In this paper, a novel detection method based on luminescence resonance energy transfer (LRET) system for sensitive detection of Mn2+ ions has been proposed. The positively charged upconversion ...nanoparticles capped with polyethyleneimin (PEI-UCNPs) and negatively charged Ag NPs capped with tripolyphosphate (P3O105−-Ag NPs) were bound through electrostatic interaction. They were used as energy donors and acceptors, respectively. The green upconversion luminescence could be quenched because of a good overlap between the UCNPs emission and the Ag NPs absorption spectra. Nevertheless, the LRET was disrupted and the green upconversion luminescence was restored in the presence of Mn2+ because of the coagulation of P3O105−-Ag NPs. Thus, the relative luminescence intensity increased as the concentrations of Mn2+ increased. The response is linear to the concentrations of Mn2+ in the range from 0.2 to 5 μM, and the detection limit is evaluated to be 150 nM (S/N = 3). This probe was easy to operate with satisfactory selectivity and excellent sensitivity, which would be able to satisfy the requirements of Mn2+-related detection.
•The LRET system based on NaYF4:Yb, Er-Ag nanoparticles were constructed.•In the LRET system UCNPs were used as energy donors and Ag NPs energy acceptors, respectively.•The green upconversion luminescence could be quenched due to LRET from UCNPs to Ag NPs.•The green upconversion luminescence were restored in the presence of Mn2+.
Herein, we explore the potential of innovative manufacturing techniques based on green chemistry principles, for the fabrication of convenient, performant, and stable supported photocatalysts to be ...used for water depollution. After giving some insight into the use of fractal geometry for the fabrication of tunable polymer supports for photocatalysts, we investigated the use of liquid crystal display (LCD) 3D printing to generate the fractal resin substrates to be used for the immobilization of semiconductor photocatalysts. Notably, confocal laser imaging was used as a first attempt for assessing the surface area of the fractal substrate. Immobilization methods based on cold plasma discharge (CPD) were employed to modify the surface of the polymer substrates and permanently anchor three different phases, namely, nickel-based metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF), BiOI, and AgVO
, in a hierarchical configuration. Herein, for the first time, we developed a plasma-initiated condensed
complexation-assisted precipitation (c-ISCAP) method that allowed 2D Ni-MOF to be synthesized directly onto the surface of a polymer substrate, in a single step. Not only this MOF coating was found to be strongly bound to the surface of the polymer substrate but also very uniform and fully functional, even when other inorganic phases were immobilized on the top of this layer. This chemical approach opens the way for the fabrication of hybrid materials with complex polymer substrates and MOF coatings that could be used in a range of possible applications, for instance as chemical sensors, electrodes, adsorbents, optical devices, etc. Our hybrid photocatalysts were tested via photodegradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) dye upon visible light activation, with recycling runs to assess their durability. It was found that the hierarchical heterojunction Ni-MOF/BiOI/AgVO
showed an outstanding ability for the removal of RhB dye, owing to the activity of the Ni-MOF layer in terms of charge transfer, and also partly because of its adsorbing potential. The three photoactive phases demonstrated a strong synergistic effect through coupling. However, more importantly, our findings show that their immobilization itself, regardless of the method used, significantly modified their optoelectronic properties, hence most likely changing the overall mechanism of charge transfer in the heterojunction. The Ni-MOF phase, notably, was found to display a reduced bandgap when obtained by c-ISCAP, which contributed to enhance its activation by visible light irradiation. Finally, it was established that the fractal geometry had a significant impact on the efficiency of the supported catalysts, probably thanks to an increased immobilization ratio of photocatalyst mostly, owing to the larger surface area available.
The separation of CO
from the industrial post-combustion flue gas is of great importance to reduce the increasingly serious greenhouse effect, yet highly challenging due to the extremely high ...stability, low cost, and high separation performance requirements for adsorbents under the practical operating conditions. Herein, we report a robust squarate-cobalt metal-organic framework (MOF), FJUT-3, featuring an ultra-small 1D square channel decorated with -OH groups, for CO
/N
separation. Remarkably, FJUT-3 not only has excellent stability under harsh chemical conditions but also presents low-cost property for scale-up synthesis. Moreover, FJUT-3 shows excellent CO
separation performance under various humid and temperature conditions confirmed by the transient breakthrough experiments, thus enabling FJUT-3 with adequate potentials for industrial CO
capture and removal. The distinct CO
adsorption mechanism is well elucidated by theoretical calculations, in which the hierarchical C···O
, C-O···C
, and O-H···O
interactions play a vital synergistic role in the selective CO
adsorption process.
Blood purification refers to the extra corporeal therapies of removing potentially toxic substances, in which blood is circulated through an adsorption system loading separation materials. ...High-efficient inexpensive separation materials are critical to success. In this review, separation materials such as polymers and nanomaterials are summarized and compared. Combining the advantages of the adsorptive membranes and nanomaterials, organic–inorganic hybrid/blend membranes have been developed explosively. These hybrid/blend membranes have both the characteristics of high permeability, easy fabrication, good biocompatibility of adsorptive membranes, and characteristics of fast adsorption rate and high adsorption capacity of nanomaterials. The preparation and modification methodology of the separation materials is reviewed. For affinity separation materials, the relationship of ligand chemistry, ligand density and pores of the matrix is discussed. This paper also summarizes some interesting applications in separation materials for removal of bilirubin, endotoxin, toxic metal ions, cytokine, etc.
Objective
To investigate the efficacy and safety of broadband light (BBL) combined with intradermal injection of tranexamic acid for treating melasma.
Methods
120 women with melasma admitted to our ...hospital from January 2021 to April 2022 were randomly categorized into the following groups: control group, treated with 250 mg tranexamic acid given orally twice daily, except during menstruation; group I, treated with BBL (Sciton, Inc., USA) monthly; group II, received intradermal injections of tranexamic acid monthly; and group III, treated with BBL with intradermal injection of tranexamic acid monthly. Treatment in each group lasted three months. The MASI (Melasma Area Severity Index) and VISIA (Canfield VISIA Complexion Analysis) were used for evaluation.
Results
After treatment course, MASI scores and VISIA brown spot and red zone ranking improved in all four groups (p < 0.05). The decrease in MASI scores and improvement rates of VISIA brown spot and red zone rankings were not significantly different among the control group, group I, and group II; however, the decreased MASI scores and improvement rates of VISIA brown spot and red zone rankings were significantly higher in group III than in the other three groups (p < 0.05).
Conclusion
The effect of BBL combined with the intradermal injection of TA in the treatment of melasma is remarkable. This combination therapy can be an alternative and effective treatment for managing melasma.
ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate early outcomes of one of the first medical undergraduate education programmes with a goal of mitigating severe rural physician shortages in China, which was ...developed by Guangxi Medical University (GXMU) and was called the Rural-oriented Free Tuition Medical Education (RTME)-GXMU programme.DesignA prospective cohort study comprising a baseline investigation and follow-up research was conducted to dynamically observe the evolution of the RTME-GXMU programme that began since 2010.Participants380 RTME-GXMU graduates and 383 non-RTME-GXMU graduates from GXMU who completed trainings between 2015 and 2018 were recruited in the baseline investigation. Among them, 285 RTME-GXMU and 283 non-RTME-GXMU graduates responded to the follow-up research.Main outcome measuresGraduate practice location, registered specialty, passing rate of the National Medical Licensing Examination (NMLE), specialty of residency programme and contract compliance for the RTME-GXMU graduates.ResultsBy the end of 2018, 100% of the 2015 RTME-GXMU graduates enrolled in this study practised in rural township health centres and registered themselves as general practitioners (GPs). All the RTME-GXMU graduates had completed or were attending residency programmes of general practice (GP). The above data stood in stark contrast to that of the non-RTME-GXMU graduates among whom as few as 1.06% worked in rural areas, 2.13% registered as GPs and less than 3% chose GP residency programmes. No significant differences were detected on passing rates of the NMLE between the two groups. Only one RTME-GXMU graduate broke the contract and dropped off the programme.ConclusionsThe RTME-GXMU programme has achieved encouraging early outcomes. Reduced entry score and proper usage of urban primary care institutions are two key approaches contributing to these positive early results.
Summary
The biosynthesis of very‐long‐chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) and their transport are required for fibre development. However, whether other regulatory factors are involved in this process is ...unknown. We report here that overexpression of an Arabidopsis gene ankyrin repeat‐containing protein 2A (AKR2A) in cotton promotes fibre elongation. RNA‐Seq analysis was employed to elucidate the mechanisms of AKR2A in regulating cotton fibre development. The VLCFA content and the ratio of VLCFAs to short‐chain fatty acids increased in AKR2A transgenic lines. In addition, AKR2A promotes fibre elongation by regulating ethylene and synergizing with the accumulation of auxin and hydrogen peroxide. Analysis of RNA‐Seq data indicates that AKR2A up‐regulates transcript levels of genes involved in VLCFAs’ biosynthesis, ethylene biosynthesis, auxin and hydrogen peroxide signalling, cell wall and cytoskeletal organization. Furthermore, AKR2A interacted with KCS1 in Arabidopsis both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the VLCFA content and the ratio of VLCFAs to short‐chain fatty acids increased significantly in seeds of AKR2A‐overexpressing lines and AKR2A/KCS1 co‐overexpressing lines, while AKR2A mutants are the opposite trend. Our results uncover a novel cotton fibre growth mechanism by which the critical regulator AKR2A promotes fibre development via activating hormone signalling cascade by mediating VLCFA biosynthesis. This study provides a potential candidate gene for improving fibre yield and quality through genetic engineering.
Automatic modelling to search distinguishers with high probability covering as many rounds as possible, such as MILP, SAT/SMT, CP models, has become a very popular cryptanalysis topic today. In those ...models, the optimizing objective is usually the probability or the number of rounds of the distinguishers. If we want to recover the secret key for a round-reduced block cipher, there are usually two phases, i.e., finding an efficient distinguisher and performing key-recovery attack by extending several rounds before and after the distinguisher. The total number of attacked rounds is not only related to the chosen distinguisher, but also to the extended rounds before and after the distinguisher. In this paper, we try to combine the two phases in a uniform automatic model.Concretely, we apply this idea to automate the related-key rectangle attacks on SKINNY and ForkSkinny. We propose some new distinguishers with advantage to perform key-recovery attacks. Our key-recovery attacks on a few versions of round-reduced SKINNY and ForkSkinny cover 1 to 2 more rounds than the best previous attacks.
Epidermal growth factor (EGF) is a potent regulator of cell function in many cell types. In mammals, the EGF/EGFR system played an important role in both pituitary physiology and pathology. However, ...it is not clear about the pituitary action of EGF in lower vertebrates. In this study, using grass carp as a model, we found that EGF could stimulate NK3R mRNA and protein expression through pituitary ErbB1 and ErbB2 coupled to MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways. In addition, EGF could also induce pituitary somatolactin α (SLα) secretion and mRNA expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner in vivo and in vitro. The stimulatory actions of EGF on SLα mRNA expression were also mediated by PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MEK/ERK pathways coupled to ErbB1 and ErbB2 activation. Our previous study has reported that neurokinin B (NKB) could also induce SLα secretion and mRNA expression in carp pituitary cells. In the present study, interestingly, we found that EGF could significantly enhance NKB-induced SLα mRNA expression. Further studies found that NK3R antagonist SB222200 could block EGF-induced SLα mRNA expression, indicating an NK3R requirement. Furthermore, cAMP/PKA inhibitors and PLC/PKC inhibitors could both abolish EGF- and EGF+NKB-induced SLα mRNA expression, which further supported that EGF-induced SLα mRNA expression is NK3R dependent.
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