Xanthan gum/ZrMOF biodegradable gel fertilizer: Sustainable water retention and crop growth.

To address the problems of ecological pollution and food safety caused by the excessive use of chemical fertilizers in modern agriculture, it has become a hot topic of current research to develop novel low-cost, biodegradable, and efficient gel slow-release fertilizers. Herein, using xanthan gum and ZrMOF as raw materials, urea as a nutrient, acrylic acid and itaconic acid as co-monomers, a novel ZrMOF gel slow-release fertilizer (ZrMOF@CpM) was prepared by free radical copolymerization. After being characterized, its swelling and water retention properties and slow-release behavior were investigated.

Construction of self-propelled micromotor for "hunting bacteria".

The inherent migration behavior of bacteria has inevitably impacted the advancement of the antibacterial treatment technology. Hunting bacteria, especially those with flagellates, requires self-propelled materials, which could kill bacteria autonomously. Herein, we designed and synthesized a self-propelled micromotor (SPM) tailed with poly(thiazole) to yield bimetallic organic frameworks (BiOFs), in which the assembly of BiOFs are similar to the "Newman projection".

Constituents, Antibacterial Effect, and Cytotoxicity of Essential Oil from Aerial Parts of Notopterygium incisum.

Notopterygium incisum Ting ex H. T. Chang (N.

Construction of hexagonal spindle-shaped Fe-MOFs induced by cationic copolymer and its application for effective wastewater treatment.

The environment and human health are in danger due to the long-term enrichment and buildup of organic pesticides, dyes, and harmful microbes in wastewater. The development of functional materials that are efficient for treating wastewater remains a significant problem. Eco-friendly hexagonal spindle-shaped Fe-MOFs (Hs-FeMOFs) were created in this study under the influence of cationic copolymer (PMSt).

Antibacterial activity and metabolomic analysis of linalool against bovine mastitis pathogen Streptococcus agalactiae.

Streptococcus agalactiae is among the major causative pathogens of bovine mastitis, as well as crucial pathogen leading to human morbidity and mortality. Being a promising natural antibacterial agent, linalool has been broadly applied in medicine and food processing. However, its antibacterial effect against S.

Construction of HAnW-based nanotwigs for removing inorganic fluorion in wastewater.

The environmental pollution with fluoride compounds was currently being paid more and more attention as it threatens the safety of animal and human life in an ecosystem. In this study, an eco-friendly adsorbing material for removing fluoride ion (F) was prepared by hydroxyapatite nanowires (HAnWs), a typical biocompatible inorganic conjugates. UiO66, a typical zirconium-based metal-organic framework (MOF), was conjugated onto HAnW by a simple in situ hydrothermal reaction, which afforded a novel HAnW-based nanotwigs of conjugates like millet (UiO66@HAnWs).

Does the Use of a Uterine Manipulator or Intracorporeal Colpotomy Confer an Inferior Prognosis in Minimally Invasive Surgery-Treated Early-stage Cervical Cancer?

Study Objective: To identify whether the use of a uterine manipulator (UM) or intracorporeal colpotomy conferred inferior short-term survival among patients treated for early-stage cervical cancer.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary university-based hospital.

Nano-assemblies of phosphonium-functionalized diblock copolymers with fabulous antibacterial properties and relationships of structure-activity.

As a novel antimicrobial material, quaternary phosphonium salts (QPSs) have been drawing close attention because of their excellent antimicrobial capacity with high activity and low bacterial survivability. Polymeric QPSs (PQPSs) also exhibit selectivity and long-term stability, however the polymerization of QPSs is severely challenged by low controllability and narrow selectivity of cation type. In this study, high-conversion RAFT polymerization is employed to prepare innovative phosphonium-functionalized diblock copolymers (PFDCs) with desired molecular weights and particle sizes.

Exploring a Better Adjuvant Treatment for Surgically Treated High-Grade Neuroendocrine Carcinoma of the Cervix.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to explore a better adjuvant treatment for patients with high-grade (HG) neuroendocrine cervical carcinomas (NECC) who had undergone surgery as a primary treatment.

Design: A retrospective cohort study, which involved women diagnosed as HG-NECC, was conducted in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital of Fudan University. All patients had undergone radical surgery and pelvic lymphadenectomy with a laparotomy or a minimally invasive surgery.

Construction of WO nanocubes@Loess for rapid photocatalytic degradation of organics in wastewater under sunlight.

In nowadays, environmental pollution has been greatly improved, but the development of low-cost and environmentally friendly materials are still challenge in the field of water treatment. Herein, a cheap and eco-friendly natural loess particle (LoP) was used for in situ growth of tungsten trioxide nanocubes (WONCs) on its surface via a simple one-pot hydrothermal method, which afforded a stable loess-based photocatalyst (WONCs@LoP). It was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis, UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectra (UV-Vis DRS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS).

An Eco-Friendly Polymer Composite Fertilizer for Soil Fixation, Slope Stability, and Erosion Control.

In the Loess Plateau region, the poor structure and properties of loess slopes will cause many types of geological disasters such as landslides, mudflow, land collapse, soil erosion, and ground cracking. In this paper, an eco-friendly polymer composite fertilizer (PCF) based on corn straw wastes (CS) and geopolymer synthesized from loess was studied. The characterization by FT-IR of the PCF confirmed that graft copolymer is formed, while morphological analysis by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that geopolymer and urea were embedded in the polymer porous network.

Construction of coral rod-like MoS@HA nanowires hybrids for highly effective green antisepsis.

Antibacterial materials have been rapidly emerging as a primary component in the mitigation of bacterial pathogens, and green functional materials play a vital role in the antibacterial field. In this study, biocompatible hydroxyapatite nanowires (HANW) was used as a carrier, a coral rod-like nanowires hybrid of MoS and HANW (CR-MoS@HANW) was synthesized via a facile two-step hydrothermal approach. After being characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Brunauer-Emmet-Teller (BET) and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis, the antibacterial activity and environmental compatibility were assessed.

Facile construction of BiOBr ultra-thin nano-roundels for dramatically enhancing photocatalytic activity.

BiOBr is a kind of promising photocatalyst because of excellent photoelectric separation efficiency and chemical stability. In order to improving practical application performance, a novel BiOBr ultra-thin nano-roundel (BiOBr-nR) was constructed in water-in-oil (WIO) emulsion microspheres, and prepared by hydrothermal reaction. Its specific surface area was increased by changing microtopography and downsizing.

Preparation of a hybrids APT@MIL by one-step solvent-thermal method for effectively degrading organics.

The attapulgite (APT), a typical nano-rod structured clay was introduced to MIL-101(Fe), a typical eco-friendly iron-based Metal-Organic Framework material (MOF), during the preparation by a one-step solvothermal method, which afforded a novel APT and MOF hybrid (APT@MIL). Based on the characterization of SEM, FT-IR and XRD, it was found that the rod-like crystals of APT determined the size of MIL-101(Fe) while maintaining its regular octahedral crystal form, and the crystal size of MIL-101(Fe) in APT@MIL enlarged 4 times. It was also discovered that the rod-like APT were evenly distributed in MIL-101(Fe) crystals.

Synthesis of Ag@chitosan/copolymer with dual-active centers for high antibacterial activity.

The prevention and treatment of microorganism contamination on substrate surfaces have recently generated significant concern of scientists. In this paper, a novel diblock copolymer containing antibacterial quaternary ammonium groups as pendant groups, poly(3-(methacryloylamino) propyltrimethyl ammonium chloride)-b-poly(styrene) (PMS), was synthesized by interfacial polymerization. Also, PMS anisotropic particles (APs) could be successfully obtained based on different assembly behaviors by adjusting the ratios of monomers and the toluene/styrene (Tol/St).

Synthesis of cationic acrylate copolyvidone-iodine nanoparticles with double active centers and their antibacterial application.

Antibacterial materials are rapidly emerging as a primary component in the mitigation of bacterial pathogens, and functional polymers play a vital role in the preparation of antibacterial coatings. In this study, a novel antibacterial polymer with double active centers was synthesized. Firstly, using one-pot soap-free emulsion polymerization technology, the cationic acrylate copolymeric polyvidone (CACPV) was synthesized by copolymerization of four monomers with different functions, which were methyl methacrylate (MMA), N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP), γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MAPTS) and [3-(methacryloylamino)propyl]trimethylammonium chloride (MAPTAC).

A One-Pot Strategy to Synthesize Block Copolyesters from Monomer Mixtures Using a Hydroxy-Functionized Ionic Liquid.

One-pot transformation of monomer mixtures into block copolymers remains a key challenge. Herein, a metal-free route to prepare block copolymers from monomer mixtures by a hydroxyl functionalized ionic liquid of 3-(2-hydroxyl-ethyl)-1-methylimidazolium bromide (HEMIMB) is described. HEMIMB can bridge two catalytic cycles including ring-opening alternating copolymerization (ROAC) of phthalic anhydride (PA) with epoxides and ring-opening polymerization (ROP) of L-lactide (LA), and enable a selective copolymerization from PA, LA, and epoxides.

Preparation of grafting copolymer of acrylic acid onto loess surface and its adsorption behavior.

Loess is a typical natural mineral particle distributed widely around the world, and it is inexpensive, readily accessible, and harmless to the environment. In this study, loess was modified by surface grafting copolymerization of functional monomers, such as acrylic acid, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, and N,N-methylenebisacrylamide as a cross-linking agent, which afforded a novel loess-based grafting copolymer (LC-PAVP). After being characterized by scanning electron microscopy, thermal gravimetric analysis and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, its adsorption capacity and mechanism of removing lead ions (Pb) were investigated.

Synthesis of CO-based polycarbonate-g-polystyrene copolymers via NMRP.

The construction of a graft copolymer is an effective method to modify the properties of CO2-based aliphatic polycarbonate (CO2-APC) for meeting specific needs. Herein, we describe a facile route for the synthesis of CO2-based APC-graft-polystyrene copolymers using a "grafting from" strategy. Firstly, the copolymerization of CO2 and epichlorohydrin (ECH) was performed for the synthesis of the APC of poly(CO2/ECH).

Preparation of hydroxyapatite-based porous materials for absorption of lead ions.

In this paper, soybean protein isolate (SPI) was used as template, hydroxyapatite was crystallized on protein chains of SPI by in-situ synthesis, then the obtained inorganic HA/biopolymer SPI composite (HA@SPI) was calcined at suitable temperature, which afforded a novel hydroxyapatite-based porous materials (HApM). The results indicated that the product showed a porous morphology structure and excellent absorption performance for Pb. HApM maximum removal of lead was attained (96.

Anisotropic Nano-/Microparticles from Diversified Copolymers by Solvent-Mediated Self-Assembly.

Effective synthesis of anisotropic nano-/microparticles (APs) by the copolymers is of great significance in nanomaterials and nanotechnology. However, achieving regulation of the morphology, composition, property, and particle size of anisotropic nano-/microparticles (APs) with diversified copolymers is difficult due to complex mechanism and formation conditions. In this work, a versatile one-pot solvent-mediated self-assembly (SmSa) strategy had been proposed for the facile one-pot synthesis of shape-tunable anisotropic nano-/microparticles (StAPs).