Research on carbon dioxide capture materials used for carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage technology: a review.

In recent years, climate change has increasingly become one of the major challenges facing mankind today, seriously threatening the survival and sustainable development of mankind. Dramatically increasing carbon dioxide concentrations are thought to cause a severe greenhouse effect, leading to severe and sustained global warming, associated climate instability and unwelcome natural disasters, melting glaciers and extreme weather patterns. The treatment of flue gas from thermal power plants uses carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, one of the most promising current methods to accomplish significant CO2 emission reduction. In order to implement the technological and financial system of CO2 capture, which is the key technology of CCUS technology and accounts for 70-80% of the overall cost of CCUS technology, it is crucial to create more effective adsorbents. Nowadays, with the development and application of various carbon dioxide capture materials, it is necessary to review and summarize carbon dioxide capture materials in time. In this paper, the main technologies of CO2 capture are reviewed, with emphasis on the latest research status of CO2 capture materials, such as amines, zeolites, alkali metals, as well as emerging MOFs and carbon nanomaterials. More and more research on CO2 capture materials has used a variety of improved methods, which have achieved high CO2 capture performance. For example, doping of layered double hydroxides (LDH) with metal atoms significantly increases the active site on the surface of the material, which has a significant impact on improving the CO2 capture capacity and performance stability of LDH. Although many carbon capture materials have been developed, high cost and low technology scale remain major obstacles to CO2 capture. Future research should focus on designing low-cost, high-availability carbon capture materials.

One-step synthesis of a ZIF-8/90-based type I porous liquid.

A Type I porous liquid based on the mixed-linker zeolitic imidazolate framework, ZIF-8/90-PL, has been prepared by a one-step imine condensation reaction and characterized by X-ray diffraction, FT-IR spectroscopy, TGA and rheology analysis. This facile preparation strategy of a porous liquid has enormous industrial production and application potential, with over one kilogram of ZIF-8/90-PL being successfully prepared. ZIF-8/90-PL can be directly used as a liquid absorbent or be co-processed with alumina hollow fibers to form a composite membrane with improved selectivity in the context of CO2 separation from CH4 or N2. This simple synthesis method is expected to be extended to other metal-organic frameworks.

A fluorescent turn-on sensor for mercury (II) ions in near neutral poly(metharylic acid) solution.

The conformational change of poly (methacrylic acid) (PMAA) at various pH values is well studied; however, the application of PMAA in the field of analytical chemistry has been very limited. This investigation takes advantage of the conformational change of PMAA at various pH levels and the conformational change induced by metal ions. By adjusting the pH, thiophene-phenylanilide-acridinium molecules can serve as turn-on sensors for Hg2+ ions. In pH 7.4 buffer with PMAA molecules, the sensor is selectively turned on by Hg2+ ions to display strong charge shift state (CSH) emission at 560 nm. The intensity shows linear response to the concentration of Hg2+ ions between 0.020 mM and 0.151 mM with a detection limit in nanomolar range. The photophysical properties of sensor molecules in PMAA/mercury (II) mixture at near neutral pH are comparable to those in PMAA solution in acidic condition without mercury (II) ions. The effect of pH, temperature, polymer size, and polymer concentration on emission intensity were investigated. The sensor showed excellent percent recovery (98.4 % to 103 %) of spiked mercury (II) ions in real water samples. The sensing mechanism is likely through intrachain and interchain coordination of mercury (II) ions with the carboxyl groups on the side chain of PMAA to induce an extended coil conformation of PMAA. Calculations support the conclusion that the size and geometry of the binding sites formed inside PMAA are suitable to incorporate sensor molecules and enhance the charge shift state emission of sensor molecules.

Activation of TGF-ß1 Pathway by SCUBE3 Regulates TWIST1 Expression and Promotes Breast Cancer Progression.

Background: Recently, signal peptide-CUB-EGF-like domain containing protein 3 (SCUBE3) has been found to be associated with the development of several cancers. However, the biological role of SCUBE3 in breast cancer progression has not been reported. Materials and Methods: Western blotting and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction were used to measure the expressions of SCUBE3, TGF-ß (transforming growth factor-ß) signaling pathway markers, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers. The influence of SCUBE3 on the breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and migration was detected using methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium, wound healing, colony formation, and transwell assay. The role of SCUBE3 in vivo was confirmed using tumor xenograft experiment. Results: SCUBE3 expression was markedly increased in breast cancer cells and tissues. Knockdown of SCUBE3 suppressed cell growth, invasion, and migration, while SCUBE3 overexpression promoted cell growth, invasion, and migration in breast cancer cells. In addition, TGF-ß1 and its downstream proteins were positively regulated by SCUBE3, and the promotion effect on TWIST1 expression induced by pcDNA3.1-SCUBE3 can be reversed by TGF-ß1 inhibitor in breast cancer cell lines. Moreover, silencing of SCUBE3 suppressed breast cancer cell growth and tumorigenesis through reducing TGF-ß1 in vivo. Conclusion: Knockdown of SCUBE3 downregulated TGF-ß1 and TWIST1 expression, thereby inhibiting breast cancer cell growth and tumorigenesis.

Efficacy and safety of bupropion hydrochloride extended-release versus escitalopram oxalate in Chinese patients with major depressive disorder: Results from a randomized, double-blind, non-inferiority trial.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the non-inferiority of bupropion extended-release (XL) compared to escitalopram for acute-phase treatment of Chinese patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). METHODS: This randomized (1:1), double-blind, active-control study conducted between February 2015 and October 2016 included patients with MDD (DSM-IV) (N = 538). The treatment phase had three dose levels (level 1 [Week 1], level 2 [Week 2-4], and level 3 [Week 5-8]), which included either bupropion XL 150 mg, 300 mg, 300 mg or escitalopram 10 mg, 10 mg, 10-20 mg (once-daily), respectively. Primary outcome was mean change from baseline in Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 (HAMD-17) total score at Week 8. RESULTS: Overall, 534 patients (bupropion XL, n = 266; escitalopram, n = 268) received at least one dose of study medication. The least square mean (standard error) change from baseline in HAMD-17 total score at Week 8 was -14.5 (0.41) in bupropion XL group and -15.4 (0.39) in escitalopram group (mean difference: 0.8 [-0.27, 1.94]). The response rate was 69.6% versus 72.9%, remission rate was 39.7% versus 47.2%, sustained response rate was 51.6% versus 56.3%, and sustained remission rate was 25.5% versus 28.6%, respectively, for bupropion XL versus escitalopram group. Adverse events were reported by 313 patients (bupropion XL, n = 157; escitalopram, n = 156); the most common on-treatment adverse event in both groups was nausea (10.5% versus 18.7%, respectively). LIMITATIONS: A non-inferiority short-term (8 weeks) study without a placebo arm. CONCLUSION: Results from this study demonstrated that the efficacy of bupropion XL was non-inferior to that of escitalopram in Chinese patients with MDD.

Population Pharmacokinetics, Safety and Tolerability of Extended-Release Bupropion and Its Three Metabolites in Chinese Healthy Volunteers.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Bupropion is used for the treatment of major depressive disorder. We determined the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of extended-release bupropion XL in healthy Chinese volunteers. METHODS: This open-label, single-center pharmacokinetic study was conducted between May 2016 and June 2016. Eligible volunteers received bupropion XL 150 mg once daily for 5 days, then 300 mg once daily from days 6 to 14. Pharmacokinetic parameters were evaluated after first and repeated doses by non-compartmental and population pharmacokinetic analyses. RESULTS: Fifteen out of 16 enrolled volunteers completed the study. The geometric mean of the bupropion area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24) was 498.2 and 1,165.7 h·ng/mL on days 1 and 14, respectively; maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) was 49.9 ng/mL on day 1 and steady-state maximum observed plasma concentration (Css_max) was 111.9 ng/mL on day 14. Among the three metabolites, hydroxybupropion showed the highest AUC0-24 and Cmax. The population pharmacokinetic model findings indicated an apparent oral clearance of 221 L/h for bupropion in a typical healthy 60.9-kg Chinese volunteer. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first pharmacokinetic study for bupropion XL and its active metabolites in the Chinese population. The AUC and Cmax of bupropion XL and its three metabolites increased approximately in a dose-proportional manner with an increase from 150 mg to 300 mg. Adverse events were similar to those reported in studies outside China. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed for bupropion XL, with pharmacokinetics of bupropion adequately described by a two-compartment model with first-order absorption and linear elimination plus lag time. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02698553.

Detection of Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ ions through label-free poly-L-glutamic acid.

Detection of heavy metal ions in water is important for environmental sustainability and food safety. Current fluorescent sensors interact with metal ions directly through chelation or chemical reactions. Those sensors are expensive to produce and often can detect only one ion at a time. Here we report a fluorescent turn-on sensor that can detect three group IIB metal ions and Pb2+ ions through label-free polypeptides in water. In our sensor-polypeptide mixture, Zn2+, Cd2+, Hg2+, and Pb2+ ions induce helix formation and inter-chain aggregation in poly-L-α-glutamic acid (PGA). The acridinium-based sensor molecules incorporate into the polypeptides and emit strongly with characteristic color for each group IIB ion under UV lamp. By adjusting the size of polypeptides or the length of the side chain carboxyl groups, we can selectively turn off or turn on the sensor emission for Hg2+ ions.

Phase Error Correction for Approximated Observation-Based Compressed Sensing Radar Imaging.

Defocus of the reconstructed image of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) occurs in the presence of the phase error. In this work, a phase error correction method is proposed for compressed sensing (CS) radar imaging based on approximated observation. The proposed method has better image focusing ability with much less memory cost, compared to the conventional approaches, due to the inherent low memory requirement of the approximated observation operator. The one-dimensional (1D) phase error correction for approximated observation-based CS-SAR imaging is first carried out and it can be conveniently applied to the cases of random-frequency waveform and linear frequency modulated (LFM) waveform without any a priori knowledge. The approximated observation operators are obtained by calculating the inverse of Omega-K and chirp scaling algorithms for random-frequency and LFM waveforms, respectively. Furthermore, the 1D phase error model is modified by incorporating a priori knowledge and then a weighted 1D phase error model is proposed, which is capable of correcting two-dimensional (2D) phase error in some cases, where the estimation can be simplified to a 1D problem. Simulation and experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method in the presence of 1D phase error or weighted 1D phase error.

An open-label extension study to evaluate the safety of ropinirole prolonged release in Chinese patients with advanced Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVE: This open-label extension (OLE) study evaluated the safety profile of ropinirole prolonged release (PR) administered for 24 weeks as adjunctive to levodopa in Chinese patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: This was a 24 week, flexible-dose, OLE study in Chinese patients with advanced PD who received 24 week treatment with ropinirole PR in the preceding double-blind (DB), phase III study (NCT01154166) and had no break in receiving study treatment while switching from the DB study to the OLE study. In the OLE study, patients received ropinirole PR once daily, starting with 2 mg/d and increasing up to 8 mg/d at week 4 (2 mg increment/week); if tolerable, the dose could be further increased in 4 mg increments up to 24 mg/d according to clinical judgment. There were no efficacy assessments. Safety assessments included monitoring adverse events (AEs), neurological examination, Gambling Symptom Assessment Scale questionnaire, liver chemistry, and laboratory tests. RESULTS: Of the 295 enrolled patients, 282 completed the study. The most common reason for withdrawal was AEs (n = 9, 3.1%). The mean duration to ropinirole PR treatment was 173.1 days and an overall median daily dose of ropinirole was 8 mg (range: 2-24 mg). Overall, 114 (38.6%) patients experienced on-treatment AEs; the most frequent reported AEs ( ≥ 2%) were dyskinesia (6.1%), dizziness (4.1%), nausea (3.4%), hallucinations (3.4%), somnolence (2.7%) and decreased weight (2.4%). Sixty-eight patients (23.1%) experienced treatment-related AEs. Six patients experienced serious AEs (SAEs), of which hallucination was determined to be a treatment-related SAE. There were no other significant safety findings. No new safety signals for ropinirole were identified. CONCLUSION: The safety profile of ropinirole was consistent with the preceding DB study and also with the established safety profile for ropinirole. Results support the long-term use of ropinirole PR as an adjunctive to levodopa in Chinese patients with advanced PD. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT 1536574.

Amyloid histology stain for rapid bacterial endospore imaging.

Bacterial endospores are some of the most resilient forms of life known to us, with their persistent survival capability resulting from a complex and effective structural organization. The outer membrane of endospores is surrounded by the densely packed endospore coat and exosporium, containing amyloid or amyloid-like proteins. In fact, it is the impenetrable composition of the endospore coat and the exosporium that makes staining methodologies for endospore detection complex and challenging. Therefore, a plausible strategy for facile and expedient staining would be to target components of the protective surface layers of the endospores. Instead of targeting endogenous markers encapsulated in the spores, here we demonstrated staining of these dormant life entities that targets the amyloid domains, i.e., the very surface components that make the coats of these species impenetrable. Using an amyloid staining dye, thioflavin T (ThT), we examined this strategy. A short incubation of bacillus endospore suspensions with ThT, under ambient conditions, resulted in (i) an enhancement of the fluorescence of ThT and (ii) the accumulation of ThT in the endospores, affording fluorescence images with excellent contrast ratios. Fluorescence images revealed that ThT tends to accumulate in the surface regions of the endospores. The observed fluorescence enhancement and dye accumulation, coupled with the sensitivity of emission techniques, provide an effective and rapid means of staining endospores without the inconvenience of pre- or posttreatment of samples.

Long-lived photogenerated states of alpha-oligothiophene-acridinium dyads have triplet character.

Photoinduced processes, leading to charge-transfer states with extended lifetimes, are of key importance for solar-energy-conversion applications. Utilizing external heavy-atom effect allowed us to photogenerate long-lived transients of electron donor-acceptor dyads. For an electron acceptor and a principal chromophore of the dyads, we selected N-methylacridinium, and for electron donors thiophene, bithiophene, and terthiophene were selected. While the photoinduced charge transfer, mediated by the investigated dyads, occurred in the picosecond time domain, the lifetime of the transients extended to the microsecond time domain. We ascribed the relatively long lifetimes to the triplet character of the observed transients. An increase in the size of the donor lowered the energy of the charge-transfer states of the dyads. When the energy level of the acridinium triplet lies below the energy level of the charge-transfer state, the locally excited triplet accounted for the long-lived transient. For the conjugates with charge-transfer states lying below all other excited states, the long-lived transients were, indeed, the charge-transfer species.

Photoinduced electron transfer in arylacridinium conjugates in a solid glass matrix.

The photophysical properties of a series of 9-arylacridinium conjugates in solid glass matrices composed of sucrose octaacetate have been determined. The fluorescence of the charge-shift states is significantly enhanced because of the retardation of nonradiative pathways for back-electron transfer. Changes of more than 3 orders of magnitude in back-electron-transfer rates (sucrose octaacetate glass vs conventional solvents at room temperature) were observed. Transient spectra displayed long-lived charge-shift species in the microsecond time regime for thianthrene acridinium conjugates. The rate retardation is associated with slow solvation times for surrounding solvent layers in the solid matrix. The red-edge effect (excitation wavelength-dependent fluorescence) for the arylacridinium ions in solid glass confirms the microheterogeneity of the sucrose octaacetate medium.