A Low Driving-Voltage Hybrid-Electrolyte Electrochromic Window with Only Ferreous Redox Couples.

Even after decades of development, the widespread application of electrochromic windows (ECW) is still seriously restricted by their high price and inadequate performance associated with structural/fabrication complexity and electrochemical instability. Herein, a simple hybrid electrochromic system based on PFSA (perfluorosulfonic acid)-coated Prussian blue (PB, Fe4III [FeII(CN)6]3) film and Ferricyanide-Ferrocyanide ([Fe(CN)6]4-/[Fe(CN)6]3-)-containing hybrid electrolyte is reported. The PB film and the [Fe(CN)6]4-/[Fe(CN)6]3- couple show near redox potentials well inside the electrochemical window of water, resulting in a low driven voltage (0.4 V for coloring and -0.6 V for bleaching) and a relatively long lifespan (300 cycles with 76.9% transmittance contrast retained). The PFSA layer, as a cation-exchange structure, significantly improves the transmittance modulation amplitude (ΔT: 23.3% vs. 71.9% at a wavelength of 633 nm) and optical memory abilities (ΔT retention: 10.1% vs. 67.0% after 300 s open-circuit rest increases) of the device, by means of preventing the direct contact and charge transfer between the PB film and the [Fe(CN)6]4-/[Fe(CN)6]3- couple. This "hybrid electrolyte + electron barrier layer" design provides an effective way for the construction of simple structured electrochromic devices.

The effect and pharmacology of Yizhi Sheng Hui decoction on Alzheimer's disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has gradually increased as society has aged and is now a serious social problem. In the clinical treatment of AD, patients show improvement in cognitive function after treatment with the traditional Chinese medicine compound, Yizhi Sheng Hui (YZSH) decoction. This study systematically investigates the effect and pharmacology of the YZSH decoction on AD. METHODS: In this study, 24 SAMP8 AD model mice were randomly divided into three groups: an untreated control group, a group treated with the YZSH decoction, and a positive control group treated with donepezil hydrochloride. Eight SAMR1 mice were placed in the normal control group. A Morris water maze test and a step-down test were conducted at 8 and 13 weeks after continuous intragastric administration of the two drugs. After 13 weeks of administration, the hippocampal expression of Aß1-42 and tau protein were measured. RESULTS: There was no change in the latent period duration and the number of platform crossings in each group after 8 weeks of administration, but after 13 weeks of administration, the latent period of the treatment group and the positive control group were significantly shorter than the untreated control group. Initially, the SAMP8 mice showed a lower spatial exploration ability than the SAMR1 mice. However, after 13 weeks of administration, the treatment group and the control group exhibited a better exploration ability. Compared with the SAMR1 mice, the on-stage evasion time and step-down errors significantly increased in the untreated group. Compared with the untreated group, mice in the treatment group and the positive control group showed a shorter latent period after 8 weeks of administration, and the on-stage evasion time for both groups was significantly reduced after 13 weeks of administration. The treatment group showed fewer instances of electric shock. Hippocampal expression of Aß1-42 was high in the untreated group, was much lower in the positive control group, and no Aß1-42 expression was observed in the treatment group. CONCLUSIONS: The YZSH decoction improved the learning and memory of mice with AD, related to the inhibition of Aß1-42 expression.

Significance of different carbon forms and carbonic anhydrase activity in monitoring and prediction of algal blooms in the urban section of Jialing River, Chongqing, China.

The Three Gorges Dam is one of the largest hydroelectric power plants worldwide; its reservoir was preliminarily impounded in 2003 and finally impounded to 175 m in 2012. The impoundment caused some environmental problems, such as algal blooms. Carbonic anhydrase (CA) is an important biocatalyst in the carbon utilization by algae and plays an important role in algal blooms. CA has received considerable attention for its role in red tides in oceans, but less investigation has been focused on its role in algal blooms in fresh water. In this study, the seasonal variation of water quality parameters, different carbon forms, carbonic anhydrase activity (CAA), and the algal cell density of four sampling sites in the urban section of the Jialing River were investigated from November 1, 2013 to October 31, 2014. Results indicated that CAA exhibited a positive correlation with dissoluble organic carbon (DOC), pH, and temperature, but a negative correlation with CO2 and dissoluble inorganic carbon (DIC). Algal cell density exhibited a positive correlation with flow velocity (V), pH, particulate organic carbon (POC), and CAA, a negative correlation with CO2, and a negative partial correlation with DIC. The relationship between CAA and algal cell density for the entire year can be described as cells = 23.278CAA - 42.666POC + 139.547pH - 1057.106. The algal bloom prediction model for the key control period can be described as cells = -45.895CAA + 776.103V- 29.523DOC + 14.219PIC + 35.060POC + 19.181 (2 weeks in advance) and cells = 69.200CAA + 203.213V + 4.184CO2 + 38.911DOC + 40.770POC - 189.567 (4 weeks in advance). The findings in this study demonstrate that the carbon utilization by algae is conducted by CA and provide a new method of monitoring algal cell density and predicting algal blooms.