Repeatable Acoustic Vaporization of Coated Perfluorocarbon Bubbles for Micro-Actuation Inspired by Polypodium aureum.

Polypodium aureum, a fern, possesses a specialized spore-releasing mechanism like a catapult induced by the quick expansion of vaporized bubbles. This study introduces lipid-coated perfluorocarbon droplets to enable repeatable vaporization-condensation cycles, inspired by the repeatable vaporization of Polypodium aureum. Lipid-perfluorocarbon droplets have been considered not to exhibit repeatable oscillations due to bubble collapse of the low surface tension of lipid layers. However, a single lipid-dodecafluoropentane droplet with a diameter of 9.17 µm shows expansion-contraction oscillations over 4000 cycles by changing lipid composition and applying a low-power 1.7 MHz ultrasound to induce the partial vaporization of the droplets. The optimal combinations of shell composition, droplet fabrication, and acoustic conditions can minimize the damage on shell structure and promote a quick recovery of damaged shell layers. The highly expanding oscillatory microbubbles provide a new direction for fuel-free micro- or nanobots, as well as biomedical applications of contrast agents and drug delivery.

Clinical and radiological results of high tibial of osteotomy over the age of 65 are comparable to that of under 55 at minimum 2-year follow-up: a propensity score matched analysis.

PURPOSE: The results of medial open-wedge high tibial osteotomy (MOWHTO) according to age is inconclusive. This study aimed to compare the clinical outcomes and failure of MOWHTO in patients < 55 years and > 65 years. METHODS: Consecutive patients who underwent MOWHTO from July 2009 to August 2020 were retrospectively analyzed. 205 patients were considered for analysis. A 1-to-1 propensity score matched analysis to assess clinical outcomes scores including International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score and Lysholm score, radiologic outcomes, complication, and Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) conversion between patients > 65 years and patients < 55 years was performed. Radiologic outcomes included Hip-Knee-Ankle (HKA) angle, Weight Bearing Line ratio (WBLR), posterior tibial slope (PTS), and Insall-Salvati (IS) ratio before and after surgery. RESULTS: The follow-up period was 50.4 months in patients > 65 years and 55.3 months in patients < 55 years. There was no significant difference in the preoperative and postoperative HKA angle, WBLR, PTS, IS ratio, IKDC score and Lysholm score between the two groups. The arthroscopic evaluation of cartilage did not show any statistically significant differences between the two groups. Regarding Minimal clinically important differences (MCID), in the 26% of the older group exceeded MCID of IKDC score; 45% of the older group exceeded MCID of Lysholm score. In the younger group, 24% exceeded MCID of IKDC score and 35% exceeded MCID of Lysholm score. In older group, there were 7 (11.3%) cases of TKA conversion while no TKA conversion was recorded in the younger group. (P = 0.007) The average time to TKA conversion was 67 months. (42 months to 90 months) Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that the survival rate was 95.2% at 4 years in the older group. CONCLUSION: Similar clinical results were obtained in patients over 65 years of age that were eligible for MOWHTO at minimum 2-year follow-up as in patients under 55 years of age. MOWHTO may be a viable option in older patients if proper indications are met. However, the risk of TKA conversion must be considered preoperatively and discussed with patients. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Calibration-free blood pressure estimation based on a convolutional neural network.

In this study, we conducted research on a deep learning-based blood pressure (BP) estimation model suitable for wearable environments. To measure BP while wearing a wearable watch, it needs to be considered that computing power for signal processing is limited and the input signals are subject to noise interference. Therefore, we employed a convolutional neural network (CNN) as the BP estimation model and utilized time-series electrocardiogram (ECG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG) signals, which are quantifiable in a wearable context. We generated periodic input signals and used differential and thresholding methods to decrease noise in the preprocessing step. We then applied a max-pooling technique with filter sizes of 2 × 1 and 5 × 1 within a 3-layer convolutional neural network to estimate BP. Our method was trained, validated, and tested using 2.4 million data samples from 49 patients in the intensive care unit. These samples, totaling 3.1 GB were obtained from the publicly accessible MIMIC database. As a result of a test with 480,000 data samples, the average root mean square error in BP estimation was 3.41, 5.80, and 2.78 mm Hg in the prediction of pulse pressure, systolic BP (SBP), and diastolic BP (DBP), respectively. The cumulative error percentage less than 5 mm Hg was 68% and 93% for SBP and DBP, respectively. In addition, the cumulative error percentage less than 15 mm Hg was 98% and 99% for SBP and DBP. Subsequently, we evaluated the impact of changes in input signal length (1 cycle vs. 30 s) and the introduction of noise on BP estimation results. The experimental results revealed that the length of the input signal did not significantly affect the performance of CNN-based analysis. When estimating BP using noise-added ECG signals, the mean absolute error (MAE) for SBP and DBP was 9.72 and 6.67 mm Hg, respectively. Meanwhile, when using noise-added PPG signals, the MAE for SBP and DBP was 26.85 and 14.00 mm Hg, respectively. Therefore, this study confirmed that using ECG signals rather than PPG signals is advantageous for noise reduction in a wearable environment. Besides, short sampling frames without calibration can be effective as input signals. Furthermore, it demonstrated that using a model suitable for information extraction rather than a specialized deep learning model for sequential data can yield satisfactory results in BP estimation.

Effects of sudden shock load on simultaneous biohythane production in two-stage anerobic digestion of high-strength organic wastewater.

The two-stage anaerobic digestion (AD) for biohythane production is a sustainable solution, but it is sensitive to organic shock load that disrupts reactors and inhibits biohythane production. This study investigated biohythane production, reactor performance, and the possibility of post-failure restoration in a two-stage AD system designed for treating high-strength organic wastewater. Sudden shock load was applied by increasing the OLR threefold higher after reaching steady state phase. During shock load phase, hydrogen content, hydrogen yield and methane production rate (MPR) reached its peak values of 62.61 %, 1.641 mol H2/mol glucose, and 1.003 L CH4/L⋅d respectively before declining significantly. Interestingly, during the restorative phase, hydrogen production sharply declined to nearly zero, while methane production exhibited a resilience and reached its peak methane content of 52.2 %. The study successfully demonstrated the system's resilience to sudden shock load, ensuring stable methane production, while hydrogen production did not exhibit the same capability.

Trabecular structural difference between the superior and inferior regions of the vertebral body: a cadaveric and clinical study.

Background: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures commonly involve the superior vertebral body; however, their associated causes have not yet been clearly established. This study aimed to determine the trabecular structural differences between the superior and inferior regions of the vertebral body using cadaveric and clinical studies. Materials and methods: First, five vertebrae were collected from three human cadavers. The trabecular structures of the superior and inferior regions of each vertebral body were analyzed using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), finite element analysis (FEA), and biomechanical test. Based on the results of the ex vivo study, we conducted a clinical study. Second, spine CT images were retrospectively collected. Bone volume and Hounsfield unit were analyzed for 192 vertebral bodies. Finally, after sample size calculation based on the pilot study, prospectively, 200 participants underwent dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) of the lateral spine. The bone mineral densities (BMDs) of the superior and inferior regions of each lumbar vertebral body were measured. The paired t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for the statistical analyses, and p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Cadaver studies revealed differences between the superior and inferior trabecular bone structures. The bone volume ratio, BMD, and various other trabecular parameters advocated for decreased strength of the superior region. Throughout the biomechanical study, the limitations of the compression force were 3.44 and 4.63 N/m2 for the superior and inferior regions, respectively. In the FEA study, the inferior region had a lower average displacement and higher von Mises stress than the superior region. In the clinical spine CT-based bone volume and BMD study, the bone volume was significantly higher in the inferior region than in the superior region. In the lateral spine DXA, the mean BMD of the superior region of vertebral bodies was significantly lower compared with that of the inferior region. Conclusion: The superior trabecular structure of the lumbar vertebral bodies possesses more biomechanical susceptibility compared with the inferior trabecular structure, confirming its dominant role in causing osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Physicians should also focus on the BMD values of the superior region of the vertebral body using lateral spine DXA to evaluate osteoporosis.

Directional Radiative Cooling via Exceptional Epsilon-Based Microcavities.

The advent of nanophotonics enables the regulation of thermal emission in the momentum domain as well as in the frequency domain. However, earlier attempts to steer thermal emission in a certain direction were restricted to a narrow spectrum or specific polarization, and thus their average (8-14 µm) emissivity (εav) and angular selectivity were nominal. Therefore, the practical uses of directional thermal emitters have remained unclarified. Here, we report broadband, polarization-irrelevant, amplified directional thermal emission from hollow microcavities covered with deep-subwavelength-thickness oxide shells. A hexagonal array of SiO2/AlOX (100/100 nm) hollow microcavities designed by Bayesian optimization exhibited εav values of 0.51-0.62 at 60°-75° and 0.29-0.32 at 5°-20°, yielding a parabolic antenna-shaped distribution. The angular selectivity peaked at 8, 9.1, 10.9, and 12 µm, which were identified as the epsilon-near-zero (via Berreman modes) and maximum-negative-permittivity (via photon-tunneling modes) wavelengths of SiO2 and AlOX, respectively, thus supporting phonon-polariton resonance mediated broadband side emission. As proof-of-concept experiments, we demonstrated that these exceptional epsilon-based microcavities could provide thermal comfort to users and practical cooling performance to optoelectronic devices.

Photocatalytic removal of ceftriaxone from wastewater using TiO2/MgO under ultraviolet radiation.

Pharmaceutical compounds are among the environmental contaminants that cause pollution of water resources and thereby threaten ecosystem services and the environmental health of the past decades. Antibiotics are categorized as emerging pollutants due to their persistence in the environment that are difficult to remove by conventional wastewater treatment. Ceftriaxone is one of the multiple antibiotics whose removal from wastewater has not been fully investigated. In this study, TiO2/MgO (5% MgO) the efficiency of photocatalyst nanoparticles in removing ceftriaxone was analyzed by XRD, FTIR, UV-Vis, BET, EDS, and FESEM. The results were compared with UVC, TiO2/UVC, and H2O2/UVC photolysis processes to evaluate the effectiveness of the selected methods. Based on these results, the highest removal efficiency of ceftriaxone from synthetic wastewater was 93.7% at the concentration of 400 mg/L using TiO2/MgO nano photocatalyst with an HRT of 120 min. This study confirmed that TiO2/MgO photocatalyst nanoparticles efficiently removed ceftriaxone from wastewater. Future studies should focus on the optimization of reactor conditions and improvements of the reactor design to obtain higher removal of ceftriaxone from wastewater.

DNA methylation is associated with prenatal exposure to sulfur dioxide and childhood attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms.

Epigenetic influence plays a role in the association between exposure to air pollution and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, research regarding sulfur dioxide (SO2) is scarce. Herein, we investigate the associations between prenatal SO2 exposure and ADHD rating scale (ARS) at ages 4, 6 and 8 years repeatedly in a mother-child cohort (n = 329). Whole blood samples were obtained at ages 2 and 6 years, and genome-wide DNA methylation (DNAm) was analyzed for 51 children using the Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation BeadChip. We analyzed the associations between prenatal SO2 exposure and DNAm levels at ages 2 and 6, and further investigated the association between the DNAm and ARS at ages 4, 6 and 8. Prenatal SO2 exposure was associated with ADHD symptoms. From candidate gene analysis, DNAm levels at the 6 CpGs at age 2 were associated with prenatal SO2 exposure levels. Of the 6 CpGs, cg07583420 (INS-IGF2) was persistently linked with ARS at ages 4, 6 and 8. Epigenome-wide analysis showed that DNAm at 6733 CpG sites were associated with prenatal SO2 exposure, of which 58 CpGs involved in Notch signalling pathway were further associated with ARS at age 4, 6 and 8 years, persistently. DNAm at age 6 was not associated with prenatal SO2 exposure. Changes in DNAm levels associated with prenatal SO2 exposure during early childhood are associated with increases in ARS in later childhood.

Effect of Extract of Perilla Leaves on the Quality Characteristics and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons of Charcoal Barbecued Pork Patty.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of ethanolic extracts from perilla leaves (PLE) on the quality attributes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in charcoal-barbecued pork patties. The PLE addition and doneness had no significant effect on the pH of pork patties (p>0.05). Regardless of the concentration, the PLE significantly lower malondialdehyde concentrations and reduced the CIE L*, CIE a*, and CIE b* when compared to control. The addition of 0.2% of PLE did not adversely affect the organoleptic properties of doneness of medium and well-done pork patties. Addition of PLE at 0.4% to medium-cooked pork patties had stronger suppressing effect on the formation of light PAHs compare to control (p<0.05), also adding it to well-done pork patties had the lowest concentration of 4 PAHs and 8 PAHs, and a total of 16 PAHs (p<0.05). Therefore, PLE at 0.4% can be used for suppressing the formation of PAHs and lipid oxidation in well-cooked pork patty.

Effect of Calamansi Pulp Ethanol Extracts on the Meat Quality and Biogenic Amine Formation of Pork Patty during Refrigerated Storage.

This study evaluated the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of ethanol extract of calamansi pulp (CPE) and its effect on quality and biogenic amine (BAs) formation in pork patties during storage. The CPE were prepared in various conditions (ethanol concentrations of 50%, 70%, and 90% with extraction periods of 3 and 6 days). The extract with potent antibacterial and antioxidant activities (90%, 6 days) was selected for addition to pork patties. Three groups were tested: Control (without extract addition), CPE addition at 0.2% w/w (0.2PCPE), and 0.4% w/w (0.4PCPE). The addition of CPE inhibited the formation of BAs, mainly cadaverine, histamine, and tyramine, in pork patties during storage. The pH and bacterial count of pork patties decreased significantly in a concentration-dependent manner following the addition of CPE. The instrumental color (CIE L*, CIE a*, and CIE b*) tended to be higher in 0.4PCPE than in the control during storage. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) values of pork patties were affected by CPE, showing a reduction toward lipid oxidation at any storage period, and maintaining the lowest VBN value in 0.4PCPE at the final storage day. Similarly, the reduction of total BAs in pork patties was observed ranged between 3.4%-38.1% under treatment with 0.2% CPE, whereas 18.4%-51.4% under 0.4% CPE addition, suggesting significant effect of CPE to improve meat quality. These novel findings demonstrate the efficacy of 0.4% CPE as a natural compound to preserve the quality and reduce BAs formation in pork patties during storage.

Potentially toxic elements in human scalp hair around China's largest polymetallic rare earth ore mining and smelting area.

There is a growing concern about human health of residents living in areas where mining and smelting occur. In order to understand the exposure to the potentially toxic elements (PTEs), we here identify and examine the cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) in scalp hair of residents living in the mining area (Bayan Obo, n = 76), smelting area (Baotou, n = 57) and a reference area (Hohhot, n = 61). In total, 194 hair samples were collected from the volunteers (men = 87, women = 107) aged 5-77 years old in the three areas. Comparing median PTEs levels between the young and adults, Ni levels were significantly higher in adults living in the smelting area while Cr was highest in adults from the mining area, no significant difference was found for any of the elements in the reference area. From the linear regression model, no significant relationship between PTEs concentration, log10(PTEs), and age was found. The concentrations of Ni, Cd, and Pb in hair were significantly lower in the reference area when compared to both mining and smelting areas. In addition, Cu was significantly higher in the mining area when compared to the smelting area. Factor analysis (FA) indicated that men and women from the smelting area (Baotou) and mining area (Bayan Obo), respectively, had different underlying communality of log10(PTEs), suggesting different sources of these PTEs. Multiple factor analysis quantilized the importance of gender and location when combined with PTEs levels in human hair. The results of this study indicate that people living in mining and/or smelting areas have significantly higher PTEs (Cu, Ni, Cd, and Pb) hair levels compared to reference areas, which may cause adverse health effects. Remediation should therefore be implemented to improve the health of local residents in the mining and smelting areas.

High-index-contrast photonic structures: a versatile platform for photon manipulation.

In optics, the refractive index of a material and its spatial distribution determine the characteristics of light propagation. Therefore, exploring both low- and high-index materials/structures is an important consideration in this regard. Hollow cavities, which are defined as low-index bases, exhibit a variety of unusual or even unexplored optical characteristics and are used in numerous functionalities including diffraction gratings, localised optical antennas and low-loss resonators. In this report, we discuss the fabrication of hollow cavities of various sizes (0.2-5 µm in diameter) that are supported by conformal dielectric/metal shells, as well as their specific applications in the ultraviolet (photodetectors), visible (light-emitting diodes, solar cells and metalenses), near-infrared (thermophotovoltaics) and mid-infrared (radiative coolers) regions. Our findings demonstrate that hollow cavities tailored to specific spectra and applications can serve as versatile optical platforms to address the limitations of current optoelectronic devices. Furthermore, hollow cavity embedded structures are highly elastic and can minimise the thermal stress caused by high temperatures. As such, future applications will likely include high-temperature devices such as thermophotovoltaics and concentrator photovoltaics.

Synergistically designed antireflective cover for improving wide-angle photovoltaic efficiencies.

We demonstrated that a well-designed nanopatterned cover improves photovoltaic efficiency across a wide range of incident angles (θ). A nanopatterned cover was created using an integrated ray-wave optics simulation to maximize the light absorption of the surface-textured Si photovoltaic device. A hexagonally arranged nanocone array with a 300 nm pitch was formed into a polymer using nanoimprinting, and the nanostructured polymer was then attached to a glass cover with an index-matching adhesive. Angle-resolved current density-voltage measurements on Si photovoltaic devices showed that the nanopatterned glass cover yielded a 2-13% enhancement in power conversion efficiency at θ = 0-60°, which accounted for its broadband antireflective feature. We performed all-season-perspective simulations based on the results of the integrated ray-wave optics simulations and solar altitude database of South Korea, which validated the sustainability of the developed nanopatterned cover during significant seasonal fluctuations.

Molecular Characterization of Estrogen Receptor Agonists during Sewage Treatment Processes Using Effect-Directed Analysis Combined with High-Resolution Full-Scan Screening.

Endocrine-disrupting potential was evaluated during the sewage treatment process using in vitro bioassays. Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-, androgen receptor (AR)-, glucocorticoid receptor (GR)-, and estrogen receptor (ER)-mediated activities were assessed over five steps of the treatment process. Bioassays of organic extracts showed that AhR, AR, and GR potencies tended to decrease through the sewage treatment process, whereas ER potencies did not significantly decrease. Bioassays on reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography fractions showed that F5 (log KOW 2.5-3.0) had great ER potencies. Full-scan screening of these fractions detected two novel ER agonists, arenobufagin and loratadine, which are used pharmaceuticals. These compounds accounted for 3.3-25% of the total ER potencies and 4% of the ER potencies in the final effluent. The well-known ER agonists, estrone and 17ß-estradiol, accounted for 60 and 17% of the ER potencies in F5 of the influent and primary treatment, respectively. Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry analysis showed that various molecules were generated during the treatment process, especially CHO and CHOS (C: carbon, H: hydrogen, O: oxygen, and S: sulfur). This study documented that widely used pharmaceuticals are introduced into the aquatic environments without being removed during the sewage treatment process.

A Scalable Haze-Free Antireflective Hierarchical Surface with Self-Cleaning Capability.

The lotus effect indicates that a superhydrophobic, self-cleaning surface can be obtained by roughening the topography of a hydrophobic surface. However, attaining high transmittance and clarity through a roughened surface remains challenging because of its strong scattering characteristics. Here, a haze-free, antireflective superhydrophobic surface that consists of hierarchically designed nanoparticles is demonstrated. Close-packed, deep-subwavelength-scale colloidal silica nanoparticles and their upper, chain-like fumed silica nanoparticles individually fulfill haze-free broadband antireflection and self-cleaning functions. These double-layered hierarchical surfaces are obtained via a scalable spraying process that permits precise control over the coating morphology to attain the desired optical and wetting properties. They provide a "specular" visible transmittance of >97% when double-side coated and a record-high self-cleaning capability with a near-zero sliding angle. Self-cleaning experiments on photovoltaic devices verify that the developed surfaces can significantly enhance power conversion efficiencies and aid in retaining pristine device performance in a dusty environment.

Assessment of chicken thigh meat quality of Ross 308 broiler of animal welfare certified farm.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the difference in the thigh meat quality of Ross 308 broiler from conventional and welfare farms. METHODS: Thigh meat samples of Ross 308 broilers (age, 35 d; carcass weight, 1.1 kg) from conventional farm (RCF, n = 60) and animal welfare farms (RAWF, n = 60) were analyzed. Proximate composition, pH, color (lightness, redness, and yellowness), water-holding capacity (WHC), shear force, total aerobic bacteria (TAB), and volatile basic nitrogen (VBN) were measured and the levels of bioactive compounds such as dipeptides (anserine and carnosine), creatine, creatinine, and their anti-oxidation activity were determined. RESULTS: The RCF and RAWF did not differ significantly in their proximate composition, WHC, color, and creatine and carnosine levels. The pH value was significantly lower in RAWF than in RCF on day 7. The shear force value was significantly higher in RAWF than in RCF throughout the storage duration. TAB in RCF on day 9 were significantly higher than those in RAWF. The VBN content of RAWF was significantly lower than that of RCF after 5 days of storage. Creatinine content was significantly higher in RAWF (3.50 mg/100 g) than in RCF (3.08 mg/100 g) on day 1. Along with higher carnosine and anserine contents of RAWF, it had significantly higher 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2-azinobis (3-ethyl-benzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activities than those of RCF. CONCLUSION: These results imply that the animal welfare farming system beneficially affects the overall oxidative stability of Ross 308 thigh meat.

Occurrence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the atmosphere of South Korea: A review.

Numerous studies found the presence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in various environmental compartments, including air, water, and soil. POPs have been discovered in various industrial and agricultural products with severe environmental and human health consequences. According to the data, South Korea is a hotspot for POP pollution in the southern part of Asia; hence, South Korea has implemented the Stockholm Convention's National Implementation Plan (NIP) to address this worldwide issue. The purpose of this review is to assess the distribution pattern of POPs pollution in South Korea's atmosphere. According to findings, PAHs, PCBs, BFRs, and PBDEs significantly polluted the atmosphere of South Korea; however, assessing their exposure nationwide is difficult due to a shortage of data. The POPs temporal trend and meta-analysis disclosed no proof of a decrease in PAHs and BFRs residues in the atmosphere. However, POP pollution in South Korea tends to decrease compared to contamination levels in neighboring countries like Japan and China.

Magnetic visible-light activated photocatalyst ZnFe2O4/BiVO4/g-C3N4 for decomposition of antibiotic lomefloxacin: Photocatalytic mechanism, degradation pathway, and toxicity assessment.

Magnetic ZnFe2O4/BiVO4/g-C3N4 (ZBC) composites were prepared via a facile hydrothermal and calcination method for the degradation of a representative antibiotics lomefloxacin (LFX) under visible light irradiation. The optimal photocatalyst ZBC-10 with a ZnFe2O4:BiVO4:g-C3N4 mass ratio of 1:8:10 performed 96.1% removal of LFX after 105 min of illumination. The excellent performance is ascribed to the effective construction of heterojunctions and its capacity to form a double Z-scheme charge transmission pathway among the hosts in ZBC-10. The composite enhanced the separation and migration of photoexcited charge carriers and the effective generation of multiple active radicals including ·OH, ·O2-, and 1O2. The LFX degradation process, identified based on an integrated HPLC-Q-TOF-MS analysis and density functional theory computation of the Fukui indices, comprised of three pathways initiated by the opening of the piperazinyl ring, separation of piperazinyl and quinoline moieties, and cleavage of the pyridine ring on the quinoline moieties. Ecotoxicological evaluation confirmed the reduced toxicity of transformation intermediates over photocatalysis. Convenient magnetic recovery, high performance, and high recyclability made ZBC-10 a promising visible-light-activated photocatalyst for practical implementation in eliminating antibiotics from wastewater.

Catalytic non-thermal plasma treatment of endocrine disrupting compounds, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products in aqueous solution: A review.

Contaminants of emerging concerns such as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs) and pharmaceuticals/personal-care products (PPCPs) constitute a problem since they are not completely eliminated by traditional water and wastewater treatment methods. Non-thermal plasma (NTP) is considered as one of the most favorable treatment methods for the removal of organic contaminants in water and wastewater. The degradation of selected EDCs and PPCPs of various classes was reviewed, based on the recent literature, to (i) address the effect of the main NTP treatment parameters (water quality and NTP conditions: pH, initial concentration, temperature, background common ion, NOM, scavenger, gas type/flow rate, discharge/reactor type, input power, and energy efficiency/yield) on the degradation of contaminants and their intermediates, (ii) assess the influences of different catalysts and hybrid systems on degradation, (iii) describe EDC and PPCP degradation along with their properties, and (iv) evaluate mineralization, pathway, and degradation mechanism of selected EDCs and PPCPs for different cases studied. Furthermore, areas of potential research in NTP treatment for the degradation of EDCs and PPCPs in aqueous solutions are recommended. It could be reasonably predicted that this review is valid for developing our understanding of the fundamental scientific principles concerning the catalytic NTP of EDCs and PPCPs, providing helpful and practical references for researchers and designers on the effective removal of EDCs/PPCPs and the optimized operation of catalytic NTP systems.

Full-Color Solar-Heat-Resistant Films Based on Nanometer Optical Coatings.

Nanometer optical coatings with absorbing materials allow the tuning of structured absorption spectra, thus developing ultrathin color devices. However, these coatings are limited by the narrow bandwidth and tunability of wavelength that restrict the chroma and hue characteristics of colors, respectively, apart from imposing adverse thermal problems under sunlight exposure. Here, we demonstrate that inversely designed TiN/ZnS/Ag coatings attain a wide color gamut in the trilayer configuration and efficiently dissipate heat through thermal radiation when transfer-printed on high-emissivity polymers. Daytime experiments reveal that fabricated optical films yield an almost color-independent heat dissipation rate against solar heating. Moreover, they outperform commercial paints of the same color when applied to three-dimensional miniature houses. All magenta, green, cyan, and yellow optical films lower the roof temperature by 10, 6, 8, and 2 °C below one sun irradiance, respectively, compared to their paint counterparts; the temperature gradient increases directly with the level of sunlight.