Highly hydrophobic calixarene polymers for efficient enrichment of polar nitrobenzene compounds.

Macrocyclic polymer materials exhibit excellent selectivity and adsorption performance in pollutant adsorption due to unique host-guest recognition. Herein, three kinds of calixarene polymers (C4P, C6P and C8P) were synthesized through Sonogashira reaction, and were characterized through H NMR, FT-IR, SEM, and TEM. The water contact angle experiments revealed that three kinds of calixarene polymers were highly hydrophobic, and they all exhibited high enrichment efficiency for weak polar chloro-substituted benzene compounds (chlorobenzene, o-chlorotoluene, p-dichlorobenzene and o-dichlorobenzene) and BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes).

Debittering and antioxidant improvement of soy protein hydrolysates using curcumin as hydrophobic core.

Background: Protein hydrolysates possess various bioactive functions (e.g. antioxidant), but their bitter taste is unacceptable to most consumers.

Plant Root Secretion Alleviates Carbamate-Induced Molecular Alterations of Dissolved Organic Matter.

Studying the interaction between pesticide contamination in the plant system and the dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition is important to understand the impact of pesticides and plants on the ecological function of DOM. The present study investigated the effects of DOM on the bioaccumulation and biotransformation of carbamates in plants, carbamate exposure on DOM composition, and plant root secretion on the interaction between DOM and carbamates. The concentrations of carbamates and their metabolites in living cabbage plants were continuously tracked through an in vivo analytical method.

PBAT biodegradable microplastics enhanced organic matter decomposition capacity and CO emission in soils with and without straw residue.

Recent studies show that biodegradable microplastics (BMPs) could increase soil CO emission, but whether altered carbon emission results from modified soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition remains underexplored. In this study, the effect and mechanisms of BMPs on CO emission from soil were investigated, using poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT, the main component of agricultural film) as an example. Considering that straw returning is a common agronomic measure which may interact with microplastics through affecting microbial activity, both soils with and without wheat straw were included.

Preclinical evaluation of the SARS-CoV-2 M inhibitor RAY1216 shows improved pharmacokinetics compared with nirmatrelvir.

Although vaccines are available for SARS-CoV-2, antiviral drugs such as nirmatrelvir are still needed, particularly for individuals in whom vaccines are less effective, such as the immunocompromised, to prevent severe COVID-19. Here we report an α-ketoamide-based peptidomimetic inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease (M), designated RAY1216. Enzyme inhibition kinetic analysis shows that RAY1216 has an inhibition constant of 8.

Toxicity Assessment of Environmental Liquid Crystal Monomers: A Bacteriological Investigation on and .

The widespread existence of liquid crystal monomers (LCMs) in various environmental matrices has been demonstrated, yet studies on the toxicological effects of LCMs are considerably scarce and are urgently needed to be conducted to assess the adverse impacts on ecology and human health. Here, we conducted a bacteriological study on two representative human commensal bacteria, () and (), to investigate the effect of LCMs at human-relevant dosage and maximum environmental concentration on growth, metabolome, enzymatic activity, and mRNA expression. Microbial growth results exhibited that the highest inhibition ratio of LCMs on reached 33.

The virus-induced cyclic dinucleotide 2'3'-c-di-GMP mediates STING-dependent antiviral immunity in Drosophila.

In mammals, the enzyme cGAS senses the presence of cytosolic DNA and synthesizes the cyclic dinucleotide (CDN) 2'3'-cGAMP, which triggers STING-dependent immunity. In Drosophila melanogaster, two cGAS-like receptors (cGLRs) produce 3'2'-cGAMP and 2'3'-cGAMP to activate STING. We explored CDN-mediated immunity in 14 Drosophila species covering 50 million years of evolution and found that 2'3'-cGAMP and 3'2'-cGAMP failed to control infection by Drosophila C virus in D.

Volatile/semi-volatile metabolites profiling in living vegetables via a novel covalent triazine framework based solid-phase microextraction fiber coupled with GC-QTOF-MS.

An in vivo solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with high-coverage capture capacity of plant endogenous substances based on the porous covalent triazine framework (CTF) material was developed. The CTF fiber coupled with gas chromatographic quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (GC-QTOF-MS) analysis was used for monitoring untargeted endogenous metabolites in living Chinese cabbage plants (Brassica campestris L. ssp.

Modulating covalent organic frameworks with accessible carboxyl to boost superior extraction of polar nitrobenzene compounds from matrix-complicated beverages.

The wide use and high polarity of nitrobenzene compounds (NBCs) have caused a concern for their residues in daily beverages. Herein, the covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with abundant carboxyl were ingeniously designed by introducing a novel modulator, and further developed as solid phase microextraction (SPME) coatings. Due to the enhanced polar interaction, the extraction efficiencies of modified COF for NBCs were sharply increased.

A robust and ultra-high-surface hydrogen-bonded organic framework promoting high-efficiency solid phase microextraction of multiple persistent organic pollutants from beverage and tea.

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are widely distributed in the environment and are toxic, even at low concentrations. In this study, we first used hydrogen-bonded organic framework (HOF) to enrich POPs, based on solid phase microextraction (SPME). The HOF called PFC-1 (self-assembled by 1,3,6,8-tetra(4-carboxylphenyl)pyrene) has an ultra-high specific surface area, excellent thermochemical stability, and abundant functional groups, making it potential to be an excellent coating in SPME.

In Vivo Profiling and Quantification of Chlorinated Paraffin Homologues in Living Fish.

Herein, we demonstrate the ability of a dual-purpose periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) probe to track the complex chlorinated paraffin (CP) composition in living animals by assembling it as an adsorbent-assisted atmospheric pressure chemical ionization Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (APCI-FT-ICR-MS) platform and synchronously performing it as the in vivo sampling device. First, synchronous solvent-free ionization and in-source thermal desorption of CP homologues were achieved by the introduction of the PMO adsorbent-assisted APCI module, generating exclusive adduct ions ([M - H]) of individual CP homologues (CCl) with enhanced ionization efficiency. Improved detection limits of short- and medium-chain CPs (0.

Customized oxygen-rich biochar with ultrahigh microporosity for ideal solid phase microextraction of substituted benzenes.

The synergistic effect of high microporosity and abundant heteroatoms is important for improving the performance of biochar in various fields. However, it is still challenging to create enough micropores for biochar, while simultaneously retaining the heteroatoms from biomass. A series of biochar with variable microstructures was successfully prepared by carbonization and following ball milling on lotus pedicel (LP), watermelon rind (WR), and litchi rind (LR).

In vivo environmental metabolomic profiling via a novel microextraction fiber unravels sublethal effects of environmental norfloxacin in gut bacteria.

Emerging contaminants (ECs), especially antibiotics, have significantly polluted the environment and threaten the living circumstance of organisms. Environmental metabolomic has emerged to investigate the sublethal effects of ECs. However, lacking noninvasive and real-time sample pretreatment techniques restricts its development in environmental toxicology.

Partitioning and (im)mobilization of arsenic associated with iron in arsenic-bearing deep subsoil profiles from Hong Kong.

Understanding the arsenic (As) enrichment mechanisms in the subsurface environment relies on a systematic investigation of As valence species and their partitioning with the Fe (oxyhydr)oxide phases in the subsoil profile. The present study explored the distribution, speciation, partitioning, and (im)mobilization of As associated with Fe in four subsoil cores (∼30 m depth) from Hong Kong using sequential chemical extraction and X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy. The subsoil profiles exhibited relatively high concentrations of As at 26.

Facile Synthesis of a Fluorinated-Squaramide Covalent Organic Framework for the Highly Efficient and Broad-Spectrum Removal of Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Pollutants.

The escalating contamination by per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) has become an urgent issue in recent years, and the structural diversity of PFAS is the major challenge for effective pollution control. Herein, we take the intrinsic advantages of squaramide and prepare a new two-dimensional covalent organic framework (FSQ-1) that exhibits broad-spectrum PFAS affinity. The tailor-made linker forges hydrogen-bond donors, hydrogen-bond acceptors, and fluorophilic segments into one framework.

Effects of mesoporous silica particle size and pore structure on the performance of polymer-mesoporous silica mixed matrix membranes.

The fabrication of mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) has been regarded as an effective and economic approach to enhance the gas permeability and selectivity properties of conventional polymeric membranes for gas separation applications. However, the poor compatibility between polymeric matrix and inorganic filler in MMMs could lead to the generation of interfacial defects resulting in reduced gas selectivity. In this work, with the aim of studying the effect of particle size and pore structure of the filler on the performance of the resultant MMMs, nano/micro sized spherical mesoporous silicas with 2D/3D pore structure (MCM-41 and MCM-48) were synthesized and selected as fillers for the preparation of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based MMMs.

In vivo microcapillary sampling coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry for real-time monitoring of paraquat and diquat in living vegetables.

An in vivo microcapillary sampling (MCS) method coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI-FTICR-MS) analysis was utilized to monitor the real-time bipyridine quaternary ammonium herbicides concentrations and assess their uptake and elimination behaviors in living cabbage plants noninvasively. Under optimized conditions, the proposed method for paraquat (PQ) and diquat (DQ) determination showed wide linear ranges (7.81-500 μg/kg), low limits of detection (0.

An ultrafast and facile nondestructive strategy to convert various inefficient commercial nanocarbons to highly active Fenton-like catalysts.

The Fenton-like process catalyzed by metal-free materials presents one of the most promising strategies to deal with the ever-growing environmental pollution. However, to develop improved catalysts with adequate activity, complicated preparation/modification processes and harsh conditions are always needed. Herein, we proposed an ultrafast and facile strategy to convert various inefficient commercial nanocarbons into highly active catalysts by noncovalent functionalization with polyethylenimine (PEI).

MOF-74/polystyrene-derived Ni-doped hierarchical porous carbon for structure-oriented extraction of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and their metabolites from human biofluids.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), as a major source that significantly increase the risk of developing lung cancer, severely jeopardize public health in modern society. The analysis of PAHs and their metabolites (hydroxylated PAHs, OH-PAHs) is important for biomonitoring and exposure assessment. However, due to the difference in their physico-chemical properties and matrix interference, realizing high-performance extraction of both PAHs and OH-PAHs is still a challenge.

In Vivo Contaminant Monitoring and Metabolomic Profiling in Plants Exposed to Carbamates via a Novel Microextraction Fiber.

In this study, a biocompatible solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fiber with high-coverage capture capacity based on a nitrogen-rich porous polyaminal was developed. The fiber was used to track the bioaccumulation and elimination of carbamates (isoprocarb, carbofuran, and carbaryl) and their metabolites (-cumenol, carbofuran phenol, and 1-naphthalenol) in living Chinese cabbage plants ( L. ssp.