Photoliquefiable Azobenzene Surfactants toward Solar Thermal Fuels that Upgrade Photon Energy Storage via Molecular Design.

Photoresponsive phase change materials (PPCMs) are capable of storing photon and heat energy simultaneously and releasing the stored energy as heat in a controllable way. While, the azobenzene-based PPCMs exhibit a contradiction between gravimetric energy storage density and photoinduced phase change. Here, a type of azobenzene surfactants with balance between molecular free volume and intermolecular interaction is designed in molecular level, which can address the coharvest of photon energy and low-grade heat energy at room temperature. Such PPCMs gain the total gravimetric energy density up to 131.18 J g-1 by charging solid sample and 160.50 J g-1 by charging solution. Notably, the molar isomerization enthalpy upgrades by a factor of up to 2.4 compared to azobenzene. The working mechanism is explained by the computational studies. All the stored energy can release out as heat under Vis light, causing a fast surface temperature rise. This study demonstrates a new molecular designing strategy for developing azobenzene-based PPCMs with high gravimetric energy density by improving the photon energy storage.

Willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine among HIV positive men who have sex with men in China: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: People living with HIV(PLWH) are deemed more vulnerable to the SARS-CoV-2 infection than the uninfected population. Vaccination is an effective measure for COVID-19 control, yet, little knowledge exists about the willingness of men who have sex with men (MSM) living with HIV in China to be vaccinated. METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated the willingness of MSM living with HIV to receive COVID-19 vaccination in six cities of Guangdong, China, from July to September 2020. Factors associated with willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: In total, we recruited 944 HIV-positive MSM with a mean age of 29.2 ± 7.7 years. Of all participants, 92.4% of them were willing to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Participants who were separated, divorced, or widowed (adjusted OR: 5.29, 95%CI: 1.02-27.48), had an annual income higher than 9,000 USD (adjusted OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.01-2.86), had ever taken an HIV self-test (adjusted OR: 1.78, 95%CI: 1.07-2.95), had ever disclosed sexual orientation to a doctor/nurse (adjusted OR: 3.16, 95%CI: 1.33-7.50), had ever disclosed sexual orientation to others besides their male partners (adjusted OR: 2.18, 95%CI: 1.29-3.69) were more willing to receive the vaccine. Sex with a female partner in the past six months decreased the likelihood of willingness to receive the vaccine (adjusted OR: 0.40, 95%CI: 0.17-0.95). Economic burden, worry that my health condition could not bear the risk of receiving COVID-19 vaccines, and concern that the vaccination would affect the immune status and antiretroviral therapy were the main reasons for unwillingness to receive vaccination. CONCLUSION: Our study showed that HIV-positive MSM had a high willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Targeted interventions such as health education should be conducted among MSM with HIV infection to enhance COVID-19 vaccine uptake.

Effects of PM2.5 and high-fat diet interaction on blood glucose metabolism in adolescent male Wistar rats: A serum metabolomics analysis based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry.

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and high-fat diet (HFD) are known to contribute to blood glucose metabolic disorders. However, limited research has investigated the combined impact of PM2.5 and HFD on blood glucose metabolism. This study aimed to explore the joint effects of PM2.5 and HFD on blood glucose metabolism in rats using serum metabolomics and to identify involved metabolites and metabolic pathways. The 32 male Wistar rats were exposed to filtered air (FA) or PM2.5 (real-world inhaled, concentrated PM2.5, 8 times the ambient level, ranging from 131.42 to 773.44 µg/m3) and fed normal diet (ND) or HFD for 8 weeks. The rats were divided into four groups (n = 8/group): ND-FA, ND-PM2.5, HFD-FA and HFD-PM2.5 groups. Blood samples were collected to determine fasting glucose (FBG), plasma insulin and glucose tolerance test and HOMA Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index was calculated. Finally, the serum metabolism of rats was analyzed by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS). Then we constructed the partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model to screen the differential metabolites, and performed pathway analysis to screen the main metabolic pathways. Results showed that combined effect of PM2.5 and HFD caused changes in glucose tolerance, increased FBG levels and HOMA-IR in rats and there were interactions between PM2.5 and HFD in FBG and insulin. By metabonomic analysis, the serum differential metabolites pregnenolone and progesterone, which involved in steroid hormone biosynthesis, were two different metabolites in the ND groups. In the HFD groups, the serum differential metabolites were L-tyrosine and phosphorylcholine, which involved in glycerophospholipid metabolism, and phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan biosynthesis. When PM2.5 and HFD coexist, they may lead to more severe and complex effects on glucose metabolism by affecting lipid metabolism and amino acid metabolism. Therefore, reducing PM2.5 exposure and controlling dietary structure are important measures for preventing and reducing glucose metabolism disorders.

A Highly Stable Copper-Based Catalyst for Clarifying the Catalytic Roles of Cu0 and Cu+ Species in Methanol Dehydrogenation.

Identification of the active copper species, and further illustration of the catalytic mechanism of Cu-based catalysts is still a challenge because of the mobility and evolution of Cu0 and Cu+ species in the reaction process. Thus, an unprecedentedly stable Cu-based catalyst was prepared by uniformly embedding Cu nanoparticles in a mesoporous silica shell allowing clarification of the catalytic roles of Cu0 and Cu+ in the dehydrogenation of methanol to methyl formate by combining isotope-labeling experiment, in situ spectroscopy, and DFT calculations. It is shown that Cu0 sites promote the cleavage of the O-H bond in methanol and of the C-H bond in the reaction intermediates CH3 O and H2 COOCH3 which is formed from CH3 O and HCHO, whereas Cu+ sites cause rapid decomposition of formaldehyde generated on the Cu0 sites into CO and H2 .

COVID-19 Vaccination Willingness Among People Living With HIV in Wuhan, China.

Vaccination is essential to controlling the pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). People living with HIV (PLWH) were considered more vulnerable to the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection compared with the general population. Therefore, it is urgent to protect PLWH from SARS-CoV-2 infection. For PLWH, vaccine hesitancy could be more common and may compromise vaccine coverage. Our study aimed to investigate the willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccination among PLWH and associated factors. A cross-sectional online survey was performed among PLWH and the general population from 4 April to 18 April 2021 in Wuhan, China. The multivariable logistic regression was used to analyze associated factors for COVID-19 vaccination willingness among PLWH. A total of 556 PLWH and 570 individuals from the general population were enrolled. The COVID-19 vaccine willingness among PLWH was 60.8%, which was relatively lower than that in the general population (80.9%) (P < 0.001). The results of multivariable analysis indicated that PLWH with comorbidities (OR = 2.07, 95% CI: 1.25-3.45), those who had idea about PLWH would be more serious if they were infected with SARS-CoV-2 (OR = 1.67, 95% CI: 1.11-2.51) and those who thought their antiretroviral therapy (ART) would be affected by COVID-19 epidemic (OR = 2.04, 95% CI: 1.22-3.42) had higher willingness to receive COVID-19 vaccination. PLWH who had a monthly income over 5,000 RMB (OR = 0.64, 95% CI: 0.45-0.92) and had a sex orientation as non-homosexual (OR = 0.67, 95% CI: 0.47-0.96) were associated with lower willingness for COVID-19 vaccination. Our findings showed that the PLWH had a lower willingness for COVID-19 vaccination compared with the general population in Wuhan. Targeted interventions such as health education should be conducted to increase the willingness for COVID-19 vaccination among PLWH, thus enhancing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among PLWH.

Low temperature hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol into cyclohexane over Ni/SiO2 catalyst combined with Hß zeolite.

Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol to cyclohexane, important for bio-oil upgrading, is usually performed at high reaction temperature (≥200 °C). In this work, low temperature transformation of guaiacol to cyclohexane was achieved at 140 °C over non-noble metal Ni/SiO2 and various zeolites. Among zeolites tested (HUSY, HMOR, Hß, HZSM-5, SAPO-34), Hß zeolite exhibited superior catalytic activity due to its appropriate pore structure and acid strength. The open pore with three-dimensional structure of Hß facilitates the diffusion of guaiacol and intermediates. Meanwhile, weak acid strength of Hß efficiently reduces the competitive adsorption of guaiacol, and then promotes the dehydration of intermediate 2-methoxycyclohexanol. Moreover, the catalytic performance in guaiacol HDO to cyclohexane is also closely related to Si/Al ratio of Hß. Owing to its moderate acid density, the maximum yield of cyclohexane reaches 91.7% on Hß(Si/Al = 50) combined with Ni/SiO2 at 140 °C, which is the lowest temperature ever reported over non-noble metal catalysts.

Supported cobalt catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of ethyl levulinate to various chemicals.

A highly active and selective cobalt catalyst was developed for the hydrogenation of biomass-derived ethyl levulinate (EL) to γ-valerolactone (GVL), ethyl 4-hydroxypentanoate (EHP), 1,4-pentanediol (1,4-PDO) and 2-methyltetrahydrofuran (2-MTHF), which are considered to be value-added chemicals and important biofuels. The effects of reaction time, reaction temperature, catalyst amount and solvent on its catalytic performance were investigated. In addition, the reaction pathway was studied as well. It was found that the selectivity of GVL, 1,4-PDO and 2-MTHF on Co/ZrO2 can be easily tuned by changing reaction conditions, and can reach as high as 94%, 78% and 77%, respectively. The product selectivity is also significantly affected by the catalyst support. With SBA-15 as the support, the selectivity of EHP can reach 90%. Moreover, Co/ZrO2 gave an extraordinarily high GVL productivity of 1.50 mol gmetal -1 h-1 and displayed excellent stability and reusability. Interestingly, coke has a positive effect on the enhancement of GVL yield. AL dimers and trimers were identified as the coke species in the hydrogenation of EL. As far as we know, this is the first work conducting the flexible transformation of EL on cobalt catalysts.

Alcoholysis: A Promising Technology for Conversion of Lignocellulose and Platform Chemicals.

In the catalytic conversion of lignocellulose to valuable products, the first entry point is to break down these biopolymers to sugar units or aromatic monomers, which is conventionally achieved by hydrolysis in water medium. Recent years have seen tremendous progress in the alcoholysis process, which has remarkable advantages, such as the avoidance of treating waste water, suppression of humins or chars, and enhancement of reaction rate and product yield. Advances have been focused on the alcoholysis of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin to alkyl glucosides, xylosides, and aromatic monomers, respectively. Alcoholysis of the platform molecule furfuryl alcohol (FAL) to alkyl levulinate (AL) and integrated alcoholysis of cellulose and furfural into AL are also summarized. This Minireview highlights the comparisons between alcoholysis and hydrolysis, the reaction mechanism of alcoholysis, and future challenges for industrial applications.

Production of bioadditives from glycerol esterification over zirconia supported heteropolyacids.

The synthesis of bioadditives for biofuels from glycerol esterification with acetic acid was performed over zirconia supported heteropolyacids catalysts using H(4)SiW(12)O(40) (HSiW), H(3)PW(12)O(40) (HPW) and H(3)PMo(12)O(40) (HPMo) as active compounds. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized by N(2)-physisorption, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, NH(3)-TPD, FTIR of pyridine adsorption and H(2)O-TPD. Among the catalysts tested, HSiW/ZrO(2) achieved the best catalytic performance owing to the better combination of surface Brønsted acid sites and hydrothermal stability. A 93.6% combined selectivity of glyceryl diacetate and glyceryl triacetate with complete glycerol conversion was obtained at 120°C and 4h of reaction time in the presence of HSiW/ZrO(2). This catalyst also presented consistent activity for four consecutive reaction cycles, while HPW/ZrO(2) and HPMo/ZrO(2) exhibited distinct deactivation after reusability tests. In addition, HSiW/ZrO(2) can be resistant to the impurities present in bulk glycerol.