Revealing the Effect of Surface Composition on Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Supported Pt-Fe Alloy Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation Performance

The designs of efficient and inexpensive Pt-based catalysts for methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) are essential to boost the commercialization of direct methanol fuel cells. Here, the highly catalytic performance PtFe alloys supported on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) decorating nitrogen-doped carbon (NC) have been successfully prepared via co-engineering of the surface composition and electronic structure. The Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst with moderate Fe³⁺ feeding content (0.86 mA/mg_Pt) exhibits 2.26-fold enhancement in MOR mass activity compared to pristine Pt/C catalyst (0.38 mA/mg_Pt). Furthermore, the CO oxidation initial potential of Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst is lower relative to Pt/C catalyst (0.71 V and 0.80 V). Benefited from the optimal surface compositions, the anti-corrosion ability of MWCNT, strong electron interaction between PtFe alloys and MWCNTs and the N-doped carbon (NC) layer, the Pt₁Fe₃@NC/MWCNTs catalyst presents an improved MOR performance and anti-CO poisoning ability. This study would open up new perspective for designing efficient electrocatalysts for the DMFCs field.     

Anti-fibrosis attributes: UHPLC-MS/MS-based pharmacokinetics profiling of a novel autotaxin inhibitor with excellent in vivo efficacy in rat

3,4-Difluorobenzyl(1-ethyl-5-(4-((4-hydroxypiperidin-1-yl)-methyl)thiazol-2-yl)-1H-indol-3-yl)carbamate (NAI59), a small molecule with outstanding therapeutic effectiveness to anti-pulmonary fibrosis, was developed as an autotaxin inhibitor candidate compound. To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and plasma protein binding of NAI59, a UPLC–MS/MS method was developed to quantify NAI59 in plasma and phosphate-buffered saline. The calibration curve linearity ranged from 9.95 to 1990.00 ng/mL in plasma. The accuracy was −6.8 to 5.9%, and the intra- and inter-day precision was within 15%. The matrix effect and recovery, as well as dilution integrity, were within the criteria. The chromatographic and mass spectrometric conditions were also feasible to determine phosphate-buffered saline samples, and it has been proved that this method exhibits good precision and accuracy in the range of 9.95–497.50 ng/mL in phosphate-buffered saline. This study is the first to determine the pharmacokinetics, absolute bioavailability, and plasma protein binding of NAI59 in rats using this established method. Therefore, the pharmacokinetic profiles of NAI59 showed a dose-dependent relationship after oral administration, and the absolute bioavailability in rats was 6.3%. In addition, the results of protein binding showed that the combining capacity of NAI59 with plasma protein attained 90% and increased with the increase in drug concentration.     

From differential equation solvers to accelerated first-order methods for convex optimization

Mathematical Programming - Convergence analysis of accelerated first-order methods for convex optimization problems are developed from the point of view of ordinary differential equation solvers. A...     

Concentrated steady vorticities of the Euler equation on 2-d domains and their linear stability

We consider concentrated vorticities for the Euler equation on a smooth domain $\mathrm{\Omega }?{\mathbf{R}}^2$ in the form of

$\omega =\sum _{j=1}^N{\omega }_j{\chi }_{{\mathrm{\Omega }}_j},|{\mathrm{\Omega }}_j|=\pi r_j^2,\underset{{\mathrm{\Omega }}_j}{\int }{\omega }_{j}d\mu ={\mu }_j\ne 0,$

supported on well-separated vortical domains ${\mathrm{\Omega }}_j$, $j=1,\dots ,N$, of small diameters $O(r_j)$. A conformal mapping framework is set up to study this free boundary problem with ${\mathrm{\Omega }}_j$ being part of unknowns. For any given vorticities ${\mu }_1,\dots ,{\mu }_N$ and small $r_1,\dots ,r_N\in {\mathbf{R}}^{+}$, through a perturbation approach, we obtain such piecewise constant steady vortex patches as well as piecewise smooth Lipschitz steady vorticities, both concentrated near non-degenerate critical configurations of the Kirchhoff–Routh Hamiltonian function. When vortex patch evolution is considered as the boundary dynamics of $?{\mathrm{\Omega }}_j$, through an invariant subspace decomposition, it is also proved that the spectral/linear stability of such steady vortex patches is largely determined by that of the 2N-dimensional linearized point vortex dynamics, while the motion is highly oscillatory in the 2N-codim directions corresponding to the vortical domain shapes.     

Feasibility study on buoyancy–weight ratios of a submerged floating tunnel prototype subjected to hydrodynamic loads

The research progress of a novel traffic solution,a submerged floating tunnel(SFT),is reviewed in terms of a study approach and loading scenario.Among existing publications,the buoyancy-weight ratio(BWR) is usually predefined.However,BWR is a critical structural parameter that tremendously affects the dynamic behaviour of not only the tunnel tube itself but also the cable system.In the context of a SFT prototype(SFTP) project in Qiandao Lake(Zhejiang Province,China),the importance of BWR is illustrated by finite element analysis and subsequently,an optimized BWR is proposed within a reasonable range in the present study.In the numerical model,structural damping is identified to be of importance.Rayleigh damping and the corresponding Rayleigh coefficients are attained through a sensitivity study,which shows that the adopted damping ratios are fairly suitable for SFTP.Lastly,the human sense of security is considered by quantifying the comfort index,which helps further optimize BWR in the SFTP structural parameter design.     

The Effect of the Spacer of Bis(biurea) Ligands on the Structure of A2L3‐type (A=anion) Phosphate Complexes

By tuning the length and rigidity of the spacer of bis(biurea) ligands L, three structural motifs of the A₂L₃ complexes (A represents anion, here orthophosphate PO₄^3?), namely helicate, mesocate, and mono‐bridged motif, have been assembled by coordination of the ligand to phosphate anion. Crystal structure analysis indicated that in the three complexes, each of the phosphate ions is coordinated by twelve hydrogen bonds from six surrounding urea groups. The anion coordination properties in solution have also been studied. The results further demonstrate the coordination behavior of phosphate ion, which shows strong tendency for coordination saturation and geometrical preference, thus allowing for the assembly of novel anion coordination‐based structures as in transition‐metal complexes.     

Time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equations for multi-gap superconductors

We numerically solve the time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equations for two-gap superconductors using the finite-element technique. The real-time simulation shows that at low magnetic field, the vortices in small-size samples tend to form clusters or other disorder structures. When the sample size is large, stripes appear in the pattern. These results are in good agreement with the previous experimental observations of the intriguing anomalous vortex pattern, providing a reliable theoretical basis for the future applications of multi-gap superconductors.     

静止轨道星载差分吸收光谱仪CCD成像系统设计

静止轨道卫星差分吸收光谱仪采用摆扫成像方式对大气进行探测,针对其工作时CCD成像系统信噪比大于1 000、高速探测模式下探测周期小于10min、高分辨率模式下探测周期小于1h的要求,进行CCD成像系统设计.选取CCD47-20作为探测器,设计成像电路实现光谱图像信号的采集和上传.分析了帧叠加和像元合并对时间、空间分辨率的影响.结合帧转移CCD的特点设计了每个位置最后一帧读出时摆镜转动的成像方式,并合理设置了帧叠加数和像元合并数,达到优化成像周期的目的.1s曝光时间条件下,该CCD成像系统的高速、高分辨率模式探测周期分别为515s和3 315s,图像信噪比均大于1 000,污染物观测实验中未出现失帧或重复的现象.该CCD成像系统方案满足静止轨道星载差分吸收光谱仪的探测需求,为静止轨道环境监测仪器设计提供参考.     

A Switch in the Hydrophobic/Hydrophilic Gas-Adsorption Character of Prussian Blue Analogues: An Affinity Control for Smart Gas Sorption

Porous coordination polymers are molecule-based materials presenting a high degree of tunability, which offer many advantages for targeted applications over conventional inorganic materials. This work demonstrates that the hydrophilic/hydrophobic character of Prussian blue analogues having a lipophilic feature may be tuned to optimize the gas adsorption properties. The role of the coordinatively unsaturated metal sites is emphasized through a combination of theoretical and experimental study of water, ethanol, and n-hexane adsorption.     

基于吸收系数的生脉注射液中聚山梨酯80含量测定新方法

聚山梨酯80又名吐温80，为一种亲水型非离子表面活性剂，是食品、保健品和药品中常用的辅料，作为增溶剂和澄清剂广泛用于中药注射剂。近年来，不良反应的发生使得聚山梨酯80的质量和应用愈加受到重视，有研究认为其加入可能引起注射剂不良反应增加。为避免超量使用，有必要对该辅料的投料加以严格控制。中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80的含量测定是当下研究的热点和难点，可以通过分光光度法、分子排阻-蒸发光散射检测法(SEC-ELSD)、液质联用法(LC-MS)直接测定，也可以水解后法经液相色谱-紫外检测法(HPLC-UV)或气相色谱法(GC)间接测定。但由于聚山梨酯80为聚氧乙烯聚合数目不同的混合物、不同厂家生产的聚山梨酯80化学组分及比例存在较大差异，难以采用统一的转换公式或对照品准确定量。此外，中药注射剂的复杂基质造成的假阳性干扰也对定量提出了挑战。为解决以上问题，以生脉注射液为例，提出基于吸收系数的中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80含量测定新方法。优化检测波长、显色剂种类、液液萃取过程振荡和静置时间，在6个不同品牌仪器上测得聚山梨酯80-硫氰酸钴配合物的吸收系数(E1%_{1 cm})为104.23，相对标准偏差(RSD)为2.08%。生脉注射液稀释10倍后，精密量取供试品溶液1.0 mL，精密加入硫氰酸钴溶液10 mL，二氯甲烷20 mL，涡旋振荡3 min。将混合液移至分液漏斗中，静置30 min，取下层二氯甲烷液，将前1 mL弃去，接收约15 mL，在320 nm处测定吸光度，再根据Lambert-Beer定律，利用获得的吸收系数计算得到聚山梨酯80的含量。方法阴性无干扰，精密度和重复性相对标准偏差均低于3%，平均回收率为98.42%。为进一步验证方法的准确性，分别采用吸收系数法和标准曲线法测定了2个厂家的10批生脉注射液，并与实际投料量比较。配对t检验结果表明，当置信度为95%时，两种方法无显著性差异，吸收系数法测得结果与企业生产中聚山梨酯的实际投料量也无显著性差异。研究采用前人未采用的、灵敏度更高的320 nm为检测波长，显著降低了基质干扰，克服了中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80测定结果与实际投料量难以吻合的问题。吸收系数法无需使用对照品，亦不用制备标准曲线，可为中药注射剂中聚山梨酯80的检查标准提供切实可行的解决方案。所建方法灵敏、准确、快速、简便，为含聚山梨酯80制剂的质量控制提供了关键常数及新的思路。