Automobile industry is recognized as one of the most influential sectors shaping the global economies, societies, and individual lifestyles. Therefore, fierce competitions among different companies are continuously undergoing, and innovations deserve special attention to improve the competitiveness. In the past several years, additive manufacturing (AM) is emerging as an innovative technology in the applications of automobile industry with significant advantages over traditional techniques. As a result, increasing attention has been attracted to combining AM technology with the development of automobile industry. Currently, many automobile players are optimizing their industrial layout by incorporating with innovative AM techniques, and meanwhile, many research progresses have been achieved to meet the market demand. This article aims at presenting a timely review to conclude the recent advances in the application of AM techniques in automobile industry, focusing on the available AM techniques, printable materials, and the industry applications. The future research opportunities and challenges are also outlooked. Hopefully, this work can be useful to the related researchers, as well as the game players in the industry of this field.

This study represents a significant stride in advancing furan chemistry, presenting the synthesis of high-molecular-weight polyfurfuryl alcohol (PFA) resin (Mw = 118,959 g/mol) from furfuryl alcohol (FA) using a co-catalytic system as against the conventional single-catalytic methods. The resulting PFA resin is fully characterised, and we conclude that it exhibits good shelf life and potential in diverse applications, serving as a standalone moulded material or contributing to composites, coatings, adhesives, and nanostructured carbons.

Performing optimisation and scale-up studies of crystallisation systems requires accurate and computationally efficient mathematical models. The assumption of the ideal mixing conditions in batch reactors typically produce inaccurate results while the computational expense of CFD models is still prohibitively high. Therefore, in this work, a new intermediary approach is proposed that takes into account the non-ideal mixing conditions in the reactor and requires less computational resources than full CFD simulations. Starting with the Danckwerts concept of the intensity of segregation, an analogy between its application to chemical reactions and the kinetics of the crystallisation phenomena (such as nucleation and growth) has been made. As a result, the modified kinetics expressions have been derived which incorporate the effect of non-idealities present in stirred reactors. This way, based on the experimental measurements of the mixing time using the Laser Induced Fluorescence (LIF) technique, computationally more efficient mathematical models can be developed in two ways: (1) the accurate semi-empirical correlations are available for standard mixing configurations with the most often used types of impellers, (2) CFD simulations can be utilised for estimation of the mixing time; in this case it is necessary to simulate only the mixing process. The benefits offered by the LIF experimental technique have been demonstrated and some frequent problems in its application analysed. The mixing time results for configurations with and without baffles for three types of impellers and four different rotational speeds have been presented. The false shorter mixing times in the non-baffled configurations have been observed and this phenomena explained by the existence of two segregated zones in the reactor and confirmed by additional experiments. The precise measurements in these cases have been shown as difficult using the LIF technique, particularly for higher rpms. The experimental data has been compared to the preliminary simulation results obtained from the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics method and the standard k-ε turbulence model with the modest success. The shortcomings of the SPH model have been recognized and the directions for the future work discussed.

In order to investigate the size distributions and seasonal variations of carbonaceous aerosols (OC and EC), the carbonaceous species were collected and then analyzed by using a 9-stage Anderson-type aerosol sampler and DRI Model 2001A Thermal/Optical Carbon Analyzer on the typical industrial city Nanjing in Yangtze River Delta, China in the summer, autumn and winter of 2013 and spring of 2014. OC, EC, SOC and POC exhibited obvious seasonal variations, with the highest level in winter (39.1±14.0, 5.7±2.1, 23.6±11.7 and 14.1±5.7 μg•m^-3) and the lowest level in summer (20.6±6.7, 3.3±2.0, 12.2±3.8 and 8.4±4.1 μg•m^-3), and were mainly centralized in PM_1.1 in four seasons. The concentrations of OC in PM_1.1 varied in the order of winter > autumn > spring > summer, while EC ranked in the order of autumn > winter > summer > spring. In the PM_1.1-2.1 and PM_2.1-10, the concentrations of OC and EC decreased in the sequence of winter > spring > autumn > summer. The size spectra of OC, EC and SOC had bimodal distributions in four seasons, except for EC with four peaks in summer. The size spectra of POC varied greatly with seasons, exhibiting bimodal distribution in winter, trimodal distribution in spring and summer, and four peaks in autumn. The OC/EC ratios were 7.0, 6.3, 7.6 and 6.9 in spring, summer, autumn and winter, respectively, which demonstrated the abundance of secondary organic aerosols in Nanjing. The sources of carbonaceous aerosol varied significantly with seasons, and were dominated by vehicle exhaust, coal and biomass burning in PM_2.1, and dominant by dust, coal and biomass burning in PM_2.1-10.

This review examines additive manufacturing for refractory tungsten (W) and its alloys. It emphasizes the primary challenges and determining factors involved in additive manufacturing pure W, W alloys, and composites. Our focus in this regard extends to both process and alloying strategies designed to address critical issues such as densification, micro-cracking, and mechanical properties in tungsten-based components produced through additive techniques. Throughout the review, we organize existing knowledge and insights into convenient tables, serving as valuable resources for researchers embarking on a deeper exploration of these topics.

The literature analysis did not indicate any studies on fluorination tests of carbon nanocomposite coatings doped with transition metals of the nc-MeC/a-C type. This was the motivation for undertaking research in this area. As a model coating to investigate the effect of fluorination in a tetrafluoromethane (CF4) atmosphere, a nano-composite carbon coating doped with chromium nc-CrC/a-C produced by magnetron sputtering from graphite targets and the use of a Pulse-DC type medium frequency power supply was chosen [6]. After deposition of the gradient CrCN adhesive sublayer, fluorination of the main coating was conducted in a reactive mode in an (Ar+CF4) atmosphere at various CF4 contents. It was observed that the presence of CF4 in the atmosphere resulted in a reduced amount of chromium carbides formed in favor of chromium fluorides. So far, this is an observation that seems unnoticed by the carbon coatings researchers. Fluorine was assumed to bond much more readily to carbon than to chromium, due to the stability of tetrafluoromethane (CF4). The opposite seems to be true. The mechanical properties (nano-hardness and Young's modulus) and tribological properties in the 'pin-on-disc' friction pair are presented, along with the analysis of bonds occurring between chromium, carbon, and fluorine (XPS).

The second article in the series presents the application of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method to modelling of batch crystallisation in stirred tanks. A methodology to integrate the population balance equations (PBE) in parallel and independently from the Navier-Stokes equations is demonstrated. The benefits of the proposed methodology in terms of computational requirements, accuracy and availability of the crystal size distribution are discussed. The specific formulation of the SPH equations where the resulting system of ordinary differential equations is solved using the weighted contributions rather than numerically by solving a linear system of equations allows for massive parallelisation and a very loose coupling of the population balance and the fluid dynamics. It has been demonstrated, that the population balance equations can be solved on a Shared Memory Architecture (SMA) system using the OpenMP interface while the fluid dynamics equations being computed independently on a General Purpose Graphics Processing Unit (GPGPU) using the NVidia CUDA technology. This way, a significant portion of the computational overhead due to the large number of additional transport equations resulting from the discretisation of the population balance was removed: the SPH simulation coupled with 200 population balance equations was only 40% slower compared to SPH-only simulation. Two methods for the solution of population balance equations that preserve full crystal size distribution were implemented: discretised population balance (DPB) and method of characteristics (MOCH). The DPB equations are solved using the high-resolution finite-volume method with flux limiter and the effect of a large number of different flux limiters have been investigated. Both methods were validated using the case studies from the literature where an analytical solution can be derived. The developed models were applied to a numerical solution of coupled computational fluid dynamics and population balance equations to model a batch crystallization process. The effect of the hydrodynamics on the local temperature/supersaturation and the resulting crystal size distribution was captured and compared to the ideal mixing case. The simulation results from the DPB and MOCH methods were compared in terms of computational requirements and accuracy and MOCH selected as computationally more efficient and accurate.

CoCrFeNiMn high-entropy alloy coatings were prepared on compacted graphite iron（CGI） through plasma cladding to strength the CGI substrate. The effects of heat treatment temperatures and times on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the CoCrFeNiMn coatings were investigated. After heat treatment, a single FCC phase was remained in the coating as compared to the deposited one, with smaller dendrites, larger dendritic spacing and more Cr-rich compounds precipitated between dendrites. The coatings’ microhardness was increased after heat treatment. After heat treated at 660°C for 90 minutes, the coating had the highest microhardness of 563±6.9 HV0.2, the lowest frictional coefficient of 0.71 and the smallest wear mass loss of 1.12 mg, and it had the best wear resistance.

Electrical contacts are important circuit components with diverse industrial applications, and their failure can lead to multiple unwanted effects. Hence, the behavior of electrical contacts is a widely studied topic in scientific literature based on various approaches, tools, and techniques. The present study proposes a numerical modeling and simulation approach based on the Holm contact theory to study the dependence between the electric potential and the temperature within an electrical contact. Structured in 5 sections, the research was conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics software and its solid-state mechanics, electric current, and heat transfer modules in order to highlight contact behavior from mechanical, electrical and thermal points of view: the von Mises stress, contact force, the electric field amplitude, the variation of the electrical potential along the current path, the temperature gradient, and dependence of temperature along the contact elements edges were obtained by simulation and graphically represented. The results are in line with the expectations and with past research that was studied in the literature review.

In this work, we report the synthesis of a new thiosemicarbazone-based drug of N'-(di(pyridin-2-yl)methylene)-4-(thiazol-2-yl)piperazine-1-carbothiohydrazide (HL) featuring a thiazole spectator for the efficient coordination with Cu(II) to give [CuCl(L)]2 (1) and [Cu(NO3)(L)]2 (2). Both 1 and 2 exhibit dimeric structures ascribed to the presence of di-2-pyridylketone moieties that demonstrate dual functions of chelation and intermolecular bridging. HL, 1 and 2 are highly toxic against hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines Hep-G2, PLC/PRF/5, and HuH-7, with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values as low as 3.26 nmol/mL (HL), 2.18 nmol/mL (1), and 2.54 × 10−5 nmol/mL (2) for PLC/PRF/5. While the free ligand HL may elicit its anticancer effect via sequestration of bio-relevant metal ions (i.e. Fe3+ and Cu2+), 1 and 2 are also capable of generating cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) to inhibit cancer cell proliferation. Our preliminary pharmacokinetic studies revealed that oral administration (per os, PO) of HL has a significantly longer half-life t1/2 of 21.61 ± 9.4 h, nearly doubled as compared to that of the intravenous (i.v.) administration of 11.88 ± 1.66 h, certifying HL as an effective chemotherapeutic drug via PO administration.

In order to explore the yield-increasing mechanism of mechanized potato planting with corn straw mulching, a two-year ( 2021 and 2022 ) field experiment was conducted to study the effects of mechanized no-tillage with straw mulching on potato yield and water use efficiency. This experiment included corn straw mulching potato mechanized no-tillage planting ( JG ), plastic film mulching ( HM ) and open flat planting ( CK ). The results showed that mechanical no-tillage with straw mulching had significant effects on soil water content, yield and water use efficiency in 0-100 cm soil layer (p< 0.05). There was no significant difference in yield between JG and HM, but it was significantly higher than that of CK. The yield of JG was 3.09 %~12.27 % higher than that of CK. The yield increase was mainly achieved by increasing the potato weight per plant ( 0.697 ~ 0.862** ) and the average single potato weight ( 0.048 ~ 0.631 ). The tuber weight per plant was positively correlated with the plant height at seedling stage ( 0.03 ~ 0.92** ), and positively correlated with the dry weight of stems and leaves at tuber expansion stage and starch accumulation stage ( 0.74** ~ 0.95**). It was negatively correlated with the number of branches at tuber formation stage ( -0.33 ~ -0.88** ). Compared with CK, JG could significantly improve the water use efficiency of potato and reduce the water consumption during the whole growth period of crops. In 2021, JG was 6.5 % higher than CK, and HM was 6.88 % lower than CK. In 2022, JG and HM increased water use efficiency by 26.17 % and 14.50 % compared with CK. It can be seen that JG is a green and efficient mechanized potato cultivation technology suitable for dry farming areas.

Several series of new polymers were synthesized: binary copolyesters of vanillic (VA) and hydroxybiphenylcarboxylic (HBCA) acids, as well as ternary copolyesters additionally containing hydroxybenzoic acid (HBA) and obtained via three different ways (in solution, in melt and in solid state). The high values of logarithmic intrinsic viscosities and insolubility of several samples proved its high molecular weights. It has been shown that the use of vanillic acid leads to the production of copolyesters with a relatively high glass transition temperature (about 130°C). Thermogravimetric analysis revealed onset of weight loss temperatures of ternary copolyesters occurred at 330-350 °C, the temperature of 5% mass loss is in the range of 390-410 °C. Two-stage thermal destruction is observed for all aromatic copolyester of vanillic acid: decomposition begins with VA units at 420-480 °C, and then decomposition of more heat-resistant units demonstrated above 520 °C. The copolyesters are thermotropic and exhibit a typical nematic type of liquid crystalline order. Mechanical characteristics of copolyesters are close to those for semi-aromatic copolyesters, but are much lower than typical values for fully aromatic thermotropic polymers. Thus, vanillic acid is a mesogenic monomer suitable for the synthesis of thermotropic fully aromatic and semi-aromatic copolyester, but resulting processing temperature must not exceed 280°C.

Cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) is a highly all-important material renowned for its exceptional physical and chemical properties, and it is extensively utilized in various industries such as con-struction, piping, cable insulation and medical equipment. The cross-linking process of polyethylene involves chemical or physical bonding of polymer chains to enhance its resistance to heat, chemicals and mechanical stress. This study offers a comprehensive overview of recent research and potential advancements in this field, with a particular focus on the development of efficient techniques and environmentally sustainable cross-linking systems. It evaluates the opportunities and challenges faced by cross-linked polyethylene materials across diverse applications, providing valuable insights for future research in this area.

Salidroside, a valuable phenylethanoid glycoside, is obtained from plants belonging to the Rhodiola genus, known for its diverse biological properties. At present, salidroside is still far from large-scale industrial production due to the lower titer and higher process cost. In this study, we constructed a biosynthetic pathway from L-tyrosine to salidroside in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To increase sali-droside production, we for the first time constructed an in vivo UDP-glucose regeneration system that sucrose synthase GmSUS worked in conjunction with UDP-glucose transferase RrUGT33 to improve the UDP-glucose availability with inexpensive sucrose as the consumed substrate. Finally, the molar conversion rate of L-tyrosine could reach 95%. To further reduce the cost, co-culture with E. coli that synthesized L-tyrosine de novo resulted in an 81% reduction in the final substrate cost per 1 kg of salidroside compared to the initial cost. The final titer of salidroside obtained 3.8 g/L and was the highest titer achieved at the Shake-Flask-Level in the existing reports. And this marked the first successful synthesis of salidroside in an in situ enhanced UDP-glucose system using sucrose. This accomplishment laid a robust groundwork for further investigations into the synthesis of other notable glycosides and natural compounds.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) continues to be a global threat due to its ability to evolve and generate new subvariants, leading to new waves of infection. Additionally, other coronaviruses like Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV, formerly known as hCoV-EMC) which first emerged in 2012, persists and continues to present a threat of severe illness to humans. The continued identification of novel coronaviruses, coupled with the potential for genetic recombination between different strains, raises the possibility of new coronavirus clades of global concern emerging. As a result, there is a pressing need for pan-CoV therapeutic drugs and vaccines. After extensive optimization of an HCV protease inhibitor screening hit, a novel 3CLPro inhibitor (MK-7845) was discovered and subsequently profiled. MK-7845 exhibited nanomolar in vitro potency with broad spectrum activity against a panel of clinical SARS-CoV-2 subvariants and MERS-CoV. Furthermore, when administered orally, MK-7845 demonstrated a notable reduction of viral burdens by >6 log orders in the lungs of transgenic mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 (K18-hACE2 mice) and MERS-CoV (K18-hDDP4 mice).

Silybin is a natural compound extensively studied for its hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and anti-cancer properties. Envisioning the enhancement of silybin potential by suitable modifications in its chemical structure, here, a series of new 7-O alkyl silybins derivatives were synthesized by Mitsunobu reaction starting from the silybins and tyrosol-based phenols, such as tyrosol (TYR, 3), 3-methoxytyrosol (MTYR, 4) and 3-hydroxytyrosol (HTYR, 5). This research sought to explore the antioxidant and anticancer properties of new eighteen derivatives and their mechanisms. In particular, the antioxidant properties of new derivatives outlined by DPPH assay, showed a very pronounced activity depending on the tyrosyl moiety (HTYR>MTYR>>TYR). A significant contribution of the HTYR moiety was observed for silybins and 2,3-dehydro-silybin based derivatives. According to the very potent antioxidant activity, 2,3-dehydro-silybin derivatives 15ab, 15a and 15b exerted the most potent anticancer activity in human prostate cancer PC-3 cells. Furthermore, flow cytometric analysis for cell cycle and apoptosis revealed that 15ab, 15a and 15b induce strong G1 phase arrest and increase late apoptotic population in PC-3 cells. Additionally, western blotting for apoptotic marker cleaved caspase-3 confirmed apoptosis induction by these silybin derivatives in PC-3 cells. These findings hold significant importance in the investigation of anticancer properties of silybin derivatives and strongly encourage swift investigation in pre-clinical models and clinical trials.

The targeted compounds in this research, resveratrol analogs 1–14 were synthesized as mixtures of isomers by the Wittig reaction using heterocyclic triphenylphosphonium salts and various benzaldehydes. The planned compounds were those possessing the trans-configuration as the biologically active trans-resveratrol. The pure isomers were obtained by repeated column chromatography in various isolated yields depending on the heteroaromatic ring. It was found that butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) was more sensitive to the heteroaromatic resveratrol analogs than acetylcholinesterase (AChE), except for 6, the methylated thiophene derivative with chlorine, which showed equal inhibition toward both enzymes. Compounds 5 and 8 achieved the highest BChE inhibition with IC50 values of 22.9 and 24.8 μM, respectively. The same as with AChE and BChE, methylated thiophene subunits of resveratrol analogs showed better enzyme inhibition than unmethylated ones. Two antioxidant spectrophotometric methods, DPPH and CUPRAC, were applied to determine the antioxidant potential of new heteroaromatic resveratrol analogs. Molecular docking of these compounds was conducted to visualize the ligand-active site complexes' structure and identify the non-covalent interactions responsible for the complex's stability, which influence the inhibitory potential. As ADME properties are crucial in developing drug product formulations, they have also been addressed in this work. The potential genotoxicity is evaluated by in silico studies for all compounds synthesized.

Recent studies have suggested significant antimicrobial properties of some metallic nanoparticles during the height of antibiotic resistance. The silver nanoparticle (AgNPs) is one of the most prominent candidates due to its noble nature and better tolerance profile in humans. The synthesis of AgNPs was carried out using silver nitrate using five different chemical reduction methods and comparing their activity with silver nitrate, also known to possess antimicrobial properties. AgNPs have been synthesized with varying combination of reducing agents, and subsequently characterized by UV-visible spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and dynamic light scattering (DLS). Chemical reduction with both trisodium citrate and sodium borohydride provided better particle size and controlled uniformity, whereas hydrogen peroxide was used as a stabilizer to increase the stability of AgNPs. The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) for all AgNP formulations was determined against gram-negative E. coli, and AgNPs synthesized with only trisodium citrate were found to be the most effective. The synthesized AgNPs were tested against the resistant strains of E. coli, Salmonella, Klebsiella, Bacillus, and Staphylococcus by the well diffusion method to evaluate and compare their inhibition zones and AgNPs synthesized with polyethylene glycol and polyvinyl pyrrolidine were found to be the most efficient.

The major issue of raw materials depletion and more specifically of phosphorous (an important fertilizer) has currently become an emergent aspect, due to expected depletion problems, needing immediate handling. This was the reason for the implementation of PhoReSe project that aimed to remove and recover phosphorus from the secondary (biologically treated) effluent of a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP “AINEIA”, located near Thessaloniki, N. Greece), treating the wastewaters of the nearby touristic area. Regarding the phosphorous supplementary removal and recovery treatment options, two methods mainly examined, initially in laboratory scale (batch experiments), i.e. (1) the adsorption of phosphorous, and (2) the chemical precipitation of phosphorus. Both methods further applied in pilot-scale, by performing initially the adsorption of phosphorous onto the AquAsZero commercial sorbent, which is a mixed manganese iron oxy-hydroxide, followed by the chemical precipitation of phosphorous, implemented after the de-sorption process of previously saturated adsorbent. The final precipitate of this procedure examined as an alternative/supplementary fertilizer, returning with this way phosphorus into the natural cycle. These experiments, as applied successfully in pilot-scale, set the basis for the larger-scale relevant application for similar WWTP facilities.

Temporary changes in precipitation may lead to sustained and severe drought or massive floods in different parts of the world. Knowing variation in precipitation can effectively help the water resources decision-makers in water resources management. Large-scale circulation drivers have a considerable impact on precipitation in different parts of the world. In this research, the impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) on seasonal precipitation over Iran was investigated. For this purpose, 103 synoptic stations with at least 30 years of data were utilized. The Spearman correlation coefficient between the indices in the previous 12 months with seasonal precipitation was calculated, and the meaningful correlations were extracted. Then the month in which each of these indices has the highest correlation with seasonal precipitation was determined. Finally, the overall amount of increase or decrease in seasonal precipitation due to each of these indices was calculated. Results indicate the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI), NAO, and PDO have the most impact on seasonal precipitation, respectively. Also, these indices have the highest impact on the precipitation in winter, autumn, spring, and summer, respectively. SOI has a diverse impact on winter precipitation compared to the PDO and NAO, while in the other seasons, each index has its special impact on seasonal precipitation. Generally, all indices in different phases may decrease the seasonal precipitation up to 100%. However, the seasonal precipitation may increase more than 100% in different seasons due to the impact of these indices. The results of this study can be used effectively in water resources management and especially in dam operation.

With the ongoing amendment of the EU legislation on the treatment of urban wastewater, stricter requirements for the removal of pollutants are expected, which calls for the need for innovative wastewater treatment technologies. Biological systems are still the first choice. The survey of typical bioreactors applied in wastewater treatment is presented. Wastewater treatment objective, bio-chemical environment and microbial growth are selected as a main criterion for classification of these bioreactors. Hydraulic and kinetic aspects are considered, advantages and drawbacks of these bioreactors regarding the selection of appropriate type of the reactor as well as regarding operation of reactors are mentioned. The aim of this paper is to provide operators and designers with a brief overview of selected traditional and advanced processes, reactors, and technologies for nutrient removal from municipal wastewater. Another goal is to discuss the possibilities and limitations to comply with more strict effluent standards. From the evaluation of the published papers, it follows that the currently applied traditional methods of nutrients removal have the potential to convey also with the expected stricter limits.

Pyrethroid pesticides (PYRs) as the third most widely used pesticides, following organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides, which are of significant importance in the analysis and detection of vegetables. However, the current pretreatment technology for PYRs confronts challenges of difficult separation and low enrichment efficiency, resulting in a cumbersome and time-consuming pretreatment process with poor selectivity. Here, a simple and efficient magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) strategy was developed to simultaneously purify and enrich five PYRs in vegetables, with the magnetic covalent organic framework nanomaterial COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 as an adsorbent. The COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was prepared by a simple solvothermal conditions method, using Fe3O4 as magnetic core, benzidine and 3,3,5,5-tetraaldehyde biphenyl as two building units. COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 could effectively capture the targeted PYRs by virtue of its abundant π-electron system and hydroxyl groups. The impact of various experimental parameters on extraction efficiency was investigated to optimize the MSPE conditions, including adsorbent amount, extraction time, elution solvent type and elution time. Subsequently, method validation was conducted under the optimal conditions in conjunction with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Within the range of 5.00–100 μg·kg-1 (1.00–100 μg·kg-1 for bifenthrin and 2.5–100 μg·kg-1 for fenpropathrin), the five PYRs exhibited a strong linear relationship, with determination coefficients ranging from 0.9990 to 0.9997. The limits of detection (LODs) were 0.3–1.5 μg·kg-1, and the limits of quantification (LOQs) were 0.9–4.5 μg·kg-1. The recoveries were 80.2–116.7% with relative standard deviations (RSDs) below 7.0%. Finally, COF-SiO2@Fe3O4, NH2-SiO2@Fe3O4 and Fe3O4 were compared as MSPE adsorbents for PYRs. The results indicated that COF-SiO2@Fe3O4 was an efficient and rapid selective adsorbent for PYRs. This method holds promising prospects for the determination of PYRs in real samples.

Based on screening in computational biology and biological in vitro assays, five natural products isolated from extracts of the herbal medicine toad skin, such as cinobufagin (CBFi), bufalin (BFi), arenobufagin (ABFi), telocinobufagin (TBFi), bufotalin (BFTi), were subjected to molecular docking calculations with the use of SARS-CoV-2 main protease (PDB 6LU7 and 7BTF) and top-scoring ligand-receptor complexes were obtained. The results showed that the binding energy of ABFi to the 3CL protein was -17.044kcal/mol, which was higher than CBFi and TBFi. However, the binding energy of ABFi to the RdRp protease was -23.250 kcal/mol, which was much lower than that of CBFi and TBFi, EVEN lower than that of ABFi to the 3CL protein. ABFi also has polar interactions with amino acids such as Glu811, Ser814, Ser681 and Thr680 of RdRp enzyme. The results revealed that ABFi had a moderate inhibitory effect on the cell proliferation of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro, with an inhibition rate of 61.12%, even weaker than Remdesivir. This new discovery provides us with new ideas for in-depth studies on the development of natural products with this class of structural generalizations as inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2, and provides an experimental basis for the next step of mechanistic studies.

In the paper the verification of forecasts of precipitation conditions measured by the standardized precipitation index SPI is presented. For the verification of categorical forecasts a contingency table was used. Standard verification measures were used for the SPI value forecast. The 30 day SPI moved every 10 days by 10 days was calculated in 2013-2015 from April to September on the basis of precipitation data from 35 meteorological stations in Poland. Predictions of the 30 day SPI were created in which precipitation was forecasted in the next 10 days (the SPI 10-day forecast) and 20 days (the SPI 20-day forecast). Both for the 10 and 20 days, the forecasts were skewed towards drier categories at the expense of wet categories. There was a good agreement between observed and 10-day forecast categories of precipitation. Less agreement is obtained for 20-day forecasts – these forecasts evidently “over-dry” the assessment of precipitation anomalies. The 10-day SPI value forecast accuracy is acceptable, whereas for the 20-day forecast is unsatisfactory. Both for the SPI categorical and the SPI value forecast, the 10-day SPI forecast is reliable and the 20-day forecast should be accepted with reservation and used with caution.

The European Parliament had adopted legislative resolution of 10 April 2024 on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning urban wastewater treatment. The reduction of pollution in discharged treated wastewater in the parameters of BOD5, total ni-trogen and total phosphorus was emphasized. Based on these results, it stated that the impacts on the quality of lakes, rivers and seas in the EU are visible and tangible. At the same time, it was emphasized that the sector of urban wastewater removal and treatment is responsible for 0.8% of the total electricity consumption and about 0.86% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the entire EU. Almost a third of these emissions could be prevented by improving the treatment process, better use of sewage sludge and increasing energy efficiency, as well as a higher rate of use of renewable resource technologies. It is also necessary to better integrate treatment processes into the circular economy. Sludge management and water reuse is sub-optimal as too many valuable resources are still being wasted. This review article is focused on sustainable municipal wastewater treatment, innovative and new wastewater treatment processes and technologies (combined and hybrid processes, Anammox, etc. and their use in practice with the aim of increasing environmental and energy efficiency and reducing the carbon footprint. The research is focused on the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of energy processing of sludge, reuse of nitrogen and phosphorus, sludge and reuse of treated wastewater.

Elevated antimony concentrations in aqueous environments from anthropogenic sources is becoming of global concern, here iron oxides are known to strongly adsorb aqueous antimony species with different oxidation states, but the effect of silica on the removal characteristics is not well understood despite being a common component in the environment. In this study, ferrihydrite was synthesized at various Si/Fe molar ratios to investigate its adsorption and co-precipitation behaviors with aqueous antimony anionic species, Sb(III) and Sb(V). The XRD analyses of the precipitates showed two broad diffraction features at approximately 35° and 62° 2θ, which are characteristic of 2-line ferrihydrite, no significant shifts in peak positions in the ferrihydrite regardless of the Si/Fe ratios. The infrared spectra showed a sharp band at ~990 cm⁻¹, corresponding to asymmetric stretching vibrations of Si-O-Fe bonds which increased in intensity with increasing Si/Fe molar ratios. Further, the surface charge on the precipitates became more negative with increasing Si/Fe molar ratios. The adsorption experiments indicated that Sb(V) was preferentially adsorbed at acidic conditions and decreased dramatically with increasing pH while the adsorption rate of Sb(III) ions was independent of pH, however, the presence of silica suppressed the adsorption of both Sb(III) and Sb(V) ions. The results showed that Sb(III) and Sb(V) ions were significantly inhibited by co-precipitation with ferrihydrite even in the presence of silica by isomorphous substitution in the ferrihydrite crystal structure.

The risk classification of barrier lake is the key to conducting emergency treatment in a scientific manner. Such difficulties are faced as short time for risk evaluation, complex evaluation indicators, difficulty in obtaining information quickly and quantifying index weights. Based on this, this paper constructs a quantitative risk classification model for barrier lakes based on D-AHP. On the basis of studies on nearly 100 cases of barrier lakes, an 8-factor evaluation index system and quantitative classification are proposed. The methods of rapid calculation of reservoir capacity curve of barrier lake and intelligent identification of particles on the surface of barrier body were developed, which realized the rapid acquisition of 8-factor evaluation index information in emergency environment. The D-AHP method dealt with inconsistent weight assignment to evaluation factors by experts, which helped achieve weight quantification of 8 factors. The risk assessment on15 barrier lakes such as Tangjiashan barrier lake show that the conclusion drawn with risk classification method proposed in this paper is basically consistent with that of the traditional table-lookup method. However, the table-lookup method ignores cumulative loss’s impacts on the risk level of barrier lakes, and considers the extremely severe loss of barrier lakes as a sufficient condition for the evaluation level to be grade I, and thus a deviation in the evaluation. The risk classification method proposed in this paper is more reasonable and reliable.

In this study, the team employed full-scale crash tests to investigate the impact of post-densification technology on the safety performance of separated central median W-beam barriers under low compaction conditions. By precisely simulating the design and construction environment of the central median, the study comprehensively evaluated the barrier's containment, redirection, buffering, and anti-intrusion performances, as well as the deformation of both the barrier and vehicles under various collision scenarios. The results indicate that under low compaction soil conditions, the A-level separated central median barriers reinforced with post-densification technology effectively meet the specified protection requirements. By comparing the influence of soil strength variations on barrier performance under simulated rainfall conditions, it was confirmed that enhancing soil compaction significantly improves soil stability, effectively increases the overall strength and stability of the barriers, reduces deformation, and significantly enhances safety performance. This study not only validates the effectiveness of the reinforcement scheme but also provides new perspectives for the scientific research of safety barriers and offers crucial technical support for the optimal design of road safety protection facilities.

A major problem of the technological production process of the metallurgical-grade silicon is formation of a large amount of microsilica. However, this material can be a significant source of raw materials for its own production. Hence, this study is aimed to solve the problem of micro-silica utilization, i.e. the technogenic dust-like waste generated during the melting of the technical-grade silicon. Within this study, the technology of the joint briquetting of microsilica was investigated with the carbonaceous reducing agents, i.e. by obtaining of mono-charge and by melting of the technical-grade silicon from the obtained mono-charge in the 200kVA ore-thermal furnace. Results of the study show that the briquettes in the melting process of the technical-grade silicon can be used in the range from 0 to 50%. The using of briquettes may significantly improve the technological parameters. When briquetted charge is applied only, the technological parameters will deteriorate significantly. The material balance of silicon melting showed the recovery rates of the main elements (Si, Al, Ca and Fe). It recorded a decrease in content of aluminum from 1.9-2.1% to 0.5-0.7%, calcium from 0.2-0.3% to 0.07-0.1% and titanium from 0.2-0.23% to 0.11-0.13% during the transition to briquetted monocharge. Phosphorus content increased from 0.004-0.005 to 0.011-0.013%.

This study investigated the effects of fish oil (FO) treatment, particularly enriched with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), on obesity induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in mice. The investigation focused on elucidating the impact of FO on epigenetic modifications in white adipose tissue (WAT) and the involvement of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs). C57BL/6j mice were submitted to a control diet or a HFD for 16 weeks, treated (or not) with FO for the last 8 weeks. WAT was removed for RNA and protein extraction, while ASCs were isolated, cultured, and treated with Leptin. All samples were analyzed using functional genomics tools, including PCR-array, RT-PCR and Western Blot assays. Mice receiving HFD displayed increased body mass, fat accumulation, and altered gene expression associated with WAT inflammation and dysfunction. FO supplementation attenuated these effects, a potential protective role against HFD-induced obesity. Analysis of H3K27 revealed HFD-induced changes in histone, which were partially reversed by FO treatment. The study further explored leptin signaling in ASCs, suggesting a potential mechanism for ASC dysfunction in the leptin-rich environment of obese WAT. Overall, FO supplementation demonstrated efficacy in mitigating HFD-induced obesity, influencing epigenetic and molecular pathways, and shedding light on the role of ASCs and leptin signaling in WAT dysfunction associated with obesity.

Reactions of quinones with compounds containing an amino group can produce a wide variety of addition or substitution products that depend on reactivity of both quinone and amino derivative. 6,7-Dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-diones undergo selective nucleophilic substitution reaction with different benzohydrazides and α-hydroxy-p-quinone imine derivatives stabilized by strong intramolecular hydrogen bond were isolated. Synthesized compounds represent a combination of several structural motifs: benzimidazole core fused with α-hydroxy-p-quinone imine which contains a benzamido fragment. The protonation/deprotonation processes were investigated in a solution using UV-Vis spectroscopy and 1H NMR titration experiment. X-ray crystallography analysis revealed a set of weak non-covalent interactions such as intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bonds and π-π stacking. Additionally, the redox behavior of 6,7-dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-dione and its p-imino derivative was investigated in acidic and neutral environment using cyclic voltammetry measurements. Cathode material based on 6,7-dichloropyrido[1,2-a]benzimidazole-8,9-dione could act as potential effective active electrode in aqueous electrolyte batteries, however further optimization is required.

Electrochemical methods are used for the treatment of both municipal and industrial wastewater, either independently or in conjunction with biological methods. This conjunction is used for pretreatment or posttreatment of biologically treated wastewater. In our work, we focused on the combination of these processes, where pre-electrolysis was used to produce dissolved iron before the activation process. Electrolysis was also directly introduced into the activation using either iron or carbon electrodes. The surface of one iron electrode was 32.2 cm2, the applied voltage was 21 V, and the supplied current was 270 mA. The surface of one carbon electrode was 7.54 cm2, the supplied current was 82.5 mA, and the applied voltage was 21 V. From laboratory research on the treatment of synthetic municipal wastewater using a combination of electrolysis and activation processes, it resulted that the use of iron electrodes increased the efficiency of phosphorus removal compared to its precipitation with iron salts. The electrolysis had a positive effect on the sedimentation properties of sludge and the destruction of filamentous microorganisms. Electrolysis negatively affected the respiration rates of activated sludge and the efficiency of denitrification. However, it did not have a negative impact on the nitrification activity of the sludge.

This work presents the results of optimizing the physicochemical properties of composite briquettes based on microsilica for metallurgical-grade silicon production. Microsilica, a waste product of silicon production, contains a sufficiently high amount of silicon dioxide (96-97%). This fact makes microsilica a promising composite material for metallurgical processing. However, its granulometric composition limits its direct use. The method of briquetting on an industrial briquetting press was used. The influence of the granulometric composition of the composite mixture on the heat tolerance and strength of the finished briquettes was studied. The methods of obtaining and testing the briquettes, their composition, and the briquetting and drying process are described. The obtained briquettes were tested for the smelting of metallurgical silicon. The silicon recovery rate in the metal with the standard charge was 71%, while the recovery rate with the briquetted monocharge was 85%. The results of silicon smelting from the briquettes demonstrated the high quality of the obtained metal, corresponding to the standards of metallurgical-grade silicon. The implementation of these technologies not only improves the quality of the final product but also addresses environmental issues related to the disposal of microsilica, reducing its accumulation and minimizing its impact on the environment.

Currently, one of the main challenges is the mitigation of the effects of climate change on the agricultural sector. Conventional agriculture, with the intensive use of herbicides and pesticides to control weeds and pests, and the improper use of mineral fertilizers, contributes to climate change by causing increased greenhouse gases and groundwater pollution. Therefore, more innovative technologies must be used to overcome these problems. One possible solution is nanotechnology, which has the potential to revolutionize the conventional agricultural system. Active nanoparticles can be used both as a direct source of micronutrients and as a delivery platform for bioactive agrochemicals to improve crop growth, yield and quality. The use of nanoparticle formulations, including nanopesticides, nanoherbicides, nano-fertilizers and nano-emulsions, has been extensively studied to improve crop health and shelf life of agricultural products. Comprehensive knowledge of the interactions between plants and nanoparticles opens up new opportunities to improve cropping practices through the enhancement of properties such as disease resistance, crop yield, and nutrient use. The main objective of this review is to analyze the main effects of climate change on conventional agricultural practices, such as the use of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. It also focuses on how the introduction of nanoparticles into conventional practices can improve the efficiency of chemical pest control and crop nutrition. Finally, this review examines in depth the last 10 years (2014-2024) of scientific literature regarding the use of nanoparticles in agriculture to mitigate the effects of climate change.

The development of antimicrobial resistance to conventional antibiotics is a major global health challenge. Infections caused by multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria have been named one of the most urgent global health threats. Considerable efforts are devoted to developing new antibiotic drugs and investigating the mechanism of antibiotic resistance. Recently, Anti-Microbial Peptides (AMPs) have emerged as a new platform for the target and design of novel drug resistant anti-microbial agents promising a new therapeutic strategy. AMPs are rapid, potent, possess an unusually broad spectrum of activity, and have shown efficacy as topical agents. Unlike traditional therapeutics that interfere with essential bacterial enzymes, AMPs interact with microbial membranes through electrostatic interactions and physically damage cell integrity. However, naturally occurring AMPs have limited selectivity and modest efficacy. Therefore, recent efforts have focused on the development of synthetic AMP analogs as suitable drug targets. This work explores the development of novel antimicrobial agents which mimic the structure of graft-copolymers and mirror the mode of action of an AMP. Chitosan-graft-polypeptide side chains are synthesized by the ring-opening polymerization of N-carboxyanhydrides of L-lysine and L-leucine initiated from the functional groups of chitosan. The derivatives with random- and block-copolymer side chains are explored as drug targets. These graft copolymer systems exhibit activity against clinically significant pathogens and disrupt biofilm formation. This work highlights the potential of chitosan-graft-polypeptide structures in biomedical applications.

Increased CO2 emissions and air pollution impact the environment and human health. In this manner, new functionalized polyaminal-based polymers are synthesized via a one-pot polycondensation reaction of melamine with aldehyde monomers 2-bromo-1-naphthaldehyde and 2-hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde to yield bromine- hydroxyl- functionalized polymer networks PAN-BrNA and PAN-HNA, respectively. The polyaminals porosity parameters were investigated and applied as an adsorbent for CO2 capture. FTIR, solid-state 13C NMR, and X-ray diffraction verified the PANs structure development. A scanning electron microscope and N2 adsorption-desorption methods were utilized to identify the porous properties of the polymers at 77 K. The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area of PAN-BrNA and PAN-HNA is (16.6990 m2/g) and (716.7568 m2/g), respectively. At 273 K, PAN-BrNA and PAN-HNA can take CO2 gas up to (4.42786 cm3/g) and (47.55 cm3/g), respectively. The findings show that inserting functional groups has a significant impact on surface area and porosity parameters, as well as CO2 uptake.

One way to reduce the negative impact of human activity on the natural environment is to use natural, easily available and relatively cheap to produce compounds in industrial processes. One such compound is naturally occurring calcium carbonate (CaCO3). This compound has adsorption properties so that it can be an alternative to commonly used adsorbents. The aim of this work is to determine the possibility of using CaCO3 to remove pharmaceutical substances such as sulfadiazine and tetracycline from water. The CaCO3 used in this work was synthesised using our own method, which allows the production of CaCO3 particles with nanometric size. In the conducted research, calcium carbonate was used in the form of a suspension in purified solutions and as an inorganic filling of the developed membranes. The mass of pharmaceutical substances removed from their aqueous solutions was determined in the tests carried out. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that CaCO3 has the ability to adsorb both tetracycline and sulfadiazine. In suspension tests, the mass of the removed substances per unit mass of adsorbent was 1.52 mg/g and 6.85 mg/g, respectively. In turn, in the case of the process using the developed membranes, the mass of the removed substances per unit mass of adsorbent was 232 mg/m2 and 524 mg/g, which is a several times greater increase in the mass of the removed substance compared to the process using an unmodified membrane.

In this article, the sol-gel method was used as a synthesis method, which shows the physico –chemical nature of the synthesis of a new complex material ferrit Li0.5MnFe1.5O4. The synthesized structure and structure were determined by the method of X-ray phase analysis. According to the analysis indicators, it was found that our compound is single-phase, spinel-structured, and syngony - cubic type. The microstructure of the compound and the quantitative composition of the elements contained were analyzed under a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Through a scanning electron microscope, Microsystems were taken from different parts of l Li0.5MnFe1.5O4-type crystallite, the elemental composition of crystals was analyzed, and the general type of surface layer of complex ferrite was shown. As a result, the fact that the compound consists of a single phase, the clarity of its construction was determined by the topography and chemical composition of the compound. As a result, it was found that the newly synthesized complex ferrites correspond to the Formula Li0.5MnFe1.5O4. The particles of the formed compounds have a large size (between 50.0 μm, 20.0 μm and 10.0 μm). Electro physical measurements were carried out on the LCR - 800 unit at intervals of 293-483 K and at frequencies of 1.5 and 10 kHz. The increase in frequency to 10 kHz led to a decrease in the value ε in the range of the studied temperature (293-483 K).

Marine sand, in addition to oil and gas resources, is the second largest marine mineral resource. The rational development and utilization of marine sand resources are conducive to the growth of the marine economy. Marine sand can be categorized into surface marine sand and buried marine sand. Buried marine sand deposits are buried beneath the sea floor, making it challenging to locate them due to their thin distribution. Consequently, there exist numerous technical difficulties associated with marine sand exploration. In this study, various geophysical methods such as sub-bottom profile survey and single-channel seismic survey were employed in the northern offshore waters of the South China Sea along with offshore engineering geological drilling. As a result, two distinct marine sand bodies were delineated within the study area. Additionally, five reflective interfaces (R0, R1, R2, R3 and R4) were identified from top to bottom. These interfaces can be divided into five seismic sequences: A2, B2, C2, D2 and E2 respectively. Three sets of strata were recognized: the Quaternary Holocene Marine sedimentary layer (Q4m), the Upper Pleistocene alluvial layer, and the diluvial sedimentary layer (Q3al+pl) as well as the Upper Pleistocene Marine sedimentary layer (Q3m). Sequence A2 and B2 corresponded to Quaternary Holocene Formation (Q4m) within the study area while sequence C2 corresponded to B2 as well as upper Pleistocene alluvial and alluvial deposits (Q3al+pl), which represent one of the main occurring layers of sand in this region. Lastly, E2 represents a layer composed mainly of silty clay and round gravel known as upper Pleistocene marine sediment layer (Q3m). In total, two ore bodies containing marine sand have been discovered during this study. The estimated total resource amounts approximately 46 million m³ with an average thickness around 11 meters.

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) is a technique used for many years by chemists for elucidation of molecular structure. Technological progress over the years has enabled this technique, making it easier to use. Thus, the LF-NMR (low-field NMR) was introduced as side technique, characterized by low man-agement costs and shorter analysis time than its main counterpart. The application of 1H LF-NMR for the quantification of ethyl alcohol in different alcoholic matrices is herein described, comparing results ob-tained with this technique with those determined by a reference gascromatographic method.

The main goal was to investigate the ability of non-thermal plasma reactor with gliding arc discharge to remove the diesel exhaust particulates (DEPs). A conventional knifed-shaped LTP GA reactor was utilized. Three cases were studied: 140 L/min, 70 L/min and 14 L/min of air drawn through the reactor and diesel exhaust fumes were sampled continuously. They were assayed in terms of concentration and number particle size distribution. The higher the residence time’s, the higher the energy input that may be utilized for DEPs’ removal. Reactor’s performance definitely lowered the concentration of DEPs (250 - 580 nm) and altered their number size distribution. There was no effect on the number concentration, nor on the particle size distribution, of DEP particulates of 10 – 250 nm in size. The effectiveness of DEPs’ removal: Decreasing flow rate from 140 L/min to 70 L/min somehow altered the values. Achieving the airflow of 14 L/min led to a substantial improvement (even to a fourfold increase for 300 – 480 nm particles). Non-thermal plasma reactors with gliding arc discharge may be successfully adapted in the process of DEPs’ treatment. Their performance may be optimized by adjusting the airflow at the inlet of reactor to guarantee the longest aerosol residence times and the highest removal efficiency.

Two interesting compounds such as quaternary ammonium lignin(QAL) and 2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid mono-2-ethylhexyl ester (P507) were synthesized as ionic liquids(QP-ILs) for the extraction of metal ions. The extraction behavior of Co(II) and Ni(II) from chloride solution was compared between QP-ILs and P507. The results showed that the extraction rates of Co(II) and Ni(II) in the two solutions varied with the extraction conditions, but QP-ILs has stronger extractability for cobalt than P507, while Ni is on the contrary. Under the same conditions, the Co/Ni separation performance(βCo/Ni) in QP-ILs is superior to that in p507. At pH4.0, 55℃, concentration of 20%, extraction time of 10 minutes, the βCo/Ni of QP-ILs reached to 2703, while that of P507 was only 164. In conclusion, QP-ILs was more efficient than P507 for separating Co from mixed solutions.

Coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations are employed to investigate the spatiotemporal evolution of vesicles (polymersomes) by the self-assembly of randomly distributed amphiphilic BAB triblock copolymers with hydrophilic A and hydrophobic B blocks in an aqueous solution. The vesiculation pathway consists of several intermediate structures, such as an interconnected network of copolymer aggregates, a cage of cylindrical micelles and a lamellar cage. The cage-to-vesicle transition occurs at a constant aggregation number and practically eliminates the hydrophobic interfacial area between the B block and solvent. Molecular reorganization under-lying the sequence of morphology transitions from a cage-like aggregate to a vesicle is nearly isentropic. The end-to-end distances of isolated copolymer chains in solution and those within a vesicular assembly follow log normal probability distributions. This is attributed to the pre-ponderance of folded chain configurations in which the two hydrophobic end groups of a given chain stay close to each other. However, the probability distribution of end-to-end distances is broader for chains within the vesicle as compared to that of a single chain. This is due to the swelling of the folded configurations within the hydrophobic bilayer. Increasing the hydropho-bicity of the B block reduces the vesiculation time without qualitatively altering the self-assembly pathway.

Bandsaw blades are typical band-shaped cutting tools characterized by low stiffness and micro-level cutting depth, resulting in distinct wear mechanisms compared to rigid cutting tools. In this study, the wear curve and wear mechanisms of bandsaw tooth during the bandsawing of Cr12MoV cold-working steel was investigated. The tool life was divided into two stages: a rapid wear stage (Stage I) and a homogeneous wear stage (Stage II). In Stage I, the wear was dominated by chipping although multiple wear mechanisms were found due to the relatively poor manufacturing accuracy compared to rigid cutting tools, which results in remarkable differences among the cutting depths of individual teeth. In Stage II, abrasive and adhesive wear were the primary wear mechanisms instead of chipping, which was related to the microstructure of Cr12MoV. Furthermore, methods for increasing the bandsaw performance were proposed based on the tooth wear mechanisms.

Dye/salt separation has gained increasing attention in recent years, prompting the quest for cost-effective and environmentally-friendly raw materials for synthesis high performance nanofiltration (NF) membrane for effective dye/salt separation. Herein, a high-performance loose structured NF membrane was fabricated by via a simple vacuum filtration method using a green nanomaterial, 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxide radical (TEMPO)-oxidized cellulose nanofiber (TOCNF), by sequentially filtrating larger-size and finer-size TOCNFs on a microporous substrate, followed by cross-linked with trimesoyl chloride. The resultant TCM membrane possesses a separating layer composed entirely of pure TOCNF, eliminating the need for other polymer or nanomaterials additives. TCM membranes exhibits high performance and effective dye/salt selectivity. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) analysis shows that the TCM membrane with Fine-TOCNF layer has a tight layered structure. Further characterizations via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirm the presence of functional groups and chemical bonds of the crosslinked membrane. Notably, the optimized TCM-5 membrane exhibits a rejection rate of over 99% for various dyes (Congo red, orange yellow) and 14.2% for NaCl, showcasing a potential candidate for efficient dye wastewater treatment.

The terpolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone (VP) with acrylic acid and triethylene glycol methacrylate were synthesized with more than 90% yield by radical copolymerization in ethanol from monomeric mixtures of different composition (98 : 2 : 2, 95 : 5: 2 and 98 : 2: 5). Their physical and chemical characteristics such as monomer composition, absolute molecular masses and hy-drodynamic radii in aqueous media at different temperature were determined. The temperature effect on the behavior of terpolymers in water and aqueous saline buffer solution with pH 7.4 has been studied and the ability of a copolymer enriched with dimethacrylates units was discovered to respond to a temperature change in these media. On the basis of terpolymers and linear polyvi-nylpyrrolidone (PVP), polymer compositions of hydrophobic dye methyl pheophorbide a, MPP, that is fluorescent in the red region of the spectrum, were obtained; the sizes of the polymer nanostructures of MPP in water were determined. The structures based on terpolymers were demonstrated to be more stable than MPP-PVP ones. It was carried out the quantum-chemical modelling of the possible structures of MPP-copolymer that formed as a result of intermolecular interaction between MPP and terpolymer’s chains; the possibility of the formation of hydrogen bonds between the donors of the electrons of terpolymer units and the proton donors of the MPP molecule was shown. Using the MTT test, it was established that copolymers of various compositions are low toxic for non-tumor Vero cells and HeLa tumor cells. It was shown that the cytotoxicity of polymer particles loaded with MPP for FetMSC and HeLa cells increased. Using fluorescence microscopy, the accumulation and distribution of polymer particles in non-tumor (FetMSC) and tumor (HeLa) cells was studied and an increase in the accumulation of MPP with both types of particles was shown.

Extreme climates such as droughts and hot extremes, may result in marked damage to crop yields and threaten regional and global food security. Maize is a major grain crop in Liaoning Province, severely affected by drought and hot events. The objective of this study is to advance an approach to estimate the risk of crop yield reduction under the compound dry-hot events (CDHE) in Liaoning Province. Results show that the ratio of stations experiencing compound dry-hot events during the twelfth leaf and maturity stage tended to increase on the time scale. On a spatial scale, the frequency of compound dry-hot events in central Liaoning Province was relatively low during the whole and various reproductive periods of maize. In addition to the twelfth leaf, western Liaoning Province is prone to compound dry-hot events. The high-risk area for the occurrence of the compound dry-hot events in maize is Chaoyang City, located in the western part of Liaoning Province, and the cities in the low-risk area account for about 64.3% of the total number of cities in Liaoning Province, mainly in the central and northern parts of Liaoning Province. Generally, this study emphasizes focusing on the impacts of compound dry-hot events on agricultural production and provides an index to assess the risk of compound dry-hot events on maize production.

Heavy metal contamination is listed among the most alarming threats to the environment and human health. The detrimental effects of heavy metals in the natural environment span from a reduction of biodiversity to toxic effects on marine life - through microplastic born heavy metals -, to impairment of microbial activity in the soil, and to detrimental effects on animal reproduction. A host of different chemical and biological technologies have been proposed to alleviate environmental contamination by heavy metals. Relatively less attention has been paid to the microbial precipitation of heavy metals, as a side mechanism of the most general process of microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP). This process is currently receiving a great deal of interest from both a theoretical and practical standpoint, because of its possible practical applications in concrete healing and soil consolidation, and its importance in the more general framework of microbial induced mineral precipitation. In this study, we analyse the ability of the marine bacteria Vibrio harveyi in co-precipitating CaCO3 minerals, together with Cd, Cr, Pb, and Zn added in form of nitrates, from solutions containing CaCl2. The precipitated carbonatic minerals were a function of the different heavy metals present in the solution. The process of co-precipitation appears to be rather effective and fast, as the concentrations of the 4 heavy metals were reduced in 2 days by 97.2%, on average, in the solutions.

Lemonomycin (1) was first isolated from the fermentation broth of Streptomyces candidus in 1964. The complete chemical structure was not elucidated until 2000 with extensive spectroscopic analysis. Lemonomycin is currently known as the only glycosylated tetrahydroisoquinoline antibiotic. Its potent antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis and complex architecture make it an ideal target for total synthesis. In this short review, we summarize the research status of lemonomycin for biological activity, biosynthesis and chemical synthesis. The unique deoxy aminosugar-lemonose was proposed to play a crucial role in biological activity, as shown in other antibiotics, such as arimetamycin A, nocathiacin I, glycothiohexide α, and thiazamycins. Given the self-resistance of the original bacterial host, the integration of biosynthesis and chemical synthesis to pursue efficient synthesis and further derivatization is in high demand for the development of novel antibiotics to combat antibiotic-resistant infections.

A four-step synthesis of bifunctional, noncovalent organocatalysts based on the chiral (1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine scaffold containing a 1,2-benzenediamine H-bond donor was developed. Nucleophilic aromatic substitution of the 2-fluoronitrobenzene derivative with the commercial (1R,2R)-cyclohexane-1,2-diamine was followed by selective alkylation of the primary amino group, reduction of the aromatic nitro group and final derivatization of the primary aromatic amino group, i.e. acylation, sulfonation, reductive alkylation and arylation, leading to the four subtypes of organocatalysts. All new compounds were fully characterized. The prepared organocatalysts (32 examples) were tested in the Michael addition of acetylacetone to trans-β-nitrostyrene, yielding the addition product with incomplete conversions (up to 93%) and enantioselectivities of up to 41% ee.

The suspension cross-linking technique has been utilized to create the magnetic chitosan nanoparticles, which were then applied to the magnetic carrier method at 80°C. First the FeCl2 and FeCl3 solution co-precipitated and synthesized Fe3O4 for utilization in the formation of magnetic chitosan nanoparticles, it has been characterized by utilizing DLS (Dynamic light scattering), XRD (X-ray diffraction spectrometer), FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), which identified structure, size, FE-SEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope) and HR-TEM (High-resolution transmission electron microscopy) which identified structure and particle size whereas magnetic behavior of chitosan nanoparticles was determined by VSM (Vibrating sample magnetometer). According to the results collected, the magnetic chitosan nanoparticles have been spherical in form and size ranging from around 250 to 400 nm.

In this paper, the deformation behavior of S32750 duplex stainless steel during low cycle fatigue was studied by controlling number of cycles. The microstructure of the specimens under different cycles was characterized by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Microhardness of two phases was measured by a digital microhardness instrument. The results showed that the microhardness of ferrite increases significantly after the first 4000 cycles, while the austenite shows a higher strain hardening rate after fatigue fracture, and the microhardness of ferrite and austenite increases by 23 HV and 87 HV, respectively. Two-phase kernel average misorientation (KAM) diagram showed that the continuous accumulation of plastic deformation easily leads to the initiation of cracks inside the austenite and at the phase boundaries. The evolution of dislocation morphology in two phases was obviously different. With the increase of cycle number, the dislocation in ferrite gradually transforms from dislocation bundles and dislocation array to sub-grain structure, while the dislocation in austenite gradually develops from dipole array to ordered Taylor lattice network structure.

This study aimed to develop a laboratory-scale direct air capture unit for evaluating and comparing amine-based adsorbents under temperature vacuum swing adsorption conditions. The experimental campaign conducted with the direct air capture unit allowed for the determination of equilibrium loading, CO2 uptake capacity, and other main performance parameters of the investigated adsorbent Lewatit VP OC 1065®. The investigations also helped to understand the co-adsorption of both CO2 and H2O on the tested material, which is crucial for improving temperature vacuum swing adsorption processes. This was achieved by obtaining pure component isotherms for CO2 and H2O as well as three different co-adsorption isotherm models from literature. It was found that the weighted average dual-site Toth model emerged as the most accurate and reliable model for simulating this co-adsorption behavior. Its predictions closely align with experimental data, particularly in capturing the adsorption equilibrium at various temperatures. It was also observed that this lab-scale unit offers advantages over thermogravimetric analysis when conducting adsorption experiments on the chosen amine. The final aim of this study is to provide a pathway to develop devices for testing and developing efficient and cost-effective adsorbents for direct air capture.

Redox mediators comprising I–, Co3+, and Ti3C2Tx MXene were applied to dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). In the as-prepared DSCs (I-DSCs), wherein hole conduction occurred via the redox reaction of I−/I3− ions, the power conversion efficiency (PCE) was not altered by the addition of Ti3C2Tx MXene. The I-DSCs were exposed to light to produce Co2+/Co3+-based cells (Co-DSCs), wherein the holes were transferred via the redox reaction of Co2+/Co3+ ions. A PCE of 9.01% was achieved in a Co-DSC with Ti3C2Tx MXene (Ti3C2Tx-Co-DSC), which indicated an improvement from the PCE of a bare Co-DSC without Ti3C2Tx MXene (7.27%). It was also found that the presence of Ti3C2Tx MXene in the redox mediator increased the hole collection, dye regeneration, and electron injection efficiencies of the Ti3C2Tx-Co-DSC, leading to an improvement in both the short-circuit current and the PCE when compared with those of the bare Co-DSC without MXene.

Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is widely applied in various fields due to its affordability and ease of use. However, it faces challenges such as achieving high surface quality, precise dimensional tolerance and overcoming anisotropic mechanical properties. This paper analyzes and compare the machinability of 3D printed PLA, PETG and carbon fiber reinforced PETG focusing on surface roughness and burr formation. A design of experiments (DoE) with a full factorial design was used, considering three factors: rotation speed, feed rate and depth of cut. Each factor had different levels: rotational speed at 3000, 5500 and 8000 rpm; feed rate at 400, 600 and 800 mm/min; and depth of cut at 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8 mm. Machinability was evaluated by roughness and burr height using a profilometer for all the materials under the same milling conditions. To evaluate the statistical significance of the influence of various processing parameters on surface roughness and burr formation in 3D printed components made of three different materials PLA, PETG and carbon fiber reinforced PETG, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) test was conducted. This analysis investigated whether variations in rotational speed, feed rate and depth of cut resulted in measurable and significant differences in machinability results. Results showed that milling parameters significantly affect roughness and burr formation, with optimal conditions for minimizing any misalignment highlighting the trade-offs in parameter selection. These results provide insights into the post-processing of FDM-printed materials with milling, indicating the need for a balanced approach to parameter selection based on application-specific requirements.

The carbonyl iron particles were dispersed in a polychloroprene rubber (CR) matrix under an external magnetic field for practical application as microwave absorption composites film. The film prepared under external magnetic field with a thickness of only 0.54 mm showed least reflection loss of -15.98 dB and the reflection loss value less than -10.0 dB over the frequency range of 11.4~14.8 GHz. In comparison with the microwave absorption properties of calculation by transmission line theory based on the tested relative complex permittivity and permeability and film prepared by general route without external magnetic field, the film made with external magnetic field exhibited more excellent microwave absorption properties, strongly depending on the increment of anisotropy and rearrangement of magnetic particles. The results indicated the composite film made under external magnetic field have excellent microwave absorption properties, which suggest that the composites thin film could be used as a thinner and lighter microwave absorber.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between membrane material and development of membrane fouling in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) using membranes with different pore sizes and hydrophilicities. Batch filtration tests were performed using submerged single hollow fiber membrane ultrafiltration (UF) modules with different polymeric membrane materials including cellulose acetate (CA), polyethersulfone (PES), and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) with activated sludge taken from a municipal wastewater treatment plant. The three UF hollow fiber membranes were prepared by a non-solvent-induced phase separation method and had similar water permeabilities and pore sizes. The results revealed that transmembrane pressure (TMP) increased more sharply for the hydrophobic PVDF membrane than for the hydrophilic CA membrane in batch filtration tests, even when membranes with similar permeabilities and pore sizes were used. PVDF hollow fiber membranes with smaller pores had greater fouling propensity than those with larger pores. In contrast, CA hollow fiber membranes showed good mitigation of membrane fouling regardless of pore size. The results obtained in this study suggest that the surface hydrophilicity and pore size of UF membranes clearly affect the fouling properties in MBR operation when using activated sludge.

This paper presents design and optimization of a small-size electromagnetic induction heating control system powered by a 3.7V-900mAh lithium battery and featuring an LC series resonant full bridge inverter circuit, which can be used in small size materials heating applications, such as micro medical devices. The effects of resonant capacitance, inductor wire diameter, heating tube material and wall thickness are studied to maximize the heating rate of the workpiece and meantime reduce the temperature rise of the NMOS transistor. The optimal circuit configuration meeting the design requirements was finally identified via comparing the operational parameters and NMOS transistor loss under different circuit conditions. The validation experiments were conducted on a designed electromagnetic induction smoking devices. The results indicate that under an output current of 4.6A, the heating tube can reach up to the temperature target of 250℃ within 11 seconds, and all NMOS transistors stay below 50°C in a 5 minutes heating process.

Photocatalysis is a promising method for methylene blue (MB) degradation due to its effectiveness and environmental compatibility. Among photocatalysts, titanium dioxide (TiO2) has been widely used for MB degradation due to its exceptional photocatalytic activity. However, the wide bandgap limits the degradation efficiency of TiO2 under visible light. Herein, an interstitial nitrogen-doped TiO2 (5%NT/TiO2) used thiourea as the N source is fabricated for the visible light-derived MB degradation. 5%NT/TiO2 exhibits an extended visible light absorption range. Besides, photoelectrochemical measurement shows an improvement in photocurrent response and charge transfer behavior on N/TiO2. Thus, 5%NT/TiO2 has enhanced photocatalytic activity compared to pristine TiO2 and substitutive N-doped TiO2 (5%NAB/TiO2). The accelerated photocatalytic MB degradation process on N/TiO2 should be mainly attributed to the interstitial N doping, which causes the appearance of new energy states and extended optical properties.

Pigments are chemical compounds that impart color to materials via absorption, reflection, and refraction. Traditional sources of natural pigments include plant and insect tissues; however, microorganisms such as bacteria, yeasts, algae, and filamentous fungi also hold potential for pigment production. In this study, we investigated pigment production in 20 isolates from our in-house Actinobacteria strain collection, obtained from the banks of the Guaviare and Arauca Rivers in Colombia. Isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We evaluated different culture media and determined their various bioactivities, including antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic properties. Promising pigmented hydroalcoholic extracts exhibiting the above-mentioned properties were identified and their chemical compositions were examined using LC-MS. Our findings highlighted a growth medium-dependent effect, as pigment production, coloration, and bioactivity outcomes were influenced by growth media. These results demonstrate the significant potential of Streptomyces isolates as sources of bioactive pigments for diverse applications.

Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) is an important deciduous species in western U.S. forests. Existing maps of aspen distribution are based on Landsat imagery and often miss small stands (<0.09 ha or 30 m²), which rapidly regrow when managed or following disturbance. In this study, we present methods for deriving a new regional map of aspen forests using one year of Sentinel-1 (S1) and Sentinel-2 (S2) imagery in Google Earth Engine. We assessed the annual phenology of aspen in the Southern Rockies and leveraged the frequent temporal resolution of S1 and S2 to create ecologically relevant seasonal composites. Additionally, we derived spectral indices and radar textural features targeting the canopy structure, moisture, and chlorophyll content. Using spatial block cross-validation and Random Forests, we assessed the accuracy of different scenarios and selected the best performing set of features for classification. Comparisons were then made with existing landcover products across the study region. The resulting map improves on existing landcover products in both accuracy (average F1-score = 93.1%) and detection of smaller forest patches. These methods enable accurate mapping at spatial and temporal scales relevant to forest management for one of the most widely distributed tree species in North America.

Abstract: The chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) has been widely used for surface modification of critical materials and components and provided global planarization of topography with a low post-planarization slope high quality and efficiency. The colloidal silica slurries play an important role in the finishing processes of optical components. Monodisperse mesoporous silica nanospheres were synthesized with different surfactant by Stöber method. Their architectural features and texture parameters were characterized by XRD, FTIR, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, SEM, XPS, and TGA techniques. The spherical SiO2 products presented with the controllable 50-150 nm particle size and distribution. The AFM micrographs reveal that flat and smooth surfaces without distinct scratches residual particles are achieved by using the as-obtained composite particles as abrasives[The particle size of SiO2 slurry plays a critical role in the chemical-mechanical polishing process.

In this paper, a novel synthesis for a chemical precursor for nanocrystalline VO2 coatings is elaborated. The compatibility of the precursor towards the substrate is optimized for spin coating. This is done by subjecting multiple solvents to contact angle measurements. A suitable thermal treatment is developed to densify the coating and to induce crystallization. Afterwards the microstructure of the coating is investigated using X-Ray diffraction, electron microscopy and ellipsometry techniques. To assess the thermochromic properties of the fabricated device, optical transmission experiments were conducted both at room temperature and at elevated temperature. A correlation between these thermochromic properties and coating thickness was investigated in order to obtain an optimized thermochromic device, where both high visual transparency and prominent thermochromic switching abilities are aimed for. In this work, an optimal coating thickness is proposed for a thermochromic coating with high switching ability and solar modulation.

Adhesive-invasive E. coli have been suggested to be associated with the development of Crohn's disease (CD). It is assumed that they can provoke the onset of the inflammatory process as a result of the invasion of intestinal epithelial cells, and then, due to survival inside macrophages, stimulate chronic inflammation and the development of granuloma. In previous reports, we have shown that passage of the СD isolate ZvL2 on minimal medium M9 supplemented with sodium propionate (PA) as a carbon source stimulates, and with glucose - inhibits the adherent-invasive properties and the ability to survive in macrophages. This effect was reversible and not observed for the laboratory strain K12 MG1655. We were able to compare the isogenic strain AIEС in two phenotypes - virulent (ZvL2-PA) and non-virulent (ZvL2-GLU). We showed that, unlike ZvL2-GLU, the ZvL2-PA activates the production of ROS and cytokines when interacting with neutrophils. The laboratory strain does not cause a similar effect. Differences in neutrophil NADH-oxidase activation and ζ potential for ZvL2-GLU and ZvL2-PA are associated with changes in the abundance of membrane proteins. Using differential 2D electrophoresis and LC-MS, we identified membrane proteins that may be associated with the activation of the virulence properties of the СD isolate ZvL2.

Small interfering RNA (siRNA) holds significant therapeutic potential by silencing target genes through RNA interference. Current clinical applications of siRNA have been primarily limited to liver diseases, while achievements in delivery methods are expanding its applications to various organs, including the lungs. Cholesterol-conjugated siRNA emerges as a promising delivery approach due to its low toxicity and high efficiency. This study focuses on developing a cholesterol-conjugated anti-Il6 siRNA and the evaluation of its potency for the potential treatment of inflammatory diseases using the example of acute lung injury (ALI). The biological activities of different Il6-targeted siRNAs containing chemical modifications were evaluated in J774 cells in vitro. The lead cholesterol-conjugated anti-Il6 siRNA after intranasal instillation demonstrated dose-dependent therapeutic effects in a mouse model of ALI induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). The treatment significantly reduced Il6 mRNA levels, inflammatory cell infiltration, and the severity of lung inflammation. IL6 silencing by cholesterol-conjugated siRNA proves to be a promising strategy for treating inflammatory diseases, with potential applications beyond the lungs.

Hexakis(2-alkoxy-1,5-phenyleneimine) macrocycles were synthesized using a simple one−pot procedure through by precipitation−driven cyclization. The acetal−protected AB−type monomers, 2-alkoxy-5-aminobenzaldehyde diethyl acetals, underwent polycondensation in water or acid−containing tetrahydrofuran. The precipitation−driven cyclization based on imine dynamic covalent chemistry and π−stacked columnar aggregation played a decisive role in the one−pot synthesis. The progress of the reaction was analyzed by MALDI−TOF mass spectrometry. The macrocycles with alkoxy chains were soluble in specific organic solvents such as chloroform, allowing their structures to be analyzed by NMR. The shape−anisotropic, nearly planar, and persistent macrocycles aggregated into columnar assemblies in polymerization solvents, driven by aromatic π−stacking. The octyloxylated macrocycle OcO−Cm6 exhibited an enantiotropic columnar liquid crystal−like mesophase between 165°C and 197°C. In the SEM image of (S)-(−)-3,7-dimethyloctyloxylated macrocycle (−)BCO-Cm6, columnar substances with a diameter of 100−200 nm were observed. The polymerization solution for 2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy)ethoxylated macrocycle (TEGO−Cm6) gelled and showed thixotropic properties by forming a hydrogen bond network.

Phytochemicals have a long and successful history in drug discovery. With recent advancements in analytical techniques and methodologies, discovering bioactive leads from natural compounds has become easier. Computational techniques like molecular docking, QSAR modelling and machine learning, and network pharmacology are among the most promising new tools that allow researchers to make predictions concerning natural products' potential targets, thereby guiding experimental validation efforts. Additionally, approaches like LC-MS or LC-NMR speed up compound identification by streamlining analytical processes. Integrating structural and computational biology aids in lead identification, thus providing invaluable information to understand how phytochemicals interact with potential targets in the body. Emerging computational approach is machine learning involving QSAR modelling and deep neural networks that interrelate phytochemical properties with diverse physiological activities such as antimicrobial or anticancer effects.

High dimensional statistical analysis for the yield of large-scale circuits is quite difficult due to expensive simulations, especially for the memory circuits with high sigma requirement (e.g., SRAM). In this paper, we developed an efficient sparse additive model to substitute simulations. To fit high sigma region accurately, the modeling center is moved to near failure boundary searched by scaling the shape of sampling function. To solve the model efficiently, the process variables are grouped by standard cells so that the model can be solved by our developed blockwise greedy algorithm. The experiments on the 28nm memory circuits validate that our method achieves high accuracy and efficiency compared with other state-of-art works.

As a member of smart materials, electrorheological elastomers (EREs) formed by pre-treating active electrorheological particles are attracting more and more attention. In this work, four Mg-doped strontium titanate particles with spherical, dendritic, flake-like and pinecone-like morphorlogies were obtained by hydrothermal and low-temperature co-precipitation. XRD, SEM, Raman and FT-IR were used to characterize the obtained products. The results showed that the sizes of Mg-doped strontium titanates are about 1.5‒2.0 μm, and the phase structure are dominated by cubic crystal. These Mg-doped strontium titanates were dispersed in a hydrogel composite elastic medium. Then, Mg-doped strontium titanate/glycerol/gelatin electrorheological composite hydrophilic elastomers were obtained with or without electric field. The electric field response properties of Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers were investigated. It concluded that dendritic Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers is high-performance EREs. And the maximum value of energy storage modulus of Mg-doped strontium titanate composite elastomers has achieved 8.70 MPa. This high electrorheological performance of the products is helpful for their applications in vibration control, force transducers, smart structures, dampers, and other fields.

The global usage of veterinary antibiotics is significant. These antibiotics can be released into the aquatic environment and exert toxic effects on non-target organisms. To explore the physiological effects of tetracycline antibiotics on aquatic life, the growth characteristics of and toxin release from the cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) were studied. Results showed that the toxicity order of the three target antibiotics was TC (tetracycline) > CTC (chlortetracycline hydrochloride) > OTC (oxytetracycline) in terms of inhibition occurrence time and the EC₁₀ and EC₂₅ values. Further, the target antibiotics regulated the production of MC-LR (microcystin-LR) to different degrees. CTC destroyed the M. aeruginosa cells and resulted in a decreased MC-LR release but stimulated the ability to synthesise MC-LR. OTC had a relatively weaker toxicity compared with CTC, while TC was the most toxic among the three antibiotics. Therefore, TC is friendly to the aquatic environment because it simultaneously reduced the intracellular and extracellular MC-LR content. These results aid our understanding of the effects of tetracycline antibiotics on Microcystis aeruginosa, which is important for environmental evaluation and protection. These results are also helpful for guiding the application of veterinary antibiotics in agricultural settings.

Large Language Models (LLMs) have demonstrated promising capabilities to solve complex tasks in critical sectors such as healthcare. However, LLMs are limited by their training data which is often outdated, the tendency to generate inaccurate ("hallucinated") content and a lack of transparency in the content they generate. To address these limitations, retrieval augmented generation (RAG) grounds the responses of LLMs by exposing them to external knowledge sources. However, in the healthcare domain there is currently a lack of systematic understanding of which datasets, RAG methodologies and evaluation frameworks are available. This review aims to bridge this gap by assessing RAG-based approaches employed by LLMs in healthcare, focusing on the different steps of retrieval, augmentation and generation. Additionally, we identify the limitations, strengths and gaps in the existing literature. Our synthesis shows that proprietary models such as GPT-3.5/4 are the most used for RAG applications in healthcare. Also, there is a lack of standardized evaluation frameworks for RAG-based applications. In addition, the majority of the studies do not assess or address ethical considerations related to RAG in healthcare. It is important to account for ethical challenges that are inherent when AI systems are implemented in the clinical setting. Lastly, we highlight the need for further research and development to ensure responsible and effective adoption of RAG in the medical domain.

The incremental sheet forming represents a relatively recent technology that guarantees high customization, thanks to the layered manufacturing principle typical of rapid prototyping, and cost-effectiveness, because it does not require dedicated equipment. Research has initially shown that this process is effective in metal materials capable of withstanding plastic deformation but, in recent years, the interest in this technique has been increasing for the manufacture of complex polymer sheet components as an alternative to the conventional technologies, based on heating-shaping-cooling manufacturing routes. Conversely, incremental formed polymer sheets can suffer from some peculiar defects, for example twisting. To reduce the risk of this phenomenon and the occurrence of failures, a viable way is to choose toolpath strategies that make the tool/sheet contact conditions less severe, and this represents the main goal of the present research. Polycarbonate sheets were worked by incremental forming; in detail, cone frusta with a fixed wall angle were manufactured with a reference and a stair toolpath strategy, and both the forming forces and the twist angle were monitored. The analysis of the results highlighted that a stair toolpath involving an alternation of diagonal up and vertical down steps represents a useful strategy to mitigate the forming forces and, with them, the occurrence of the twisting phenomenon in incremental formed thermoplastic sheets.

In this research, catalytic steam reforming acetic acid derived from the aqueous portion of bio-oil for hydrogen production was investigated by using different Ni/ATC (Attapulgite Clay) catalysts prepared by precipitation, impregnation and mechanical blending methods. The fresh and reduced catalysts were characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption-desorption, TEM and H₂-TPR. The comprehensive results demonstrated that the interaction between active metallic Ni and ATC carrier was significantly improved in Ni/ATC catalyst prepared by precipitation method, and in which the mean Ni particle size was the smallest (~13 nm) resulted in the highest metal dispersion (7.5%). The catalytic performance of the three catalysts was evaluated through the process of steam reforming of acetic acid in a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure at two different temperatures, such as 550 ℃ and 650 ℃. Results showed that the Ni/ATC (PM-N/ATC) prepared by precipitation method, achieved the highest H₂ yield of ~82% and little lower acetic acid conversion efficiency of ~85% than that (~95%) of Ni/ATC (IM-NATC) prepared by impregnation method. In addition, the deactivation catalysts after reaction for 4 h were analyzed by XRD, TGA-DTG and TEM, which demonstrated that the catalyst deactivation was not caused by the amount of carbon deposition, but owed to the significant agglomeration and sintering of Ni particles in the carrier.

The key question for the understanding of corrosion phenomena of Si3N4-SiC material in Al reduction cell – whether corrosion by gases (and oxidation in particular) opens way for the corrosion by molten cryolite, or corrosion of Si3N4-SiC by cryolite plays its own role in degradation of the material in service. More probably the reactions of silicon carbide and silicon nitride with molten cryolite go after the stage of pre oxidation to silicon dioxide. The corrosion of Si3N4-SiC material in the reduction cell may take place by “gas-solid” reaction and by “liquid-solid” reaction. There are several variants of lab corrosion test for the evaluation of corrosion resistance of Si3N4-SiC material to cryolite. The results of investigation of Si3N4-SiC lab corrosion test give no direct evidence of selective dissolution of specific phase (Si3N4 or SiC, α-Si3N4 or β-Si3N4) in cryolite. The existing variants of lab corrosion testing require clarification.

A convenient and efficient strategy for the preparation of 2-sulfonylindoles has been achieved through iodophor/H2O2-mediated 2-sulfonylation of indoles with readily available sulfonyl hydrazides in aqueous phase. Iodophor is commercially available and serves as the green catalyst and aqueous phase. A series of 2-sulfonylated products from indoles and N-methylpyrrole were synthesized in moderate yields in only 10 min. Control experiments were also conducted to reveal the mechanism. This method is environment friendly, easy to operate and suitable for a wide range of substrates.

The monitoring of coastal waters using satellite data, from sensors including Sentinel-3 OLCI, has become a vital tool in the management of these water environments; especially when it comes to improving our understanding of the effects of climate change on these regions. In this study, Level-2 water products derived from different OLCI Sentinel-3 processors were validated against a comprehensive in situ dataset from the NW Baltic Sea proper region. The products validated were those of the regionally adapted Case-2 Regional Coast Colour (C2RCC) OLCI processor (v1.0 and v2.1), as well as the latest standard Level-2 OLCI case 2 (Neural Network) products from Sentinel-3’s processing baseline: Baseline Collection 003 (BC003), including “CHL_NN”, “TSM_NN”, and “ADG443_NN”. Furthermore, the effect of the current EUMETSAT system vicarious calibration (SVC) on the Level-2 water products was also validated. Results showed that the system vicarious calibration (SVC) reduces the reliability of the Level-2 OLCI products. For example, the application of these SVC gains to the OLCI data for the regionally adapted v2.1 C2RCC products resulted in RMSD increases of 36% for “conc_tsm”; 118% for “conc_chl”; 33% for “iop_agelb”; 50% for “iop_adg”; and 10% for “kd_z90max” using a ±3h validation window. The findings indicate that the current EUMETSAT SVC gains should be applied and interpreted with caution in the region of study at present. A key outcome of the paper recommends the development of a regionally specific SVC against AERONET-OC data for the region.

High quantities of biomass produced in greenhouses create environmental problems, as this side stream and its downgraded products are not further used in the production cycle. The aim of our research was the identification and semi-quantification of molecules extracted from vegetative tomato plant residues with sustainable green alternative solvents using vacuum-assisted soxhlet and solid-liquid extraction to evaluate the possibilities for high-value applications. To identify compounds, GC-MS analysis, and the Folin-Cioalteau method was used. In sum, 285 different compounds have been assigned to 383 detected peaks using GC-MS analysis. The solvents 2-MTHF and ethyl acetate, compared to ethanol and hexane, provided better results with a maximum number of 99 ± 8.83 compounds, a maximum total concentration of 5,894.82 ± 586.48 and 3,363.02 ± 71.14 mg NEQ kgdw-1 and a total phenolic content of 2,143.25 ± 155.17 and 1,605.92 ± 66.46 mg GAE kgdw-1, respectively. With 781.2 ± 112.66 and 718.25 ± 54.89 mg NEQ kgdw-1 the compound neophytadiene was the most common terpene in ethyl acetate and 2-MTHF extracts, respectively. It can be concluded that vegetative tomato plant residues contain a high variety of bioactive molecules. Green solvents, such as 2-MTHF and ethyl acetate, enhance the extraction of these molecules from the solid matrix.

This work investigated the isothermal holding time dependence of the densification, microstructure, weight loss and tensile properties of Fe-Mn-Si powder compacts. Elemental Fe, Mn and Si powder mixtures with a nominal composition of Fe-28Mn-3Si (in weight percent) were ball milled for 5h and subsequently pressed under a uniaxial pressure of 400 MPa. The compacted Fe-Mn-Si powder mixtures were sintered at 1200 ℃ for 0, 1, 2 and 3 h, respectively. In general, the density, weight loss and tensile properties increased with the increase of isothermal holding time. A significant increase in density, weight loss and tensile properties occurred in the compacts isothermally holding for 1 h, as compared to those with no isothermal holding. However, further extension of isothermal holding time (2 and 3 h) only played a limited role in promoting the density and tensile properties. The weight loss of the sintered compacts was mianly caused by the sublimation of Mn in Mn depletion region on the surface layer of the sintered Fe-Mn-Si compacts. The length of the Mn depletion region increased as isothermal holding time increased. A single α-Fe phase was detected on the surface of all the sintered compacts, and the locations beyond the Mn depletion region were comprised of a dual dominant γ-austenite and minor ε-martensite.

Surface initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (SI-ATRP) is one of the most versatile technique to modify the surface properties of material. Recent developed metal free SI-ATRP makes such technique more widely applicable. Herein photo-induced metal-free SI-ATRP of methacrylates, such as methyl methacrylate, N-isopropanyl acrylamide, and N,N- dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, on the surface of SBA-15 was reported to fabricate organic-inorganic hybrid materials. SBA-15 based polymeric composite with adjustable graft ratio was obtained. The structure evolution during the SI-ATRP modification of SBA-15 was monitored and verified by FT-IR, XPS, TGA, BET, and TEM. The obtained polymeric composite showed enhanced adsorption ability for the model compound toluene in aqueous. This procedure provides a low cost, ready availability, and facile modification way to synthesize the polymeric composites without the contamination of metal.

The activated carbons (ACs) derived from okara powder waste with high surface areas were modified with ammonia aqueous solution impregnation in an autoclave to enhance their CO2 adsorption properties toward CO2. The impregnated ACs were characterized in which surface chemical composition and properties of the ACs were analyzed by SEM-EDS, FTIR. Activated carbons were functionalized with ammonia aqueous solution (25%) through a hydrothermal process within 24; 48, and 72 hours. The adsorption performance of CO2 onto carbon samples was experimentally evaluated through a breakthrough adsorption experimental setup at room temperature. FTIR spectra confirm the N-containing in N-modified activated carbons and the presence of the –C = O stretch and N-H groups. CO2 uptakes of N-modified activated carbons are 0.24; 1.47; and 1.20 mmol/g, which are relatively comparable with those of activated carbons studied in in the literature.

The aim of this paper is to establish a valid procedure for better understanding all the phenomena associated with the high-speed machining of Glass Fibre Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) composites. Both rectangular and circular specimens were machined at high speeds (up to 50 m/min) in order to understand what occurred for all values of fiber orientation angles during machining operations. An innovative testing methodology was proposed and studied to investigate the phenomenon of burr formation and thus understand how to avoid it during machining operations. To this end, the forces arising during the machining process and the roughness of the resulting surface, were carefully studied and correlated with the cutting angle. Additionally, the cutting surface and chip morphology formed during cutting tests were examined using a high-speed camera. Close correlations are found between the variations of the cutting forces' signals and the trends of the roughness and the morphology of the machined surface.

Extracting the economic value by integrated utilization of space in old communities is crucial for encouraging independent participation from enterprises and residents, reducing reliance on government leadership and fiscal investment. This study starts from the active perspective of spatial assets, constructs a value activation framework for old community spatial assets by balancing "endogenous demand" and "exogenous opportunities." By enhancing "economic value" through "use value," five methods for value extraction and overall project utilization paths are proposed, guided by a dynamic "cost-revenue" balance. Using multi-source data, we identify the spatial assets of 1,096 old communities in central Guangzhou and apply a market comparison method for economic value assessment. Additionally, the study offers recommendations on timing and project portfolios for regeneration efforts, along with strategies for establishing a coordinating implementation entity and fund account. This research provides strategic insights for advancing the regeneration of old communities by tapping into their macro-level economic potential.

Oligonucleotide conjugates with boron clusters have found applications in different fields of molecular biology, biotechnology, and biomedicine as potential agents for boron neutron capture therapy, siRNA components, and antisense agents. Particularly, closo-dodecaborate anion represents a high-boron containing residue with remarkable chemical stability and low toxicity, suitable for the engineering of different constructs for biomedicine and molecular biology. In the present work, we synthesized novel oligonucleotide conjugates of closo-dodecaborate attached to the 5'-, 3'-, or both terminal positions of DNA, RNA, 2'-O-Me RNA, and 2'-F-Py RNA oligomers. For their synthesis, we employed click reaction with the azido derivative of closo-dodecaborate. The key physicochemical characteristics of the conjugates have been investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography, gel electrophoresis, UV thermal melting, and circular dichroism spectroscopy. Incorporation of closo-dodecaborate residues at the 3'-end of all oligomers stabilized their complementary complexes, while analogous 5'-modification decreased duplex stability. Two boron clusters attached to the opposite ends of the oligomer only slightly influence the stability of complementary complexes of RNA oligonucleotide and its 2'-O-methyl and 2'-fluoro analogs. On the contrary, the same modification of DNA oligonucleotides significantly destabilized DNA/DNA duplex but gave a strong stabilization of the duplex with RNA target. According to CD spectroscopy results, two terminal closo-dodecaborate residues cause a prominent structural rearrangement of complementary complexes with a substantial shift from B-form to the A-form of the double helix. The revealed changes of key characteristics of oligonucleotides caused by incorporation of terminal boron clusters, such as the increase of hydrophobicity, change of duplex stability, and prominent structural changes for DNA conjugates, should be taken into account for the development of antisense oligonucleotides, siRNAs, or aptamers bearing boron clusters. These features may also be used for engineering of developing NA constructs with pre-defined properties.

Until now, crystalline NiCo2S4 and its composites have demonstrated improve performances in supercapacitor applications, compared to their oxide analogous, due to their relatively higher electrical conductivity, and multifaceted redox reaction. However, amorphous phase materials have recently shown promise in electrochemical energy storage systems. In this work, urea-assisted amorphous NiCo2S4 on nickel foam (referred to as aNCS) with high nitrogen atom% content, was obtained via hydrothermal method. In comparison to the crystalline NiCo2S4 (referred to as cNCS), aNCS exhibited superior electrochemical performance with specific capacitance of ~3506 F g-1 which is higher than cNCS specific capacitance of ~2185 F g-1 at 2 A g-1. Additionally, aNCS in two-electrode asymmetry supercapacitor exhibited specific capacitance and energy density of ~196 F g-1 and 56 Wh kg-1, respectively.

The Food and Drug Administration’s 2011 Process Validation Guidance and International Council for Harmonization Quality Guidelines recommend continued process verification (CPV) as a mandatory requirement for pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical, and other regulated industries. As a part of product life cycle management, after process characterization in stage 1 and process qualification and validation in stage-2, CPV is performed as stage-3 validation during commercial manufacturing. CPV ensures that the process continues to remain within a validated state. CPV requires the collection and analysis of data related to critical quality attributes, critical material attributes, and critical process parameters on a minimum basis. Data is then used to elucidate process control regarding the capability to meet predefined specifications and stability via statistical process control tools. In statistical process control, control charts and Nelson rules are commonly used throughout the industry to monitor and trend data to ensure that a process remains in control. In the control chart, the mean value is taken as the center line, and 3σ limits are placed on either side of the center line. In CPV, manufactured lots are summarized, trended, and discussed at a cross-functional level at pre-defined intervals (either weekly, bi-weekly, or even monthly) based on the batch run rate. A cross-functional team assesses details regarding 1) violation frequency, 2) statistical strength of the signal, 3) violation magnitude and its impact on process or quality, and 4) any potential root causes for out-of-expectation or out-of-trend signals. The cross-functional team must analyze whether any signal identified by the control chart is reliable and must determine whether corrective action should be taken and justify the decision in the CPV meeting minutes based on statistical strength and reliability of the signal. However, basic control charts are susceptible to false alarms and nuisance alarms. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the assumptions behind control charts and the inherent false alarm rates for different Nelson rules. In this article, the authors have detailed the assumptions behind the usage of control charts, the rate of false alarms for different Nelson rules, the impact of skewness and kurtosis of a data distribution on the false alarm rate, and methods for optimizing control chart design by reducing false alarm rates and nuisance signals.

In this work, we report synthesis of Cu, Pt and Pd doped SnO₂ powders and their comparative CO gas sensing studies. Dopants were incorporated into SnO₂ nanostructures using chemical and impregnation methods by using urea and ammonia as precipitation agents. The synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The presence of dopants within the SnO₂ nanostructures was evidenced from HR-TEM. Doped powders utilizing chemical methods with urea as precipitation agent presented higher sensitivities compared to the remaining, which is due to the formation of uniform and homogeneous particles resulted from the temperature assisted synthesis. The particle sizes of doped SnO₂ nanostructures were in the range of 40-100 nm. An enhanced sensitivity around 1783 was achieved with Cu doped SnO₂ when compared with two other dopants i.e., Pt (1200) and Pd: SnO₂(502). The high sensitivity of Cu: SnO₂ is due to formation of CuO and its excellent association and dissociation in the presence of CO with adsorbed atmospheric oxygen at sensor operation temperatures resulted in high conductance. Cu: SnO₂ may be an alternative and cost effective sensor for industrial applications.

In the process of oil and gas development and production, when the flow rate in the wellbore is large, the materials underground will be eroded, causing the operation to be unable to proceed smoothly and reducing the efficiency of oil and gas production. Therefore, optimizing the anti-erosion coating under high-speed flow conditions in wellbore is a very interesting thing. It can greatly improve operational efficiency. In this paper, laser cladding was used to prepare the new coating used in the PDC drill bit. Then, the effects of tungsten carbide and multi-layer graphene on the microstructure and properties of the tungsten carbide coating were studied. The research results indicate that, for new coatings, 60% tungsten carbide and 0.3% graphene are the optimal ratios. After adding WC, the hardness has significantly improved. However, when the WC content further increases more than 30%, the increase in hardness is relatively small. In addition, when the content of graphene is more than 0.3%, the branched structure became thicker, and not only the segregation of Cr, Si and W became very obvious again, but also the segregation of Fe occurred at the Ni enrichment site. The research results contribute to improving oil and gas production and operational efficiency under high-speed fluid flow conditions in the wellbore.

The mesoporous heteroatom molecular sieve MCM-41 bulk crystals with the crystalline phase were synthesized via a one-step hydrothermal method using an ionic complex as template. The ionic complex template was formed by interaction between cetyltrimethylammonium ions and metal complex ion [M (EDTA)]2- (M=Co or Ni ). The materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms, and X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. The results showed that the materials possess a highly ordered mesoporous structure with the crystalline phase and possess high uniform ordered arrangement channels. The structure is in the vertical cross directions with a crystalline size of about 12 µm and high specific surface areas. The metal atoms were incorporated into the zeolite frameworks in the form of octahedral coordinate and have a uniform distribution in the materials. The amount of metal complexes formed by metal ion and EDTA is an essential factor for the formation of the vertical cross structure. Comparing to Si-MCM-41, the samples exhibited better conversion, higher selectivity for cumene cracking.

A Co–doped porous carbon was successfully fabricated by a facile carbonizing procedure using coal hydrogasification semi-coke (SC) as the carbon and cobalt nitrate as the magnetic precursors, respectively. The microwave absorption (MA) performances were regulated by adjusting the mass ratio of the precursors. The dielectric loss from the carbon framework, the magnetic loss from nano–sized Co particles coupled with multiple scattering from the residual pores synergistically contribute to the favorable MA capabilities. When the initial mass ratio of cobalt nitrate and SC was 1:1, the Co/C composite showed the lowest reflection loss of -33.45 dB at the thickness of 4.0 mm. The effective absorbing bandwidth (EAB) could achieve 3.5 GHz at 2 mm in thickness. This work not only exploits a new avenue for the structural design and facile fabrication of dielectric and magnetic loss combinations, but also opens up another way for the high value–added utilization of SC.

In this work, non-ordered and ordered CeO2-based catalysts are proposed for the CO2 conversion to dimethyl carbonate (DMC). Particularly, a non-ordered mesoporous CeO2, consisting of small nanoparticles of about 8 nm, is compared with two highly porous (635-722 m2/g) ordered CeO2@SBA-15 nanocomposites obtained by two different impregnation strategies (a two-solvent impregnation (TS) and a self-combustion (SC) method), with a final CeO2 loading of 10 wt%. The Rietveld analyses on XRD data combined with TEM imaging evidence the influence of the impregnation strategy on the dispersion of the active phase: nanoparticles of 8 nm for the TS composite vs. 3 nm for the SC composite. The catalytic results show comparable activity for the mesoporous ceria and the CeO2@SBA-15_SC nanocomposite, while a lower DMC yield was found for the CeO2@SBA-15_TS nanocomposite. This finding is presumably ascribed to a partial obstruction of the pores by the CeO2 nanoparticles in the case of the TS composite, which leads to a reduced accessibility of the active phase. On the other hand, in the case of the SC composite, where the CeO2 particle size is much lower than the pore size, there is an improved accessibility of the active phase to the molecules of the reactants.

The aerospace industry has made extensive use of titanium alloy material due to its exceptional qualities, which include high strength, low weight, and resistance to corrosion. However, these qualities also pose challenges for the material's processing. This paper examines the Ti6Al4V milling endmills coating. First, an analysis is done on the solubility of Ti and Si elements. It is discovered that W and Co elements are far more soluble in Ti than Si and Zr elements, which can effectively stop element diffusion. Next, the base's composition was planned. It was discovered that when the amount of Al increased, the base's surface roughness increased while its hardness and elastic modulus decreased. The binding force between the substrate and the base was greater at 50: 50 Ti:Al ratio. TiSiN and TiSiN/ZrN functional layer properties are examined. When Zr is added to TiSiN/ZrN coating, it improves the coating's hardness and elastic modulus, increases density, and decreases surface roughness and friction coefficient when compared to TiSiN coating. Lastly, an analysis of the initial and intermediate tool wear was done using the Ti6Al4V milling experiment. It was discovered that adding Zr element could successfully extend the tool's cutting life by preventing adhesive wear.

Advanced lithography requires highly sensitive photoresists to improve lithographic efficiency, and it is critical yet challenging to develop high-sensitivity photoresists and imaging strategies. Here, we report a novel strategy for ultra-high sensitivity using hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP)-containing fluoropolymer photoresists. The incorporation of HFIP, with its strong electrophilic property and electron-withdrawing effect of the fluorine atoms, significantly increases the acidity of the photoresist after exposure, enabling imaging without conventional photoacid generators (PAGs). The HFIP-containing photoresist has been evaluated by electron beam lithography to achieve a trench of ~40 nm at an extremely low dose of 3 μC/cm2, which shows sensitivity enhancement by ~10 times to the commercial PAGs involved system, revealing its high-sensitivity and high-resolution features. Our results demonstrate a new type of PAGs and a novel approach to higher-performance imaging beyond conventional photoresist performance tuning.

This study aimed to solve the problems of sealing and tearing failure of packer’s rubber cylinders during CO2 downhole injection. Using the simulation software, Comsol, a rubber cylinder model in a supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) environment was established. The thermal analogy method was used to simulate the CO2 diffusion and rubber cylinder swelling process, thus we analyzed the deformation and stress of the rubber cylinder caused by temperature, pressure and CO2 as swelling agent. Results showed that, in the SC-CO2 environment, under the influence of CO2 diffusion and the consequent swelling, the rubber cylinder body is prone to large deformation, and the maximum shear stress is significantly increased, leading to shear failure of the rubber cylinder. The reduction of the initial seating pressure can alleviate the impact of deformation, whereas the reduction of the maximum contact pressure could cause the rubber cylinder to lose its seal. We also analyzed the change rules between various factors and the maximum contact pressure of the rubber cylinder, which provides a theoretical basis and technical support for improving the sealing performance of the packer’s rubber cylinder in the SC-CO2 environment.

The existences of the N→C dative bonds in the complexes between N-containing molecules and fullerenes have been verified both theoretically and experimentally. However, finding stable N→C dative bonds is still a highly challenging task. In this work, we investigated computationally the N→C dative bonds in the complexes formed by fullerene C60 with 1,2,5-chalcogenadiazoles, 2,1,3-benzochalcogenadiazoles and 1,2,4,5-chalcogenatriazoles, respectively. It was found that the N→C dative bonds are formed along with the formation of the N–Ch···C (Ch = S, Se, Te) chalcogen bonds. In the gas phase, from S-containing complexes through Se-containing complexes to Te-containing complexes, the intrinsic interaction energies become more and more negative, which indicates that the N–Ch···C chalcogen bonds can facilitate the formation of the N→C dative bonds. The intrinsic interaction energies are compensated by the large deformation energy of fullerene C60. The total interaction energies of Te-containing complexes are negative, while both of the total interaction energies of S-containing complexes and Se-containing complexes are positive. This means that the N→C dative bonds in the Te-containing complexes are more easily observed in experiments in comparison with those in the S-containing complexes and Se-containing complexes. This study provides a new theoretical perspective on the experimental observation of the N→C dative bonds in the complexes involving fullerenes. Further, the formation of stable N→C dative bonds in the complexes involving fullerenes can significantly change the properties of fullerenes, which will greatly simulate and expand the application range of fullerenes.

Fire detection from satellite sensors relies on an accurate estimation of the unperturbed state of a target pixel, from which an anomaly can be isolated. Methods for estimating the radiation budget of a pixel without fire depend upon training data derived from the location's recent history of brightness temperature variation over the diurnal cycle, which can be vulnerable to cloud contamination and the effects of weather. This study proposes a new method that utilises the common solar budget found at a given latitude in conjunction with an area's local solar time to aggregate a broad-area training dataset, which can be used to model the expected diurnal temperature cycle of a location. This training data is then used in a temperature fitting process with the measured brightness temperatures in a pixel, and compared to pixel-derived training data and contextual methods of background temperature determination. Results of this study show similar accuracy between clear-sky medium wave infrared upwelling radiation and the diurnal temperature cycle estimation compared to previous methods, with demonstrable improvements in processing time and training data availability. This method can be used in conjunction with brightness temperature thresholds to provide a baseline for upwelling radiation, from which positive thermal anomalies such as fire can be isolated.

Ammonium ion is a chemical species that is found in abundance in natural waters, whether underground or surface, but also in wastewater resulting from agricultural and industrial activities. Even if the removal of the ammonium ion from water has been studied for a very long time, it has been found that its removal is far from being solved. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the ammonium ions adsorption process on two adsorbents, zeolite clinoptilolite, ZR, (manufacturer Zeolite Develop-ment SRL, Rupea, Brasov, Romania) and the other granular activated carbon type Norit GAC 830 W. In the first step the paper presents the mineralogical (XRD) and structural (SEM and EDX) characterization of the ZR and determination of the pH zero-point charge, pHZPC, for all the adsorbents. Studies were carried out in equilibrium and kinetic conditions. The efficiency of the adsorbent was investigated in different experimental conditions by varying the initial concentration, particle size, temperature, pH, ionic strength and contact time. The mathematical models and parameters specific to the adsorption isotherms that best describe the experimental results were identified. Langmuir, Freundlich, Temkin and Dubinin-Radushkevich mathematical models were used for comparison. The Langmuir isotherm proved to be the most appropriate to describe the adsorption of ammonium ions on all types of adsorbents used. The adsorption capacity of ammonium ion from synthetic solutions, at 20 °C, pH = 6.09, for the range of initial concentrations 0 - 50 mg/L for Rupea Zeolite is in the range of 10.46 mg/g -12.34 mg/g and for granular activated carbon GAC W830 is 16.64 mg/g. It was found that the increase in temperature and pH have a positive effect on the adsorption capacity of the ammonium ion on the studied adsorbents, and the ionic strength determines the decrease in the adsorption capacity. Kinetic models were also identified that best describe the experimental processes. In this sense, pseudo first order, pseudo second order, intraparticle diffusion and the Elovich model were used. The results of the investigation showed that second-order kinetics governs the adsorption process on ZR zeolites and pseudo-first order for activated carbon.

Reactions of Co(OAc)24H2O, N‚N'-bis(3-pyridylmethyl)oxalamide (L) and 4,4’-sulfonyldibenzoic acid (H2SDA) afforded four coordination polymers with the same mixed ligands, {[Co(L)(SDA)(H2O)2]·H2O·CH3OH}n, 1, {[Co(L)0.5(SDA)]·2H2O·0.5L}n, 2, {[Co(L)1.5(SDA)(H2O)]·H2O}n, 3, and {[Co2(L)1.5(SDA)2(H2O)2]·4H2O}n, 4, which have been structurally characterized by using single crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1 – 4 are 2D layers, revealing the topologies of sql, 2,6L1, (4,4)Ia and 6L12, respectively, and demonstrating that the metal to ligand ratio, solvent system and reaction temperature are important in determining the structural diversity. Immersion of these complexes into various solvents show that the structural types govern the chemical stabilities of 1 – 4. Reversible structural transformation can be shown for complexes 1 and 2 upon solvent removal and adsorption, while those of 3 and 4 are irreversible.

Background: Metabolic flux analysis (MFA) is an indispensable tool in metabolic engineering. The simplest variant of MFA relies on an overdetermined stoichiometric model of the cell’s metabolism under the pseudo-steady state assumption, to evaluate the intracellular flux distribution. Despite its long history, the issue of model error in the overdetermined MFA, particularly misspecifications of the stoichiometric matrix, has not received much attention. Method: We evaluated the performance of statistical tests from linear least square regressions, namely Ramsey RESET test, F-test and Lagrange multiplier test, in detecting model misspecifications in the overdetermined MFA, particularly missing reactions. We further proposed an iterative procedure using the F-test to correct such an issue. Result: Using Chinese hamster ovary and random metabolic networks, we demonstrated that: (1) a statistically significant regression does not guarantee high accuracy of the flux estimates, (2) the removal of a reaction with a low flux magnitude can cause disproportionately large biases in the flux estimates, (3) the F-test could efficiently detect missing reactions, and (4) the proposed iterative procedure could robustly resolve the omission of reactions. Conclusion: Our work demonstrated that statistical analysis and tests could be used to systematically assess, detect and resolve model misspecifications in the overdetermined MFA.

There is a need to search for new antifungals, especially for the treatment of the invasive Candida infections, caused mainly by C. albicans. These infections are steadily increasing at an alarming rate, mostly among immunocompromised patients. The newly synthesized compounds (3a-3k) were characterized by physico-chemical parameters and investigated for antimicrobial activity using the microdilution broth method to estimate minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Additionally, their antibiofilm activity and mode of action together with the effect on the membrane permeability in C. albicans were investigated. Biofilm biomass and its metabolic activity were quantitatively measured using crystal violet (CV) staining and tetrazolium salt (XTT) reduction assay. The cytotoxic effect on normal human lung fibroblasts and hemolytic effect were also evaluated. The results showed differential activity of the compounds against yeasts (MIC = 0.24-500 µg/mL) and bacteria (MIC = 125-1000 µg/mL). Most compounds possessed strong antifungal activity (MIC = 0.24-7.81 µg/mL). The compounds 3b, 3c, and 3e, showed no inhibitory (at 1/2 MIC) and eradication (at 8 x MIC) effect on C. albicans biofilm. Only slight decrease in the biofilm metabolic activity was observed for compound 3b. Moreover, the studied compounds increased the permeability of the membrane/cell wall of C. albicans and their mode of action may be related to action within the fungal cell wall structure and/or within the cell membrane. It is worth noting that the compounds had no cytotoxicity effect on pulmonary fibroblasts and erythrocytes at concentrations showing anticandidal activity. The present studies in vitro confirm that these derivatives appear to be a very promising group of antifungals for further preclinical studies.

Medicinal plants produce various bioactive molecules with potential anticancer properties with favorable safety profiles. We investigated the comprehensive composition of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract and its cytotoxic effects via apoptosis in HeLa cells. The metabolomics approach was conducted to gather the metabolite profile of the extract. Proteomics was performed to understand the comprehensive mechanistic pathways of action. The apoptosis was visualized by cellular staining and the apoptotic proteins were evaluated. V. amygdalina leaf extract exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on both HeLa and Vero cells after 24 h of exposure, however, a higher concentration was required for Vero cells cytotoxicity. The metabolomic profile indicated that majority of metabolites were alkaloids, phenolic compounds, and steroids. The cytotoxic pathways involved the response to stress and cell death which was similar to doxorubicin. The upstream regulatory proteins, PTEN and XBP1, were significantly altered supporting the regulation of apoptosis and cell death. The levels of apoptotic proteins, JNK, p53, and caspase-9 were significantly increased. These provided strong evidence that V. amygdalina leaf extract related to the induction of apoptosis and highlighted its potential for the development of chemotherapy.