Observation and analysis of near-surface atmospheric aerosol optical properties in urban Beijing

Year-round measurements of the mass concentration and optical properties of fine aerosols(PM_2.5) from June 2009 to May 2010 at an urban site in Beijing were analyzed.The annual mean values of the PM_2.5 mass concentration,absorption coefficient（Ab）,scattering coefficient（Sc） and single scattering albedo（SSA）at 525 nm were 67±66μg/m³,64 ±62 Mm^-1,360 ±405 Mm^-1 and 0.82 ±0.09,respectively.The bulk mass absorption efficiency and scattering efficiency of the PM_2.5 at 525 nm were 0.78 m²/g and 5.55 m²/g,respectively.The Ab and Sc showed a similar diurnal variation with a maximum at night and a minimum in the afternoon,whereas SSA displayed an opposite diurnal pattern.Significant increases in the Ab and Sc were observed in pollution episodes caused by the accumulation of pollutants from both local and regional sources under unfavorable weather conditions.Aerosol loadings in dust events increased by several times in the spring,which had limited effects on the Ab and Sc due to the low absorption and scattering efficiency of dust particles.The frequency of haze days was the highest in autumn because of the high aerosol absorption and scattering under unfavorable weather conditions.The daily PM_2.5concentration should be controlled to a level lower than 64 μg/m³ to prevent the occurrence of haze days according to its exponentially decreased relationship with visibility.     

Interplay of Hole Transfer and Host–Guest Interaction in a Molecular Dyad and Triad: Ensemble and Single‐Molecule Spectroscopy and Sensing Applications

A new molecular dyad consisting of a Cy5 chromophore and ferrocene (Fc) and a triad consisting of Cy5, Fc, and β‐cyclodextrin (CD) are synthesized and their photophysical properties investigated at both the ensemble and single‐molecule levels. Hole transfer efficiency from Cy5 to Fc in the dyad is reduced upon addition of CD. This is due to an increase in the Cy5‐Fc separation (r) when the Fc is encapsulated in the macrocyclic host. On the other hand, the triad adopts either a Fc‐CD inclusion complex conformation in which hole transfer quenching of the Cy5 by Fc is minimal or a quasi‐static conformation with short r and rapid charge transfer. Single‐molecule fluorescence measurements reveal that r is lengthened when the triad molecules are deposited on a glass substrate. By combining intramolecular charge transfer and competitive supramolecular interaction, the triad acts as an efficient chemical sensor to detect different bioactive analytes such as amantadine hydrochloride and sodium lithocholate in aqueous solution and synthetic urine.     

Studies on metabolism of total glucosides of paeony from Paeoniae Radix Alba in rats by UPLC‐Q‐TOF‐MS/MS

Total glucosides of paeony are the active constituents of Paeoniae Radix Alba. In this study, a novel strategy was proposed to find more metabolites and the differences between paeoniflorin, albiflorin and total glucosides of paeony (TGP). This strategy was characterized as follows: firstly, the animals were divided into three groups (paeoniflorin, albiflorin and TGP) to identify the source of TGP metabolites from paeoniflorin or albiflorin; secondly, a generic information‐dependent acquisition scan for the low‐level metabolites was triggered by the multiple mass defect filter and dynamic background subtraction; thirdly, the metabolites were identified with a combination of data‐processing methods including mass defect filtering, neutral loss filtering and product ion filtering; finally, a comparative study was used in the metabolism of paeoniflorin, albiflorin and TGP. Based on the strategy, 18 metabolites of TGP, 10 metabolites of paeoniflorin and 13 metabolites of albiflorin were identified respectively. The results indicated that the hydrolysis, conjugation reaction and oxidization were the major metabolic pathways, and the metabolic sites were the glycosidic linkage, the ester bond and the benzene ring. This study is first to explore the metabolism of TGP, and these findings enhance our understanding of the metabolism and the interactions of paeoniflrin and albiflorin in TGP. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.