Identification of phase-I and phase-II metabolites and the metabolic pathway of the novel synthetic cannabinoid 5F-EDMB-PICA in vitro.

5F-EDMB-PICA is a newly emerged synthetic cannabinoid which has been characterized in relevant literature in recent years. Although phase-I metabolites of 5F-EDMB-PICA have been partly reported, the phase-II metabolism of this synthetic cannabinoid has not been studied yet. In this study, we established a phase-I and phase-II metabolism model in vitro by using pooled human liver microsomes, NADPH regeneration system, and UGT incubation system, with 1 mg/ml 5F-EDMB-PICA added and incubated at 37 °C for 60 min. The metabolites were analyzed by Q Exactive™ Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap™ Mass Spectrometer, via which we discovered and identified 14 phase-I metabolites and 4 phase-II metabolites of 5F-EDMB-PICA, involving pathways such as ester hydrolysis, dehydrogenation, hydrolytic defluorination, hydroxylation, dihydroxylation, glucuronidation, and combinations of the pathways mentioned above. We recommend considering the monohydroxylation metabolites (M9, M10) with higher content and intact ester and 5-fluoropentyl structures as potential biomarkers of 5F-EDMB-PICA.

Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide mediates priming of the NLRP3 inflammasome activation via TLR4/ NF-κB signaling pathway to exert immunostimulatory effects.

Dictyophora indusiata, commonly known as bamboo fungus, is a type of edible mushroom that is highly popular worldwide for its rich flavor and nutritional value. It is also recognized for its pharmaceutical efficacy, with medicinal benefits attributed to its consumption. One of the most important components of Dictyophora indusiata is polysaccharide, which has been acknowledged as a promising regulator of biological response due to its immunostimulatory and anti-inflammatory properties. However, the specific roles of polysaccharide in modulating the NOD-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome activation within macrophages remain relatively under-researched. To investigate this further, the mechanism by which Dictyophora indusiata polysaccharide (DIP) exerts its immunostimulatory activity in RAW 264.7 macrophages was analyzed. Results indicated that DIP has the potential to facilitate the priming of NLRP3 inflammasome activation by enhancing TLR4 expression, phosphorylation of IκB-α, and nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 subunit. It was noted that DIP was unable to mediate the second step of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. The findings of this study provide compelling evidence that DIP has immunomodulatory effects by modulating the NLRP3 inflammasome in RAW264.7 macrophages.

Enhanced light extraction efficiency of GaN-based green micro-LED modulating by a thickness-tunable SiO2 passivation structure.

Green micro-light emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) is one of the three primary color light sources as full-color display, which serves as a key research object in the field of micro-LED display. As the micro-LED size decreases, the surface-area-to-volume ratio of the device increases, leading to more serious damage on the sidewall by inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etching. The passivation process of SiO2 provides an effective method to reduce sidewall damage caused by ICP etching. In this work, green rectangular micro-LEDs with passivation layer thickness of 0∼600 nm was designed using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. In order to verify the simulation results, the micro-LED array was fabricated by parallel laser micro-lens array (MLA) lithography in high speed and large area. The effect of the SiO2 passivation layer thickness on the performance of the green micro-LED was analyzed, which shows that the passivation layer thickness-light extraction efficiency curve fluctuates periodically. For the sample with 90 nm thickness of SiO2 passivation layer, there exists a small leakage current and higher operating current density, and the maximum external quantum efficiency (EQE) is 2.8 times higher than micro-LED without SiO2 passivation layer.

Immunosensor for realtime monitoring of the expression of recombinant proteins during bioprocess.

Recombinant protein expression and purification are crucial in modern life sciences research. A fluorescent immunosensor termed Quenchbody (Q-body) was developed for real-time monitoring of FLAG-fused protein expression. Detection results showed that the limit of detection of the 3 × FLAG peptide detected by the TAMRA-labeled anti-FLAG Q-body was as low as 3.1 nM, with a half-maximal effective concentration of 21.4 nM. Furthermore, the anti-FLAG Q-body was used for detecting different proteins fused with a FLAG-tag at the N- or C-terminal. Subsequently, the constructed Q-body was used to monitor the real-time fermentation process of single-strand DNA-binding protein in Escherichia coli. Unlike previously reported Q-bodies that widely used Fab or scFv, the present study used a full-length anti-FLAG IgG for the first time. Owing to its excellent detection speed and sensitivity, the FLAG Q-body immunosensor has the potential to quantify and monitor target recombinant proteins in multiple biological processes in real-time.

Network Structure and Nanoplatelet Characterization of the Edible Fat Crystallization in Low-Fat W/O Emulsions.

Fat crystals provided the strength of the colloidal network in W/O emulsions and stabilized water droplets. To understand the stabilizing effect of fat-regulated emulsions, W/O emulsions with different edible fats were fabricated. The result indicated that more stable W/O emulsions were produced by palm oil (PO) and palm stearin (PS), whose proportions of fatty acids were similar. Meanwhile, water droplets inhibited the crystallization of emulsified fats but participated in the formation of the colloidal network with fat crystals in emulsions, and the Avrami equation showed a slower crystallization rate of emulsified fats than the corresponding fat blends. However, water droplets participated in the formation of a colloidal network of fat crystals in emulsions, and the adjacent fat crystals were connected through a bridge constructed by water droplets. Fats in the emulsion containing palm stearin crystallized faster and more easily formed the ß-polymorph. The small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) data were interpreted by the unified fit model to determine the average size of crystalline nanoplatelets (CNPs). The larger CNPs (>100 nm) with a rough surface of emulsified fats and a uniform distribution of their aggregates was confirmed.

Density Functional Theory Study of CO2 Hydrogenation on Transition-Metal-Doped Cu(211) Surfaces.

The massive emission of CO2 has caused a series of environmental problems, including global warming, which exacerbates natural disasters and human health. Cu-based catalysts have shown great activity in the reduction of CO2, but the mechanism of CO2 activation remains ambiguous. In this work, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to investigate the hydrogenation of CO2 on Cu(211)-Rh, Cu(211)-Ni, Cu(211)-Co, and Cu(211)-Ru surfaces. The doping of Rh, Ni, Co, and Ru was found to enhance CO2 hydrogenation to produce COOH. For CO2 hydrogenation to produce HCOO, Ru plays a positive role in promoting CO dissociation, while Rh, Ni, and Co increase the barriers. These results indicate that Ru is the most effective additive for CO2 reduction in Cu-based catalysts. In addition, the doping of Rh, Ni, Co, and Ru alters the electronic properties of Cu, and the activity of Cu-based catalysts was subsequently affected according to differential charge analysis. The analysis of Bader charge shows good predictions for CO2 reduction over Cu-based catalysts. This study provides some fundamental aids for the rational design of efficient and stable CO2-reducing agents to mitigate CO2 emission.

Parahippocampus hypertrophy drives gray matter morphological alterations in migraine patients without aura.

BACKGROUND: The aberrance of gray matter morphology in migraineurs has been widely investigated. However, it remains largely unknown whether there are illness duration-related hierarchical changes in the gray matter structure. METHODS: A total of 86 migraine without aura (MwoA) patients and 73 healthy controls were included. The Voxel-Based Morphometry approach was utilized to compare the gray matter volume (GMV) differences between MwoA patients and healthy controls. The Structural Covariance Network analysis was conducted to quantify the cross-regional synchronous alterations of gray matter structure in MwoA patients. The Causal Structural Covariance Network analysis was performed to describe the progressive and hierarchical changes in the gray matter network of patients in the pathological progression of migraine. RESULTS: MwoA patients had duration-stage related GMV hypertrophy in the left parahippocampus, as well as synergistic GMV aberrance in the parahippocampus and the medial inferior temporal gyrus and cerebellum. Moreover, the GMV alteration of the parahippocampus, and the surrounding hippocampus, amygdala, and bilateral anterior cerebellum, preceded and causally influenced the morphological changes of lateral parietal-temporal-occipital gyrus, as well as the motor cortex and prefrontal gyrus with the increasing illness duration in MwoA patients. CONCLUSION: The current study indicated that gray matter structural alterations in the medial inferior temporal gyrus, especially the parahippocampus, is a critical pathological characteristic in MwoA patients, which drives the gray matter structure alteration of other regions. These findings provide further evidence for understanding the progressive gray matter morphological changes in migraine and may facilitate the development of neuromodulation therapies targeting this procession.

AAQSP increases mapping resolution of stable QTLs through applying NGS-BSA in multiple genetic backgrounds.

KEY MESSAGE: In this study, we present AAQSP as an extension of existing NGS-BSA applications for identifying stable QTLs at high resolution. GhPAP16 and GhIQD14 fine mapped on chromosome D09 of upland cotton are identified as important candidate genes for lint percentage (LP). Bulked segregant analysis combined with next generation sequencing (NGS-BSA) allows rapid identification of genome sequence differences responsible for phenotypic variation. The NGS-BSA approach applied to crops mainly depends on comparing two bulked DNA samples of individuals from an F2 population. Since some F2 individuals still maintain high heterozygosity, heterosis will exert complications in pursuing NGS-BSA in such populations. In addition, the genetic background influences the stability of gene expression in crops, so some QTLs mapped in one segregating population may not be widely applied in crop improvement. The AAQSP (Association Analysis of QTL-seq on Semi-homologous Populations) reported in our study combines the optimized scheme of constructing BSA bulks with NGS-BSA analysis in two (or more) different parental genetic backgrounds for isolating the stable QTLs. With application of AAQSP strategy and construction of a high-density linkage map, we have successfully identified a QTL significantly related to lint percentage (LP) in cultivated upland cotton, followed by map-based cloning to dissect two candidate genes, GhPAP16 and GhIQD14. This study demonstrated that AAQSP can efficiently identify stable QTLs for complex traits of interest, and thus accelerate the genetic improvement of upland cotton and other crop plants.

Crystallization of lipids and lipid emulsions treated by power ultrasound: A review.

The actual food system with fat is always complex and fat crystal and fat crystal networks have important effects on the physical properties of food. Recently, power ultrasound (PU) had been widely recognized as an auxiliary technology of fat crystallization to modify food properties. This review expounded on the mechanism of ultrasonic crystallization, and summarized effects of various factors in the process of ultrasonic treatment on fat crystallization. Based on the above, combined with the application of ultrasound in emulsions, the ultrasonic fat crystallization effect in the emulsion system was judged and described. Research results indicated that PU could shorten the induction time of crystallization, accelerate the formation of crystal nuclei, and change the polymorphism of fat crystals. The product treated by PU formed smaller and more uniform crystals to produce a more viscoelastic fat crystal network. In emulsion systems, ultrasonic treatments showed the same effect, but the effect of ultrasonic crystallization on the emulsion stability was different due to fat crystals in different emulsion systems. Meanwhile, the importance of ultrasonic crystallization in lipid emulsions was emphasized, thus ultrasonic crystallization had great potential in emulsion systems.

CCTA-derived strain analysis in detection of regional myocardial dysfunction in coronary artery disease patients with preserved left ventricular ejection fraction: A feasibility study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the feasibility of using coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA)-derived strain to detect regional myocardial dysfunction in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with normal left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). METHODS: A total of 1,580 segments from 101 patients who underwent stressed CT myocardial perfusion imaging (CT-MPI) and CCTA were retrospectively enrolled in this study. The CT-derived global and segmental strain values were evaluated using the feature tracking technique. Segments with myocardial blood flow (MBF) < 125 ml/min/100 ml and 95 ml/min/100 ml were categorized as ischemic and infarcted, respectively. RESULTS: Segmental radial strain (SRS) and segmental circumferential strain (SCS) in the abnormal segments (including all segments with MBF < 125 ml/min/100 ml) were significantly lower than those in the normal segments (14.81±8.65% vs 17.17±9.13%, p < 0.001; -10.21±5.79% vs -11.86±4.52%, p < 0.001, respectively). SRS and SCS values in infarcted segments were significantly impaired compared with the ischemic segments (12.43±8.03% vs. 15.32±8.71%, p = 0.038; -7.72±5.91% vs. -10.67±5.66%, p = 0.010, respectively). The AUCs for SRS and SCS in detecting infarcted segments were 0.622 and 0.698, respectively (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible for using CCTA-derived strain parameters to detect regional myocardial dysfunction in CAD patients with preserved LVEF. Segmental radial and circumferential strain have the potential ability to distinguish myocardial ischemia from infarction, and normal from ischemic myocardium.

Mitochondrial genes are involved in the fertility transformation of the thermosensitive male-sterile line YS3038 in wheat.

Heterosis can improve the stress resistance, quality, and yield of crops, and the male sterility of wheat can be utilized to accelerate the breeding process of hybrid. To determine whether mitochondrial genes are involved in the fertility of K-type cytoplasmic male-sterile (CMS) line and the YS-type thermosensitive male-sterile (TMS) line in wheat, we sequenced and assembled the mitochondrial genomes of K519A, 519B, and YS3038 by next-generation sequencing (NGS). The non-synonymous mutations were analyzed, and the first-generation sequencing was conducted to verify the non-synonymous mutation sites. Furthermore, the expression patterns of genes with non-synonymous mutations were analyzed. Finally, the candidate genes were silenced by barley stripe mosaic virus-induced gene silencing (BSMV-VIGS) to test the functions of the candidate genes. The results revealed that the mitochondrial genomes of K519A, 519B, and YS3038 were 420,543, 433,560, and 452,567 bp in length, respectively. Besides, 33, 31, and 37 protein-coding genes were identified in K519A, 519B, and YS3038, respectively. There were 14 protein-coding genes and 83 open reading frame (ORF) sequences that differed between K519A and 519B and 10 protein-coding genes and 122 ORF sequences that differed between K519A and YS3038. At the binucleate stage, seven genes (nad6, ORF256, ORF216, ORF138, atp6, nad3, and cox1) were downregulated in K519A compared with 519B, and 10 genes (nad6, atp6, cox3, atp8, nad3, cox1, rps3, ORF216, ORF138, and ORF224) were downregulated in YS3038 compared with K519A. Besides, six genes (nad6, ORF138, cox3, cox1, rps3, and ORF224) were downregulated under fertile conditions relative to sterile conditions in YS3038. Gene silencing analysis showed that the silencing of cox1 significantly reduced the seed setting rate of YS3038, indicating that the cox1 gene may be involved in the fertility transformation of YS3038. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-021-01252-x.

"Olfactory three-needle" acupuncture enhances synaptic function in Aß1-42-induced Alzheimer's disease via activating PI3K/AKT/GSK-3ß signaling pathway.

Synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss are related to cognitive impairment of Alzheimer's disease. Recent evidence indicates that regulating the phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT/GSK-3ß pathway is a therapeutic strategy for improving synaptic plasticity in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we investigated "olfactory three-needle" effects on synaptic function and the PI3K/AKT/GSK-3ß signaling pathway in ß-amyloid1-42 (Aß1-42)-induced Alzheimer's disease rats. A three-needle olfactory bulb insertion for 28 days alleviated Aß1-42-induced Alzheimer's disease rats' cognitive impairment as assessed by performance in the Morris water maze test. Furthermore, the three-needle electrode inhibited neuro-apoptosis and neuro-inflammation. It significantly upregulated the protein expression of postsynaptic density protein 95, synaptophysin, and GAP43, indicating a protective effect on hippocampal synaptic plasticity. Additionally, the activation level of PI3K/AKT signaling and the phosphorylation inactivation of GSK-3ß were significantly enhanced by the "olfactory three-needle". Our findings suggested that the three-needle acupuncture is a potential alternative to improve synaptic plasticity and neuronal survival of Alzheimer's disease brain in rodents.

High-yield production of L-serine through a novel identified exporter combined with synthetic pathway in Corynebacterium glutamicum.

BACKGROUND: L-Serine has wide and increasing applications in industries with fast-growing market demand. Although strategies for achieving and improving L-serine production in Corynebacterium glutamicum (C. glutamicum) have focused on inhibiting its degradation and enhancing its biosynthetic pathway, L-serine yield has remained relatively low. Exporters play an essential role in the fermentative production of amino acids. To achieve higher L-serine yield, L-serine export from the cell should be improved. In C. glutamicum, ThrE, which can export L-threonine and L-serine, is the only identified L-serine exporter so far. RESULTS: In this study, a novel L-serine exporter NCgl0580 was identified and characterized in C. glutamicum ΔSSAAI (SSAAI), and named as SerE (encoded by serE). Deletion of serE in SSAAI led to a 56.5% decrease in L-serine titer, whereas overexpression of serE compensated for the lack of serE with respect to L-serine titer. A fusion protein with SerE and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was constructed to confirm that SerE localized at the plasma membrane. The function of SerE was studied by peptide feeding approaches, and the results showed that SerE is a novel exporter for L-serine and L-threonine in C. glutamicum. Subsequently, the interaction of a known L-serine exporter ThrE and SerE was studied, and the results suggested that SerE is more important than ThrE in L-serine export in SSAAI. In addition, probe plasmid and electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSA) revealed NCgl0581 as the transcriptional regulator of SerE. Comparative transcriptomics between SSAAI and the NCgl0581 deletion strain showed that NCgl0581 is a positive regulator of NCgl0580. Finally, by overexpressing the novel exporter SerE, combined with L-serine synthetic pathway key enzyme serAΔ197, serC, and serB, the resulting strain presented an L-serine titer of 43.9 g/L with a yield of 0.44 g/g sucrose, which is the highest L-serine titer and yield reported so far in C. glutamicum. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a novel target for L-serine and L-threonine export engineering as well as a new global transcriptional regulator NCgl0581 in C. glutamicum.

Aligned Heterointerface-Induced 1T-MoS2 Monolayer with Near-Ideal Gibbs Free for Stable Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

1T-phase molybdenum disulfide (1T-MoS2 ) exhibits superior hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) over 2H-phase MoS2 (2H-MoS2 ). However, its thermodynamic instability is the main drawback impeding its practical application. In this work, a stable 1T-MoS2 monolayer formed at edge-aligned 2H-MoS2 and a reduced graphene oxide heterointerface (EA-2H/1T/RGO) using a precursor-in-solvent synthesis strategy are reported. Theoretical prediction indicates that the edge-aligned layer stacking can induce heterointerfacial charge transfer, which results in a phase transition of the interfacial monolayer from 2H to 1T that realizes thermodynamic stability based on the adhesion energy between MoS2 and graphene. As an electrocatalyst for HER, EA-2H/1T/RGO displays an onset potential of -103 mV versus RHE, a Tafel slope of 46 mV dec-1 and 10 h stability in acidic electrolyte. The unexpected activity of EA-2H/1T/RGO beyond 1T-MoS2 is due to an inherent defect caused by the gliding of S atoms during the phase transition from 2H to 1T, leading the Gibbs free energy of hydrogen adsorption (ΔGH* ) to decrease from 0.13 to 0.07 eV, which is closest to the ideal value (0.06 eV) of 2H-MoS2 . The presented work provides fundamental insights into the impressive electrochemical properties of HER and opens new avenues for phase transitions at 2D/2D hybrid interfaces.

Energy metabolism involved in fertility of the wheat TCMS line YS3038.

MAIN CONCLUSION: In the wheat TCMS line YS3038, the anther development is inhibited from late uninucleate stage to the binucleate stage. The disruption of energy metabolism pathways by aberrant transcriptional regulation causes the male sterility under low temperatures. The utilization of thermosensitive male sterile (TMS) lines provides a basis for two-line breeding. Previous work, including morphological and cytological observations, has shown that the development process of the TMS line YS3038 is inhibited from the late uninucleate stage to the binucleate stage. Transcriptomics studies could now help to elucidate the overall expression of related genes in a specific reproductive process, revealing the metabolic network and its regulatory mechanism of the reproductive process from the transcription level. Considering the fertility characteristics of YS3038, three important stages for transcriptome analysis were determined to be the early uninucleate, late uninucleate and binucleate stages. The number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was found to be highest in the binucleate stage, and most were related to energy metabolism. Quantitative PCR analysis of selected genes related to energy metabolism revealed that their expression patterns were consistent with the sequencing results. Analysis of the fertility mechanism of YS3038 showed that although the tapetum of anthers was degraded in advance of the tetrad stage, the development of microspores did not result in obvious abnormalities until the binucleate stage, because the genes involved in energy metabolism pathways, including starch and sucrose metabolism (SSM), glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and respiration electron transport chain are differentially expressed under sterile and fertile conditions. Therefore, the pollen in YS3038 was sterile.

Exposure to acute ammonia stress influences survival, immune response and antioxidant status of pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) pretreated with diverse levels of inositol.

The effect of acute ammonia challenge on survival, immune response and antioxidant status of Litopenaeus vannamei pretreated with diets containing different inositol levels was investigated. Shrimp (initial mean weight 0.40 ±â€¯0.00 g) were randomly allocated in 18 tanks (30 shrimp per tank) and triplicate tanks were fed with a control diet without myo-inositol (MI) supplementation (242.6 mg inositol kg-1 diet) or diets containing diverse levels of inositol (368.8, 459.7, 673.1, 993.8 and 1674.4  mg kg-1 diet) as treatment groups for 8-week. Randomly selected 10 shrimp per tank (final mean weight approximately 11.1-13.8g) were exposed to ammonia stress (total ammonia-nitrogen, 60.21  mg L-1) for 24 h after feeding trial. The results showed that after exposed to ammonia stress, survival rates of MI-supplemented groups were enhanced by 31-77% when compared with the control group. MI supplementation increased activities of alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and acid phosphatase (ACP) in plasma, and reduced its activities in hepatopancreas. It also enhanced activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), glutathione S-transferase (GST) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) and content of reduced glutathione (GSH), and lowered malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) content in plasma or hepatopancreas. In addition, mRNA expression levels of ferritin (FT), arginine kinase (AK), thioredoxin (Trx), heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), catalase (CAT) and peroxiredoxin (Prx) were significantly differentially regulated in hepatopancreas owing to MI supplementation. Therefore, it suggested that L. vannamei pretreated with higher dietary inositol content may have better ammonia stress tolerance and antioxidant status after ammonia stress, and the optimum levels ranged from 459.7 to 993.8 mg inositol kg-1 when total ammonia-nitrogen concentration was 60.21  mg L-1.

Risk factors for early postoperative cognitive dysfunction after colorectal surgery.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is correlated with the degeneration of the central nervous system, oxidative stress, inflammation, and endocrine and immune dysfunction. Increased age, predisposed comorbidity, long surgery time, and prolonged stay in the intensive care unit have been reported to be risk factors for developing POCD for cardiac surgery. In the present study, the risk factors of early POCD after colorectal surgery were investigated. METHODS: Eighty patients, who provided informed consents for their participation in this study, were enrolled and received colorectal surgery under general anesthesia. Neuropsychological tests were performed preoperatively and on postoperative day seven. The risk factors for POCD were analyzed using a multivariate logistic regression model. RESULTS: Nineteen patients were diagnosed with POCD (24.7%). Diabetes history (OR = 8.391 [2.208-31.882], P = 0.012), fasting over 3 days after surgery (OR = 5.236 [1.998-13.721], P = 0.001) and an SIRS score of > 3 on the second day after surgery (OR = 6.995 [1.948-25.111], P = 0.003) were risk factors for early POCD in colorectal cancer patients. CONCLUSION: The risk factors for early POCD after colorectal surgery included diabetes history, fasting over 3 days, and an SIRS score of > 3 on the second day.

Efficient Removal of [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ Ions by Radiation-Resistant Gallium Thioantimonates.

Unconventional ion exchangers can achieve efficient removal of [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ ions from complex aqueous solutions and are of great interest for environmental remediation. We report two new gallium thioantimonates, [Me2NH2]2[Ga2Sb2S7]·H2O (FJSM-GAS-1) and [Et2NH2]2[Ga2Sb2S7]·H2O (FJSM-GAS-2), which present excellent ion exchange properties for [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ ions. They exhibit high ion exchange capacities for [UO2]2+, Cs+, and Sr2+ ions ( qmU = 196 mg/g, qmCs = 164 mg/g, and qmSr = 80 mg/g for FJSM-GAS-1, qmU = 144 mg/g for FJSM-GAS-2) and short equilibrium times for [UO2]2+ ion exchange (5 min for FJSM-GAS-1 and 15 min for FJSM-GAS-2, respectively). Both compounds display active ion exchange with [UO2]2+ in the pH range of 2.9-10.5. Moreover, the sulfide compounds could maintain high distribution coefficients KdU even in the presence of excess Na+, Ca2+, and HCO3-. The distribution coefficient KdU of 6.06 × 106 mL/g exhibited by FJSM-GAS-1 is the highest among the reported U adsorbents. The [UO2]2+-laden products can be recycled by conveniently eluting the uranium with a low-cost method. These advantages combined with facile synthesis, as well as ß and γ radiation resistance, make FJSM-GAS-1 and FJSM-GAS-2 promising for selective separations in nuclear waste remediation.

Dietary arginine affects growth, gut morphology, oxidation resistance and immunity of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀×Epinephelus lanceolatus♂) juveniles.

An 8-week growth trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary arginine (Arg) levels on growth, gut morphology, oxidation resistance and immunity of hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus♀×Epinephelus lanceolatus♂) juveniles. Seven isoenergetic (1465 kJ (350 kcal)/100-g DM), isoproteic (53·5 % of DM) and isolipidic (7 % of DM) experimental diets were formulated to contain graded Arg levels ranging from 1·9 to 4·7 % (dry weight) at approximately 0·5 % increments. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups of 16 juvenile fish (average initial body weight: 11·7 (sd 0·1) g) and was administered twice daily (08.00 and 16.00 hours). After the growth trial, all remaining fish were fed their prescribed diets for 2 d and then exposed to 4·5 mg Cu2+/l water for 36 h. Results showed that growth performance and feed utilisation of experimental fish were significantly affected by different dietary Arg levels. Weight gain % (WG%) of fish was increased as dietary Arg increased, reaching a peak value at 3·8 % dietary Arg level, and when dietary Arg level increased to 4·7 % WG% was reduced. Fish fed 1·9 and 2·2 % dietary Arg levels had higher daily feed intake compared with fish fed other dietary Arg levels. Feed conversion ratios in fish fed 1·9, 2·2, 2·7 and 4·7 % dietary Arg levels were higher than those in fish fed 3·1, 3·8 and 4·1 % dietary Arg levels. Protein efficiency ratio and protein productive value (PPV) increased with an increase in dietary Arg, up to a peak value at 3·8 % dietary Arg level, above which these parameters declined. On the basis of quadratic regression analysis of weight gain % (WG%) or PPV against dietary Arg levels, the optimal dietary Arg requirement for hybrid grouper was estimated to be 3·65 %. Fish fed 3·8 % dietary Arg had higher whole-body and muscle protein contents compared with fish fed other dietary Arg levels. Fish fed 3·8 and 4·1 % dietary Arg levels had higher levels of mRNA for insulin-like growth factor-I and target of rapamycin in the liver compared with fish fed other dietary Arg levels. Hepatic S6 kinase 1 mRNA expression in fish fed 3·8 % dietary Arg level was higher than that in fish fed any of the other dietary Arg levels. Gut morphology, hepatic antioxidant indices and immune indices in serum and head kidney were significantly influenced by dietary Arg levels. In conclusion, the optimal dietary Arg requirement for hybrid grouper was estimated to be 3·65 %, and suitable dietary Arg supplementations improved gut morphology and oxidation resistance of hybrid grouper.

Double defects modified carbon nitride nanosheets with enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen evolution.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) is an actively investigated metal-free photocatalyst for solar energy conversion. However, primary g-C3N4 usually exhibits limited utilization of visible light and fast combination of photoexcited charge carriers, resulting in low photocatalytic H2 evolution activity. Defect-modified g-C3N4 shows much enhanced photocatalytic H2 evolution activity owing to extended light absorption as well as efficient charge separation and transfer. Here, the photocatalyst simultaneously containing nitrogen vacancies and O-doping is successfully developed by using a two-step post-synthetic strategy for photocatalytic H2 evolution, resulting in a greatly-boosted H2 evolution activity (1.69 × 103 µmol g-1 h-1) compared with that of pristine g-C3N4 (1.12 × 102 µmol g-1 h-1). It is believed that the newly developed double-defect strategy may open an avenue toward obtaining molecular level comprehension of the function of a catalyst in photocatalytic H2 evolution and can be extended to the modification of other semiconductors.