Two Facile Aniline-Based Hypercrosslinked Polymer Adsorbents for Highly Efficient Iodine Capture and Removal.

Effective capture and safe disposal of radioactive iodine (129I or 131I) during nuclear power generation processes have always been a worldwide environmental concern. Low-cost and high-efficiency iodine removal materials are urgently needed. In this study, we synthesized two aniline-based hypercrosslinked polymers (AHCPs), AHCP-1 and AHCP-2, for iodine capture in both aqueous and gaseous phases. They are obtained by aniline polymerization through Friedel-Crafts alkylation and Scholl coupling reaction, respectively, with high chemical and thermal stability. Notably, AHCP-1 exhibits record-high static iodine adsorption (250 wt%) in aqueous solution. In the iodine vapor adsorption, AHCP-2 presents an excellent total iodine capture (596 wt%), surpassing the most reported amorphous polymer adsorbents. The rich primary amine groups of AHCPs promote the rapid physical capture of iodine from iodine water and iodine vapor. Intrinsic features such as low-cost preparation, good recyclability, as well as excellent performance in iodine capture indicate that the AHCPs can be used as potential candidates for the removal of iodine from radioactive wastewater and gas mixtures.

Fermented Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.) Supplementation Enhances Growth and Immune Function Parallel to the Regulation of Gut Microbial Butyrate Production in Weaned Piglets.

Weaning is a challenging period for piglets, characterized by stress-related growth checks, compromised immunity, and gut dysbiosis. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.), known for its rich content of antioxidants, has potential as a functional feed ingredient. This study investigates the effects of feeding fermented purslane (FP) on the growth performance, immune function, intestinal microbiota, and metabolic profiles of weaned piglets. Forty-eight weaned piglets were randomly divided into two groups, with eight pens in each group and three pigs in each pen: a control diet (CON group) and a diet supplemented with 0.20% FP (FP group). The experiment lasted 28 days. The results show that FP supplementation did not affect the average daily feed intake (ADFI) but significantly increased the average daily gain (ADG) during the initial 14 days post-weaning. FP supplementation decreased diarrhea occurrence, with a pronounced reduction from days 10 to 13 (p < 0.05). Immunologically, the FP group had a trend towards reduced serum IgA levels on day 14 (p < 0.10). Importantly, the serum concentrations of the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-6 were significantly reduced on both days 14 and 28 post-weaning. The antioxidative analysis showed increased serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and decreased catalase (CAT) activities on day 14 (p < 0.05). In addition, FP supplementation significantly decreased serum diamine oxidase (DAO) activity and D-lactate levels by day 28, indicating a potential improvement in gut integrity. Fecal microbiota assessment demonstrated a distinctive clustering of microbial communities between the FP and CON groups, with an increase in the abundance of Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1, Tyzzerella, and Prevotellaceae_NK3B31_group and a decrease in Lactobacillus, Bacillus, and Subdoligranulum in the FP group (p < 0.05). Functional predictions suggested that the relative abundance of microbial butyrate synthesis enzymes (EC 2.7.2.7 and EC 2.3.1.19) was significantly enhanced by FP treatment. This modulation was further corroborated by elevated fecal butyrate levels (p < 0.05). In summary, dietary supplementation with FP promotes early-growth performance and has beneficial effects on immune function and intestinal health in weaned piglets. The enhancements may be attributed to distinct microbiota compositional changes and targeted modulation of microbial butyrate metabolism, which are crucial for piglet post-weaning adaptation and overall health.

Large-Area Transparent Antimony-Based Perovskite Glass for High-Resolution X-ray Imaging.

Nonlead low-dimensional halide perovskites attract considerable attention as X-ray scintillators. However, most scintillation screens exhibit pronounced light scattering, which detrimentally reduces the quality of X-ray imaging. Herein, we employed a simple and straightforward solvent-free melt-quenching method to fabricate a large-area zero-dimension (0D) antimony-based perovskite transparent medium, namely (C20H20P)2SbCl5 (C20H20P+ = ethyltriphenylphosphine). The transparency is due to the large steric hindrance of C20H20P+, which hinders the formation of crystals during the quenching process, thus forming a glass with low refractive index and uniform structure. This medium exhibits a high transmittance exceeding 80% in the range of 450-800 nm and shows a large Stokes shift of 245 nm, thereby minimizing light scattering, mitigating self-absorption, and enhancing the clarity of X-ray imaging. Moreover, it exhibits a high radioluminescence light yield of ∼12,535 photons MeV-1 and displays a high X-ray spatial resolution of 30 lp mm-1 owing to its high transparency. This study presents an alternative candidate for achieving high-quality X-ray detection and extends the applicability of transparent perovskite scintillators.

Response of sediment microbial communities to different levels of PAC contamination and exposure time.

Coagulants such as polyaluminium chloride (PAC) are widely used for removing phosphorus from eutrophic water, but its application for water treatment can potentially harm the environment. In this study, a four-timepoint exposure experiment was performed at week 1, 3, 7 and 10 to investigate how microbial communities in lake sediments respond to different concentrations of PAC (RS (raw lake water with nothing added), Low, Medium and High). The results showed that, while PAC can efficiently decrease the amount of C, N and P in lake water, the presence of residual aluminum and aluminum precipitates can greatly affect the microbial communities in lake sediments. In particular, different concentrations of PAC and exposure time affected the microbial diversity and structure of lake sediments, with changes being especially obvious at high concentration of PAC after 10 weeks of exposure. Moreover, the use of PAC significantly increased the relative abundances of Gammaproteobacteria and Competibacter, while reducing those of Thermodesulfovibrionia, Vicinamibacterales, and BSV26 in time- and concentration-dependent manners. Network analysis further showed strong correlations between differential bacterial species of PAC in high concentration at 10 weeks, which further suggested that PAC treatment changed the complex structure of microbiota in lake sediment. Finally, correlation analysis indicated a close connection between water parameters and differential species induced by PAC treatment. Overall, PAC contamination changed the microbial communities at different taxonomy levels and influenced the functional pathways to potentiate the P removal, and the results offered interesting insights into the use of PAC in water treatment and its impact on biogeochemical cycling. These results indicated that more attention need to be paid to the potential impact of chemical phosphorus removing reagents on the environment, including eutrophic water.

Facile synthesis of N-aryl phenothiazines and phenoxazines via Brønsted acid catalyzed C-H amination of arenes.

N-Aryl phenothiazines and phenoxazines are of significant importance in various disciplines throughout academia and industry. The conventional synthetic strategy for the construction of these structures centers on the transition-metal-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl halides with phenothiazines or phenoxazines. Here we present an organocatalytic approach to access N-naphthyl phenothiazine and phenoxazine scaffolds through a straightforward C-H amination of arenes as enabled by an azo group. This reaction features operational simplicity, adequate substrate generality and excellent functional group compatibility. Notably, the efficiency of the catalyst could be perfectly preserved after 5 catalytic cycles.

Tetraphenylethylene-Arylamine Derivatives as Hole Transporting Materials for Perovskite Solar Cells.

A series of hole transporting materials (HTMs) with fused tetraphenylethylene cores (9,9'-bifluorenylidene and dibenzo[g,p]chrysene) as well as different substitution positions of arylamine side arms has been designed and synthesized. A reference HTM with a non-fused tetraphenylethylene core is also prepared for a comparative study. It is noted that fused tetraphenylethylene molecules show a bathochromic spectral shift, electronegative character, and lower reorganization energies than the non-fused ones. Furthermore, the molecules with side arms located on the meta-position on the tetraphenylethylene core in terms of a double bond exhibit a deeper highest occupied molecular orbital level than those of the para-position-based ones whether tetraphenylethylene is fused or not. Moreover, the reorganization energies of fused meta-position-based HTMs are lower than those of para-position-based HTMs. Fused tetraphenylethylene HTMs own a better hole-extraction capability than the non-fused ones. When used in perovskite solar cells, all devices with fused tetraphenylethylene HTMs display better performance than those of the non-fused ones. The HTMs based on dibenzo[g,p]chrysene exhibit better performance than those of bifluorenylidene. Moreover, the devices with HTMs with side arms located on the meta-position on the tetraphenylethylene core display higher power conversion efficiency than those of the para-position-based ones. The results give some new insight and reference to develop ideal HTMs for perovskite solar cells.

Sinonasal quality-of-life declines in cystic fibrosis patients with pulmonary exacerbations.

BACKGROUND: In cystic fibrosis (CF), the relationship between chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and pulmonary disease is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between scores on the 22-item Sino-Nasal Outcome Test (SNOT-22) and CF Questionnaire-revised for adolescents and adults over 14 (CFQ-R 14+), and pulmonary function tests in 2 cohorts of CF patients: those at their baseline health and those with a pulmonary exacerbation. METHODS: Patients >18 years old seen in a Cystic Fibrosis Foundation-accredited clinic completed the SNOT-22 and CFQ-R 14+ instruments. Patients presenting for routine care represented the baseline cohort. Patients diagnosed with a pulmonary exacerbation represented the exacerbation cohort. Average SNOT-22 and CFQ-R 14+ scores for both groups were compared using a 2-sample t test, and correlation coefficient was calculated. RESULTS: One hundred three patients were enrolled over 3 months (30 exacerbations and 73 baseline). Patients' mean age was 32 years (56% female and 44% male). Average SNOT-22 and CFQ-R 14+ scores were significantly worse for exacerbation patients (p = 0.001 and p = 0.0003, respectively). Percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second and forced vital capacity were both higher for baseline patients (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001, respectively). Average SNOT-22 score for all patients was worse than the average score for non-CF, non-CRS patients. CONCLUSION: CF patients with pulmonary exacerbations have worse SNOT-22 and CFQ-R 14+ scores than CF patients at their baseline health. This finding suggests a temporal relationship between sinonasal and pulmonary quality of life, and that worsening of both is associated with reduced pulmonary function.

Fused tetraphenylethylene-triphenylamine as an efficient hole transporting material in perovskite solar cells.

A fused tetraphenylethylene-based hole transporting material shows higher power conversion efficiency and better stability compared with its non-fused counterpart, and the former molecule even outperforms the conventional spiro-OMeTAD.