Synthesis of graft copolymeric membranes of poly(vinyl alcohol) and polyacrylamide for the pervaporation separation of water/acetic acid mixtures

Graft copolymers of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) with polyacrylamide were prepared and membranes were fabricated at 48 and 93% grafting of acrylamide onto PVA. These membranes were used in the pervaporation separation of water/acetic acid mixtures at 25, 35, and 45°C. The permeation flux, separation selectivity, diffusion coefficient, and permeate concentration were determined. The highest separation selectivity of 23 for neat PVA at 25°C and the lowest value of 2.2 for 93% acrylamide‐grafted PVA membranes were observed. A permeation flux of 1.94 kg m^?2 h^?1 was found for the 93% grafted membrane at 90 mass % of water in the feed mixture. The diffusion coefficients in a water/acetic acid mixture had an effect on the membrane permselectivity. The Arrhenius equation was used to calculate the activation parameters for permeation as well as for the diffusion of water and of acetic acid. The activation energy values for the permeation flux varied from 97 to 28 kJ/mol. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 83: 244–258, 2002     

Breaking through permeability–selectivity trade-off of thin-film composite membranes assisted with crown ethers

In this study, we deployed a modified interfacial polymerization process to incorporate multifunctional crown ethers (CEs) into thin-film composite (TFC) polyamide membranes. CE additives acted as both the phase-transfer catalyst and co-solvent to facilitate the diffusion of amine monomers into the organic phase via interacting with amine monomers (form the host-guest inclusion complex), and enhanced the free volume content of the selective layer, therefore facilitating water transport and inhibiting the diffusion of salt ions. Various characterization techniques were employed to elucidate the modification mechanism as a function of CE chemical and physical properties on the microstructure of resultant TFC membranes and consequently separation performances. Compared to TFC membranes produced from traditional interfacial polymerization method, CE-modified membranes exhibited a 146% water flux enhancement and 59% lower reverse salt fluxes with a suitable draw solution. CE-modified membranes also showed the improved antifouling behavior and chemical stability in various harsh conditions.     

Designing Irreversible Inhibitors—Worth the Effort?

Despite the unquestionable success of numerous irreversible drugs that are currently in clinical use, such as acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin) and penicillin, the number of such approved drugs is much lower than that of noncovalent drugs. Over the years, the potential off‐target effects of these types of compounds have been the primary concern that has hampered their development. However, their remarkable advantages over noncovalent drugs and a better analysis of the risks have decreased the widespread skepticism surrounding them. The design of irreversible inhibitors is a challenge, particularly considering that in some cases their efficacy is due to complex and unexpected mechanisms of action. In this review the main advantages of irreversible inhibition are summarized, and the complexity of certain covalent modification mechanisms is highlighted with selected examples.     

果胶/AMP-Zn微球的制备及对Cs 的吸附性能

采用溶胶-凝胶法,以Zn2+为交联剂,将磷钼酸铵(AMP)通过静电注射装置包埋于果胶中,制备了果胶/AMP-Zn微球吸附剂,用于放射性废水中Cs~+的去除。系统探讨了不同pH、吸附剂质量、接触时间、Cs~+质量浓度、温度及共存离子对果胶/AMP-Zn去除Cs~+的影响,并利用SEM、FTIR和XPS分析了吸附机理。结果表明:果胶/AMP-Zn可在pH=3~11内使用,耐酸碱性能良好,且在25℃、pH=5、Cs~+质量浓度为120 mg/L、吸附剂质量为0.05 g、接触时间为330 min的条件下,吸附剂的吸附量为41.837 mg/g;共存离子K+、Na+、Li+、Ca2+和Mg2+对Cs~+的吸附影响不大,说明该吸附剂具有较好的吸附选择性;热力学和动力学研究结果表明:此吸附过程符合Freundlich等温吸附模型和准二级动力学模型,且是一个自发放热的过程。果胶/AMP-Zn吸附Cs~+的吸附机理可能是Cs~+与AMP上的NH4+发生离子交换作用。     

“爱汝之敌人”——《冰点》的主题选择性

三浦绫子的创作深受基督教影响。罪与爱的交织,现实与虚构的重叠,揭露与教化的呼应,构成了三浦绫子代表作《冰点》的情节框架。本文将从叙事学的角度对其主题方面的选择性加以分析,从中可探寻作者对人生、社会、家庭的选择取向。     

我国盐湖锂资源分离提取进展

锂及其化合物是国民经济和国防建设的重要战略资源，在储能电池、精细化工、原子能热核聚变等领域有着重要应用。中国是锂资源消耗与生产大国，但我国锂消费量对外依存度达70%以上，同时我国锂资源主要储存在西部地区的盐湖卤水中，低锂浓度、高镁锂比的问题提升了盐湖提锂的难度。针对我国盐湖提锂现存的问题，本文系统总结了盐湖锂资源分离提取常见的传统方法，并重点阐述了新型膜分离材料及新型膜分离过程在盐湖卤水高效提锂方面的重要进展，特别是我国科研工作者在盐湖提锂应用中所取得的最新成果。     

Multi-step virtual screening to develop selective DYRK1A inhibitors

Developing selective inhibitors for a particular kinase remains a major challenge in kinase-targeted drug discovery. Here we performed a multi-step virtual screening for dual-specificity tyrosine-phosphorylation-regulated kinase 1A (DYRK1A) inhibitors by focusing on the selectivity for DYRK1A over cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5). To examine the key factors contributing to the selectivity, we constructed logistic regression models to discriminate between actives and inactives for DYRK1A and CDK5, respectively, using residue-based binding free energies. The residue-based parameters were calculated by molecular mechanics-generalized Born surface area (MM-GBSA) decomposition methods for kinase–ligand complexes modeled by computer ligand docking. Based on the findings from the logistic regression models, we built a three-dimensional (3D) pharmacophore model and chose filter criteria for the multi-step virtual screening. The virtual hit compounds obtained from the screening were assessed for their inhibitory activities against DYRK1A and CDK5 by in vitro assay. Our screening identified two novel selective DYRK1A inhibitors with IC₅₀ values of several μM for DYRK1A and >100 μM for CDK5, which can be further optimized to develop more potent selective DYRK1A inhibitors.