algorithm based on extrapolation method to produce QPN products for Advanced Meteorological Imager (AMI) onboard South Korea's second geostationary satellite (GEO-KOMPSAT-2A). The algorithm first provides the 3-hour potential accumulated rainfall (PAR) for a very-short-range forecast using extrapolation and then calculates the probability of rainfall (POR) during the same time period through statistical methods. The algorithm for PAR first identifies rainfall features and computes the motion vectors of the identified rainfall features through tracking between two consecutive GEO-KOMPSAT-2A rain rate images. The algorithm can then extrapolate future rainfall rates from current and previous rainfall rates outputs. In addition, the extrapolated rainfall fields are used as inputs for the POR estimation process, which produces the rainfall probability during the same 3-h period. POR is estimated based on rainfall frequency and adjusted by neighboring rainfall feature information. POR can provide a quantitative measure for the uncertainty in the PAR estimates. Retrieved PAR and POR from the QPN algorithm are validated with 3-h accumulated rainfalls obtained from the GEO-KOMPSAT-2A rain rate products. Forecasting accuracy of the PAR algorithm with time has also been investigated. The accuracy tends to decrease with increasing lead time, as expected. It may be due to the limitations of the extrapolation technique and degradation of the accuracy of the PAR estimates. The details on the improvements from the prototype algorithm and validation statistics will be discussed.AcknowledgementThis work is supported by the Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (KAIA) grant funded by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Grant 18AWMP-B127555-02). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper has demonstrated utility in multiple industrial applications for its high conductivity and antibacterial/antiviral properties. However, numerous findings have suggested potential hazards regarding pathogenesis. This study was conducted to demonstrate the application of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a cost-effective biological assay to detect environmental pollution, i.e., heavy metal of coins. We demonstrated that zebrafish larvae exposed to copper-plated coins or copper (II) ion solution elicited a consistent phenotype of early mortality without signs of morphological defects in surviving individuals. Copper ion solution served as a standard to (1) corroborate copper exposure from coins and (2) demonstrate proportional increase in early mortality phenotype according to concentration. We found that 5 μM CuSO4·5H2O was the minimal concentration to elicit the observed phenotypes from copper toxicity. This study aimed to demonstrate how a simple protocol involving wild-type zebrafish larvae could provide an economical solution to water monitoring in areas of rapid technological advancement and increasing environmental concerns, especially in communities without access to expensive analytical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: Although a variety of animal models have been used to test drug candidates and examine the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy, time-saving and inexpensive models are still needed to evaluate the increasing number of therapeutic approaches.Experimental Approach: We developed a model for diabetic retinopathy using the early stage of transgenic zebrafish (flk:EGFP) by treating embryos with 130 mM glucose, from 3-6 days post fertilisation (high-glucose model). On day 6, lenses from zebrafish larvae were isolated and treated with 3% trypsin, and changes in hyaloid-retinal vessels were analysed using fluorescent stereomicroscopy. In addition, expression of tight junction proteins (such as zonula occludens-1), effects of hyperosmolar solutions and of hypoxia, and Vegf expression were assessed by RT -PCR. NO production was assessed with a fluorescent substrate. Effects of inhibitors of the VEGF receptor, NO synthesis and a VEGF antibody (ranibizumab) were also measured.Key Results: In this high-glucose model, dilation of hyaloid-retinal vessels, on day 6, was accompanied by morphological lesions with disruption of tight junction proteins, overproduction of Vegf mRNA and increased NO production. Treatment of this high-glucose model with an inhibitor of VEGF receptor tyrosine kinase or an inhibitor of NO synthase or ranibizumab decreased dilation of hyaloid-retinal vessels.Conclusions and Implications: These findings suggest that short-term exposure of zebrafish larvae to high-glucose conditions could be used for screening and drug discovery for diabetic retinopathy and particularly for disorders of retinal vessels related to disruption of tight junction proteins and excessive VEGF and NO production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 91 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pd-supported metal-organic framework ( MOF) catalysts have been applied for the direct synthesis of H2O2 from H2 and O2 under intrinsically safe and noncorrosive reaction conditions. The catalytic performance was strongly governed by the properties of the support materials, and the Brønsted acid sites newly introduced on the organic linkers of MOF were proven to be more effective than the Lewis acid sites on the open metal sites in enhancing the H2O2 formation and suppressing its decomposition. Pd/ MIL-101- SO3H was highly efficient in promoting the reaction owing to the contribution from the strong acidity and highly porous nature of the robust MOF support used. The hydrogen peroxide productivity of Pd/ MIL-101- SO3H catalyst reached 361 mmol H2O2 mmol/Pd/h, which was 2.3 or 1.7 times higher than that of the conventional Pd/ HBEA ( SAR = 25) or Pd/sulfonated resin catalyst, respectively. This result clearly demonstrates the promising potential of MOF as a solid acid support material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pd nanoparticles with a mean diameter of 2.2 nm on amine-functionalized UiO-66 were synthesized by facile anionic-exchange followed by chemical reduction. The prepared Pd/NH 2 -UiO-66 catalyst was effective in the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to aniline using formic acid as a hydrogen source under mild reaction conditions in water with a maximum nitrobenzene conversion of 98% and an aniline selectivity of 99%. The superior catalytic activity of Pd/NH 2 -UiO-66 was attributed to the cooperative effects of nano-sized Pd and its stabilization offered by the NH 2 -UiO-66 support. The heterogeneous nature of the catalytic system was confirmed by a hot-filtering test and the catalyst maintained stable performance in 4 repeated cycles. A plausible reaction mechanism was proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Review: 124 refs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zeolite A and 13X were prepared by a hydrothermal treatment using fly ash after alkali fusion. The alkali-fusion condition was optimized to a 1:1.2 fly ash/ NaOH weight ratio at 500 °C for 1 h, and highly crystalline zeolite A and 13X were obtained at 100 °C for 4 h and 90 °C for 12 h, respectively. Both products exhibited high Ca2+ ion-exchange capacity (184 and 134 mg/g) and stable CO2 capture cyclic performance (145 and 220 mg/g). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]