Preparation of nano-silver containing black phosphorus based on quaternized chitosan hydrogel and evaluating its effect on skin wound healing.

Hydrogels with favorable biocompatibility and antibacterial properties are essential in postoperative wound hemorrhage care, facilitating rapid wound healing. The present investigation employed electrostatic adsorption of black phosphorus nanosheets (BPNPs) and nano­silver (AgNPs) to cross-link the protonated amino group NH3+ of quaternized chitosan (QCS) with the hydroxyl group of hyaluronic acid (HA). The electrostatic interaction between the two groups resulted in the formation of a three-dimensional gel network structure. Additionally, the hydrogel containing AgNPs deposited onto BPNPs was assessed for its antibacterial properties and effects on wound healing. Hydrogel demonstrated an outstanding drug-loading capacity and could be employed for wound closure. AgNPs loaded on the BPNPs released silver ions and exhibited potent antibacterial properties when exposed to 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) radiation. The ability of the hydrogel to promote wound healing in an acute wound model was further evaluated. The BPNPs were combined with HA and QCS in the aforementioned hydrogel system to improve adhesion, combine the photothermal and antibacterial properties of the BPNPs, and promote wound healing. Therefore, the reported hydrogels displayed excellent biocompatibility and hold significant potential for application in the field of tissue engineering for skin wound treatment.

Thermosensitive black phosphorus hydrogel loaded with silver sulfadiazine promotes skin wound healing.

Wounds can lead to skin and soft tissue damage and their improper management may lead to the growth of pathogenic bacteria at the site of injury. Identifying better ways to promote wound healing is a major unmet need and biomedical materials with the ability to promote wound healing are urgently needed. Here, we report a thermosensitive black phosphorus hydrogel composed of black phosphorus nano-loaded drug silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and chitosan thermosensitive hydrogel for wound healing. The hydrogel has temperature-sensitive properties and enables the continuous release of SSD under near-infrared irradiation to achieve synergistic photothermal and antibacterial treatment. Additionally, it exerts antibacterial effects on Staphylococcus aureus. In a rat skin injury model, it promotes collagen deposition, boosts neovascularization, and suppresses inflammatory markers. In summary, the excellent thermosensitivity, biocompatibility, and wound-healing-promoting qualities of the reported thermosensitive hydrogel make it suitable as an ideal wound dressing in the clinic.

Analysis of Results of Continuous Invasive Arterial Blood Pressure Monitoring in Postoperative Patients.

Objective: In patients with postoperative circulatory instability, the exploration of invasive arterial blood pressure (IABP) monitoring is of great significance because it can provide real-time cardiovascular function information and help medical staff to better assess and manage the patient's circulatory status. To explore the value of IABP monitoring for patients with postoperative circulatory instability in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU). Methods: From January to December 2021, 160 postoperative patients with circulatory instability were randomly divided into a control group and a study group (80 patients in each group). A random number sequence is generated through a random number table, and random numbers are distributed to different patients to achieve random grouping. SPSS was used for data processing and statistical analysis, t test was used for continuous variables, chi-square test was used for count data, and the significance level was P < .05.We compared various parameters, such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), PACU observation time, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), total hospitalization time, heart rate (HR), arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2), re-intubation rate, mean arterial pressure (MAP), adverse events, and blood oxygen saturation (SaO2), between the two groups. Flow cytometry was used to analyze changes in immune lymphocyte subsets in the patient's peripheral blood. Results: During the postoperative observation period, there were no significant differences in SBP, PaCO2, HR, SaO2, MAP, and PaO2 between the two groups (P > .05)The study group showed higher SBP, SaO2, MAP, and PaO2, and lower HR and PaCO2 compared to the control group (P < .05). The study group also had shorter PACU observation time, total hospitalization time, and a lower re-intubation rate compared to the control group (P < .05). There was no significant difference in the overall incidence of adverse events between the two groups (7.50% vs 3.75%) (P > .05). The study group showed significantly higher proportions of lymphocytes, CD3+ T cells, CD3+ CD4+ T cells, and CD3+ CD4+/CD3+ CD8+ ratio compared to the control group (P < .05). This change may reflect the patients with a positive response of the immune system, help to resist disease progress and infection. Conclusion: IABP monitoring can continuously, dynamically and accurately collect arterial blood pressure data of patients with postoperative circulatory instability, contributing to the recovery of immune competence in patients to help formulate the best clinical treatment and intervention plan. The dynamic and accurate arterial blood pressure data collection provided by IABP monitoring contributes not only to immune competence recovery but also to overall patient management and treatment planning.

Structure-property-performance relationship of transition metal doped WO3 mixed oxides for catalytic degradation of organic pollutants.

Transition metal doped WO3 mixed oxides (named as W-M-O, M = Nb, Fe, Cr, Cu, Ti or Sn, respectively) with high structure stability were synthesized by modified sol-gel method using citric acid as organic crosslinking agent, and were evaluated for catalytic elimination of low-concentration toluene, monochlorobenzene and 1,2-dichloroethance with high toxicity and relatively stable molecule structure, as the typical examples for the pollutants of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Results of the structure-property-performance relationship research showed that mesoporous structure and nanocrystalline/amorphous state were formed, and binary metal components were dispersed into each other, which contributed to promoting the metal/metal electron interaction and adjusting the physicochemical properties of mixed metal oxides. The sequence of apparent catalytic activity for toluene degradation was: W-Nb-O＞W-Fe-O＞W-Cr-O, W-Cu-O＞W-Ti-O＞W-Sn-O＞WO3, and the sequence for monochlorobenzene degradation was: W-Nb-O＞W-Fe-O＞W-Cr-O, W-Ti-O＞W-Cu-O＞W-Sn-O＞WO3. There existed cooperative catalytic effect: mesopore and surface acid sites of catalysts facilitated adsorption, activation and breakage of the C-X bond, and then redox sites of catalysts promoted deep oxidation of a series of reaction intermediates to transform into CO2 and H2O. Especially, the optimized W-Nb-O catalyst deserved more attention, since it represented remarkable catalytic activity, selectivity and durability for three typical VOCs degradation along with good resistance to water vapor and corrosion of HCl.

Coupling Transition Metal Compound with Single-Atom Site for Water Splitting Electrocatalysis.

Single-atom site catalysts (SACs) provide an ideal platform to identify the active centers, explore the catalytic mechanism, and establish the structure-property relationships, and thus have attracted increasing interests for electrocatalytic energy conversion. Substantial endeavors have been devoted to the construction of carbon-supported SACs, and their progress have been comprehensively reviewed. Compared with carbon-supported SACs, transition metal compounds (TMCs)-supported SACs are still in their infancy in the field of electrocatalysis. However, they have also aroused ever-increasing attention for driving electrocatalytic water splitting, and emerged as an indispensable class of SACs in recent years, predominately owing to their inherently structural features, such as rich anchoring sites, surface defects, and lattice vacancy. Herein, in this review, we have systematically summarized the recent advances of a variety of TMC supported SACs toward electrocatalytic water splitting. The advanced characterization techniques and theoretical analyses for identifying and monitoring the atomic structure of SACs are firstly manifested. Subsequently, the anchoring and stabilization mechanisms for TMC supported SACs are also highlighted. Thereafter, the advances of TMC supported SACs for driving water electrolysis are systematically unraveled.

Metal Requirements for Building Electrical Grid Systems of Global Wind Power and Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic until 2050.

Wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power form vital parts of the energy transition toward renewable energy systems. The rapid development of these two renewables represents an enormous infrastructure construction task including both power generation and its associated electrical grid systems, which will generate demand for metal resources. However, most research on material demands has focused on their power generation systems (wind turbines and PV panels), and few have studied the associated electrical grid systems. Here, we estimate the global metal demands for electrical grid systems associated with wind and utility-scale PV power by 2050, using dynamic material flow analysis based on International Energy Agency's energy scenarios and the typical engineering parameters of transmission grids. Results show that the associated electrical grids require large quantities of metals: 27-81 Mt of copper cumulatively, followed by 20-67 Mt of steel and 11-31 Mt of aluminum. Electrical grids built for solar PV have the largest metal demand, followed by offshore and onshore wind. Power cables are the most metal-consuming electrical components compared to substations and transformers. We also discuss the decommissioning issue of electrical grids and their recovery potential. This study would deepen the understanding of the nexus between renewable energy, grid infrastructure, and metal resources.

Mo doping and Se vacancy engineering for boosting electrocatalytic water oxidation by regulating the electronic structure of self-supported Co9Se8@NiSe.

Oxygen evolution reactions (OERs) are regarded as the rate-determining step of electrocatalytic overall water splitting, which endow OER electrocatalysts with the advantages of high activity, low cost, good conductivity, and excellent stability. Herein, a facile H2O2-assisted etching method is proposed for the fabrication of Mo-doped ultrathin Co9Se8@NiSe/NF-X heterojunctions with rich Se vacancies to boost electrocatalytic water oxidation. After step-by-step electronic structure modulation by Mo doping and Se vacancy engineering, the self-standing Mo-Co9Se8@NiSe/NF-60 heterojunctions deliver a current density of 50 mA cm-2 with an overpotential of 343 mV and a cell voltage of only 1.87 V at 50 mA cm-2 for overall water splitting in 1.0 M KOH. Our study opens up the possibility of realizing step-by-step electronic structure modulation of nonprecious OER electrocatalysts via heteroatom doping and vacancy engineering.

Boosting oxygen evolution of layered double hydroxide through electronic coupling with ultralow noble metal doping.

Electrocatalytic water oxidation is a rate-determining step in the water splitting process; however, its efficiency is significantly hampered by the limitations of cost-effective electrocatalysts. Here, an advanced Co(OH)2 electrocatalyst with ultralow iridium (Ir) doping is developed to enable outstanding oxygen evolution reaction (OER) properties; that is, in a 1 M KOH medium, an overpotential of only 262 mV is required to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm-2, and a small Tafel slope of 66.9 mV dec-1 is achieved, which is markedly superior to that of the commercial IrO2 catalyst (301 mV@10 mA cm-2; 66.9 mV dec-1). Through the combination of experimental data and a mechanism study, it is disclosed that the high intrinsic OER activity results from the synergistic electron coupling of oxidized Ir and Co(OH)2, which significantly moderate the adsorption energy of the intermediates. Moreover, we have also synthesized Ru-Co(OH)2 nanosheets and demonstrated the universal syntheses of Ir-doped CoM (M = Ni, Fe, Mn, and Zn) layered double hydroxides (LDHs).

A Personalized Pulmonary Circulation Model to Non-Invasively Calculate Fractional Flow Reserve for Artery Stenosis Detection.

OBJECTIVE: Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) is regarded as a fundamental index to assess pulmonary artery stenosis. The application of FFR can increase the accuracy of detection of pulmonary artery stenosis. However, the invasive examination may carry a number of physiological risks for patients. Therefore, we propose a personalized pulmonary circulation model to non-invasively calculate FFR of pulmonary artery stenosis. METHODOLOGY: We have employed a personalized pulmonary circulation model to non-invasively calculate FFR. This model combines boundary condition estimation and 3D pulmonary artery morphology reconstruction for CFD simulation. Firstly, we obtain patient-specific boundary conditions by matching cardiac output and main pulmonary artery pressure. Secondly, the 3D pulmonary artery morphology is reconstructed by semi-automatic segmentation. The CFD simulation is performed to obtain the pressure distribution in the entire pulmonary artery. Finally, the FFR in pulmonary artery stenosis is calculated as the ratio of distal pressure and proximal pressure. RESULTS: To validate our model, we compare the simulated FFR with the measured FFR by pressure guide wires examination of 20 patients. The FFR simulated by our model shows a good agreement with the measured FFR by pressure guide wires examination ( r= 0.989, 0.001). CONCLUSION: Our proposed personalized pulmonary circulation model is shown to be capable of non-invasively calculating FFR with sufficient accuracy. SIGNIFICANCE: The FFR calculated by our personalized circulation model may effectively contribute to non-invasive detection of pulmonary artery stenosis and to a comprehensive evaluation of the entire pulmonary artery vascular tree.

Providing a view for toxicity mechanism of tetracycline by analysis of the connections between metabolites and biologic endpoints of wheat.

Metabolomics is an implement for testing the toxicity of antibiotics, and provides a comprehensive view of the overall response to stress; however, the connections between metabolites and biologic endpoints keep unclear in response to antibiotics. In this study, wheat seeds were exposed to tetracycline for 5 days. The results proved that tetracycline restrained growth, reduced chlorophyl and carotinoid contents and cell permeability, and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. Orthogonal partial least squares (OPLS) was used to analyze the connections between metabolites and biologic endpoints, which discovered that 11 metabolic pathways were significantly affected by tetracycline, and amino acid metabolism could largely apply to root growth and ROS accumulation, while carbohydrate metabolism could have a ruling effect on tetracycline-induced cell permeability. 13 metabolites all played active roles in mediating tetracycline's effects on root length, root fresh weight and cell permeability but had no significant effects on ROS levels. The majority of metabolites with passive effects on root length, root fresh weight and cell permeability had active effects on ROS levels. These results offer a view about stress reaction of wheat to tetracycline.

Chromatographic studies of unusual on-column degradation of cefaclor observed in the impurity separation by HPLC.

An unpredictable ghost peak was intermittently observed during the impurity separation of cefaclor and formulation by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a content from below the reported threshold to approximately 0.3% in different laboratories. Through a series of investigations, the ghost peak was identified as an unusual on-column degradant of cefaclor formed under elevated column temperature but was not an actual sample impurity. The chemical structure of the degradant was determined by spectroscopic methods, including high resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) and 1H-NMR. Consequently, the unknown peak was identified as a C-4 oxidative decarboxylation analog of cefaclor. The formation mechanism of the analog is proposed, and it is suggested that elevated column temperature during HPLC analysis has a profound effect on the degradation. Dissolved oxygen in the mobile phase may promote the formation of the ghost peak. The degradation can be suppressed by using a column temperature below 30 °C. Moreover, several other prevention measures are suggested based upon the results of the investigation.

Efficacy of bornyl acetate and camphene from Valeriana officinalis essential oil against two storage insects.

The essential oil was extracted from the roots of Valeriana officinalis L. by hydrodistillation. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of its chemical constituents was conducted on GC-MS and GC-FID in this study. Seventeen compounds were detected and the major constituents included bornyl acetate (48.2%) and camphene (13.8%). The toxic and repellent effects of the essential oil and its two major constituents were evaluated on Liposcelis bostrychophila and Tribolium castaneum. The results of bioassays indicated that the essential oil showed the promising fumigant and contact toxicity against L. bostrychophila (LC50 = 2.8 mg/L air and LD50 = 50.9 µg/cm2, respectively) and the notable contact effect on T. castaneum (LD50 = 10.0 µg/adult). Meanwhile, the essential oil showed comparable repellent effect on T. castaneum at all testing concentrations. Bornyl acetate and camphene also exhibited strong fumigant and contact toxicity against both species of pests (LC50 = 1.1, 10.1 mg/L air and LD50 = 32.9, 701.3 µg/cm2 for L. bostrychophila; > 126.3, 4.1 mg/L air, and 66.0, 21.6 µg/adult for T. castaneum). Bornyl acetate and camphene showed moderate repellent effect on T. castaneum and conversely showed attractant effect on L. bostrychophila. This work highlights the insecticidal potential of V. officinalis, which has been noted as a traditional medicinal plant.

Tracking and quantifying the cobalt flows in mainland China during 1994-2016: Insights into use, trade and prospective demand.

In recent years, the demand for cobalt is increasing dramatically because of its critical role in clean energy technologies globally. China has been a leading consumer and refiner of cobalt, and meanwhile is a scarce country of cobalt resources. Its growing domestic demand may impose significant pressure on sustainable development of cobalt resources and make it potentially vulnerable to supply shortages. Aiming at identifying the potential opportunities for improving cobalt resource efficiency and supply security, dynamic stocks and flows analysis was applied to track and quantify the anthropogenic cobalt cycles in mainland China such as its production, use, and trade over the years 1994-2016. The analysis results showed that the production, trade and consumption of cobalt resources in mainland China grew significantly in the past two decades. China has been a net importer of cobalt raw materials but a net exporter of cobalt chemicals and final cobalt-containing products, indicating that China is bearing increasing environmental burden of processing cobalt product for other economies. The in-use stock of cobalt has reached over 140,000 t by 2016, of which the cobalt contained in in-use batteries accounted for approximately 77%. The recycling rate of end-of-life (Eol) products kept at a very low level, less than 20% in the past decades. The cumulative domestic demand of cobalt is projected to exceed China's reserve base by around 2022 based on scenario analysis. Furthermore, some recommendations were proposed for the sustainable development of China's cobalt resource, including the improvement of national cobalt reserve system, development of diversified resource supply channel and the establishment of a recycling system and associated regulations for cobalt-containing obsolete products.

Toxic and Repellent Effects of Volatile Phenylpropenes from Asarum heterotropoides on Lasioderma serricorne and Liposcelis bostrychophila.

Toxic and repellent effects of the essential oil from Asarum heterotropoides Fr. Schmidt var. mandshuricum (Maxim.) Kitag. were evaluated against Lasioderma serricorne and Liposcelis bostrychophila. The essential oils (EOs) from roots (ER) and leaves (EL) of A. heterotropoides were obtained separately by hydrodistillation and characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Major components of ER and EL included methyleugenol, safrole, and 3,5-dimethoxytoluene. Both ER and EL of A. heterotropoides showed certain toxicity and repellency against L. serricorne and L. bostrychophila. 3,5-Dimethoxytoluene, methyleugenol, and safrole were strongly toxic via fumigation to L. serricorne (LC50 = 4.99, 10.82, and 18.93 mg/L air, respectively). Safrole and 3,5-dimethoxytoluene possessed significant fumigant toxicity against L. bostrychophila (LC50 = 0.83 and 0.91 mg/L air, respectively). The three compounds all exhibited potent contact toxicity against the two insect species. Here, the EL of A. heterotropoides was confirmed to have certain toxicity and repellency against stored product insects, providing a novel idea for the comprehensive use of plant resources.

Antifeedant Activities of Lignans from Stem Bark of Zanthoxylum armatum DC. against Tribolium castaneum.

The speciation of a methanolic extract of Zanthoxylum armatum stem bark has enabled the isolation and characterization of 11 known lignans. Among them, five compounds (6, 8-11) are reported in this plant for the first time. All of the chemical structures were elucidated on the basis of NMR spectral analysis. Additionally, their antifeedant activities against Tribolium castaneum were evaluated scientifically. Among them, asarinin (1), with an EC50 of 25.64 ppm, exhibited a much stronger antifeedant activity than the positive control, toosendanin (EC50 = 71.69 ppm). Moreover, fargesin (2), horsfieldin (3), and magnolone (10), with EC50 values of 63.24, 68.39, and 78.37 ppm, showed almost the same antifeedant activity as the positive control. From the perspective of structure-effectiveness relationship, compounds with the chemical group of methylenedioxy exhibited higher antifeedant activities and have potential to be developed into novel antifeedants or potential lead compounds to protect food and crops in storage.

Vacuum pyrolysis characteristics and parameter optimization of recycling organic materials from waste tantalum capacitors.

Recycling rare metal tantalum from waste tantalum capacitors (WTCs) is significant to alleviate the shortage of tantalum resource. However, environmental problems will be caused if the organic materials from WTCs are improperly disposed. This study presented a promising vacuum pyrolysis technology to recycle the organic materials from WTCs. The organics removal rate could reach 94.32wt% according to TG results. The optimal parameters were determined as 425°C, 50Pa and 30min on the basis of response surface methodology (RSM). The oil yield and residual rate was 18.09wt% and 74.94wt%, respectively. All pyrolysis products can be recycled through a reasonable route. Besides, to deeply understand the pyrolysis process, the pyrolysis mechanism was also proposed based on the product and free radical theory. This paper provides an efficient process for recycling the organic material from WTCs, which can facilitate the following tantalum recovery.

Application of pyrolysis to recycling organics from waste tantalum capacitors.

Tantalum capacitors (TCs) are widely used in electronic appliances. The rapid replacement of electronic products results in generating large amounts of waste TCs (WTCs). WTCs, rich in valuable tantalum, are considered as high quality tantalum resources for recycling. However, environmental pollution will be caused if the organics of WTCs were not properly disposed. Therefore, effectively recycling the organics of WTCs is significant for recovering the valuable parts. This study proposed an argon (Ar) pyrolysis process to recycle the organics from WTCs. The organic decomposition kinetic was first analyzed by thermogravimetry. The results showed that the organics were decomposed in two major steps and the average activation energy was calculated to 234kJ/mol. Then, the suitable pyrolysis parameters were determined as 550°C, 30min and 100ml/min. The organics were effectively decomposed and converted to oils (mainly contained phenol homologs and benzene homologs) and gases (some hydrocarbon). These pyrolysis products could be reutilized as energy sources. Moreover, based on the products and bond energy theory, the pyrolysis mechanisms of the organics were also discussed. Finally, a reasonable technological process for products utilization was presented. This study contributes to the efficient recycling the organics before valuable material recovery from WTCs.

Inverse period-doubling bifurcations determine complex structure of bursting in a one-dimensional non-autonomous map.

We propose a simple one-dimensional non-autonomous map, in which some novel bursting patterns (e.g., "fold/double inverse flip" bursting, "fold/multiple inverse flip" bursting, and "fold/a cascade of inverse flip" bursting) can be observed. Typically, these bursting patterns exhibit complex structures containing a chain of inverse period-doubling bifurcations. The active states related to these bursting can be period-2(n) (n = 1, 2, 3,…) attractors or chaotic attractors, which may evolve to quiescence by a chain of inverse period-doubling bifurcations when the slow excitation decreases through period-doubling bifurcation points of the map. This accounts for the complex inverse period-doubling bifurcation structures observed in bursting patterns. Our findings enrich the possible routes to bursting as well as the underlying mechanisms of bursting.