Reusable Polyacrylonitrile-Sulfur Extractor of Heavy Metal Ions from Wastewater

Mercury, lead, and cadmium are among the most toxic and carcinogenic heavy metal ions (HMIs), posing serious threats to the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems and public health. There is an urgent need to remove these ions from water by a cheap but green process. Traditional methods have insufficient removal efficiency and reusability. Structurally robust, large surface-area adsorbents functionalized with high-selectivity affinity to HMIs are attractive filter materials. Here, an adsorbent prepared by vulcanization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN), a nitrogen-rich polymer, is reported, giving rise to PAN-S nanoparticles with cyclic π-conjugated backbone and electronic conductivity. PAN-S can be coated on ultra-robust melamine (ML) foam by simple dipping and drying. In agreement with hard/soft acid/base theory, N- and S-containing soft Lewis bases have strong binding to Hg²⁺, Pb²⁺, Cu²⁺, and Cd²⁺, with extraordinary capture efficiency and performance stability. Furthermore, the used filters, when collected and electrochemically biased in a recycling bath, can release the HMIs into the bath and electrodeposit on the counter-electrode as metallic Hg⁰, Pb⁰, Cu⁰, and Cd⁰, and the PAN-S@ML filter can then be reused at least 6 times as new. The electronically conductive PAN-S@ML filter can be fabricated cheaply and holds promise for scale-up applications.     

Facile synthesis of MgO–Mg2SiO4 composite ceramics with high strength and low thermal conductivity

The recycling of solid waste is a win-win solution for humans and nature. For this purpose, magnesite tailings and silicon kerf waste were employed to prepare MgO–Mg₂SiO₄ composite ceramics by solid-state reaction synthesis in the present work. Then, effects of sintering temperature and raw material ratio on as-prepared ceramics were systematically studied. As-prepared ceramics showed improvement in their relative density (from 47.55%–68.12% to 90.96%–95.25%) and cold compressive strength (from 7.34–118.66 MPa to 303.39–546.65 MPa) with the increase in sintering temperature from 1300 to 1600 °C. In addition, it was found that Si promoted synthesis process of Mg₂SiO₄ phase through transient liquid phase sintering and Fe₂O₃ accelerated sintering process through activation sintering. Consequently, the presence of Mg₂SiO₄ phase effectively improved the density and strength of MgO–Mg₂SiO₄ composite ceramic, while reducing its thermal conductivity. This work provides a potential reutilization strategy for magnesite tailings, and as-prepared products are expected to be applied in fields of construction, metallurgy, and chemical industry.     

药物相互作用研究在新药研发和审评决策中的应用

药物相互作用改变了剂量效应关系，可能会降低疗效或增加毒性，是临床应用中合并用药治疗时重要的考虑因素。预测具有临床意义的药物相互作用是药物研发过程中获益风险评估的重要环节。本文概述了药物研发过程中药物相互作用研究的目的和意义，体内和体外研究的主要内容；梳理分析了2020年国家药品监督管理局（National Medical Products Administration, NMPA）和美国食品药品监督管理局（Food and Drug Administration, FDA）批准上市的新药药物相互作用研究情况，旨在为我国药物研发过程中药物相互作用研究及其监管审评提供参考。     

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.     

Effects of non-thermal plasma treating wheat kernel on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles

The effects of non-thermal plasma (NTP) on the physicochemical properties of wheat flour and the quality of fresh wet noodles ( FWN) were investigated. The results showed that NTP effectively decreased the total plate count (TPC), yeast and mould count (YMC) and Bacillus spp. in wheat flour. Wet gluten contents and the stability time reached the maximum when treated for 20 s. The viscosity of starch increased significantly after treatment due to the increased of damaged starch. The contents of secondary structure were altered to some extent, which was because that the ordered network structure of gluten protein broken. Furthermore, compared with the control, texture properties of FWN were enhanced significantly at 20 s, and the darkening rate of FWN was greatly inhibited due to the low polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity. Consequently, the most suitable treatment was 500 W for 20 s, providing a basis for the application of NTP in flour products.     

Blockchain for Collaborative Businesses

Mobile Networks and Applications - Blockchain applications have continuously improved ever since its first debut on cryptocurrency. From then on, its uses have branched out from the financial...     

Lipidomic Analysis of Plasma from Healthy Men and Women Shows Phospholipid Class and Molecular Species Differences between Sexes

The phospholipid composition of lipoproteins is determined by the specificity of hepatic phospholipid biosynthesis. Plasma phospholipid 20:4n-6 and 22:6n-3 concentrations are higher in women than in men. We used this sex difference in a lipidomics analysis of the impact of endocrine factors on the phospholipid class and molecular species composition of fasting plasma from young men and women. Diester species predominated in all lipid classes measured. 20/54 Phosphatidylcholine (PtdCho) species were alkyl ester, 15/48 phosphatidylethanolamine (PtdEtn) species were alkyl ester, and 12/48 PtdEtn species were alkenyl ester. There were no significant differences between sexes in the proportions of alkyl PtdCho species. The proportion of alkyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in women than men, while the proportion of alkenyl ester PtdEtn species was greater in men than women. None of the phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) or phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) molecular species contained ether-linked fatty acids. The proportion of PtdCho16:0_22:6, and the proportions of PtdEtn O-16:0_20:4 and PtdEtn O-18:2_20:4 were greater in women than men. There were no sex differences in PtdIns and PtdSer molecular species compositions. These findings show that plasma phospholipids can be modified by sex. Such differences in lipoprotein phospholipid composition could contribute to sexual dimorphism in patterns of health and disease.     

Characteristic tryptic peptides and gelling properties of porcine skin gelatin affected by thermal action

Thermal action in extraction process had effects on characteristic tryptic peptides identification and gelling properties of porcine gelatin. SDS-PAGE, HPLC-LTQ/Orbitrap high-resolution mass spectrometry, texture analyser and rheometer were used to evaluate collagen depolymerisation degree, characteristic tryptic peptides and gelling properties of gelatins prepared in various thermal actions. Results showed that with increasing temperature and time, depolymerisation degree enlarged, while gel strength, gelling and melting temperature decreased. Mass spectra showed that 47 and 49 common characteristic tryptic peptides were identified in gelatins extracted at 50 °C and 100 °C with various times, respectively. Moreover, 34 common characteristic tryptic peptides were identified in all gelatin samples. Further comparison between this work and our previous investigations yielded 20 common characteristic tryptic peptides, which stably exist in various thermal actions. These common characteristic tryptic peptides may be very helpful for the accurate authentication of porcine gelatin.     

Preparation and electrochemical characterization of Ti-based amorphous metallic glass with high strength

Ti-based amorphous metallic glasses have excellent mechanical, physical, and chemical properties, which is an important development direction and research hotspot of metal composite reinforcement. As a stable, simple, efficient, and large-scale preparation technology of metallic powders, the gas atomization process provides an effective way of preparing amorphous metallic glasses. In this study, the controllable fabrication of a Ti-based amorphous powder, with high efficiency, has been realized by using gas atomization. The scanning electron microscope, energy-dispersive spectrometer, and X-ray diffraction are used to analyze surface morphology, element distribution, and phase structure, respectively. A microhardness tester is used to measure the mechanical property. An electrochemical workstation is used to characterize corrosion behavior. The results show that as-prepared microparticles are more uniform and exhibit good amorphous characteristics. The mechanical test shows that the hardness of amorphous powder is significantly increased as compared with that before preparation, which has the prospect of being an important part of engineering reinforced materials. Further electrochemical measurement shows that the corrosion resistance of the as-prepared sample is also significantly improved. This study has laid a solid foundation for expanding applications of Ti-based metallic glasses, especially in heavy-duty and corrosive domains.