Comparison of different extraction methods of active ingredients of Chinese medicine and natural products.

Like other traditional medicine in the world, Chinese traditional medicine (CTM) has a long history, which is a treasure of the combination of medicine and Chinese classical culture even more than 5000 years. For thousands of years, CTM has made great contributions to the reproduction and health of the Chinese people. It was an efficient therapeutic tool under the guidance of Chinese traditional medical theory, its source is generally natural products, but there are also a small number of it are natural products after some processing methods. In fact, the definition of Chinese medicine (CM) includes both traditional and new CM developed by modern technology. It is well known that the chemical composition of most CM and natural products is very complex, for example, a single herb may contain hundreds of different chemicals, including active ingredients, side effects, and even toxic ingredients. Therefore, the extraction process is particularly crucial for the quality and clinical efficacy of CM and natural products. In this work, a new classification method was proposed to divide the extraction technologies of CM and natural products into 21 kinds in recent years and analyze their status, advantages, and disadvantages. Then put forward a new technical route based on ultra-high-pressure extraction technology for rapid extraction else while removing harmful impurities and making higher utilization of CM and natural products. It is a useful exploration for the extraction industry of medicinal materials and natural products in the world.

In Situ Production of Hydroxyl Radicals via Three-Electron Oxygen Reduction: Opportunities for Water Treatment.

The electro-Fenton (EF) process is an advanced oxidation technology with significant potential; however, it is limited by two steps: generation and activation of H2O2. In contrast to the production of H2O2 via the electrochemical two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), the electrochemical three-electron (3e-) ORR can directly activate molecular oxygen to yield the hydroxyl radical (⋅OH), thus breaking through the conceptual and operational limitations of the traditional EF reaction. Therefore, the 3e- ORR is a vital process for efficiently producing ⋅OH in situ, thus charting a new path toward the development of green water-treatment technologies. This review summarizes the characteristics and mechanisms of the 3e- ORR, focusing on the basic principles and latest progress in the in situ generation and efficient utilization of ⋅OH through the modulation of the reaction pathway, shedding light on the rational design of 3e- ORR catalysts, mechanistic exploration, and practical applications for water treatment. Finally, the future developments and challenges of efficient, stable, and large-scale utilization of ⋅OH are discussed based on achieving optimal 3e- ORR regulation and the potential to combine it with other technologies.

Spaced Double Hydrogen Bonding in an Imidazole Poly Ionic Liquid Composite for Highly Efficient and Selective Photocatalytic Air Reductive H2O2 Synthesis.

Photocatalytic oxygen reductive H2O2 production is a promising approach to alternative industrial anthraquinone processes while suffering from the requirement of pure O2 feedstock for practical application. Herein, we report a spaced double hydrogen bond (IC-H-bond) through multi-component Radziszewski reaction in an imidazole poly-ionic-liquid composite (SI-PIL-TiO2) and levofloxacin hydrochloride (LEV) electron donor for highly efficient and selective photocatalytic air reductive H2O2 production. It is found that the IC-H-bond formed by spaced imino (-NH-) group of SI-PIL-TiO2 and carbonyl (-C=O) group of LEV can switch the imidazole active sites characteristic from a covered state to a fully exposed one to shield the strong adsorption of electron donor and N2 in the air, and propel an intenser positive potential and more efficient orbitals binding patterns of SI-PIL-TiO2 surface to establish competitive active sites for selectivity O2 chemisorption. Moreover, the high electron enrichment of imidazole as an active site for the 2e- oxygen reduction ensures the rapid reduction of O2. Therefore, the IC-H-bond enables a total O2 utilization and conversion efficiency of 94.8 % from direct photocatalytic air reduction, achieving a H2O2 production rate of 1518 µmol/g/h that is 16 and 23 times compared to poly-ionic-liquid composite without spaced imino groups (PIL-TiO2) and TiO2, respectively.

Strategies for promoting the degradation of phenol by electro-Fenton: Simultaneously promoting the generation and utilization of H2O2.

The use of the electro-Fenton process to continuously generate H2O2 and efficiently degrade organic pollutants is considered a promising technology. The ratio of generation of H2O2 is usually regarded as the critical step; however, how the H2O2 is utilized is also of particular importance. Herein, activated carbon was activated at different temperatures and used to explore the effect of nitrogen doping on the production and utilization of H2O2 in the electro-Fenton-based degradation of organic pollutants. The experimental results indicate that nitrogen-doped activated carbon simultaneously promotes the generation and utilization of H2O2, which is attributed to the regulation of the competition between phenol and O2 adsorption by the doped nitrogen. Nitrogen doping not only improves 2e-ORR selectivity but also aggregates phenol near the cathode to balance the concentrations of phenol and ·OH. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further confirmed that pyrrole-N as a dopant promoted the adsorption of phenol, while pyridine-N was more favorable for O2 adsorption. The unique balance of nitrogen types possessed by modified activated carbon NAC-750 permits the efficient synergistic generation and utilization of H2O2 in a balanced manner during the degradation of phenol. This work provides a new direction for the rational nitrogen-doping modification of activated carbon for the electro-Fenton-based degradation of organic pollutants.

High butanol/acetone ratio featured ABE production using mixture of glucose and waste Pichia pastoris medium-based butyrate fermentation supernatant.

In this study, butanol (ABE) fermentations were implemented in a 7 L anaerobic fermentor, by directly using the mixture of glucose solution with the corn/waste Pichia pastoris medium-based butyrate fermentation supernatants (BFS II) as the co-substrate, followed by consecutively feeding of the BFS and concentrated glucose solution. When compared with the major index of ABE fermentation using 150 g/L corn-based medium, butanol concentration could be maintained at high level of 12.7-12.8 g/L, butanol/acetone (B/A) largely increased from ~ 2.0 to 4.4-5.0, butanol yield on total carbon sources increased from 0.32-0.34 to 0.39-0.41 (mol base) with a higher butyrate/glucose consumption ratio of 37%-53%. Efficient utilization of butyrate, SO42-, amino acids, oligosaccharides, etc. in BFS II and the intracellular NADH contributed to the ABE fermentation performance improvement. The proposed strategy could be considered as the second utilization of waste Pichia pastoris, which could save raw materials/operating costs, fully use the oligosaccharides/SO42- in BFS II to relieve the working loads in downstream waste water treatment process, and increase fermentation products diversity/flexibility to deal with the varied marketing prices and requirements.

Research on Multi-Level Scheduling of Mine Water Reuse Based on Improved Whale Optimization Algorithm.

Aiming at the problem of the inefficiency of coal mine water reuse, a multi-level scheduling method for mine water reuse based on an improved whale optimization algorithm is proposed. Firstly, the optimization objects of mine water reuse time and reuse cost are used to establish the optimal scheduling model of mine water. Secondly, in order to overcome the defect that the whale optimization algorithm (WOA) is prone to local convergence, the opposition-based learning strategy is introduced to speed up the convergence speed, the Levy flight strategy is used to enhance the ability of the algorithm to jump out of the local optimization, the nonlinear convergence factor is used to balance the global and local search ability, and the adaptive inertia weight is used to improve the optimization accuracy of the algorithm. Finally, the improved whale optimization algorithm (IWOA) is applied to the mine water optimization scheduling model with multiple objects and constraints. The results show that the reuse efficiency of the multi-level scheduling method of mine water reuse is increased by 30.2% and 31.9%, respectively, in the heating and nonheating seasons, which can significantly improve the reuse efficiency of mine water and realize the efficient utilization of mine water reuse deployment. At the same time, experiments show that the improved whale optimization algorithm has higher convergence accuracy and speed, which proves the feasibility and superiority of its improvement strategies.

Determination of utilization strategies for hemihydrate phosphogypsum in cemented paste backfill: Used as cementitious material or aggregate.

Due to the prominent advantages of low cost and efficient utilization, cemented hemihydrate phosphogypsum (HPG) backfill is becoming popular in mine goaf treatments in China as a new promising branch of cemented paste backfill (CPB). The HPG gelling activity time dependence determines its role in CPB, that is, whether it is used as a cementitious material or aggregate. Laboratory and field experiments showed that the HPG gelling activity decreases with an increasing aging time due to the gradual HPG conversion from the hemihydrate to the dihydrate form. The HPG conversion can be described by the Avrami equation, and further divided into acceleratory and slow reaction periods. Soluble P2O5 formed insoluble brushite coatings, significantly inhibiting the HPG conversion. Increasing the Al2O3 content and reducing temperature further retarded the HPG conversion. Reducing the temperature inside the stacks by lowering their stacking height delayed the HPG gelling activity decay. At a stacking height of 1.5 m, HPG can be prepared into cementitious materials for common CPB methods within the first 137 h of aging, thereafter it can only be used as an inactive aggregate. Finally, an application case is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the utilization strategies in guiding the use of HPG in CPB.

Assessment on the Coupling Effects of Drip Irrigation and Se-Enriched Organic Fertilization in Tomato Based on Improved Entropy Weight Coefficient Model.

Selenium (Se) is an essential micronutrient for human beings and plants are the current main sources of Se element in Asian diet. Therefore a feasible way to increase people's Se intake is to increase Se content in plants. In this paper, we focus on how the tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) yield and quality are influenced by the effect of irrigation amount, Se-enriched and high-calcium organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer amount respectively. The results from a two-year experiment show that the combination of Se-enriched organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer can significantly increase the tomato yield comparing with the use of NPK organic or compound fertilizer. It is also shown that by applying more Se-enriched and high-calcium organic fertilizer the contents of Se, Lycopene, Vitamin C (Vc) and soluble sugar in tomato fruit can be increased considerably. It was found that the highest Se content was achieved using 100% Se-enriched organic fertilizer combined with irrigation at 100% in 2016 and 100% Se-enriched organic fertilizer with irrigation at 80% in 2017. Deficit irrigation (80%) can help to increase Water Use Efficiency (WUE) and the Se and VC contents in tomato yield. Therefore in order to improve the Se-enriched tomato yield and quality, it is suggested to apply 100% Se-enriched organic fertilizer and adopt the deficit irrigation at 80%.

Analogous Chelation to Boost Utilization of Sb in Sb Nanoparticles and N-doped Carbon Composites for Enhancing Potassium Storage.

Antimony (Sb) is an attractive anode material for potassium-ion batteries (PIBs), but it suffers from aggregation during the charging-discharging process, thus causing embedded active sites and collapsed structure. The analogous chelation refers to the reaction in which the central nanoparticle is linked to the matrix through multiple coordination bonds to form a stable composite. This strategy can inhibit aggregation and maintain the nanosized structure of Sb, thus activating the utilization of Sb active sites and structural stability. Given the special position of nitrogen (N) in the periodic table of elements and the strong bond energy of Sb-N, the N element can serve as an intermediate to connect Sb nanoparticles and an intrinsic N-doped carbon network via strong Sb-N-C/Sb-N═C covalent bonds using analogous chelation. Herein, a hybrid material of Sb@CTF-NC is fabricated via analogous chelation. The Sb atoms exposed on the surface of Sb nanoparticles are used to chelate with the N-doped carbon for high-performance PIBs. The mechanism underwent ex situ characterizations. The calculation of density functional theory reveals that the increase of adsorption energy and reduction of the K+ diffusion barrier accelerate the electrochemical reaction kinetics.

Farmland hydrological cycle under agroforestry systems and efficient use of water resources in the karst desertification environment.

In karst desertification (KD) regions, surface water (SW) easily enters underground through pore fissures and sinkholes despite the presence of abundant precipitation. Such regions have a typical distribution of "soil above and water below", and, thus, the unique "karst drought" occurs. Hence, an urgent and primary problem in combating KD is to reach highly efficient utilization of water resources in these regions. We selected three karst research areas with different levels of karst desertification and different geomorphic types. By monitoring the storage and transformation of five types of water in the agroforestry system-precipitation, SW, groundwater (GW), soil water (SoW), plant water (PW), the following results were obtained: (1) In KD regions, a positive correlation was found among available precipitation, rainfall, and land evapotranspiration (LE), and LE was approximately equivalent to soil evaporation. (2) To varying degrees, agroforestry brings ecological benefits, including reducing surface runoff, increasing soil infiltration, lowering the transpiration rate, and reducing soil evaporation, thus achieving efficient use of water resources. (3) From 100 % rainfall, the transformation rates of SW, GW, PW, and SoW reached 0.14-12.71 %, 9.43-30.20 %, 9.79-49.97 %, and 40.72-82.58 %, respectively, and SoW showed a larger reserve than the other three types. (4) Drought stress contributes to the improvement of water use efficiency (WUE). Affected by drought stress, WUE was found to be the highest in a medium-intensity karst desertification environment. The transformation mechanisms of the five types of water observed in the agroforestry system provide a reference for efficient utilization of water resources in KD regions as well as theoretical support for addressing karst drought. They are also essential in helping to advance the ecological derivative industry, boosting the economy in karst mountainous areas, and controlling karst desertification.

Revealing the synergistic mechanism of the generation, migration and nearby utilization of reactive oxygen species in FeOCl-MOF yolk-shell reactors.

Fenton-like reactions is attractive for environmental pollutant control, but there is an urgent need to improve the utilisation of hydroxyl radicals (·OH) in practical applications. Here, for the first time, FeOCl is encapsulated within a Metal Organic Framework (MOF) (Materials of Institut Lavoisier-101 (MIL-101(Fe))) as a yolk-shell reactor (FeOCl-MOF) by in situ growth. The interaction between FeOCl and the MOF not only increases the electron density of FeOCl, but also shifts down the d-band centre. The increase of electron density could promote the efficient conversion of H2O2 to ·OH catalysed by FeOCl. And the shift of the d-band centre to the lower energy level facilitates the desorption of ·OH. Experimental and theoretical calculations showed that the high catalytic performance was attributed to the unique yolk-shell structure that concentrates the catalytic and adsorption sites in a confinement space, as well as the improved electron density and d-band centre for efficient generation, rapid desorption and utilized nearby of ·OH. Which is utilized nearby by the organic pollutants adsorbed by the surface MOF, thus greatly improving the effective conversion of H2O2 and the ·OH utilisation (from 25.5% (Fe2+/H2O2) to 77.1% (FeOCl-MOF/H2O2)). In addition, a catalytic reactor was constructed to achieve continuous efficient treatment of organic pollutants. This work provides a Fenton-like microreactor for efficient generation, rapid desorption, and nearby utilization of ·OH to improve future technologies for deep water purification in complex environments.

Efficiency of Medical Equipment Utilization and Its Associated Factors at Public Referral Hospitals in East Wollega Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

Background: The significance of effectively using medical equipment has received widespread public attention. Due to its complex effects on healthcare costs and quality, the relationship between hospital features and medical equipment consumption has drawn increased attention. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of medical equipment utilization and its associated factors. Methods: The study was conducted at public referral hospitals in East Wollega, Oromia Regional National State, Ethiopia, in 2021. A cross-sectional study design was mixed with observation and document review. The study included approximately 192 pieces of equipment. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Chi-square (χ 2) were used to identify associations between each independent and dependent variable at p<0.05 to declare level of significance. Results: Using 95% confidence interval (CI), the level of utilization coefficient was estimated to be 0.49 (0.44-0.55). As a result, 111 pieces of equipment (57.8%) were used efficiently, while 81 (42.2%) were underutilized. The form in which the hospitals received the equipment (χ 2=7.7.2; P=0.005), regular availability (χ 2=19.30; P=0.00), equipment breakdown (χ 2=11.57; P=0.001), the availability of trained staffs operating the equipment (χ 2=26.14; P=0.00), performing preventive maintenance (χ 2=91.54; P=0.00), the availability of spare parts (χ 2=32.36; P=0.00), and the availability of accessories (χ 2=43.91; P=0.00) were statistically significant factors affecting the medical equipment utilization. Conclusion: On average, the utilization coefficient of medical equipment in the study hospitals was low compared to other study findings, which indicated that 2 out of 5 pieces of medical equipment were under-utilized, which could be significantly affected by the form in which the hospital received the equipment, its regular availability, equipment breakdown, availability of trained staff operating the equipment, performing preventive maintenance, and availability of adequate spare parts and accessories. Every hospital should develop an appropriate strategic framework to manage and utilize the available medical diagnostic equipment based on its level and demand.

Reduced Graphene Oxide Derived from Low-Grade Coal for High-Performance Flexible Supercapacitors with Ultrahigh Cyclability.

Preparation of reduced graphene oxide (RGO) from abundant and inexpensive low-grade coal is regarded as one of the most promising methods for utilizing this resource in a high-value and environmentally sustainable manner. As the main precursor for the fabrication of RGO, graphene oxide (GO) can be extracted from low-grade coal such as lignite, but its size is just in the range of tens to hundreds of nanometers, which limits its practical application. Herein, we demonstrate that large-size RGO sheets can be prepared in large quantities by the pretreatment of lignite using the high temperature-high pressure (HTHP) method. The RGO electrode after the reduction reaction by 50 mM NaBH4 at 105 °C features porosity and high conductivity, which can facilitate high electrochemical reaction efficiency. Thus, we also demonstrate the use of lignite-derived RGO for supercapacitor electrode materials with high performance. The lignite-derived RGO supercapacitor can deliver outstanding volumetric capacitance (30.6 F cm-3), high energy density (4.2 mW h cm-3), excellent flexibility (79.5% retention of the initial capacitance at 180° bending), and a long lifespan (112.3% retention of the initial capacitance after 20,000 cycles). It is believed that the proposed large-size RGO based on reasonable optimization of inferior lignite will offer a new prospect for next-generation energy storage applications.

Efficient utilization of coal slime using anaerobic fermentation technology.

In order to increase the utilization of coal slime, realize efficient utilization of resources and protect the environment, the feasibility of anaerobic fermentation technology employing coal slime was explored. The biodegradation of coal slimes and its influence on the utilization characteristics were analyzed using biogas production simulations, drying dehydration and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. The results showed that the organic matter in various coal slimes could be converted to biomethane. In addition, the main methanogenic pathway was the reduction of CO2. Moreover, lower the metamorphic degree of coal slimes and higher the ash content, more conducive were they to the dehydration of coal slimes. After biodegradation, the temperatures of four coal slimes during the stages of release of moisture, volatile combustion, residual coke combustion and burnout advanced to varying degrees. Moreover, the combustion performance improved. The research results provided a novel idea for the efficient utilization of coal slime.

Comparison of Nutritional Compositions and Essential Oil Profiles of Different Parts of a Dill and Two Fennel Cultivars.

Fennel and dill are widely used as food additives owing to their various biological activities, such as antioxidants, antimicrobials, food-preservatives, and seasoning capacities. Herein, the nutritional composition and essential oil (EO) chemical profiles of fruits, umbels, stalks, and roots from one dill and two fennel cultivars were evaluated. The fruits had the highest content of crude protein (≥15%), crude fat (≥8%), and phosphorus (≥0.5%), and exhibited the highest total energy (≥20 MJ/kg) and EO yield (≥2%). Moreover, estragole (86.56% in Fdf), anethole (71.17% in Fhf), fenchone (16.74% in Fhf), limonene (50.19% in Agf), and carvone (42.41% in Agf) were the main components of the EOs generated from the fruits. The chemical profiles of EOs in the roots were significantly different from those of the aerial parts of the fennel and dill; thus, the roots and aerial parts could be distinguished based on myristicin (Variable Importance in Projection (VIP) = 1.90399) and apiol (VIP = 1.85922). The EO components of the aerial parts varied remarkably, and the chemical markers for differentiating these three cultivars were anethole (VIP = 1.36571), estragole (VIP = 1.30292), and carvone (VIP = 1.11947). Overall, our results provide a noteworthy chemical basis for further development of fennel and dill, especially as food additives.

The impact of green credit policy on energy efficient utilization in China.

Green credit policy is an innovative measure in the financial industry and can help enterprises reduce energy consumption, reverse the situation of environmental pollution and resource waste, and promote sustainable development of the economy and society based on guiding fund flows into the green environmental protection industry. This research thus uses panel data of 30 provinces and cities in China from 2000 to 2017 to examine the impact of a green credit policy on the level of energy efficient utilization. We establish the EBM (epsilon-based measure) super-efficiency model to measure the level of energy efficient utilization in China, apply the regression discontinuity design (RDD) model to empirically study the net effect of the green credit policy on the level of energy efficient utilization, and assess the policy's regional heterogeneity. Finds present that the level of energy efficient utilization in China exhibits a fluctuating upward trend, and there are certain spatial heterogeneities across its regions. The overall level of the eastern region's energy efficient utilization is the best, followed by the central and western regions in that order. The results of RDD based on the national perspective indicate that the green credit policy has a significantly positive effect on the level of energy efficient utilization, while subregional regression results reveal that improvement caused by implementation of the green credit policy varies across regions in China. The performance of improving energy efficiency in the eastern region is excellent, but the improvement effect in the central and western regions is so far not desirable.

Integration into plant biology and soil science has provided insights into the total environment.

The total environment includes 5 closely-linking circles, in which biosphere and lithosphere are the active core. As global population increases and urbanization process accelerates, arable land is gradually decreasing under global climate change and the pressure of various types of environmental pollution. This case is especially for China. Land is the most important resources for human beings' survival. How to increase and manage arable land is the key for sustainable agriculture development. China has extensive marshy land that can be reclamated for the better potential land resources under the pre- condition of protecting the environment, which will be a good way for enlarging globally and managing arable land. Related studies have been conducted in China for the past 30years and now many results with obvious practical efficiency have been obtained. For summarizing these results, salt-soil will be the main target and related contents such as nutrient transport, use types, biodiversity and interactions with plants from molecular biology to ecology will be covered, in which the interactions among biosphere, lithosphere, atmosphere and anthroposphere will be focused on.