In this paper, Mn-doped ZnS quantum dots (QDs) capped by a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) were synthesized. The results showed a high selectivity of the MIP-capped Mn-doped ZnS QDs toward the ...template molecule (4-nitrophenol) by QD fluorescence quenching. The application of MIP-capped Mn-doped ZnS QDs to the chemiluminescence (CL) system was also studied using a KIO4−H2O2 system. This application combines the good selectivity of MIP with the high sensitivity of CL. The linear range of this CL system is from 0.1 to 40 μM, and the detection limit (DL) for 4-nitrophenol in the water can reach 76 nM. The method was also used in the real water samples, and the recoveries can fall in the range of 91−96%.
Food resource is an important bond that connects human beings and nature. In this study, we investigated the changes in food consumption and nutrition intake in Kazakhstan from a spatial and temporal ...perspective, from 2001 to 2018. The data were obtained from the Bureau of Statistics, international organizations and our social interview work. After the start of the 21st century, it was found that per capita food consumption significantly increased; however, the consumption of crop, vegetables and milk decreased. Per capita meat consumption was similar in both urban and rural areas. However, some food consumption showed differences between urban and rural areas. Changes of food consumption quantity and structure also had some effects on nutrient intake and the proportion of nutrients. Per capita energy intake in the national, urban and rural areas all increased remarkably. The energy intake changes in eastern states increased much more than that in western states. Protein intake in rural and urban areas was similar; however, the gap between carbohydrates and fat intake in urban and rural areas increased. The intake of protein, carbohydrates and fat in different states showed the same trend. Food consumption and nutrition intake are affected by economic, social and ecological factors.
Spinal long-term potentiation (LTP) at C-fiber synapses is hypothesized to underlie chronic pain. However, a causal link between spinal LTP and chronic pain is still lacking. Here, we report that ...high-frequency stimulation (HFS; 100 Hz, 10 V) of the mouse sciatic nerve reliably induces spinal LTP without causing nerve injury. LTP-inducible stimulation triggers chronic pain lasting for more than 35 days and increases the number of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) terminals in the spinal dorsal horn. The behavioral and morphological changes can be prevented by blocking NMDA receptors, ablating spinal microglia, or conditionally deleting microglial brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). HFS-induced spinal LTP, microglial activation, and upregulation of BDNF are inhibited by antibodies against colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF-1). Together, our results show that microglial CSF1 and BDNF signaling are indispensable for spinal LTP and chronic pain. The microglia-dependent transition of synaptic potentiation to structural alterations in pain pathways may underlie pain chronicity.
Display omitted
•HFS triggers synaptic plasticity of CGRP afferents and chronic pain•LTP-inducible HFS activates spinal microglia through CSF1 signaling•Microglial BDNF is essential for HFS-induced spinal LTP and chronic pain
Zhou et al. characterize chronic pain behaviors triggered by LTP-inducible HFS without nerve injury. They identify that HFS-induced LTP is accompanied by an increase in CGRP terminals in the spinal dorsal horn. Activation of neuronal CSF1-microglial BDNF signaling is indispensable for the synaptic and structural plasticity underlying HFS-induced chronic pain.
Organic electrical gas sensors have been developed for many decades because of their high sensitivity and selectivity. However, their industrialization is severely hindered by their intrinsic ...humidity susceptibility and poor recovery. Conventional organic sensory materials can only operate at room temperature owing to their weak intermolecular interactions. Herein, we demonstrate using a croconate polymer (poly‐4,4′‐biphenylcroconate) that the “ion‐in‐conjugation” concept enables organic gas sensors to operate at 100 °C and 70 % relative humidity with almost complete recovery. The fabricated sensor had a parts‐per‐billion (ppb) detection limit for NO2 and showed the highest sensitivity (2526 ppm−1 at 40 ppb) of all reported NO2 chemiresistive sensors. Furthermore, charge transfer increased with temperature. Theoretical calculations and in situ FTIR spectra confirmed the ion‐in‐conjugation‐inspired hydrogen bond as key for excellent sensitivity. A NO2 alarm system was assembled to demonstrate the feasibility of this sensor.
A robust NO2 sensor device based on an ion‐in‐conjugation structure maintained its performance at high temperature, which counteracted the effects of humidity (see picture; NO2 blue/red, H2O green/yellow). Charge transfer between NO2 and the chemiresistor was more efficient at 100 °C than at room temperature. The fabricated sensor had a parts‐per‐billion (ppb) NO2 detection limit and showed the highest sensitivity of all reported NO2 chemiresistive sensors.
This work confirms the presence of a large facet‐dependent photocatalytic activity of Cu2O crystals through sparse deposition of gold particles on Cu2O cubes, octahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra. ...Au‐decorated Cu2O rhombic dodecahedra and octahedra showed greatly enhanced photodegradation rates of methyl orange resulting from a better separation of the photogenerated electrons and holes, with the rhombic dodecahedra giving the best efficiency. Au–Cu2O core–shell rhombic dodecahedra also displayed a better photocatalytic activity than pristine rhombic dodecahedra. However, Au‐deposited Cu2O cubes, pristine cubes, and Au‐deposited small nanocubes bound by entirely {100} facets are all photocatalytically inactive. X‐ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) showed identical copper peak positions for these Au‐decorated crystals. Remarkably, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements indicated a higher production of hydroxyl radicals for the photoirradiated Cu2O rhombic dodecahedra than for the octahedra, but no radicals were produced from photoirradiated Cu2O cubes. The Cu2O {100} face may present a high energy barrier through its large band edge bending and/or electrostatic repulsion, preventing charge carriers from reaching to this surface. The conventional photocatalysis model fails in this case. The facet‐dependent photocatalytic differences should be observable in other semiconductor systems whenever a photoinduced charge‐transfer process occurs across an interface.
Structure is the key: Whereas Au‐decorated Cu2O octahedra and rhombic dodecahedra (RD) show enhanced photocatalytic activities compared to their pristine particles, small and large Au‐decorated Cu2O cubes remain inactive. EPR measurements indicate a higher production of hydroxyl radicals for Cu2O rhombic dodecahedra than for octahedra upon photoirradiation, but no radicals are produced from photoirradiated Cu2O cubes (see figure).
•UiO66 and UiO66-NH2 were synthesized via solvothermal method.•Hybridly charged NF membranes were fabricated with UiO66 in organic solution or UiO66-NH2 in aqueous solution.•The prepared NF membrane ...showed a pure water flux of 16.6 L·m−2·h−1·bar−1 and MgCl2 rejection of 96.5%.•MEI-UN membrane shows acceptable removal efficiency to both cationic and anionic surfactants.
Water pollution is a growing issue that requires remediation. Surfactants, used in many domestic and industrial applications, are one of the emerging contaminants that require immediate concern. Removing low-concentration surfactants using nanofiltration (NF) membrane is a study that deserves attention. In this case, a mixed polyamide-based NF membrane was fabricated via interfacial polymerization (IP) using polyethylenimine (PEI) and piperazine (PIP) as monomers in aqueous solution. UiO66-NH2 and UiO66 were synthesized and incorporated into the polyamide layer to enhance the permeability of the prepared NF membranes. The pure water flux of the NF membranes reached 16.6 L m−2 h−1 bar−1 when UiO66-NH2 concentration in aqueous solution is 0.005 wt%, and the membrane showed decent rejection to divalent salts, 96.5% to MgCl2 and 85.6% to Na2SO4. The prepared membranes were utilized to remove surfactants with the concentration (100 mg L−1) below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) from water, and they showed good removal to both anionic and cationic surfactants. In addition, the durability of the fabricated NF membranes is acceptable. This work provides a feasible strategy for the fabrication of highly permeable NF membranes and demonstrates the capability of NF membrane for surfactants removal.
•Binding behavior between olmutinib (OMT) with model transport protein, BSA was investigated.•Binding affinity between OMT with BSA is stronger with the Kb of about 105 M−1 order.•The driven forces ...include hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds as well as van der Waals forces.•The common metal ions could promote the binding interaction of OMT with BSA.•OMT insets into the hydrophobic pocket in subdomain IB (site III) of BSA.
Olmutinib (HM61713, OMT), a novel third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor with good orally absorption, is able to inhibit selectively epidermal growth factor receptor mutations. In this work, the binding behavior of OMT with model transport protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) was assessed with the help of spectroscopic and molecular docking approaches. A fluorescence quenching of BSA was observed during the binding interaction of OMT with BSA, followed by a static mechanism was demonstrated. The affinity of OMT with BSA was moderate due to the binding constant of 2.75 × 105 M−1 at 293 K. The hydrophobic interactions, hydrogen bonds as well as van der Waals forces were acting as the predominant contributions in the OMT-BSA complexation process. The findings from site competitive experiments revealed that OMT tended to bind to subdomain IB (site III) of BSA, which was in keep with the outcomes of molecular docking studies. Based on synchronous and 3D fluorescence studies, we found that the conformation of BSA was changed owing to the binding with OMT. The FT-IR and UV-Vis studies further corroborated that the binding of OMT to BSA changed the secondary structure of BSA. Additionally, the experimental data showed that some metal ions (e.g. Ni2+, Fe3+, Mg2+, Cu2+) could promote the binding interaction of OMT with BSA. This study is beneficial to further assess the pharmacological properties of OMT and can provide valuable reference for designing new anti-tumor drugs.
Display omitted
Emerging clinical and experimental evidence demonstrates that neuroinflammation plays an important role in cognitive impairment associated with neuropathic pain. However, how peripheral nerve ...challenge induces remote inflammation in the brain remains largely unknown.
The circulating leukocytes and plasma C-X-C motif chemokine 12 (CXCL12) and brain perivascular macrophages (PVMs) were analyzed by flow cytometry, Western blotting, ELISA, and immunostaining in spared nerve injury (SNI) mice. The memory function was evaluated with a novel object recognition test (NORT) in mice and with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) in chronic pain patients.
The classical monocytes and CXCL12 in the blood, PVMs in the perivascular space, and gliosis in the brain, particularly in the hippocampus, were persistently increased following SNI in mice. Using the transgenic CCR2
and CX3CR1
mice, we discovered that at least some of the PVMs were recruited from circulating monocytes. The SNI-induced increase in hippocampal PVMs, gliosis, and memory decline were substantially prevented by either depleting circulating monocytes via intravenous injection of clodronate liposomes or blockade of CXCL12-CXCR4 signaling. On the contrary, intravenous injection of CXCL12 at a pathological concentration in naïve mice mimicked SNI effects. Significantly, we found that circulating monocytes and plasma CXCL12 were elevated in chronic pain patients, and both of them were closely correlated with memory decline.
CXCL12-mediated monocyte recruitment into the perivascular space is critical for neuroinflammation and the resultant cognitive impairment in neuropathic pain.
Improving wind erosion prevention in the key ecological zones of sand fixation are closely linked to human welfare in China and Northern Eurasia. In this research, we studied the sand transport rate ...(STT), soil water content (SWC), and retention rate of the wind erosion prevention services (RR) in five experimental zones in Yanchi Country, including bare sandy land (BL), and four restoration zones with different types of vegetation restoration approaches, including artificial restored grassland with low-coverage (AGL), artificial restored grassland with high-coverage (AGH), artificial shrub land (AS), and naturally restored grassland (NG). The results showed that: (1) From 2006 to 2018, the STTs of the four restoration zones were lower than those of BL, and those of the AS were much lower than those of AGL, AGH, and NG; (2) in the rainy season, the SWCs of AS, NG, AGH, AGL, and BL were 3.01%, 2.80%, 2.79%, 2.68%, and 2.41% respectively. In the dry season, the SWCs of NG, BL, AGH, AHL, and AS were 2.86%, 2.93%, 3.00%, 3.08%, and 3.20%, respectively. The differences in the SWCs between the two seasons of BL were the largest (0.52%), while those of NG were the lowest (0.06%); (3) the annual average RRs in AS, AGH, NG, and AGL were 74.41%, 69.41%, 69.28%, and 61.64%, respectively, while the annual change of the RR in the NG was the smallest. This study reveals the effects of different types of vegetation restoration on wind erosion prevention in Yanchi country, thereby providing a scientific basis for policymakers to engage in effective vegetation restoration and formulate ecological protection policies.
To achieve sustainable rural development, it is necessary to simultaneously protect ecologically important land and efficiently use existing agricultural land. Land use functions (LUFs) are widely ...used to assess regional sustainable development. Guyuan is located in a typical hilly and gully region of western China, with ecologically fragile land. Rural land transfer (RLT) has been advocated to prevent abandonment of agricultural land and promote rational, effective utilization of the land. In this study, we used LUFs in a multi-level stakeholder assessment framework to integrate the opinions of all stakeholders in an evaluation of the impact of RLT on regional sustainable development. We employed the framework for participatory impact assessment, key informant interviews, and questionnaires to obtain data to support the development of scenarios to compare the impacts on LUFs. We found that RLT had positive impacts on each LUF in Guyuan, especially for the land-based production and food security LUFs. Importantly, the measures required to support RLT must vary among landforms and location conditions to successfully develop the LUFs and ensure sustainable development. We found that the integrated multi-level stakeholder assessment framework can comprehensively assess the impacts of land use measures on sustainable development and support regional land-use decision-making.
PDF
