Dihydroxypropyl Chitosan: A Biorenewable Platform for the Design of Novel Fabric Care Additives.

The design of more sustainable and eco-friendly solutions is one of the central challenges in the formulation of today's laundry products. Water-soluble polymers are indispensable additives in laundry detergents as they play a wide range of functions. At present, the vast majority of these are still produced from petrochemical resources.

Evaluating the Role of Hydrophobic and Cationic Appendages on the Laundry Performance of Modified Hydroxyethyl Celluloses.

Soil-release polymers (SRPs) are essential additives of laundry detergents whose function is to enable soil release from fabric and to prevent soil redeposition during the washing cycle. The currently used SRPs are petrochemical-based; however, SRPs based on biorenewable polymers would be preferred from an environmental and regulatory perspective. To explore this possibility, we have synthesized SRPs based on hydroxyethyl cellulose (amphiphilic HEC) appended with controlled compositions of hydrophobic and cationic appendages and assessed their cleaning abilities.

Abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) after drug withdrawal is a risk factor for epilepsy recurrence in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The relationship between abnormal electroencephalogram (EEG) and epilepsy recurrence after antiepileptic drug (AED) withdrawal has been controversial. We aimed to explore the relationship between abnormal EEG after AED withdrawal and the risk of epilepsy recurrence in children.

Methods: Literature retrieval was performed using the PubMed, EMBASE, Medline, CENTRAL, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) databases.

Evaluation of a Web-Based Intervention for Multiple Health Behavior Changes in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease in Home-Based Rehabilitation: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Web-based and theory-based interventions for multiple health behaviors appears to be a promising approach with respect to the adoption and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle in cardiac patients who have been discharged from the hospital. Until now, no randomized controlled trials have tested this assumption among Chinese rehabilitation patients with coronary heart disease using a Web-based intervention.

Objective: The study aim was to evaluate the effect of an 8-week Web-based intervention in terms of physical activity (PA), fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC), lifestyle changes, social-cognitive outcomes, and health outcomes compared with a waiting control group in Chinese cardiac patients.

Web-Based Intervention for Physical Activity and Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Chinese University Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Ample evidence demonstrates that university students are at high risk for sedentary behaviors and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (FVI). Internet-based interventions for multiple health behavior appear to be promising in changing such unhealthy habits. Limited randomized controlled trials have tested this assumption among Chinese university students.

A triad [FeFe] hydrogenase system for light-driven hydrogen evolution.

A novel molecular triad [FeFe]-H(2)ase 1, and its model complexes 2 and 3 have been successfully constructed. The multistep PET and long-lived Fe(i)Fe(0) species were found to be responsible for the better performance of triad 1 than that of 2 with 3 for light-driven H(2) evolution.

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution by [FeFe] hydrogenase mimics in homogeneous solution.

To mimic [FeFe] hydrogenases (H(2)ases) in nature, molecular photocatalysts 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c anchoring rhenium(I) complex S to one of the iron cores of [FeFe]-H(2)ases model complex C, have been constructed for H(2) generation by visible light in homogeneous solution. The time-dependence of H(2) evolution and a spectroscopic study demonstrate that the orientation of S and the specific bridge in 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c are important both for the electron-transfer step from the excited S* to the catalytic C, and the formation of unprecedented long-lived charge separation for 1 a (780 micros), 1 b, and 1 c (>2 ms) in [FeFe]-H(2)ases mimics. The fast forward electron-transfer step from the excited S* to the catalytic C but the slow back electron-transfer step of the charge-recombination in the designed photocatalysts 1 a, 1 b, and 1 c are reminiscent of the behavior of [FeFe]-H(2)ases in nature.

Photocatalytic hydrogen evolution from rhenium(I) complexes to [FeFe] hydrogenase mimics in aqueous SDS micellar systems: a biomimetic pathway.

To offer an intriguing access to photocatalytic H(2) generation in an aqueous solution, the hydrophobic photosensitizer, Re(I)(4,4'-dimethylbpy)(CO)(3)Br (1) or Re(I)(1,10-phenanthroline)(CO)(3)Br (2), and [FeFe] H(2)ases mimics, [Fe(2)(CO)(6)(mu-adt)CH(2)C(6)H(5)] (3) or [Fe(2)(CO)(6)(mu-adt)C(6)H(5)] (4) [mu-adt = N(CH(2)S)(2)], have been successfully incorporated into an aqueous sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelle solution, in which ascorbic acid (H(2)A) was used as a sacrificial electron donor and proton source. Studies on the reaction efficiency for H(2) generation reveal that both the close contact and the driving force for electron transfer from the excited Re(I) complexes and [FeFe] H(2)ases mimics are crucial for efficient H(2) generation with visible light irradiation. Steady-state and time-resolved investigations demonstrate that the electron transfer takes place from the excited Re(I) complex 1 or 2 to [FeFe] H(2)ases mimic catalyst 3, leading to the formation of the long-lived Fe(I)Fe(0) charge-separated state that can react with a proton to generate Fe(I)Fe(II).

Fluorophenyl-substituted Fe-only hydrogenases active site ADT models: different electrocatalytic process for proton reduction in HOAc and HBF4/Et2O.

A set of fluorophenyl-substituted adt-bridged Fe2S2 active site models of Fe-only hydrogenase, [(micro-SCH2)2NR]Fe2(CO)6 (, R=C6F4CF3-p; , R=C6H4CF3-p) and [(micro-SCH2)2NR]Fe2(CO)5(PPh3) (, R=C6F4CF3-p; , R=C6H4CF3-p), have been synthesized and well characterized. Spectroscopic and electrochemical studies demonstrate that the aryl-substituted complexes are stable toward a strong acid HBF4/Et2O, and electrocatalytic process for the hydrogen production is mostly dependent on the strength of the available proton source. When CH3COOH is used as the proton source, the electrocatalytic process begins with successively two one-electron reduction processes to produce H2 at Fe(0)Fe(0) (E2pc); whereas in the presence of strong acid, HBF4/Et2O, the process is initiated by protonation of a N-bridged atom followed by reduction of the protonated N-bridged atom around -1.

Facile synthesis and functionality-dependent electrochemistry of Fe-only hydrogenase mimics.

A series of azadithiolate (adt)-bridged Fe-only hydrogenase model complexes, Fe2(CO)6(mu-adt)C6H4I-4 (1), Fe2(CO)6(mu-adt)C6H4C[triple bond]CR [R = C6H4NO2-4 (2), C6H4CHO-4 (3), C6H4NH2-4 (4), C6H4COOH-4 (5), C6H4COOCH2CH3-4 (6), C6H4F-4 (7), C6H5 (8), C6H4OCH3-4 (9), C6H4N(CH3)2-4 (10)], [Fe2(CO)5(PPh3)(mu-adt)C6H4I-4 (11), and Fe2(CO)5(PPh3)(mu-adt)C6H4C[triple bond]CC6H4NO2-4 (12), have been synthesized in high yields under mild conditions. The linear geometry and rigidity of a triple bond act as an effective bridge to anchor a functionality ranging from electron-donating to electron-accepting, even coordinative groups in the adt model complexes. X-ray crystal analysis of 2, 3, and 6-12 reveals that the model complexes retain the butterfly structure of Fe2S2 model analogues.

Synthesis, spectroscopic, electrochemical and Pb2+-binding studies of tetrathiafulvalene acetylene derivatives.

A series of tetrathiafulvalene acetylene derivatives, [TTF-Ctriple bondC-A] [A=C6H4N(CH3)2-4 (1), C6H4OCH3-4 (2), C6H5 (3), C6H4F-4 (4), C6H4NO2-4 (5), C5H4N-2 (6), C5H4N-3 (7), and C5H4N-4 (8)], have been designed and synthesized to provide insight into the nature of the donor-acceptor interaction via a pi-conjugated triple bond. The X-ray crystal structure of [TTF-(Ctriple bondC)-C6H4OCH3-4] (2) reveals that the phenyl ring linked by acetylene is almost coplanar to the plane of TTF with a dihedral angle of 3.6 degrees.

Switching between ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer, intraligand charge-transfer, and metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited states in platinum(II) terpyridyl acetylide complexes induced by pH change and metal ions.

A series of platinum(II) terpyridyl alkynyl complexes, [Pt{4'-(4-R1-C6H4)terpy}(C[triple chemical bond]C-C6H4-R(2)-4)]ClO4 (terpy=2,2':6',2''-terpyridyl; R1=R2=N(CH3)2 (1); R1=N(CH3)2, R2=N-[15]monoazacrown-5 (2); R1=CH3, R2=N(CH3)2 (3); R1=N(CH3)2, R2=H (4); R1=CH3, R2=H (5)), has been synthesized and the photophysical properties of the complexes have been examined through measurement of their UV/Vis absorption spectra, photoluminescence spectra, and transient absorptions. Complex 3 shows a lowest-energy absorption corresponding to a ligand-to-ligand charge-transfer (LLCT) transition from the acetylide to the terpyridyl ligand, whereas 4 shows an intraligand charge-transfer (ILCT) transition from the pi orbital of the 4'-phenyl group to the pi* orbital of the terpyridyl. Upon protonation of the amino groups in 3 and 4, their lowest-energy excited states are switched to dpi(Pt)-->pi*(terpy) metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) states.