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Trainees guided computational testing involving peptide inhibitors in opposition to primary protease of SARS-CoV-2.
Moreover, the AZ61-TiO2/GO biocomposite also showed good cytocompatibility because of the slowed degradation. These findings may provide guidance for the interfacial enhancement in GO/metal composites for biomedical applications.Hollow functional metal silicate materials have received the most interest due to their large inner space, permeable and functional shell, lighter density, and better use of material compared to their solid counterparts. While tremendous success has been made in the synthesis of individual metal silicates with uniform morphology, the synthesis of multiphase hollow silicates has not been explored yet, although their direct applications could be promising. In this study, mesoporous aluminosilicate spheres (MASS) are transformed to submicrometer copper aluminosilicate hollow spheres (CASHS) via a one-pot hydrothermal process. CASHS has a hollow interior with Cu-Al-Si thorn-like moieties in a lamellar structure on its outer shell. The structure and morphology of CASHS are unique and different from the previously reported tubular copper silicates that are emanated from Stöber silica spheres. Herein, we also demonstrate that the extent of hollowing in CASHS can be attained by controlling the aluminum content of pristine MASS, highlighting the existence of parameters for in situ controlling the shell thickness of hollow materials. The application of CASHS as a potential heterogeneous catalyst has been directed to important oxidation processes such as olefin oxidation and the advanced oxidation process (AOP). In cyclohexene oxidation, for instance, high selectivity to cyclohex-2-en-1-one is achieved under moderate conditions using tert-butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant. CASHS is a robust heterogeneous catalyst and recyclable for this reaction. CASHS-derived catalysts also favor AOP and enhance the removal of cationic dyes together with H2O2 through an adsorption-degradation process.An ovonic threshold switch (OTS) based on amorphous chalcogenide materials possesses several desirable characteristics, including high selectivity and fast switching speed, enabling the fabrication of one selector-one resistor (1S-1R) crossbar array (CBA) for random access memory. Among the several chalcogenide materials, GeSe offers high selectivity and a strong glass-forming ability with environment-friendly, simple binary composition. In this report, the GeSe thin films were deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) using Ge(N(Si(CH3)3)2)2 and ((CH3)3Si)2Se for its envisioned application in fabricating three-dimensional vertical-type phase-change memory. Highly conformal GexSe1-x films were obtained at a substrate temperature ranging from 70 to 160 °C. The unique deposition mechanism that involves Ge intermediates provided a way to modulate the composition of the Ge-Se films from 55 to 73. Low threshold voltages ranging from 1.2 to 1.4 V were observed depending on the composition. A cycling endurance of more than 106 was achieved with the Ge0.6Se0.4 composition with 104 half-bias nonlinearity. This work presents the foundations for the future development of vertical-type 1S-1R arrays when combined with the ALD technique for Ge2Sb2Te5 phase-change materials.Considering the complexity of toxic ingredients in practical polluted water, the development of energy- and labor-saving and environmentally friendly multifunctional materials to decontaminate wastewater is of great necessity. Herein, a multifunctional branched poly(ethylenimine) (bPEI) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/tungsten oxide/polyacrylonitrile (PP/WO3/PAN) composite membrane was fabricated by the combination of blow spinning and layer-by-layer methods. The incorporated WO3 in generated in hydrophilic PAN fibers by spinning the precursor method, which simultaneously reveals remarkable photodegradation performance towards mimetic organic pollutions and excellent antibacterial activity due to their electron synergetic effect. In addition, the micro/nanoporous structure of the PP/WO3/PAN composite membrane also ensures its good oil-water separation performance. Moreover, the reduction reaction of W atoms in the WO3 network upon solar irradiation endows the membrane with superior heavy metal ion removal capability. Significantly, the membrane exhibits water-enabled self-healing performance due to the coated polyelectrolyte layer. More importantly, the membrane could be easily scaled-up; was free-standing, durable, and biocompatible; and exhibited no additional toxic effect on the surrounding environments. These outstanding properties make the membrane to have significant potential applications in wastewater treatment.Phosphate (Pi) plays important roles in various physiological processes. Its quantification in biological fluids is highly crucial for timely warning of Pi accumulation. Herein, an europium (Eu)-based coordination polymer nanoprobe (Eu/DPA/Ade) is prepared by coordinating 2,6-pyridinedicarboxylic acid (2,6-DPA) and adenine (Ade) with Eu3+. Eu/DPA/Ade exhibits light-up fluorescence response to Pi. The strong coordinating interaction between Eu3+ and O atoms in the Pi group not only shortens the Eu3+-ligand distance to improve the energy transfer from 2,6-DPA to Eu3+ but also attenuates the fluorescence quenching from water molecules in the coordinating sphere of Eu3+. Eu/DPA/Ade produces red emission at λem 618 nm via the "antenna effect". The coligand Ade further promotes the fluorescent emission. The selective recognition of Pi within 10-60 μM is achieved with a detection limit of 4.65 μM. In addition, a certain level of Pi (100-170 μM) causes an exponential increment on the fluorescence of Eu/DPA/Ade and makes it feasible for visual estimation of Pi under irradiation by an ultraviolet lamp at 254 nm. The quantitative detection and visual estimation of Pi in human urine and saliva have been demonstrated.A natural melanin extracted from Sepiella japonica ink (MSJI) is a polymer with antioxidant properties. In this study, the effects of MSJI treatment on microRNAs differentially expressed during aging in mimetic mice were investigated. The results revealed that 8 miRNAs mmu-miR-1971, mmu-miR-3070b-3p, mmu-miR-320-3p, mmu-miR-342-3p, mmu-miR-350-3p, mmu-miR-5132-5p, mmu-miR-697, and mmu-miR-712-5p showed significantly different expression between mice treated with MSJI gavage and aging mice. GO analysis and signaling pathway analysis revealed that the predicted target genes were involved in diverse biological processes such as steroid and cholesterol metabolism, xenobiotic, demethylation, and circadian regulation of gene expression, suggesting a potential role in antiaging. The dual-luciferase reporter gene assay confirmed the downregulation of mmu-miR-697 in HS samples and targeting of the Gpt2 which plays an important role in aging. This study supports the hypothesis that MSJI prolongs the cell cycle by acting as an antioxidant to delay decrepitude.Concentrations of perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and "novel" brominated flame retardants (NBFRs) were determined in lagoons processing wastewater from two high-Arctic and two sub-Arctic of Canada communities to assess the importance of local anthropogenic sources. ∑PFAAs in influent and effluent of the Arctic lagoons were within the lower end of the range of concentrations previously observed in Canadian temperate wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). In comparison, influent and effluent concentrations of ∑PBDEs and NBFRs were significantly greater (p less then 0.05) in high-Arctic lagoons compared to sub-Arctic and temperate plants. The surprisingly elevated concentrations of PBDEs and NBFRs in high-Arctic lagoons were probably related to high organic matter found in Arctic wastewater due to lower consumption of potable water leading to less dilution compared to temperate regions. Although PFAAs also sorb to solids, the wastewater samples were filtered prior to analysis of PFAAs (but not PBDEs and NBFRs), which likely reduced the impacts of solids on the results for PFAAs. Based on an extrapolation of per capita mass effluent loadings of the four Arctic lagoons, mass loadings to the Arctic of Canada via WWTP effluent were estimated as 1405 g/year and 549 g/year for ∑PFAAs and ∑PBDEs, respectively.Anhydrous proton-conductive materials have attracted great attention in recent years. Doping imidazole as a proton carrier in porous materials, especially pure organic crystalline covalent organic frameworks (COFs), is a promising solution. However, the influence of the hydrogen donor ability of imine functional groups in COFs on the proton conduction has largely been unexplored. Herein, a series of iso-reticular thiophene-based COFs has been synthesized with a similar pore structure and surface area. Different amounts of imidazole were infiltrated to the COFs by vapor diffusion in a highly controlled manner. The introduction of thiophene rings increases the hydrogen bonding donation ability of the imine linker, which resulted in an enhanced proton conductivity of the imidazole-doped COFs by one order of magnitude. The formation of hydrogen bonding between the imine group and imidazole was demonstrated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations.Organic materials that show substantial reactivity under visible light have received considerable attention due to their wide applications in chemical and biological systems. Hemicyanine pigments possess a strong intramolecular donor-acceptor structure and thereby display intense absorption in the visible spectral region. selleck chemical However, most excitons are consumed via the twisted intramolecular charge-transfer (TICT) process, making hemicyanines generally inert to light. Herein, we describe the development of an amphiphilic hemicyanine dye whose aggregation could be easily regulated using salt or counterions. More importantly, its intrinsic photoreactivity was successfully induced by steric restriction and cofacial arrangement within the H-aggregate, thus creating an effective photobactericide. This strategy could be extended to the development of photocatalysts for photosynthesis and a photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy.Manganese-based spinel cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) are promising candidates for next-generation batteries; especially, Na[Ni0.5Mn1.5]O4 (NNMO) should get attention because of its relatively high operating voltage and firm octahedral host structure. Here, first-principles calculations and the phase field method are used to elucidate the reasons for the low performance of NNMO compared with Li[Ni0.5Mn1.5]O4, and we determine the requirements for realizing high-performance cathode materials for SIBs. Owing to the Ni2+/Ni4+ double redox, NNMO could operate at a high voltage; however, the large Na+ increases the local site energy of the redox center, promoting electron extraction from the redox center, leading to unexpected voltage loss. Additionally, the homogeneous free energy confirms that NNMO would undergo phase separation into fully intercalated and deintercalated phases, inducing lattice misfits along the interfaces of the two phases. Particularly, a higher phase transition barrier and large Na+ cause fast phase separation, inducing increased polarization and severe stress field upon cycling.
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