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Highlights An ultralight and flexible supercapacitor is developed by an effective 3D fabrication method that uses MXene to fabricate waste denim felt through needling and carbonization. The electrodes have a maximum specific capacitance of 1748.5 mF cm−2 and demonstrate remarkable cycling stability with more than 94% after 15,000 galvanostatic charge/discharge cycles The loaded more MXene onto Z-directional fiber bundles results in enhanced specific capacitance, energy density and power density of supercapacitors.

Sustainable socio-economic development largely depends on the sustainability of the energy supply from economic, environmental, and public health perspectives. Fossil fuel combustion only meets the first element of this equation and is hence rendered unsustainable. Biofuels are advantageous from a public health perspective, but their environmental and economic sustainability might be questioned considering the conflicts surrounding their feedstocks, including land use change and fuel vs. food conflict. Therefore, it is imperative to put more effort into addressing the downsides of biofuel production using advanced technologies, such as nanotechnology. In light of that, this review strives to scrutinize the latest developments in the application of nanotechnology in producing biodiesel, a promising alternative to fossil diesel with proven environmental and health benefits. The main focus is placed on nanotechnology applications in the feedstock production stage. First, the latest findings concerning the application of nanomaterials as nanofertilizers and nanopesticides to improve the performance of oil crops are presented and critically discussed. Then, the most promising results reported recently on applying nanotechnology to boost biomass and oil production by microalgae and facilitating microalgae harvesting are reviewed and mechanistically explained. Finally, the promises held by nanomaterials to enhance animal fat production in livestock, poultry, and aquaculture systems are elaborated. Despite the favorable features of using nanotechnology in biodiesel feedstock production, the presence of nanoparticles in living systems is also associated with important health and environmental challenges, which are critically covered and discussed in this work.

According to the World Health Organization, women's breast cancer is among the most common cancers with 7.8 million diagnosed cases during 2016–2020 and encompasses 15 % of all female cancer-related mortalities. These mortality events from triple-negative breast cancer are a significant health issue worldwide calling for a continuous search of bioactive compounds for better cancer treatments. Historically, plants are important sources for identifying such new bioactive chemicals for treatments. Here we use high-throughput screening and mass spectrometry analyses of extracts from 100 plant species collected in Chinese ancient forests to detect novel bioactive breast cancer phytochemicals. First, to study the effects on viability of the plant extracts, we used a MTT and CCK-8 cytotoxicity assay employing triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) MDA-MB-231 and normal epithelial MCF-10A cell lines and cell cycle arrest to estimate apoptosis using flow cytometry for the most potent three speices. Based on these analyses, the final most potent extracts were from the Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) wood/root bark and Nigaki (Picrasma quassioides) wood/root bark. Then, 5 × 106 MDA-MB-231 cells were injected subcutaneously into the right hind leg of nude mice and a tumour was allowed to grow before treatment for seven days. Subsequently, the four exposed groups received gavage extracts from Amur honeysuckle and Nigaki (Amur honeysuckle wood distilled water, Amur honeysuckle root bark ethanol, Nigaki wood ethanol or Nigaki root bark distilled water/ethanol (1:1) extracts) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS), while the control group received only PBS. The tumour weight of treated nude mice was reduced significantly by 60.5 % within 2 weeks, while on average killing 70 % of the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells after 48 h treatment (MTT test). In addition, screening of target genes using the Swiss Target Prediction, STITCH, STRING and NCBI-gene database showed that the four plant extracts possess desirable activity towards several known breast cancer genes. This reflects that the extracts may kill MBD-MB-231 breast cancer cells. This is the first screening of plant extracts with high efficiency in 2 decades, showing promising results for future development of novel cancer treatments.

Wood-based panels, which contain wood raw materials along with urea-formaldehyde (UF) or phenol-formaldehyde (PF) resins, can increase the indoor air concentration of formaldehyde. Formaldehyde can stimulate the upper respiratory mucosa and cross-linking reaction with cell proteins and DNA, and this can result in degeneration and necrosis of respiratory cells and damaged cell proliferation. Formaldehyde can induce health hazards such as nasal cancer, leukemia, and destruction of the reproductive system. Acetaldehyde dehydrogenase 5 (ADH5) in the body cooperates with Fanconi anaemia complementation group D2 (FANCD2) to quickly metabolize formaldehyde into formate and maintain the balance of endogenous formaldehyde. However, when both ADH5 and FANCD2 proteins have defects or mutations, damaged DNA repair failure and cell proliferation induce a variety of health diseases. The damage has been found in the upper respiratory area, not on distal body tissues such as liver, kidney, and bone marrow. Meanwhile epidemiological survey has not shown a positive correlation between formaldehyde and health hazards. It is recommended that the use of wood formaldehyde-based products should be reduced, and pathogenesis genes and damage repair mechanism should be studied systematically and deeply to develop gene drugs to remove excess formaldehyde and activate the damage gene repair mechanism in the future.

Summary: Droplets directionally bouncing off moving superhydrophobic solid surfaces are universal in nature and are crucial in many biological, sustainable, environmental, and engineering applications. However, their underlying physics and regulation strategies remain relatively unknown. This paper demonstrates that the maximum directional acceleration of a post-impact droplet mainly occurs in the spreading stage and that the orientational velocity of the droplet mainly originates in the early impingement process. Furthermore, it clarifies the underlying physics based on momentum transfer process imposed by the boundary layer of impacts and proposes a strategy for regulating the directional droplet velocity using a comprehensive formula. Finally, it shows that directional bouncing reduces the flight momentum of a small flying device by 10%–22%, and the experimental values agree closely with the predicted values. This study reveals the droplet bounce orientation mechanism imposed by moving substrates, provides manipulation methods, and makes positive and meaningful discussions of practical applications.

Nanomaterials offer the potential for positive technological impact in a variety of industries. The major breakthrough is in neurological therapeutic applications as their physical and chemical properties allow them to penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, questions concerning its safety have arisen as a result of its permeability and the broad application of nanomaterials especially the engineered nanomaterial (ENMs). Due to the large spectrum of ENM properties, pinpointing individual features that caused toxicity is difficult. It is therefore urgent to capitalise on these new developments in ENM safety evaluation. Indeed, novel risk assessment and risk management techniques for humans and the environment across the whole life-cycle of nanomaterial products have emerged in recent years, including systems biology approaches and high-throughput screening platforms. Moreover, the new toxicology technology should practically reduce the number of animal samples required for testing and allow both in vitro and in vivo cell studies. Unlike traditional cytotoxicity, which limits the analysis effect to a single experiment, hazardous risk assessment by integrated omics technologies using high-throughput technologies provides robustness of systemic functional analysis towards ENM, allowing the discovery of biomarkers and functional pathways affecting ENM safety application.

This paper discusses the use of agricultural biomass as a promising resource for renewable energy production, e.g., bio-oil and biogas via pyrolysis and catalysis, among other technologies. In order to prevent the accumulation of agricultural biomass, most countries still use traditional disposal or processing methods, e.g., burning in the field, which not only has a low energy conversion rate, but also releases harmful gases, e.g., CO2, CO, and NH3. These traditional methods are regarded as inefficient with respect to the low utilization of waste; they also pose a threat to human health. The energy conversion of agricultural biomass makes full use of resources and accelerates the development of green energy. In particular, agricultural biomass can lead to the production of high-quality renewable fuels and chemical raw materials through catalytic pyrolysis technologies. The fuel produced using catalytic pyrolysis has a low sulfur and alkali metal contents and techno-economic analysis shows that catalytic pyrolysis greatly reduces the production cost and improves the utilization rate of agricultural biomass. The production of bio-oil and gas via catalytic pyrolysis and agricultural biomass are environmentally friendly and economically feasible for clean energy production. Therefore, additional research is needed to enable the upscaling of renewable energy products.

Willow (Salix matsudana) bark is the bark of willow trees, it is rich in resources. Extracting these resources becomes difficult due to the relative lack of systematic and in-depth analysis of the total chemical composition. Analysis was performed using TDS-GC/MS, TG, FTIR and PY-GC/MS techniques. Results and discussion: the extracts form volatile organic compounds are mainly included in the analysis of TDS-GC/MS, such as, organic acids, exters, alcohols, etc. Extracts are rich in VOCs:1,2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid, bis(2-methylpropyl) ester, its function is mainly as plasticizer. FTIR analysis are further confirmed, the ingredients of total extracts include ethers, The treatment of total heat loss is divided into two distinct phases: the first phase of 50 °C to 100 °C, the second phase of 150 °C to 250 °C, the sequence of quality loss is the second and the first stage, important turning point temperature is 245 °C, with significant changes in quality, for example, high polymer pyrolysis into small volatile molecules. In addition, various pyrolysis VOCs have been analyzed by PY-GC/MS, And have good development space, such as, Carbamic acid, monoammonium salt (4.80%), Glycolaldehyde dimer (4.04%), Catechol (0.44%). etc. Both of them have good development prospects, including many new chemical components produced by the pyrolysis of total extracts and residues, which is a new method to provide high quality applications. Keywords: Willow bark, Volatile organic component (VOC), Extraction of organic solvents, Component characteristics

Elliptical Kiwifruit (Actinidia chinensis Planch) is a popular fruit among consumers. It has abundant nutrition. And it also has medicinal value and economic value. In our research, we detected and analyzed the chemical components by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC–MS) technologies. In FT-IR analysis, we known that there it main had O-H stretching vibration, C-H stretching vibration, CC stretching vibration, benzene ring stretching vibration, C-H C-O stretching vibration and anomeric carbon vibrational frequency absorption peak attribution. The types of compound that may be in this band is cellulose, carboxylic acid, alcohol, phenol, amine and ester. In GC–MS analysis, we known that the main chemical compounds were 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 1,2,3,5-cyclohexanetetrol, quinic acid, d-alanine, N-propargyloxycarbonyl-, isohexyl ester, 4H-Pyran-4-one, cyclotetrasiloxane, octamethyl- and furfural. And these organic components can be used at food processing, medical treatment and light industry fields. Keywords: Elliptical Kiwifruit, FT-IR, GC–MS, Chemical composition, Application

People raise redwood, and mahogany will last a lifetime. In China, there have always been the sayings of “sleeping Pterocarpus indicus Willd. and sitting on Dalbergia cochinchinensi”. Among them, the health of mahogany furniture is rarely scientifically and systematically elaborated. Therefore, the active ingredients in the Pterocarpus santalinus extract were analyzed in detail by using advanced detection techniques, and it was found that 54 active ingredients were detected in the Pterocarpus santalinus extract. Mainly include alkanes, phenols, alcohols, terpenes (alkenes), and acids. In the Pterocarpus santalinus extract, the majority components of Pterocarpus santalinus are healthy and abundant; the main representative of the active ingredient were .alpha.-Bisabolol, Squalene, cedrol, Propanoic acid, 2-methyl-, 3-hydroxy-2,2,4-trimethylpentyl ester, P-Cresol, (-) - Spathulenol and Heptacosane. It also has potential application prospects in the fields of bio-energy, bio-medicine, cosmetics, skin care products, and spices. The study of the chemical composition of Pterocarpus santalinus provides a scientific basis for the development and utilization of the plant. Keywords: Pterocarpus santalinus, Chemical composition, Extract, Redwood, GC–MS

Choerospondias axillaris is a better fast-growing species. Its bark and fruit have the functions of anti-inflammation, detoxification, hemostasis and treatment of external burns. However, due to the lack of systematic and in-depth analysis of the chemical composition of Choerospondias axillaris, it is difficult to develop high value-added products, resulting in low processing efficiency and even direct abandonment. In order to improve the application value of Choerospondias axillaris and excavate its application in many fields, this paper takes Choerospondias axillaris as the research object to reveal the characteristics of volatile organic compounds and the variation rule of molecular components of jujube before and after extraction of Choerospondias axillaris. The extracts of Choerospondias axillaris were detected and identified by GC-MS and FTIR. The pyrolysis process of Choerospondias axillaris was characterized by TGA-DTG and Py-GC-MS. The volatile organic compounds in the ethanol extracts of Choerospondias axillaris were mainly alcohols, petroleum ether extracts were mainly alkanes and organic acids, and phenylethanol extracts were mainly esters. Among the three kinds of jujube extracts, nonanal, beta-caryophyllene, humus and caryophyllene oxides and other bioactive VOCs were observed. The total content of VOCs from high to low was petroleum ether extract, ethanol extract and benzene/ethanol extract. Choerospondias axillaris has three distinct stages of heat loss treatment: the first stage is 30–50°C, the second stage is 50–200°C, and the third stage is 200–247°C. During the heat loss treatment, three critical temperature turning points (50, 200 and 237) were observed, accompanied by significant chemical changes such as pyrolysis of macromolecules into small volatile molecules. By pyrolysis of the extracts and residues of Choerospondias axillaris, a large number of new components have been produced, which can be used in other industries and provide a new way for sour jujube to become a high-grade application resource. Keywords: Choerospondias axillaris, Volatile organic component, Py-GC/MS, Component characteristics

Biodegradable composites were prepared by adding ZnO, Si3N4, and bamboo charcoal (BC) based on biodegradable plastic Poly (butylene succinate) (PBS). The results show that different filling rates have an effect on the mechanical properties of the composites. When the bamboo powder filling amount reaches 40%, the mechanical properties of the composite material are the best. Overall, The mechanical and chemical structure as well as the thermal data showed that the best condition for the production of decayed wood plastic composite was 150 °C for 10 min, while TiO2, Si3N4, and BC accounting for 3%, 3%, and 5% of PBS weight, respectively, and the proportions of bamboo powder and PBS of 40% and 60%. The most important thing is that TD-GC–MS found that the composite has less organic volatiles, indicating that it is a green and healthy composite. Keywords: Bamboo plastic composites, Si3N4, Chemical structure, Thermal properties, Biodegradable

Energy is indispensable in human life and social development, but this has led to an overconsumption of non-renewable energy. Sustainable energy is needed to maintain the global energy balance. Lignocellulose from agriculture or forestry is often discarded or directly incinerated. It is abundantly available to be discovered and studied as a biomass energy source. Therefore, this research uses Staphylea holocarpa wood as feedstock to evaluate its potential as energy source. We characterized Staphylea holocarpa wood by utilizing FT–IR, GC–MS, TGA, Py/GC–MS and NMR. The results showed that Staphylea holocarpa wood contained a large amount of oxygenated volatiles, indicating that it has the ability to act as biomass energy sources which can achieve green chemistry and sustainable development.

Biomass energy has attracted widespread attention due to its renewable, storage, huge production and clean and pollution-free advantages. Using Robinia pseudoacacia bark (RPB) as raw material, biogas and bio-oil produced by pyrolysis of RPB were detected and analyzed by TG-DTG, TG-FTIR and PY-GC-MS under the action of nanocatalysis. TG results showed that CH4 and CO flammable gases were produced by pyrolysis. PY-GC-MS results showed that RPB was rapidly pyrolyzed to obtain alcohols, ketones, aldehydes and acids bio-oil. The content of phenolic substances was the highest, accounting for 32.18% of all substances.Nanocatalysis has a certain effect on RPB, accelerating the precipitation of pyrolysis products and improving the over-oxidation of bio-oil. In addition, the extracts of RPB were identified and analyzed by FTIR, NMR, GC-MS and LC-Q-TOF-MS, and more than 100 active ingredients, such as Betaine, Epicathin and β-sitosterol, were detected. Their applications as additive energy in other fields were explored. Therefore, Robinia pseudoacacia bark constitutes a fine biofeedstock for biofuels and biochemicals.

Biomass rapid pyrolysis technology is easy to implement in continuous production and industrial application, and has become one of the leading technologies in the field of world renewable energy development. Agricultural and forestry waste is an important resource of renewable energy in China. In general, abandoned leaves in forest areas cause serious waste of resources. Its utilization may help to settle the problems of energy deficiency and environment pollution. In this study, Aesculus chinensis Bunge leaves (A. Bunge) are used as the research object to study the pyrolysis and extract. The results showed that there are a lot of bioactive components in A. Bunge leaves extract, including acetamide, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, R-limonene, d-mannose, and dihydroxyacetone. The active components of A. Bunge leaves supply scientific evidence for the exploration and exploitation of this plant. The pyrolysis products of A. Bunge leaves are rich in organic acids, aldehydes, and ketones, which means that A. Bunge leaves can be used as a crude material for the manufacturing of bio-oil or bio-fuel. The pyrolysis products include batilol, pregnenolone, benzoic acid, butyrolactone, and propanoic acid, which can be used in biological medicine, chemical crude materials, and industrial raw material reagents. Therefore, A. Bunge leaves can be used as a good crude material for bio-oil or biofuel production. Combining A. Bunge leaves and fast pyrolysis methods can effectively solve the problem of forestry and agricultural residues in the future.

Cotinus coggygria Scop. as a precious landscape shrub and a good afforestation species that is used in the pharmaceutical industry. In this paper, TG-FTIR, TG-DTG, and Py-GC/MS were used to study the biomaterials of Cotinus coggygria used as biofuels and biochemicals under the catalysis of nano-Mo/Fe2O3. The wood powder was extracted using a methanol/benzene solution, and the extract was analyzed by FTIR and GC-MS. The results showed that the pyrolysis products of Cotinus coggygria wood were rich in phenols, alcohols, and biofuels. The metal nano-Mo powder played a catalytic role in the interpretation of the gas in the species, where it accelerates gas products. Metal nano-Fe2O3 has a certain flame-retardant effect on the burning process of Cotinus coggygria wood, and the residual amount of pyrolysis is greater. The contents of the extract Formamide, 1-Hexanol, Levodopa, and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)- are not only widely used industrially but also play an important role in medicine. Cotinus coggygria is therefore an excellent biomaterial for biofuels and biochemicals.

Biomass has been recognized as the most common source of renewable energy. In recent years, researchers have paved the way for a search for suitable biomass resources to replace traditional fossil fuel energy and provide high energy output. Although there are plenty of studies of biomass as good biomaterials, there is little detailed information about Staphylea holocarpa wood (S. holocarpa) as a potential bio-oil material. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of S. holocarpa wood as a bio-oil. Nanocatalyst cobalt (II) oxide (Co3O4) and Nickel (II) oxide (NiO) were used to improve the production of bio-oil from S. holocarpa wood. The preparation of biofuels and the extraction of bioactive drugs were performed by the rapid gasification of nanocatalysts. The result indicated that the abundant chemical components detected in the S. holocarpa wood extract could be used in biomedicine, cosmetics, and biofuels, and have a broad industrial application prospect. In addition, nanocatalyst cobalt tetraoxide (Co3O4) could improve the catalytic cracking of S. holocarpa wood and generate more bioactive molecules at high temperature, which is conducive to the utilization and development of S. holocarpa wood as biomass. This is the first time that S. holocarpa wood was used in combination with nanocatalysts. In the future, nanocatalysts can be used to solve the problem of sustainable development of biological resources.

Biomass plays a crucial role in mitigating the concerns associated with increasing fossil fuel combustion. Among various types of biomass, forest biomass has attracted considerable attention given its abundance and variations. In this work, an overview is presented on different pathways available to convert forest biomass into bioenergy. Direct use of forest biomass could reduce carbon dioxide emissions associated with conventional energy production systems. However, there are certain drawbacks to the direct use of forest biomass, such as low energy conversion rate and soot emissions and residues. Also, lack of continuous access to biomass is a severe concern in the long-term sustainability of direct electricity generation by forest biomass. To solve this problem, co-combustion with coal, as well as pelletizing of biomass, are recommended. The co-combustion of forest biomass and coal could reduce carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and sulfide emissions of the process. Forest biomass can also be converted into various liquid and gaseous biofuels through biochemical and thermochemical processes, which are reviewed and discussed herein. Despite the favorable features of forest biomass conversion processes to bioenergy, their long-term sustainability should be more extensively scrutinized by future studies using advanced sustainability assessment tools such as life cycle assessment, exergy, etc.

The impact of the AlN additive on the microstructural features and consolidation behavior of the ZrB2-SiC system was studied. For this objective, different weight percentages of AlN were added to the ZrB2-30 vol% SiC ceramics, in which 4 wt% phenolic resin was used as a binder. All specimens were hot-pressed at sintering circumstances of 1900 °C under 10 MPa for a dwelling time of 120 min. The addition of AlN had a remarkable effect on the sintering behavior of ZrB2-SiC, attaining fully dense composite samples. Although the thermodynamic study suggested the formation and consumption of several compounds over the hot-pressing, only the peaks related to carbon was detected in the XRD patterns. The thermodynamic assessment also implied the generation of a liquid phase over the sintering as the main factor in boosting the sinterability of specimens. The microstructure of as-produced ceramics was also inspected using FESEM and HRTEM images. Such micrographs endorsed the beneficial role of liquid phase sintering mechanism in forming coherent and strong interfaces among the available phases. Fractographical evaluation manifested the transgranular type as the dominant fracture mode for all hot-pressed composites.

In this paper, graphene (Gr)/Co3O4 nanocomposite was synthesized and utilized for the development of a novel electrochemical sensor to detect tramadol. Tramadol determination was examined by linear sweep voltammetry, differential pulse voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and chronoamperometry on Gr/Co3O4 nanocomposite-modified screen-printed electrode (Gr/Co3O4/SPE) in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Under the optimized condition, the detection limit of tramadol is 0.03 μM (S/N = 3) in the linear ranges of 0.1–500.0 μM. Furthermore, Gr/Co3O4/SPE was satisfactorily utilized to detect tramadol in tramadol tablet and urine specimens.

Blood plasma was collected during 2016–2018 from healthy incubating eiders (Somateria molissima, n = 183) in three Danish colonies, and healthy migrating pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus, n = 427) at their spring roost in Central Norway (Svalbard breeding population) and their novel flyway through the Finnish Baltic Sea (Russian breeding population). These species and flyways altogether represent terrestrial, brackish and marine ecosystems spanning from the Western to the Eastern and Northern part of the Baltic Sea. Plasma of these species was analysed for seroprevalence of specific avian influenza A (AI) antibodies to obtain information on circulating AI serotypes and exposure. Overall, antibody prevalence was 55% for the eiders and 47% for the pink-footed geese. Of AI-antibody seropositive birds, 12% (22/183) of the eiders and 3% (12/427) of the pink-footed geese had been exposed to AI of the potentially zoonotic serotypes H5 and/or H7 virus. AI seropositive samples selected at random (n = 33) showed a low frequency of serotypes H1, H6 and H9. Future projects should aim at sampling and isolating AI virus to characterize dominant serotypes and virus strains (PCR). This will increase our understanding of how AI exposure may affect health, breeding and population viability of Baltic common eiders and pink-footed geese as well as the potential spill-over to humans (zoonotic potential).

The Baltic/Wadden Sea Flyway of common eiders has declined over the past three decades. Multiple factors such as contaminant exposure, global warming, hunting, white-tailed eagle predation, decreased agricultural eutrophication and infectious diseases have been suggested to explain the decline. We collected information on body mass, mercury (Hg) concentration, biochemistry and untargeted metabolomics of incubating birds in two colonies in the Danish Straits (Hov Røn, n = 100; Agersø, n = 29) and in one colony in the Baltic proper (Christiansø, n = 23) to look into their metabolisms and energy balance. Body mass was available from early and late incubation for Hov Røn and Christiansø, showing a significant decline (25–30%) in both colonies with late body mass at Christiansø being the lowest. Whole blood concentrations of total mercury Hg were significantly higher in birds at Christiansø in the east compared to Hov Røn in the west. All birds in the three colonies had Hg concentrations in the range of ≤1.0 μg/g ww, which indicates that the risk of effects on reproduction is in the no to low risk category for wild birds. Among the biochemical measures, glucose, fructosamine, amylase, albumin and protein decreased significantly from early to late incubation at Hov Røn and Christiansø, reflecting long-term fastening as supported by the decline in body mass. Untargeted metabolomics performed on Christiansø eiders revealed presence of 8,433 plasma metabolites. Of these, 3,179 metabolites changed significantly (log2-fold change ≥1, p ≤ 0.05) from the early to late incubation. For example, smaller peptides and vitamin B2 (riboflavin) were significantly down-regulated while 11-deoxycorticosterone and palmitoylcarnitine were significantly upregulated. These results show that cumulative stress including fasting during incubation affect the eiders’ biochemical profile and energy metabolism and that this may be most pronounced for the Christiansø colony in the Baltic proper. This amplify the events of temperature increases and food web changes caused by global warming that eventually accelerate the loss in body weight. Future studies should examine the relationship between body condition, temperature and reproductive outcomes and include mapping of food web contaminant, energy and nutrient content to better understand, manage and conserve the populations.

Here we review contaminant exposure and related health effects in six selected Baltic key species. Sentinel species included are common eider, white-tailed eagle, harbour porpoise, harbour seal, ringed seal and grey seal. The review represents the first attempt of summarizing available information and baseline data for these biomonitoring key species exposed to industrial hazardous substances focusing on anthropogenic persistent organic pollutants (POPs). There was only limited information available for white-tailed eagles and common eider while extensive information exist on POP exposure and health effects in the four marine mammal species. Here we report organ-tissue endpoints (pathologies) and multiple biomarkers used to evaluate health and exposure of key species to POPs, respectively, over the past several decades during which episodes of significant population declines have been reported. Our review shows that POP exposure affects the reproductive system and survival through immune suppression and endocrine disruption, which have led to population-level effects on seals and white-tailed eagles in the Baltic. It is notable that many legacy contaminants, which have been banned for decades, still appear to affect Baltic wildlife. With respect to common eiders, changes in food composition, quality and contaminant exposure seem to have population effects which need to be investigated further, especially during the incubation period where the birds fast. Since new industrial contaminants continuously leak into the environment, we recommend continued monitoring of them in sentinel species in the Baltic, identifying possible effects linked to climate change, and modelling of population level effects of contaminants and climate change.

Pterocarpus and Pterocarpus products have certain human health function. In this paper, Diospyros celebica Bakh as an example, we study its human health components by using PY–GC–MS, TDS–GC–MS and GC–MS. The composition of known human health functions was studied by reviewing the literature. 3-O-Methyl-d-glucose has a certain conservation property, and it can protect the pancreatic B cells against the toxicity of alloxan. P-Cresol plays a role in endothelial dysfunction in uremic patients, and it can repair wounds and reduce endothelial progression. 2(3H)-Furanone, 5-methyl-has certain biological resistance, and has high antimicrobial activity against NCIM 2501 and NCIM 5021. Keywords: Pterocarpus, Diospyros celebica, PY–GC–MS, GC–MS, TDS–GC–MS, Health care ingredients

To disclosed the internal factors for the growth of mycelium and Lentinus edodes, Quercus Linn wood, which was biotransformed during the artificial cultivation of Lentinus edodes, were synergistically characterized by TGA/DTG, FT-IR and NMR. The results showed that the different ingredients of hemicellulose decreased during steam explosion and biodegradation of Lentinus edodes, however hemicellulose content continued to increased. FT-IR showed that the transmittance of the characteristic peaks in hemicellose gradually increased after decreased after steam explosion and biodegradation of Lentinus edodes. TGA/DTG curves that thermal stability and maximum thermal degradation rates of hemicelloses were contiguous after steam explosion and biodegradation of Lentinus edodes. Structural determination based on FT-IR and 1H, and 2D-HSQC NMR analyses showed that the alkali-extractable hemicelluloses shared the structure composed of (1 → 4)-linked β-d-xylopyranosyl backbone with 4-O-methyl-R-d-glucuronic acid attached to O-2 of the xylose residues and l-arabinose attached to O-3 of the xylose residues. And it revealed that the extractable hemicelluloses retained original structure without cleaving chemical linkages. Furthermore, a small amount of other minor hemicelluloses (β-glucans) including xylans in the extractable hemicelluloses could be identified by NMR and other approaches. Keywords: Hemicellulose of Quercus Linn wood, Steam explosion, Biodegradation of Lentinus edodes, TGA/DTG, FT-IR, NMR, HSQC

Camellia oleifera seed cake (COSC), a byproduct during oil production of C. oleifera seeds, has been extremely abundant. However, due to the lack of systematic and in-depth analysis about the chemical composition of COSC, it is difficult to develop high value-added products, resulting in low processing efficiency or even directly abandoned. In this paper, the VOCs (Volatile organic components) characteristics of COSC and the variation rule of COSC groups before/after extraction were revealed, and the thermal loss law of COSC and the pyrolyzates characteristics at different temperatures were also explained. The main VOCs of ethanol extractive of COSC are alcohols, those of petroleum ether extractive are alkanes and organic acids, and those of benzene/ethanol extractive are esters. It is first reported here that rich 1,6,10-Dodecatrien-3-ol,3,7,11-trimethyl-, (E)-, namely nerolidol with wide use in cosmetics and biomedicine, exists in COSC extractives. In addition, bioactive VOCs such as β-caryophyllene, humulene and (E)-Atlantone were observed in three COSC extractives. The total content trend from high to low is petroleum ether extractive, ethanol extractive, benzene/ethanol extractive, indicating that petroleum ether extractive has the best developing prospects. The analytic results of FTIR further confirm that: (1) the COSC contains components including Si compounds, ethers, organic acids, esters and alcohols, (2) the four kinds of organic silicon detected are naturally occurring components in COSC, and (3) organic solvent extraction does not make compound groups of COSC significantly changed. There are four obvious stages in thermogravimetry treatment of COSC: the first (30–100 °C), the second (180–240 °C), the third (240–400 °C), and the fourth (400–567 °C), and the order of the mass loss is the third, the second, the fourth and the first. During thermogravimetry treatment, three critical turning points of temperature (240 °C, 400 °C and 567 °C) were observed, accompanied by significantly chemical changes such as macromolecule pyrolyzed into small volatile molecules. The four COSC extractive pyrolyzates at 300 °C, 450 °C, 600 °C and 750 °C have different content variation in the components, such as heterocyclic type with a high-low-high-low change, hydrocarbons and acids shown by the high-low-low-high process, and ketone and the alcohol with a low-high-low-high change. The 450 °C pyrolyzates of COSC residue after extraction are heterocyclic, ketone, phenolic more than esters, hydrocarbons, phosphide, acids, aldehydes, alcohols and acyl; the 600 °C pyrolyzates are heterocyclic, ketone, phenolic more than esters, ammonium, phosphide, acid, aldehydes and alcohols. Here, a large number of new components are produced in the pyrolysis treatment for COSC extractive and residue, providing a new approach for the high-grade application of COSC. Keywords: Camellia oleifera seed cake (COSC), Volatile organic component (VOC), Pyrolyzates, Organic solvent extractive, Component characteristic

Pterocarpus is a high-end, expensive furniture materials collectively. Pterocarpus products have a certain human health function. In this paper, Pterocarpus cambodianus Pierre as an example, we study its human health components by using PY–GC–MS, TDS–GC–MS and GC–MS. The composition of known human health functions was studied by reviewing the literature. 1-Heptatriacotanol has anti-hypercholesterolemic effects. Cryptomeridiol is a natural product of anti-Alzheimer's disease and antispasmodic nature, and has a significant medicinal value. 7-Methyl-Z-tetradecen-1-ol acetate has the effect of heat and heat cough. .alpha.-Bisabolol can be used to treat leishmaniasis caused by Lactobacillus infants. Keywords: Pterocarpus, Pterocarpus cambodianus Pierre, PY–GC–MS, GC–MS, TDS–GC–MS, Health care ingredients

In this paper, the organic solvent extract was analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS), TG, Py–GC–MS and TD–GC–MS were used to analyze the Dalbergia stevenson. And then, the pyrolysis products were analyzed by GC–MS. The chromatographic peak area normalization method was used to calculate the groups the relative content of the points. The results show that there are many kinds of bioactive ingredients in the berzolis sandalwood extract, mainly some alcohols and phenolic compounds. And in bio-energy, bio-medicine, cosmetics, skin care products and spices and other fields have potential application prospects. Keywords: Dalbergia stevenson, Extractives, GC–MS, Py–GC–MS, TD–GC–MS

Poly (butylene succinate) (PBS), as a fully biodegradable thermoplastic, have developed rapidly due to its integrated performance and processibility. The CaCO3 as a reinforcing component, and AHP, APP and CaHP as a flame-retardant component were separately incorporated into PBS matrix. A series of PBS-based composites were fabricated via melting blending using internal mixer followed by injection molding. The results show that the different filling ratio has a certain influence on the mechanical properties of the composites. When the filling amount of wood powder is 40 copies, the composite mechanical properties of the composite is better. CaCO3 addition, the composite material of the bending strength, tensile strength have improved significantly. The results showed that small amount of AHP, APP and CaHP improved the tensile strength of PBS composites, however, the tensile strength decreased as further increase amount of AHP, APP and CaHP. Cone Calorimeter testing revealed that, the combination of AHP, APP and CaHP could significantly reduce the pHRR and the total heart release (THR) of the composites. TGA test indicated that the addition of AHP, APP and CaHP could significantly increase the char residue and reduce the mass loss rate. TGA test indicated that the addition of AHP, APP and CaHP could significantly increase the char residue and reduce the mass loss rate. Through the research of mechanical and thermal properties of PBS composite, it could lay a foundation of the application of PBS composite in different fields. Keywords: Poly (butylene succinate), Crystallization behavior, Flame retardant, AHP, APP, CaHP

Abstract In this study, several simple equations are suggested to investigate the effects of size and density on the number, surface area, stiffening efficiency, and specific surface area of nanoparticles in polymer nanocomposites. In addition, the roles of nanoparticle size and interphase thickness in the interfacial/interphase properties and tensile strength of nanocomposites are explained by various equations. The aggregates/agglomerates of nanoparticles are also assumed as large particles in nanocomposites, and their influences on the nanoparticle characteristics, interface/interphase properties, and tensile strength are discussed. The small size advantageously affects the number, surface area, stiffening efficiency, and specific surface area of nanoparticles. Only 2 g of isolated and well-dispersed nanoparticles with radius of 10 nm (R = 10 nm) and density of 2 g/cm3 produce the significant interfacial area of 250 m2 with polymer matrix. Moreover, only a thick interphase cannot produce high interfacial/interphase parameters and significant mechanical properties in nanocomposites because the filler size and aggregates/agglomerates also control these terms. It is found that a thick interphase (t = 25 nm) surrounding the big nanoparticles (R = 50 nm) only improves the B interphase parameter to about 4, while B = 13 is obtained by the smallest nanoparticles and the thickest interphase.

Response surface methodology (RSM) based on a Box–Behnken rotatable design was used to determine the optimum conditions for the microwave-assisted extraction of antioxidant compounds from Pinus elliottii needles. Four process variables were evaluated at three levels (29 experimental conditions): ethanol (50, 70, and 90%), solvent:solute ratio (25:1, 20:1, and 15:1), extraction temperature (60, 70, and 80 °C), and ultrasonic power (100, 150, and 200 W). Using RSM, a quadratic polynomial equation was obtained by multiple regression analysis to predict the optimized extraction protocol. The radical scavenging capacity was determined by O2−, ·OH, and DPPH methods. For the microwave-assisted extraction of antioxidant compounds from Pinus elliottii needles, the optimum process used ethanol at 72%, a solvent:solute ratio of 21:1 mL/g, an extraction temperature of 67 °C, and an ultrasonic power of 200 W. The results indicated good correlation between total polyphenols content and O2−, ·OH, and DPPH radical scavenging activities.

To enhance the decay resistance of bamboo oriented strand board (OSB) products, the strands were dipped in solutions of alkaline copper quat (ACQ) and copper azole (CA) and bonded with phenol formaldehyde resin into two types of OSB panels, i.e., panels with 100% treated strands and those with treated strands only in the face layers. The results indicated that the decay resistance of treated panels was effectively enhanced. The physical and mechanical properties of all treated panels exceeded the requirements specified for category OSB/4 or OSB/3 in the standard LY/T 1580-2010. Statistical data analysis showed that pretreatment with ACQ and CA did not have detrimental effects on the overall physical and mechanical properties of panels at the loading levels investigated in this study. Panels with pretreated strands only in the face layers had strong decay resistance and comparable overall properties as those with 100% treated strands. The results suggest that pretreatment is a promising way to introduce waterborne ACQ and CA to protect bamboo OSB.

In this work, we present an ecofriendly, non-hazardous, green synthesis of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) by leaf extract of Crotalaria verrucosa (C. verrucosa). Total phenolic content, total flavonoid and total protein contents of C. verrucosa were determined. Further, synthesized ZnO NPs was characterized by UV–visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) Spectra, transmission electron microscope (TEM), and Dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. UV-vis shows peak at 375 nm which is unique to ZnO NPs. XRD analysis demonstrates the hexagonal phase structures of ZnO NPs. FTIR spectra demonstrates the molecules and bondings associated with the synthesized ZnO NPs and assures the role of phytochemical compounds of C. verrucosa in reduction and capping of ZnO NPs. TEM image exhibits that the prepared ZnO NPs is hexagonal shaped and in size ranged between 16 to 38 nm which is confirmed by DLS. Thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA) was performed to determine the thermal stability of biosynthesized nanoparticles during calcination. The prepared ZnO NPs showed significant antibacterial potentiality against Gram-positive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative (Proteus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Escherichia coli) pathogenic bacteria and SEM image shows the generalized mechanism of action in bacterial cell after NPs internalization. In addition, NPs are also found to be effective against the studied cancer cell lines for which cytotoxicity was assessed using MTT assay and results demonstrate highest growth of inhibition at the concentration of 100 µg/mL with IC50 value at 7.07 µg/mL for HeLa and 6.30 µg/mL for DU145 cell lines, in contrast to positive control (C. verrucosa leaf extract) with IC50 of 22.30 µg/mL on HeLa cells and 15.72 µg/mL on DU145 cells. Also, DAPI staining was performed in order to determine the effect on nuclear material due to ZnO NPs treatment in the studied cell lines taking leaf extract as positive control and untreated negative control for comparison. Cell migration assay was evaluated to determine the direct influence of NPs on metastasis that is potential suppression capacity of NPs to tumor cell migration. Outcome of the synthesized ZnO NPs using C. verrucosa shows antimicrobial activity against studied microbes, also cytotoxicity, apoptotic mediated DNA damage and antiproliferative potentiality in the studied carcinoma cells and hence, can be further used in biomedical, pharmaceutical and food processing industries as an effective antimicrobial and anti-cancerous agent.

Scaffolds are important to tissue regeneration and engineering because they can sustain the continuous release of various cell types and provide a location where new bone-forming cells can attach and propagate. Scaffolds produced from diverse processes have been studied and analyzed in recent decades. They are structurally efficient for improving cell affinity and synthetic and mechanical strength. Carbon nanotubes are spongy nanoparticles with high strength and thermal inertness, and they have been used as filler particles in the manufacturing industry to increase the performance of scaffold particles. The regeneration of tissue and organs requires a significant level of spatial and temporal control over physiological processes, as well as experiments in actual environments. This has led to an upsurge in the use of nanoparticle-based tissue scaffolds with numerous cell types for contrast imaging and managing scaffold characteristics. In this review, we emphasize the usage of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and CNT–polymer composites in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and also summarize challenges and prospects for their potential applications in different areas.

Fast pyrolysis is envisioned as a promising technology for the utilization of forestry wood waste (e.g., widely available from tree logging) as resources. In this study, the potential of an innovative approach was explored to convert forestry wood waste of Vernicia fordii (VF) into energy products based on fast pyrolysis combined with nano-catalysts. The results from fast pyrolysis using three types of nano-catalysts showed that the distribution and composition of the pyrolytic product were affected greatly by the type of nano-catalyst employed. The use of nano-Fe2O3 and nano-NiO resulted in yields of light hydrocarbons (alkanes and olefins) as 38.7% and 33.2%, respectively. Compared to the VF sample, the use of VF-NiO and VF-Fe2O3 led to significant increases in the formation of alkanes (e.g., from 14% to 26% and 31%, respectively). In addition, the use of nano-NiO and nano-Fe2O3 catalysts was found to promote the formation of acid, aromatics, and phenols that can be used as chemical feedstocks. The NiO catalyst affected the bio-oil composition by promoting lignin decomposition for the formation of aromatics and phenolics, which were increased from 9.52% to 14.40% and from 1.65% to 4.02%, respectively. Accordingly, the combined use of nano-catalysts and fast pyrolysis can be a promising technique for bio-energy applications to allow efficient recovery of fuel products from forestry wood waste.

In the title compound, C16H12BrNO3, the butyrolactone core adopts the furan-2(5H)-one structure and forms dihedral angles of 44.80 (17) and 65.73 (18)° with the bromobenzene and phenol rings, respectively. In the crystal, N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds link the molecules, generating R43(26) loops The edge-fused rings extend to form a chain running along the b-axis direction and C—H...π contacts help to consolidate the packing.