Deacetylated Cellulose Acetate/Polyurethane Composite Nanofiber Membranes with Highly Efficient Oil/Water Separation and Excellent Mechanical Properties

Nowadays, oil pollution has become more serious, which causes great threats both to the ecological environment and human life. In this study, a novel type of multifunctional deacetylated cellulose acetate/polyurethane (d-M_CA:M_TPU) composite nanofiber membranes for oil/water separation are successfully fabricated by electrospinning, which show super-amphiphilicity in air, super-hydrophilicity in oil, and oleophobicity in water. All the d-M_CA:M_TPU composite nanofiber membranes with different mass ratios can be used as water-removing, oil-removing, and emulsion separation substance only by gravity driving force. The highest separation flux for water and oil reaches up to 37 000 and 74 000 L m⁻² h⁻¹, respectively, and all the separation efficiencies are more than 99%. They have outstanding comprehensive mechanics performance, which can be controlled by simply adjusting the mass ratios. They show excellent antifouling and self-cleaning ability, endowing powerful cyclic stability and reusability. Those results show that d-M_CA:M_TPU composite nanofiber membranes have great application prospects in oil/water separation.     

Organic Semiconducting Luminophores for Near-Infrared Afterglow,Chemiluminescence, and Bioluminescence Imaging

Optical imaging has played a pivotal role in deciphering in vivo bioinformatics but is limited by shallow penetration depth and poor imaging performance owing to interfering tissue autofluorescence induced by concurrent photoexcitation. The emergence of near-infrared (NIR) self-luminescence imaging independent of real-time irradiation has timely addressed these problems. There are two main kinds of self-luminescent agents, namely inorganic and organic luminophores. Inorganic luminophores usually suffer from long-term biotoxicity concerns resulting from potential heavy-metal ions leakage and nonbiodegradability, which hinders their further translational application. In contrast, organic luminophores, especially organic semiconducting luminophores (OSLs) with good biodegradable potential, tunable design, and outstanding optical properties, are preferred in biological applications. This review summarizes the recent progress of OSLs used in NIR afterglow, chemiluminescence, and bioluminescence imaging. Molecular manipulation and nanoengineering approaches of OSLs are discussed, with emphasis on strategies that can extend the emission wavelength from visible to NIR range and amplify luminescence signals. This review concludes with a discussion of current challenges and possible solutions of OSLs in the self-luminescence field.     

变压器内部故障在线检测方法仿真及误差分析

为研究变压器内部故障在线检测方法的有效性及抗干扰性,搭建实际变压器的非线性三维有限元模型.对变压器常见几种类型的内部故障进行详细的结构仿真,通过"场-路耦合法"构建各类型故障的ΔV-I1轨迹.同时,通过对正常绕组的测量信号设置一定的误差,构建了考虑测量误差时的误差轨迹.在此基础上,将正常时的标准轨迹、误差轨迹和各种类型的故障轨迹进行对比分析,通过对ΔV-I1轨迹特征差异的定性分析与定量计算,验证该方法在实际应用中的有效性,总结判断各类型故障的规则,同时针对测量误差所造成的干扰提出了建议.     

Adaptive response and tolerance to weak acids in Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii: a metabolomics approach

Weak acids inhibit the growth of probiotics, such as Saccharomyces boulardii. We explored the tolerance of S. boulardii to different weak acids. S. boulardii had better fermentation ability under lactic acid conditions compared with acetic and butyric acid conditions; however, the budding of S. boulardii was significantly stronger than that of Saccharomyces cerevisiae under acetic acid conditions. Although the surface structure of S. boulardii was destroyed, it produced more daughter cells. S. boulardii metabolites were also significantly different from S. cerevisiae under acidic stress. The growth of S. boulardii under weak acid conditions differed significantly from that of S. cerevisiae. S. boulardii-mediated fingerprints under weak acid conditions were identified as latent biomarkers, related to fructose and mannose metabolism, tricarboxylic acid cycle, and the glycolysis pathway. Identified biomarkers will aid in the genetic engineering of S. boulardii and other Saccharomyces strains for improved acid resistance and biomass yield.     

How scientific research incorporates policy: an examination using the case of China’s science and technology evaluation system

Scientometrics - Governments typically formulate sets of policies to guide the direction of scientific research. And the possible effects of these policies on scientific research have been...     

Synergistic effect of high-intensity ultrasound and β-cyclodextrin treatments on browning control in apple juice

This work evaluated the synergistic effects of combined high-intensity ultrasound (HIU) with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) treatments on inhibiting browning of apple juice and explored the mechanism through simulation system. The combined treatment of 300 W HIU with 0.006 g mL⁻¹ β-CD had a synergistic impact on maintaining juice colour, resulting in a 39.06% reduction in browning degree, only a 36.64% decrease in total phenolic content, and a 17.82% reduction in PPO activity. The inhibition of enzymatic browning in simulated system revealed that HIU suppressed the enzyme (Polyphenol oxidase, PPO) and β-CD inhibited enzyme (PPO) and embedded substrate (polyphenol). The results of spectroscopic analysis showed that the particle-size distribution of PPO narrowed, the content of α-helix in the secondary structure increased, the fluorescence intensity increased, and the maximum wavelength was red-shifted after HIU and β-CD treatment. Changes in structure could further result in PPO activity loss. Hence, the combined treatment could synthetically alleviate the browning of apple juice.     

Fabrication of Anticounterfeiting Nanocomposites with Multiple Security Features via Integration of a Photoresponsive Polymer and Upconverting Nanoparticles

Anticounterfeiting materials are used to distinguish real banknotes, products, and documents from counterfeits, fakes, or unauthorized replicas. However, conventional anticounterfeiting materials generally exhibit a single anticounterfeiting function, resulting in a low level of security. Herein, a novel anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is demonstrated with numerous prominent security features. The nanocomposite is fabricated by doping upconverting nanoparticles (UCNPs) in a photoresponsive azobenzene-containing polymer (azopolymer). Because of the cis–trans photoisomerization of the azopolymer, the nanocomposite exhibits photoinduced reversible color changes suitable for anticounterfeiting applications. Additionally, the hard nanocomposite can be converted to a rubber-like soft solid by light irradiation. Imprinted microstructures are fabricated on the photosoftened nanocomposite, which result in photonic colors. Moreover, polarization-dependent structures are fabricated on the nanocomposite via photoinduced orientation for encryption. Importantly, UCNPs in the nanocomposite emit visible light upon excitation by near-infrared light, enabling the observation of various anticounterfeiting structures with high contrast. An advantage of the anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is that the security features can be observed by the naked eye for quick discrimination and can be analyzed using laboratory equipment for higher accuracy. The anticounterfeiting nanocomposite is easily processed on paper, glass, and plastic, which demonstrates its potential anticounterfeiting functions for banknotes, wines, and medicines.     

Estimating long-term time-resolved indoor PM2.5 of outdoor and indoor origin using easily obtainable inputs

To evaluate the separate impacts on human health and establish effective control strategies, it is crucial to estimate the contribution of outdoor infiltration and indoor emission to indoor PM_2.5 in buildings. This study used an algorithm to automatically estimate the long-term time-resolved indoor PM_2.5 of outdoor and indoor origin in real apartments with natural ventilation. The inputs for the algorithm were only the time-resolved indoor/outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations and occupants’ window actions, which were easily obtained from the low-cost sensors. This study first applied the algorithm in an apartment in Tianjin, China. The indoor/outdoor contribution to the gross indoor exposure and time-resolved infiltration factor were automatically estimated using the algorithm. The influence of outdoor PM_2.5 data source and algorithm parameters on the estimated results was analyzed. The algorithm was then applied in four other apartments located in Chongqing, Shenyang, Xi'an, and Urumqi to further demonstrate its feasibility. The results provided indirect evidence, such as the plausible explanations for seasonal and spatial variation, to partially support the success of the algorithm used in real apartments. Through the analysis, this study also identified several further development directions to facilitate the practical applications of the algorithm, such as robust long-term outdoor PM_2.5 monitoring using low-cost light-scattering sensors.     

Long-term performance analysis of chemical filters in clean rooms based on a prediction model

Chemical filters are the most important devices for removing gas-phase pollutants in clean rooms. However, the testing concentration of chemical filters is too high for reflecting their performance in a real clean room environment. This study tested the adsorption performance of chemical filters in the two most commonly used shapes at different concentrations. Then, the Langmuir equation and Wheeler-Jonas kinetic equation were combined to establish an adsorption performance prediction model of chemical filters under actual conditions. The predicted values of the model were in good agreement with the experimental results, which indicated the high accuracy of the prediction model. The model does not need to test the microscopic parameters of the adsorbent and can maintain high accuracy at low concentrations. A fast method for calculating the service life of chemical filters was also presented. Based on this model, the total cost of using a chemical filter with a high carbon content in microelectronic clean rooms could be decreased by 45% due to decreasing the number of filter replacements over 3 months. So a chemical filter with a high carbon content should be preferred over a filter with low resistance in microelectronic clean rooms.