Spatiotemporal dynamics induced by nonlocal competition in a diffusive predator-prey system with habitat complexity

Nonlinear Dynamics - In this paper, we study a delayed diffusive predator–prey model with nonlocal competition in prey and habitat complexity. The local stability of coexisting equilibrium is...     

An AIE-Active probe for detection and bioimaging of pH values based on lactone hydrolysis reaction

Cellular pH homeostasis is essential for many physiological and pathological processes. pH monitoring is helpful for the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders and diseases. Herein, we developed a ratiometric fluorescent pH probe (TCC) based on a coumarin derivative containing a highly active lactone ring. TCC exhibited a typical AIE effect and emitted blue fluorescence under weak acidic condition. When under weak basic condition, the active lactone moiety underwent a hydrolysis reaction to afford a water-soluble product, which gave red-shifted emission. The emission color change from blue through cyan and then to yellow within pH 6.5–9.0 which is approximate to the biological pH range. And the fluorescence color change along with pH value is reversible. Furthermore, TCC was successfully utilized in the detection of the intracellular pH change of live HeLa cells, which indicated that TCC had practical potential in biomedical research.

     

Environmentally Stable Polymer Gels with Super Deformability and High Recoverability Enhanced by Sub‐5 nm Particles in the Nonvolatile Solvent

It remains challenging to satisfy the combined performances for hydrogels with excellent mechanical behavior, high deformability, and super recoverability under harsh environmental conditions. In this study, we first established a strong polymer network via the crosslinking of polymer chains on the surfaces of sub‐5‐nm calcium hydroxide nanospherulites in ethylene glycol solvent. The organic gel expressed excellent mechanical properties such as a recoverable compressive engineering stress of 249 MPa and an elongation stress of 402 KPa, which was attributed to the uniform nanosized crosslinking structure as characterized by SEM. Moreover, the nonvolatile solvent remained in the gel, meaning that the sample can resist a wide temperature range of ?56 to 100 °C without losing the elastic properties. This novel organic gel could provide promising routes to develop the ideal elastic carriers for wearable devices, smart skin sensors, and damping materials. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2019 , 57, 713–721     

A Metastable Crystalline Phase in Two‐Dimensional Metallic Oxide Nanoplates

A simple method was adopted in which ultrathin cerium oxide nanoplates (<1.4 nm) were synthesized to increase the surface atomic content, allowing transformation from a face‐centered cubic (fcc) phase to a body‐centered tetragonal (bct) phase. Three types of cerium oxide nanoparticles of different thicknesses (1.2 nm ultrathin nanoplates, 2.2 nm nanoplates, and 5.4 nm nanocubes) were examined using transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction. The metastable bct phase was observed only in ultrathin nanoplates. Thermodynamic energy analysis confirmed that the surface energy of the ultrathin nanoplates is the cause of the remarkable stabilization of the metastable bct phase. The mechanism of surface energy regulation can be expanded to other metallic oxides, thus providing a new means for manipulating and stabilizing novel materials under ambient conditions that otherwise would not be recovered.     

Suppressed Mobility of Negative Charges in Polymer Electrolytes with an Ether‐Functionalized Anion

Suppressing the mobility of anionic species in polymer electrolytes (PEs) is essential for mitigating the concentration gradient and internal cell polarization, and thereby improving the stability and cycle life of rechargeable alkali metal batteries. Now, an ether‐functionalized anion (EFA) is used as a counter‐charge in a lithium salt. As the salt component in PEs, it achieves low anionic diffusivity but sufficient Li‐ion conductivity. The ethylene oxide unit in EFA endows nanosized self‐agglomeration of anions and trapping interactions between the anions and its structurally homologous matrix, poly(ethylene oxide), thus suppressing the mobility of negative charges. In contrast to previous strategies of using anion traps or tethering anions to a polymer/inorganic backbone, this work offers a facile and elegant methodology on accessing selective and efficient Li‐ion transport in PEs and related electrolyte materials (for example, composites and hybrid electrolytes).     

Simultaneous determination of major components of Huangqi–Honghua extract in rat plasma using LC–MS/MS and application to a pharmacokinetic study

A sensitive and reliable LC–MS/MS method was developed and validated for simultaneous quantification of the major components of Huangqi–Honghua extact in rat plasma, including hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA), astragaloside IV (ASIV), calycosin‐7‐O‐β‐d ‐glucoside (CAG), calycosin, calycosin‐3′‐O‐glucuronide (C‐3′‐G) and calycosin‐3′‐O‐sulfate (C‐3′‐S). After extraction by protein precipitation with acetonitrile and methanol from plasma, the analytes were separated on a Hypersil BDS C₁₈ column by gradient elution with acetonitrile and 5 mM ammonium acetate. The detection was carried out on a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization source switched between negative and positive modes. HSYA was monitored in negative ionization mode from 0 to 4.9 min, and ASIV, CAG, calycosin, C‐3′‐G and C‐3′‐S were determined in positive ionization mode from 4.9 to 10 min. The lower limits of quantification of the analytes were 6.25 ng/mL for HSYA, 0.781 ng/mL for CAG and 1.56 ng/mL for ASIV and calycosin. The intra‐ and inter‐assay precision (RSD) values were within 13.43%, and accuracy (RE) ranged from ?8.75 to 9.92%. The validated method was then applied to the pharmacokinetic study of HSYA, ASIV, CAG, calycosin, C‐3′‐G and C‐3′‐S in rat after an oral administration of Huangqi–Honghua extract.     

Interfacial Enhancement by γ‐Al2O3 of Electrochemical Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane to Ethylene in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane (ODE) is limited by the facile deep oxidation and potential safety hazards. Now, electrochemical ODE reaction is incorporated into the anode of a solid oxide electrolysis cell, utilizing the oxygen species generated at anode to catalytically convert ethane. By infiltrating γ‐Al₂O₃ onto the surface of La_0.6Sr_0.4Co_0.2Fe_0.8O_3‐δ‐Sm_0.2Ce_0.8O_2‐δ (LSCF‐SDC) anode, the ethylene selectivity reaches as high as 92.5 %, while the highest ethane conversion is up to 29.1 % at 600 °C with optimized current and ethane flow rate. Density functional theory calculations and in situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy characterizations reveal that the Al₂O₃/LSCF interfaces effectively reduce the amount of adsorbed oxygen species, leading to improved ethylene selectivity and stability, and that the formation of Al‐O‐Fe alters the electronic structure of interfacial Fe center with increased density of state around Fermi level and downshift of the empty band, which enhances ethane adsorption and conversion.     

Characterization and tentative identification of new flunitrazepam metabolites in authentic human urine specimens using liquid chromatography‐Q exactive‐HF hybrid quadrupole‐Orbitrap‐mass spectrometry (LC‐QE‐HF‐MS)

Flunitrazepam (FNZ) is a potent hypnotic, sedative, and amnestic drug used to treat severe insomnia. In our recent study, FNZ metabolic profiles were investigated carefully. Six authentic human urine samples were purified using solid phase extraction (SPE) without enzymatic hydrolysis, and urine extracts were then analyzed by liquid chromatography‐Q exactive‐HF hybrid quadrupole‐Orbitrap‐mass spectrometry (LC‐QE‐HF‐MS), using the full scan positive ion mode and targeted MS/MS (ddms2) technique to make accurate mass measurements. There were 25 metabolites, including 13 phase I and 12 phase II metabolites, which were detected and tentatively identified by LC‐QE‐HF‐MS. In addition, nine previously unreported phase II glucuronide conjugates and four phase I metabolites are reported here for the first time. Eight metabolic pathways, including N‐reduction and O‐reduction, N‐glucuronidation, O‐glucuronidation, mono‐hydroxylation and di‐hydroxylation, demethylation, acetylation, and combinations, were implicated in this work, and 2‐O‐reduction together with dihydroxylation were two novel metabolic pathways for FNZ that were identified tentatively. Although 7‐amino FNZ is widely considered to be the primary metabolite, a previously unreported metabolites (M12) can also serve as a potential biomarker for FNZ misuse.