Monitoring the kappa number of bleached pulps based on FT-Raman spectroscopy

Cellulose - A new strategy was proposed to determine the Kappa number of bleached Eucalyptus globulus kraft pulps based on FT-Raman spectroscopy. Before modeling, smoothing (Savitzky-Golay),...     

Metal-facilitated Photocatalytic Nanohybrids: Rational Design and Promising Environmental Applications

As a promising technique to potentially address the energy crisis and environmental issues, photocatalysis has been reported widely to exhibit various outstanding behaviors in production of new fuels/chemicals and treatment of contaminants. The photocatalytic performance is extremely dependent on the used photocatalysts, so that the design and preparation of efficient photocatalysts are critically important for significantly improving the photocatalytic activity. Among various strategies, the hybridization of metal with semiconductors has recently been attracting more and more research interest owing to their expended spectral absorption, promoted transferring rate of charge carriers and Plasmon-enhanced effect. In this minireview, the metal-facilitated hybrid photocatalysts are overviewed comprehensively to first reveal unique functions of metals in improvement of photoactivity and summarize the emerging metal-involved hybrid systems. Subsequently, the synthetic methods towards hybrid photocatalysts are introduced and their practical applications are emphasized in environmental remediation including degradation of organic pollutants, conversion of harmful gases, treatment of heavy metal ions and sterilization of bacteria. At the end, the challenges for industrializing these hybrid photocatalysts are discussed carefully and future development is suggested rationally.     

Scale-Up Preparation of Crocins I and II from Gardenia jasminoides by a Two-Step Chromatographic Approach and Their Inhibitory Activity Against ATP Citrate Lyase

Crocins are highly valuable natural compounds for treating human disorders, and they are also high-end spices and colorants in the food industry. Due to the limitation of obtaining this type of highly polar compound, the commercial prices of crocins I and II are expensive. In this study, macroporous resin column chromatography combined with high-speed counter-current chromatography (HSCCC) was used to purify crocins I and II from natural sources. With only two chromatographic steps, both compounds were simultaneously isolated from the dry fruit of Gardenia jasminoides, which is a cheap herbal medicine distributed in a number of countries. In an effort to shorten the isolation time and reduce solvent usage, forward and reverse rotations were successively utilized in the HSCCC isolation procedure. Crocins I and II were simultaneously obtained from a herbal resource with high recoveries of 0.5% and 0.1%, respectively, and high purities of 98.7% and 99.1%, respectively, by HPLC analysis. The optimized preparation method was proven to be highly efficient, convenient, and cost-effective. Crocins I and II exhibited inhibitory activity against ATP citrate lyase, and their IC₅₀ values were determined to be 36.3 ± 6.24 and 29.7 ± 7.41 μM, respectively.     

Preparation and physicochemical properties of konjac glucomannan ibuprofen ester as a polysaccharide-drug conjugate

Abstract

A novel drug-polysaccharide conjugate with konjac glucomannan (KGM) as a drug carrier was fabricated through the esterification of ibuprofen (IBU), an anti-inflammatory drug, with KGM. The influences of the reaction conditions, such as the amount of ibuprofen acryl chloride, reaction time, reaction temperature, and the amount of catalyst, on the degree of substitution were investigated. KGM ibuprofen ester (KGM-IBU) was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), solid-state ¹³C NMR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). The hydrophobic structure of IBU in KGM-IBU was proven by the fluorescence emission spectra of pyrene. In addition, by using commercially available ibuprofen sustained-release capsules (IBU-SRC) as a control, the in vitro controlled release performance of KGM-IBU was evaluated. The cumulative release of IBU-SRC within 36?h was 94%, while that of KGM-IBU within 36?h was 77%. The results showed that KGM-IBU had better sustained-release performance without a burst release effect. The obtained products could be used as a potential biocompatible sustained-release drug delivery system.     

Optimal dynamical systems of Navier-Stokes equations based on generalized helical-wave bases and the fundamental elements of turbulence

In this paper, we present the theory of constructing optimal generalized helical-wave coupling dynamical systems. Applying the helical-wave decomposition method to Navier-Stokes equations, we derive a pair of coupling dynamical systems based on optimal generalized helical-wave bases. Then with the method of multi-scale global optimization based on coarse graining analysis, a set of global optimal generalized helical-wave bases is obtained. Optimal generalized helical-wave bases retain the good properties of classical helical-wave bases. Moreover, they are optimal for the dynamical systems of Navier-Stokes equations, and suitable for complex physical and geometric boundary conditions. Then we find that the optimal generalized helical-wave vortexes fitted by a finite number of optimal generalized helical-wave bases can be used as the fundamental elements of turbulence, and have important significance for studying physical properties of complex flows and turbulent vortex structures in a deeper level.     

Research on the optimal dynamical systems of three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations based on weighted residual

In this paper, the theory of constructing optimal dynamical systems based on weighted residual presented by Wu & Sha is applied to three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations, and the optimal dynamical system modeling equations are derived. Then the multiscale global optimization method based on coarse graining analysis is presented, by which a set of approximate global optimal bases is directly obtained from Navier-Stokes equations and the construction of optimal dynamical systems is realized. The optimal bases show good properties, such as showing the physical properties of complex flows and the turbulent vortex structures, being intrinsic to real physical problem and dynamical systems, and having scaling symmetry in mathematics, etc.. In conclusion, using fewer terms of optimal bases will approach the exact solutions of Navier-Stokes equations, and the dynamical systems based on them show the most optimal behavior.     

Incompatibility networks as models of scale-free small-world graphs

We make a mapping from Sierpinski fractals to a new class of networks, the incompatibility networks, which are scale-free, small-world, disassortative, and maximal planar graphs. Some relevant characteristics of the networks such as degree distribution, clustering coefficient, average path length, and degree correlations are computed analytically and found to be peculiarly rich. The method of network representation can be applied to some real-life systems making it possible to study the complexity of real networked systems within the framework of complex network theory.     

Cesium 6S(1/2) --> 8S(1/2) two-photon-transition-stabilized 822.5 nm diode laser

A cesium 6S(1/2) --> 8S(1/2) two-photon-transition (TPT)-stabilized 822.5 nm diode laser is reported for the first time to our knowledge. Allan deviation of 4.4 x 10(-13) (60 s) was achieved, and the possible systematic errors were evaluated as smaller than 2 kHz. We demonstrate that the cesium TPT-stabilized diode laser could be a reliable frequency reference at 822.5 nm wavelength.     

Controlled synthesis of dendritic ruthenium nanostructures under microwave irradiation and their catalytic properties for p-chloronitrobenzene hydrogenation

Transition Metal Chemistry - In this study, the shape-controlled synthesis of ruthenium (Ru) nanostructures was examined using microwave irradiation. Dendritic Ru nanostructures, with an average...