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Corona virus disease (COVID-19) has now spread to all parts of the world and almost all countries are battling against it. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and safety of ...Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine (Hereinafter referred to as “Integrated Medicine”) to COVID-19. We searched six major Chinese and English databases to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and case-control studies (CCSs) of Integrated Medicine on COVID-19. Two reviewers independently screened, identified studies, and extracted data. Cochrane Risk of Bias tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale were used to assess the quality of included RCTs and CCSs, respectively. Stata (version 13.0; StataCorp) was used to perform meta-analyses with the random-effects model. Risk ratio (RR) was used for dichotomous data while the weighted mean difference (WMD) was adopted for continuous variables as effect size, both of which were demonstrated in effect size and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 11 studies were included. Four were RCTs and seven were CCSs. The sample size of including studies ranged from 42 to 200 (total 982). The traditional Chinese medicine included Chinese medicine compound drugs (QingFei TouXie FuZhengFang) and Chinese patent medicine (e.g. Shufeng Jiedu Capsule, Lianhua Qingwen granules). Compared with the control group, the overall response rate RR = 1.230, 95%CI (1.113, 1.359), P = 0.000, cure rate RR = 1.604, 95%CI (1.181, 2.177), P = 0.002, severity illness rate RR = 0.350, 95%CI (0.154, 0.792), P = 0.012, and hospital stay WMD = -1.991, 95%CI (-3.278, -0.703), P = 0.002 of the intervention group were better. In addition, Integrated Medicine can improve the disappearance rate of fever, cough, expectoration, fatigue, chest tightness and anorexia and reduce patients’ fever, and fatigue time (P < 0.05). This review found that Integrated Medicine had better effects and did not increase adverse drug reactions for COVID-19. More high-quality RCTs are needed in the future.
Realizing a long coherence time quantum memory is a major challenge of current quantum technology. Until now, the longest coherence-time of a single qubit was reported as 660 s in a single
Yb
...ion-qubit through the technical developments of sympathetic cooling and dynamical decoupling pulses, which addressed heating-induced detection inefficiency and magnetic field fluctuations. However, it was not clear what prohibited further enhancement. Here, we identify and suppress the limiting factors, which are the remaining magnetic-field fluctuations, frequency instability and leakage of the microwave reference-oscillator. Then, we observe the coherence time of around 5500 s for the
Yb
ion-qubit, which is the time constant of the exponential decay fit from the measurements up to 960 s. We also systematically study the decoherence process of the quantum memory by using quantum process tomography and analyze the results by applying recently developed resource theories of quantum memory and coherence. Our experimental demonstration will accelerate practical applications of quantum memories for various quantum information processing, especially in the noisy-intermediate-scale quantum regime.
We formulate a continuum model to study the low-energy electronic structure of heterostructures formed by graphene on a strong three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) for the cases of both ...commensurate and incommensurate stacking. The incommensurability can be due to a twist angle between graphene and the TI surface or a lattice mismatch between the two systems. We find that the proximity of the TI induces in graphene a strong enhancement of the spin-orbit coupling that can be tuned via the twist angle.
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► Xylan clearly inhibited the enzymatic hydrolysis of cellulose by cellulase. ► Xylan clearly inhibited the cellulose hydrolysis by individual EGII, CBHI and CBHII. ► The solubility ...of oat spelt xylan did not clearly affect the hydrolysis of cellulose. ► After the addition of xylans, cleaved cellobiose units by CBHI from cellulose chain decreased.
Hemicelluloses have been found to be physical barriers in the hydrolysis of cellulose, and prevent the access of enzymes to cellulose surface. In addition, soluble hemicelluloses may strongly inhibit the cellulase activity. In this work, birchwood xylan clearly inhibited the enzymatic hydrolysis of wheat straw, Avicel and nanocellulose by cellulases. Hydrolysis efficiencies of cellobiohydrolase I (CBHI, from Thermoascus aurantiacus), cellobiohydrolase II (CBHII, from Trichoderma reesei) and endoglucanase II (from T. aurantiacus) were clearly inhibited by birchwood xylan, respectively. The strongest inhibitory effect of birchwood xylan was observed on the hydrolysis of Avicel by CBHI and CBHII, as a dramatically decreased formation of the main product, cellobiose. After additions of soluble and insoluble oat spelt xylan, cleaved cellobiose units by CBHI from cellulose chain decreased from 8 to 4 and 6, respectively. The results in this work demonstrated that xylans clearly inhibited the hydrolysis efficiencies of both endoglucanase and cellobiohydrolase.
•A novel process efficiently produced XOS and monosaccharides from corncob.•A high XOS yield of 68.5% was achieved using propionic acid hydrolysis.•Alkali treatment reduced 50% cellulase loading in ...the saccharification of corncob.•Glucose and xylose yields reached 89.8% and 80.1% after alkaline post-treatment.
Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are usually produced by xylan isolation from lignocellulose by alkaline followed by enzymatic hydrolysis, but the process is complicated. Recently acid hydrolysis for XOS preparation has become popular as it is faster and easier. This study investigated a novel strategy for producing XOS from corncob using propionic acid (PA) hydrolysis, then producing monosaccharides from solid residues by cellulase hydrolysis. The effect of alkaline post-treatment on enzymatic hydrolysis was studied. The maximum XOS yield of 68.5% was achieved using 5% PA at 170 °C for 50 min. About 84% of lignin in PA-hydrolyzed corncob was removed using alkaline post-treatment. The yields of glucose and xylose reached 89.8% and 80.1%, respectively, using 5 FPU cellulase/g dry matter. The results indicated that alkaline post-treatment reduced 50% cellulase loading and improved the saccharification of PA-hydrolyzed corncob. This study presents an innovative option for efficient production of XOS and monosaccharides from corncob.
Conversion of plant residues to biochar is an attractive strategy for mitigation of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) emission and enhancement of carbon (C) storage in soil. However, the effect of ...biochar application on the decomposition of soil organic C (SOC) as well as its mechanisms is not well understood in the sandy loam soil of North China Plain. We investigated how biochar affected the decomposition of native SOC, using stable δ13C isotope analyses by applying biochar produced from corn straw (a C4 plant, δ13C = −11.9‰) to a sandy loam soil (δ13C of SOC = −24.5‰) under a long-term C3 crop rotation. The incubation experiment included four treatments: no amendment (Control), biochar amendment (BC, 0.5% of soil mass), inorganic nitrogen (N) amendment (IN, 100 mg N kg−1) and combined biochar and N amendments (BN). Compared with Control, N amendment significantly (P < 0.05) increased total soil CO2 emission, even when combined with biochar amendment. In contrast, biochar alone amendment did not affect total soil CO2 emission significantly. However biochar, even when combined with N amendment, significantly (P < 0.05) reduced CO2 emission from native SOC by 64.9–68.8%, indicating that biochar inhibited the decomposition of native SOC and the stimulation effect of inorganic N on native SOC degradation, a negative priming effect. N addition immediately stimulated the growth of microorganisms and altered microbial community structure by increasing Gram-positive bacteria compared to Control as measured by phospholipid fatty acid. Biochar amendment did not alter microbial biomass during the 720-h incubation period except at 168 and 720 h, but significantly (P < 0.05) lowered dissolved organic C (DOC) content in soil, primarily due to sorption of DOC by the biochar. Our study suggested that biochar application could effectively reduce the decomposition of native organic C and a potential effective measure for C sequestration in the test soil of the North China Plain.
•N stimulated the decomposition of native SOC.•Biochar suppressed the decomposition of native SOC and N stimulation effect.•Biochar did not alter soil microbial biomass and community structure.•Biochar effectively adsorbed DOC derived from soil.
•The catalytic oxidation of HMF to FDCA was mainly reviewed.•Homogenous catalysis suffers due to handling and recycling problems.•Biochemical production of FDCA from HMF is less well ...established.•Bimetallic catalysts have exhibited excellent catalytic performance in FDCA production.
Recently, the production and utilization of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) have become a hot research topic in catalyst field and polyester industry for its special chemical structure and a wide range of raw material source. FDCA is a potential replacement for the terephthalic acid monomer used in the production of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and poly(butylene terephthalate) (PBT), which opens up a new pathway for obtaining biomass-based polyester to replace or partially replace petroleum based polyester. Here, we mainly reviewed the catalytic pathway for the synthesis of FDCA derived from lignocellulosic biomass or from the related downstream products, such as glucose, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). Moreover, the utilization of oxidation catalysts, the reaction mechanism, the existing limitations and unsolved challenges were also elaborated in detail. Therefore, we hope this mini review provides a helpful overview and insight to readers in this exciting research area.
•The relationship between ADHD and suicide spectrum behaviors (SSBs) is unclear.•We found a significant association of ADHD to SSBs, even after controlling for possible confounders.•Practitioners ...should systematically screen for SSBs in patients with ADHD.
The relationship between ADHD and suicidal spectrum behaviors (SSBs) remains uncertain. We conducted the first meta-analysis on the association between ADHD and SSBs taking possible confounders into account. Based on a pre-registered protocol (PROSPERO-CRD42018093003), we searched Pubmed, Ovid and Web of Knowledge databases through April 6th, 2018, with no language/publication type restrictions, and contacted study authors for unpublished data/information. From a pool of 2798 references, we retained 57 studies. Random-effects models were performed. Study quality was rated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. After pooling crude ORs, we found a significant association between ADHD and suicidal attempts (2.37, 95% CI = 1.64–3.43; I2 = 98.21), suicidal ideations (3.53, 2.94–4.25; I2 = 73.73), suicidal plans (4.54, 2.46–8.37; I2 = 0), and completed suicide (6.69, 3.24–17.39; I2 = 87.53). Results did not substantially change when pooling adjusted ORs. Findings were also in general robust to sensitivity analyses to assess possible moderators. Awareness of the association between ADHD and SSBs should contribute to more effectively prevent SSBs.
A technique to produce biodiesel from crude
Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed oil (ZSO) with high free fatty acids (FFA) was developed. The acid value of ZSO was reduced to 1.16
mg KOH/g from 45.51
mg KOH/g ...by only one-step acid-catalyzed esterification with methanol-to-oil molar ratio 24:1, H
2SO
4 2%, temperature 60
°C and reaction time 80
min, which was selected as optimum for the acid-catalyzed esterification. During the acid-catalyzed esterification, FFA was converted into fatty acid methyl esters, which was confirmed by
1H NMR spectrum. Compared with the other two-step pretreatment procedure, this one-step pretreatment can reduce the production cost of ZSO biodiesel. Alkaline-catalyzed transesterification converted the pretreated ZSO into ZSO biodiesel. The yield of ZSO biodiesel was above 98% determined by
1H NMR spectrum. This study supports the use of crude ZSO as a viable and valuable raw feedstock for biodiesel production.
Zanthoxylum bungeanum seed oil (ZSO) with high free fatty acids (FFA) can be used for biodiesel production by ferric sulfate-catalyzed esterification followed by transesterification using calcium ...oxide (CaO) as an alkaline catalyst. Acid value of ZSO with high FFA can be reduced to less than 2
mg KOH/g by one-step esterification with methanol-to-FFA molar ratio 40.91:1, ferric sulfate 9.75% (based on the weight of FFA), reaction temperature 95
°C and reaction time 2
h, which satisfies transesterification using an alkaline catalyst. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimize the conditions for ZSO biodiesel production using CaO as a catalyst. A quadratic polynomial equation was obtained for biodiesel conversion by multiple regression analysis and verification experiments confirmed the validity of the predicted model. The optimum combination for transesterification was methanol-to-oil molar ratio 11.69:1, catalyst amount 2.52%, and reaction time 2.45
h. At this optimum condition, the conversion to biodiesel reached above 96%. This study provided a practical method to biodiesel production from raw feedstocks with high FFA with high reaction rate, less corrosion, less toxicity, and less environmental problems.
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