Superelastic Polymer Aerogel with Superamphiphilicity.

Elastic aerogels have become a research hot spot in both academia and industry recently. The reported elastic aerogels are all made of hard materials by controlling their shapes. Herein we report an elastic aerogel made of a polymer elastomer with entropy elasticity. In the aerogel, cross-linked carboxyl nitrile rubber nanoparticles with hydrophilicity are dispersed in hydrophobic derivative of styrene-maleic anhydride alternating copolymer, forming a very special micro-nano surface structure with hydrophilic protrusions and hydrophobic depressions on the aerogel wall; therefore, the aerogel is not only superelastic but also superamphiphilic. A leak-free phase-change composite was prepared using the aerogel and paraffin, which can maintain at phase change temperature of paraffin for a longer time than the traditional one. The aerogel is also extremely suitable for desalination evaporators in solar-driven interfacial evaporation technology due to its superamphiphilicity, superelasticity, and ability to absorb sunlight. Exceptional evaporation rate of 2.78 kg·m-2·h-1 and evaporation efficiency of 170% could be reached even without using expensive light-absorbing materials. The evaporation rate exceeds that of most evaporators with expensive light-absorbing materials, and the evaporation efficiency exceeds the theoretical limit of conventional 2D solar evaporators. Both the phase-change composite and the evaporator can be easily recovered because the novel superelastic aerogel reported in this work is also recyclable.

Amphiphilic Superspreading Polymer Membranes Prepared by Capillary Force-Driven Self-Assembly.

To overcome the two main obstacles of large-scale application of superspreading material, self assembly is used to prepare superspreading polymer membrane (SPPM) in this work. An amphiphilic SPPM is prepared by capillary force-driven self assembly using PP melt-blown nonwovens and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). The prepared SPPM has low preparation cost and stable performance since self assembly needs low energy consumption, and the production is thermodynamically stable. By using cryo-electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectrum and scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is proved that PVA is successfully assembled on the fiber surface of PP melt-blown nonwovens. The prepared SPPM has excellent spreading performance, the "spreading times" of both water and oil are less than 0.5 s. They showed much superior performance compared to traditional materials when applied in oil-water separation, seawater desalination, and ion separation. This work will definitely promote the development of self assembly, superspreading materials, and related sciences.

Modular Cascade of Flow Reactors: Continuous Flow Synthesis of Water-Insoluble Diazo Dyes in Aqueous System.

Continuous flow synthesis is pivotal in dye production to address batch-to-batch variations. However, synthesizing water-insoluble dyes in an aqueous system poses a challenge that can lead to clogging. This study successfully achieved the safe and efficient synthesis of azo dyes by selecting and optimizing flow reactor modules for different reaction types in the two-step reaction and implementing cascade cooperation. Integrating continuous flow microreactor with continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) enabled the continuous flow synthesis of Sudan Yellow 3G without introducing water-soluble functional groups or using organic solvents to enhance solubility. Optimizing conditions (acidity/alkalinity, temperature, residence time) within the initial modular continuous flow reactor resulted in a remarkable 99.5% isolated yield, 98.6 % purity, and a production rate of 2.90 g h-1. Scaling-up based on different reactor module characteristics further increased the production rate to 74.4 g h-1 while maintaining high yield and purity. The construction of this small 3D-printing modular cascaded reactor and process scaling-up provide technical support for continuous flow synthesis of water-insoluble dyes, particularly high-market-share azo dyes. Moreover, this versatile methodology proves applicable to continuous flow processes involving various homogeneous and heterogeneous reaction cascades.

The relationship between cadmium and cognition in the elderly: a systematic review.

Context: The relationship between cadmium (Cd) and the cognition of the elderly is indistinct.Objective: To summarise the studies on the relationship between the cognition of the elderly and Cd.Methods: Literatures were searched in PubMed, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wan fang database on April 25, 2022. The entries in the STROBE statement were used to evaluate the literature quality; all the quantitative studies that met the requirements were systematically summarised.Results: Blood Cd was negatively correlated with the cognitive ability of the elderly, corresponding to different cognitive ability assessment methods, the regression coefficients were: -0.11 (-0.20, -0.03), -0.46 (-0.71, -0.21), -0.54 (-0.90, -0.17), -0.19 (-0.37, -0.01), and -2.29 (-3.41, -1.16). The regression coefficients between urinary Cd level and cognition score were -1.42 (-2.38, -0.46), and 0.76 (-1.28, -0.23). When dietary Cd increased by 1 µg/kg, the composite z-score decreased by 3.64 (p = 0.001). There was no significant correlation between drinking water Cd, fingernail Cd and cognition (p > 0.05).Conclusion: We concluded that blood Cd (including whole blood and plasma), urine Cd and dietary Cd were negatively correlated with the cognition of the elderly, but the relationship between Cd in drinking water and fingernails and cognition was not statistically significant.

Association of CIDEB gene promoter methylation with overweight or obesity in adults.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of the methylation level of cell death-inducing DFF45-like effector B (CIDEB) gene promoter with overweight or obesity in the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and omental adipose tissue (OAT) of adults. METHODS: A total of 61 patients undergoing abdominal surgery in the hospital were selected with an average age of 51.87 years. According to the diagnostic criteria of Chinese adult obesity, the subjects were divided into normal-weight group (n = 28) and overweight/obesity group (n = 33). CIDEB promoter methylation level in abdominal SAT and OAT was detected by the MethylTarget technology, then its relationship with overweight or obesity was analyzed. RESULTS: (1) There were no statistical differences between the normal-weight group and overweight/obesity group in Methylation levels of 16 CpG sites in the CIDEB gene promoter sequence. (2) The methylation level of OAT was higher than that of SAT, and there were significant differences in 16 CpG sites. (3) There were 3 statistically significant haplotypes between the normal-weight group and overweight/obesity group (2 in SAT and 1 in OAT). CONCLUSIONS: The methylation level of CIDEB gene promoter in abdominal SAT and OAT may be related to overweight or obesity in adults, and the specific regulatory mechanism needs to be further studied.

The causal association between body mass index and type 2 diabetes mellitus-evidence based on regression discontinuity design.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate and determine the precise causal association between body mass index (BMI) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) using a regression discontinuity design (RDD). METHODS: The cross-sectional data of 8550 participants were from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) in 2015. Influencing factors with statistically significant were selected with logistic regression analysis, and a risk prediction model was established to obtain the risk of individuals suffering from T2DM. RDD was performed with BMI as the grouping variable and the risk of individuals suffering from T2DM as the outcome variable. RESULTS: The predictive factors in the T2DM risk prediction model were age, gender, BMI, habitation, education, physical activity level, preference for sugary beverages, walking, self-evaluation health status and history of hypertension. The AUC (area under receiver operating characteristic curve) of the T2DM risk prediction model was 0.849 (95% CI: 0.833, 0.866). BMI was an independent risk factor for T2DM (OR = 1.109, p < 0.001); at BMI = 31 kg/m2 , the risk of T2DM increased sharply by 5.03% (p = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS: There was a positive causal association between BMI and T2DM; when BMI = 31 kg/m2 , the risk of individuals suffering from T2DM was sharply increased.

Trends in the age-related incidence of colon and rectal cancers in China, 2005-2015.

BACKGROUND: Recent evidences showed that the incidence of colorectal cancer decreased among older adults, yet this decline didn't appear in adults younger than 50 years. Our aim was to evaluate age-related incidence trends of colon and rectal cancers in China during 2005-2015. METHODS: A retrospective study of colon and rectal cancers was conducted using population-based data from the Chinese Cancer Registry Annual Report. Age at diagnosis was analyzed in five sub-groups (0-19, 20-34, 35-49, 50-64 and 65 years). Data including new cases, incidence, and age-standardized rates (ASRs) were classified by sex and area. Temporal trends of ASRs were determined with Joinpoint regression analysis. RESULTS: From 2005 to 2015, colon cancer incidence decreased by -2.2% (95%CI: -3.1, -1.3) per year. A more steady decrease was seen in rectal cancer with AAPC of -0.9% (95%CI: -1.4, -0.4). Stratified by age at diagnosis, incidence trends followed a similar pattern, without age-related disparity. Females showed pronounced declines relative to males. The exception was that rural individuals showed opposite increasing trends, with 2.7% of AAPCs for colon cancer and 2.0% for rectal cancer. CONCLUSION: A slight decline was observed in colon and rectal cancers during 2005-2015, regardless of age at diagnosis.

Linear association between grip strength and all-cause mortality among the elderly: results from the SHARE study.

BACKGROUND: Grip strength had become a potential tool for clinical assessments, while the predictive value of the grip strength of community-based populations had some limitations. AIMS: To identify the shapes of the association between grip strength and all-cause mortality in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) cohort. METHODS: Based on the SHARE cohort, 13,231 subjects aged 65 years and older were included in this study. Cox models with penalized splines (P-splines) were employed to characterize the shapes of the association between grip strength and all-cause mortality with the adjustment of covariates including sociodemographic characteristics, health characteristics, behavioral habits, and illness status. Then grip strength was analyzed as a categorical variable in quintile to examine the impact of low grip strength on all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Inversely linear associations were found between grip strength and mortality both in males and females after adjustment for covariates. The hazard ratios (HRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for each 5 kg decrease in grip strength to all-cause mortality were 1.11 (1.06-1.18) in males and 1.17 (1.08-1.28) in females. In comparison with subjects in the fifth quintile, the adjusted HRs and 95% CIs of all-cause mortality in the first quintile was 2.39 (1.79-3.19) in males and 1.84 (1.34-2.51) in females. Which were statistically significant in the second quintile compared with the fifth quintile [Males: 2.06 (1.56, 2.74), Females: 1.83 (1.35, 2.48)]. CONCLUSIONS: Grip strength is inversely linear association with all-cause mortality and the low grip strength at the first and second quintile are a robust predictor of all-cause mortality.

A New Family of Photoluminescent Polymers with Dual Chromophores.

A new family of photoluminescent polymers with dual chromophores is prepared in this study by using poly(maleic anhydride-alt-vinyl acetate), acetone, and metal hydroxide. These polymers, which contain both bulky carboxylic ester groups and metal carboxylate groups, are found to be dual-emission photoluminescent, with a blue luminescence excitation-dependent group and a red luminescence excitation-independent group. These photoluminescence polymers with a nonconjugated structure and dual chromophores also show characteristics of aggregation-induced emission (AIE). The luminous intensities of the AIE fibers prepared using the polymers are found to increase after stretching, in contrast to traditional photoluminescent fibers with the aggregation-caused quenching property. The study also finds that the stretched fibers can emit the three primary colors when irradiated by ultraviolet, blue, and green light.

Water-Soluble Polymers with Strong Photoluminescence through an Eco-Friendly and Low-Cost Route.

Photoluminescence (PL) of nonconjugated polymers brings a favorable opportunity for low-cost and nontoxic luminescent materials, while most of them still exhibit relatively weak emission. Strong PL from poly[(maleic anhydride)-alt-(vinyl acetate)] (PMV) from low-cost monomer has been found in organic solvents, yet the necessity of noxious solvents would hinder its practical applications. Herein, through a novel, eco-friendly, and one-step route, PMV-derived PL polymers can be fabricated with the highest quantum yield of 87% among water-soluble nonconjugated PL polymers ever reported. These PMV-derived polymers emit strong blue emission in both solutions and solids, and can be transformed into red-emission agents easily. These PL polymers exhibit application potentials in light-conversion agricultural films. It is assumed that this work not only puts forward a convenient preparation routine for nonconjugated polymers with high PL, but also provides an industrial application possibility for them.

High Performance Heteroatoms Quaternary-doped Carbon Catalysts Derived from Shewanella Bacteria for Oxygen Reduction.

A novel heteroatoms (N, P, S and Fe) quaternary-doped carbon (HQDC-X, X refers to the pyrolysis temperature) can be fabricated by directly pyrolyzing a gram-negative bacteria, S. oneidensis MR-1 as precursors at 800 °C, 900 °C and 1000 °C under argon atmosphere. These HQDC-X catalysts maintain the cylindrical shape of bacteria after pyrolysis under high temperatures, while heteroatoms including N, P, S and Fe distribute homogeneously on the carbon frameworks. As a result, HQDC-X catalysts exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity for ORR via a dominant four-electron oxygen reduction pathway in alkaline medium, which is comparable with that of commercial Pt/C. More importantly, HQDC-X catalysts show better tolerance for methanol crossover and CO poisoning effects, long-term durability than commercial Pt/C, which could be promising alternatives to costly Pt-based electrocatalysts for ORR. The method may provide a promising avenue to develop cheap ORR catalysts from inexpensive, scalable and biological recursors.

Shewanella-mediated biosynthesis of manganese oxide micro-/nanocubes as efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction.

Developing efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical for promoting the widespread application of fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Here, we develop a biological low-cost, ecofriendly method for the synthesis of Mn2 O3 micro-/nanocubes by calcination of MnCO3 precursors in an oxygen atmosphere. Microcubic MnCO3 precursors with an edge length of 2.5 µm were fabricated by dissimilatory metal-reducing Shewanella loihica PV-4 in the presence of MnO4 (-) as the sole electron acceptor under anaerobic conditions. After calcining the MnCO3 precursors at 500 and 700 °C, porous Mn2 O3 -500 and Mn2 O3 -700 also showed microcubic morphology, while their edge lengths decreased to 1.8 µm due to thermal decomposition. Moreover, the surfaces of the Mn2 O3 microcubes were covered by granular nanoparticles with average diameters in the range of 18-202 nm, depending on the calcination temperatures. Electrochemical measurements demonstrated that the porous Mn2 O3 -500 micro-/nanocubes exhibit promising catalytic activity towards the ORR in an alkaline medium, which should be due to a synergistic effect of the overlapping molecular orbitals of oxygen/manganese and the hierarchically porous structures that are favorable for oxygen absorption. Moreover, these Mn2 O3 micro-/nanocubes possess better stability than commercial Pt/C catalysts and methanol-tolerance property in alkaline solution. Thus the Shewanella-mediated biosynthesis method we provided here might be a new strategy for the preparation of various transition metal oxides as high-performance ORR electrocatalysts at low cost.

Sulfur, trace nitrogen and iron codoped hierarchically porous carbon foams as synergistic catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction.

Sulfur, trace nitrogen and iron codoped, hierarchically porous carbon foams (HPCFs) were fabricated by directly pyrolyzing sulfur-enriched conductive polymer, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiphene)-polystyrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT-PSS) aerogels under argon atmosphere. This simple pyrolysis treatment results in the molecular rearrangement of heteroatom sulfur, adjacent carbons and trace nitrogen/iron from oxidants to form active catalytic sites of HPCFs. At the same time, the high porosity of HPCFs provides the large surface area for the uniform distribution of active sites, and allows rapid oxygen transport and diffusion. As a result, these HPCFs exhibit the enhanced catalytic performances for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) via a direct four-electron reduction pathway in alkaline electrolyte. Besides, they also display a higher stability and better methanol/CO tolerance than the commercial Pt/C catalyst, which makes them promising low cost, non-precious-metal ORR catalysts for practical application in fuel cells and metal-air batteries.

Biomolecule-doped PEDOT with three-dimensional nanostructures as efficient catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

Metal macro-cyclic compounds have drawn considerable attention as alternative catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction. However, the continuous pyrolysis process usually needed for improving the performance of these compounds require an elevated temperature and complicated procedures, thus leading to an unpredictable transformation of the chemical structures and limiting their applications. Herein, we develop a new insight to fabricating hemin-doped poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) with controllable three-dimensional nanostructures via a one-step, tri-phase, self-assembled polymerization routine. We demonstrate that the hemin-induced synergistic effect results in a very high 4-electron oxygen reduction activity, a better stability, and free from methanol crossover effects even in a neutral phosphate buffer solution (PBS).