Characterization and Mechanism Elucidation of Nano-TiO Composites Prepared by Gaseous Detonation Method.

In this study, a series of nano-TiO composite materials, including nano-TiO, nano-SnO/TiO, nano-SiO/TiO, and nano-FeO/TiO, were successfully synthesized via the gaseous detonation method. Comprehensive characterization of the synthesized samples was carried out through X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy/high-resolution TEM (TEM/HRTEM), scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis, which unveiled the significant influence of precursor types on the microstructure of the composite materials. Specifically, the incorporation of Sn promoted the transformation of TiO to the rutile phase, reducing particle sizes from 25 to 19 nm and increasing the specific surface area from 44 to 86 m/g.

Association between pro-inflammatory diet and abdominal pain: cross-sectional and case-control study from UK biobank and NHANES 2017-2020.

Background: There is a close association between diet and abdominal pain; however, relationship between inflammatory diet and characteristics of abdominal pain has not been characterized yet.

Methods: This study analyzed baseline data from the UK Biobank, 3-item DHQ-Abdominal Pain Questionnaire (DHQ-3Q), which including abdominal pain in the past 3 months, severity of abdominal pain, and frequency of abdominal pain, and data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2017 to 2020. Energy-adjusted Dietary Inflammatory Index (E-DII), constructed based on 26 or 27 nutrients, was analyzed using continuous or categorical methods.

Risk analysis of air pollutants and types of anemia: a UK Biobank prospective cohort study.

Previous studies have suggested that exposure to air pollutants may be associated with specific blood indicators or anemia in certain populations. However, there is insufficient epidemiological data and prospective evidence to evaluate the relationship between environmental air pollution and specific types of anemia. We conducted a large-scale prospective cohort study based on the UK Biobank.

An experimental instrument for solidification and in situ characterization of the nucleation behavior of high-melting metal under a high magnetic field.

A specially designed experimental apparatus suitable for commercial superconductor magnet is used for solidification and in situ characterization of the nucleation behavior of high-melting metals. In order to carry out solidification experiments under a high magnetic field (HMF), the sample cell in the experimental device has two stations for repeated verification experiments of two same samples or comparative experiments of two different samples. Meanwhile, a metal specimen and a reference (α-Al2O3) are placed in the sample cell to characterize the nucleation behavior in situ.

Design, synthesis and biological evaluation of chalcone derivatives as potent and orally active hCYP3A4 inhibitors.

Human cytochrome P450 3A4 (hCYP3A4), one of the most important drug-metabolizing enzymes, catalyze the metabolic clearance of ∼50% therapeutic drugs. CYP3A4 inhibitors have been used for improving the in vivo efficacy of hCYP3A4-substrate drugs. However, most of existing hCYP3A4 inhibitors may trigger serious adverse effects or undesirable effects on endogenous metabolism.

Construction of TiO Confined by Layered Iron Silicate toward Efficient Visible-Light-Driven Photocatalysis-Fenton Synergistic Removal of Organic Pollutants.

The photocatalysis-Fenton synergistic reaction has great potential for water purification but generally suffers from unsatisfactory electron transfer due to an undesirable interface structure. Herein, we developed a novel heterojunction of oxygen vacancy-rich TiO confined in the layer space of a synthetic montmorillonite-like iron silicate (denoted as TiO/FeMMT) that addresses the issue mentioned above. Two-dimensional layered montmorillonite-like silicates in heterojunctions as a support not only provided more active sites for the reaction but also induced oxygen vacancies in TiO through interfacial effects to enhance the visible-light harvesting ability.

1,2-Difunctionalization of Acetylene Enabled by Light.

Although the direct conversion of gaseous acetylene into value-added liquid commodity chemicals is becoming increasingly attractive, the majority of the established methodologies are focused on cross-coupling, hydro-functionalization, and polymerization. Herein, we describe a 1,2-difunctionalization method that inserts acetylene directly into readily available bifunctional reagents. This method provides access to diverse C2-linked 1,2-bis-heteroatom products in high regio- and stereoselectivity along with opening up previously unexplored synthetic directions.

Thiol-Yne click chemistry of acetylene-enabled macrocyclization.

Macrocycles have fascinated scientists for over half a century due to their aesthetically appealing structures and broad utilities in chemical, material, and biological research. However, the efficient preparation of macrocycles remains an ongoing research challenge in organic synthesis because of the high entropic penalty involved in the ring-closing process. Herein we report a photocatalyzed thiol-yne click reaction to forge diverse sulfur-containing macrocycles (up to 35-membered ring) and linear C2-linked 1,2-(S-S/S-P/S-N) functionalized molecules, starting from the simplest alkyne, acetylene.

Study on Photocatalytic Performance of Ag/TiO Modified Cement Mortar.

In this paper, Ag-TiO photocatalysts with different Ag contents (1 mol%-5 mol%) were prepared and applied to cement mortar. The photocatalytic performance of Ag-TiO and photocatalytic cement mortar under UV light and simulated solar light was evaluated. The results showed that Ag loading on the surface of TiO could reduce its band gap width and increase its absorbance in the visible region, and 2% Ag-TiO had the highest photocatalytic activity under UV light, the degradation rate of methyl orange (MO) was 95.

Solid phase "on-situ" quadraplex isotope dimethyl labeling for the analysis of biogenic amines in beers by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

A simple magnetization method was developed for the preparation of magnetic materials from conventional solid phase packing though coprecipitation and solvothermal approaches. And the prepared magnetic materials were used for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE) of biogenic amines (BAs) from beers. Furthermore, to improve the analytical throughput, a solid phase "on-situ" quadraplex isotope dimethyl labeling method was developed for the quantification of BAs by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LCHRMS).

Impacts of Built Environment on Urban Vitality: Regression Analyses of Beijing and Chengdu, China.

The loss of urban vitality is an important problem in the development of urban central areas. Analyzing the correlation between urban built environment and urban vitality supports urban planning and design. However, current research excludes the study of how consistent built environment factors affect urban vitality of cities with different development situations.

Functionalization of amino terminated carbon nanotubes with isocyanates for magnetic solid phase extraction of sulfonamides from milk and their subsequent determination by liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry.

A simple modification method was developed for the functionalization of amino terminated carbon nanotubes (CNT-NH) by using isocyanates as modifiers via the nucleophilic addition reaction. Two types of functionalized magnetic carbon nanotubes (MCNT) were prepared through deposition of magnetic nanoparticles on CNT-NH and modification with different isocyanates. p-Tolyl-functionalized MCNT (Tol-MCNT) with better adsorption performance were selected as adsorbent for magnetic solid phase extraction (MSPE), which could extract sulfonamides (SAs) from various milk samples with a enrichment factor of about 30 after optimization.

A dual removable activating group enabled the Povarov reaction of N-arylalanine esters: synthesis of quinoline-4-carboxylate esters.

A dual removable activating group enabled Povarov reaction of N-arylalanine esters was reported. N-Arylalanine ester was utilized as the sole carbon source to generate N-arylimine and its tautomer, enamine, in situ by aerobic oxidation of sp C-H bonds, and then the consecutive reaction delivered the desired quinoline-4-carboxylate esters in high yields.

[Anti-atherosclerotic effect of betaine in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice].

Objective: To study the effect of betaine on the formation of atherosclerotic plaque in apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-deficient mice and explore its anti-inflammatory mechanism.

Methods: Seven-week-old ApoE-deficient mice (C57BL/6J background) were divided into four groups randomly based on body weight: model group and three betaine groups. Wild-type mice with the same age and genetic background were used as control group.

Acid-degradable cationic methacrylamide polymerized in the presence of plasmid DNA as tunable non-viral gene carrier.

New acid-degradable cationic nanoparticles were synthesized using a monomer-to-polymer approach, which enabled highly flexible nanoparticle fabrication to obtain controlled properties such as size and conjugation with additional functionalities. The nanoparticles were designed to cause swelling and osmotic destabilization of the endosome, while cationic branches holding anionic DNA are cleaved from the polymeric backbone of the nanoparticles and make plasmid DNA accessible for efficient gene expression. Efficient release of plasmid DNA upon hydrolysis of the nanoparticles at the endosomal pH 5.

Readily available sulfamide-amine alcohols for enantioselective phenylacetylene addition to aldehydes in the absence of Ti(O(i)Pr)4.

Ephedrine-derived sulfamide-amine alcohol 3 was found to be an effective catalyst for the asymmetric phenylacetylene addition to aldehydes at room temperature without using Ti(O(i)Pr)4 and Zn(OTf)2. It afforded the propargylic alcohols in high yields (up to 99%) and good enantioselectivities (up to 84% ee), which were much higher than that based on N-methylephedrine under the same reaction conditions. Its weakly coordinative sulfonamide moiety of the ligand plays an important role for further acceleration and stereocontrol in the alkynylation.

Concise synthesis of novel practical sulfamide-amine alcohols for the enantioselective addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes.

Novel sulfamide-amine alcohol ligands were designed using a grafting strategy and synthesized from readily available starting materials via a simple, efficient method. The key features of these ligands for the asymmetric addition of diethylzinc to aldehydes included stability, enhanced effectiveness without using Ti(O(i)Pr)(4), suitability for a variety of aldehydes, the ability to operate at room temperature, and selectability to afford either absolute configuration products with enantiomeric excess up to >99%.

Efficient reductive selenation of aromatic aldehydes to symmetrical diselenides with Se/CO/H(2)O under atmospheric pressure.

An efficient method for the synthesis of symmetrical diselenides is described. Reductive selenation of aromatic and heterocyclic aromatic aldehydes (ArCHO) with Se/CO/H(2)O in DMF afforded diselenides (ArCH(2)SeSeCH(2)Ar) in yields up to 94% under atmospheric pressure without use of a base.

Stability and demulsification of emulsions stabilized by asphaltenes or resins.

Experimental data are presented to show the influence of asphaltenes and resins on the stability and demulsification of emulsions. It was found that emulsion stability was related to the concentrations of the asphaltene and resin in the crude oil, and the state of dispersion of the asphaltenes and resins (molecular vs colloidal) was critical to the strength or rigidity of interfacial films and hence to the stability of the emulsions. Based on this research, a possible emulsion minimization approach in refineries, which can be implemented utilizing microwave radiation, is also suggested.