Electrochemical Removal of Chlorophenol Pollutants by Reactive Electrode Membranes: Scale-Up Strategy for Engineered Applications

Chlorophenols(CPs)are significant refractory pollutants that are highly toxic to humans and other organ-isms.Reactive electrode membranes(REMs)show considerable potential in the electrochemical removal of refractory pollutants by allowing flow-through operations with convection-enhanced mass transfer.However,relevant studies are commonly performed on the laboratory scale,and there is no straightfor-ward method that guarantees success in scaling up engineered REM reactors.In this study,we demon-strated that a tubular concentric electrode(TCE)configuration with a titanium suboxide ceramic anode and a stainless-steel cathode is suitable for large-scale CPs removal.Both theoretical and experi-mental results showed that the TCE configuration not only allows the electrode surface to be orthogonal to electric field lines everywhere,but also has an ohmic resistance that is inversely proportional to the length of the electrode.In addition,the TCE configuration can be operated in either the anode-to-cathode(AC)or the cathode-to-anode(CA)mode based on the flow direction,creating adjustable condi-tions for selective degradation of CPs.This was confirmed by 98%removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol(2,4-DCP)and 72.5%removal of chemical oxygen demand(COD)in the CA mode,in which the kinetic constant was one order of magnitude higher than that for the AC mode under flow-through single-pass operations.This can be explained by the lower activation energy and free energy in the CA mode,as revealed by the-oretical calculations and experimental measurements.The TCE configuration is also suitable for a numbering-up strategy to scale up the electrochemical reactor without increasing the ohmic resistance or decreasing the specific electrode area,achieving 99.4%removal of 2,4-DCP with an energy consump-tion of 1.5 kW·h·m^(-3) when three TCE modules were employed.This study presents a suitable electrode design configuration for the REM reactor,offering effective strategies to bridge the“Valley of Death”encountered when scaling up the electrochemical removal of CP pollutants.

系统性红斑狼疮患者的血清IgG糖链特征

系统性红斑狼疮(systemic lupus erythematosus,SLE)是一种发病机制不明、临床表型异质性大的自身免疫性疾病。目前已有的SLE血清生物标志物灵敏度或特异性有限,使得SLE的早期精准诊断存在困难。在本研究中,通过对389例SLE患者及304例健康对照者进行深入的糖组学分析,鉴定出血清免疫球蛋白G(IgG)上的两种N-糖链能够作为SLE的诊断生物标志物。在其他易与SLE混淆的系统性自身免疫性疾病(如类风湿性关节炎、原发性干燥综合征或系统性硬化症)中,这两种生物标志物没有出现显著变化,提示这两种N-糖链生物标志物对诊断SLE具有特异性。值得注意的是,这两种N-糖链生物标志物被证明是自身抗体非依赖性的,并且适用于所有阶段的SLE患者。基于片段特异性糖链分析和糖肽分析,发现这两种N-糖链生物标志物位于IgG上的Fc区域,并与疾病活动性密切相关。而酶学分析结果则提示,SLE患者体内一系列糖转移酶的失调可能是观察到的糖链产生变化的原因。研究结果为基于血清IgG糖基化的高效人群筛查和SLE潜在的新致病因素提供了新的思路。

基于三链融合优化杭州市小微企业创业创新环境的对策研究

近些年来,国务院对小微企业的可持续性发展问题提出了高度重视,在当今的国际形势与经济形势的充分分析和考虑下,小微企业的迅速发展,直接推动着社会就业问题、创新问题以及市场经济问题趋于解决。本文主要是通过对产业链、创新链和资金链即三链融合相关理论研究,基于强化创新链、拓展产业链、部署资本链,结合100家各区域小微企业创业创新环境和模式现状的调查分析,找到当前小微企业创业创新环境和模式存在的瓶颈和问题,构建“三链”融合的逻辑模型和基本理论模型展开研究,探讨小微企业创业创新环境要素并提出建设性建议。

Increased human neutrophil lipocalin and its clinical relevance in adult-onset Still’s disease

Background:Human neutrophil lipocalin(HNL)has been used extensively to differentiate acute bacterial infection from febrile diseases as a biomarker to reflect the activation of the neutrophil.The serum HNL levels in the adult-onset Still’s disease(AOSD)patients with and without infection,as well as the healthy controls(HCs),were analyzed statistically in this study to evaluate the value of HNL for the diagnosis of AOSD.Methods:A total of 129 AOSD patients were enrolled,from whom blood samples were drawn and the AOSD diagnosis was confirmed through the review of the medical records,where the systemic score,demographic characteristics,clinical manifestations,and laboratory parameters were also collected for the patients;in addition,a total of 40 HCs were recruited among the blood donors from the healthcare center with the relevant information collected.The HNL test was done for the blood samples with the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the analyses were done for the correlations of HNL with clinical manifestations and diagnostic effectiveness.Results:The serum HNL increased significantly in the patients with only AOSD as compared with that in the HCs(139.76±8.99 ng/mL vs.55.92±6.12 ng/mL;P<0.001).The serum HNL level was correlated with the white blood cell(WBC)count(r=0.335,P<0.001),neutrophil count(r=0.334,P<0.001),erythrocyte sedimentation rate(r=0.241,P=0.022),C-reactive protein(r=0.442,P<0.0001),and systemic score(r=0.343,P<0.0001)in the AOSD patients significantly.Patients with fever,leukocytosis≥15,000/mm^(3),and myalgia in the HNL-positive group were observed relatively more than those in the HNL-negative group(P=0.009,P=0.023,and P=0.007,respectively).HNL was a more sensitive indicator than ferritin and C-reactive protein(CRP)to differentiate the AOSD patients with bacterial infection from AOSD-only patients,and the Youden index was 0.6 for HNL and 0.29 for CRP.Conclusion:Serum HNL can be used as a biomarker for the diagnosis of the AOSD,and HNL is also observed to be associated with the disease activity.

Mid-wavelength nBn photodetector with high operating temperature and low dark current based on InAs/InAsSb superlattice absorber

In this paper,we demonstrate nBn InAs/InAsSb type II superlattice(T2SL)photodetectors with AlAsSb as the barrier that targets mid-wavelength infrared(MWIR)detection.To improve operating temperature and suppress dark current,a specific Sb soaking technique was employed to improve the interface abruptness of the superlattice with device passivation using a SiO_(2) layer.These result in ultralow dark current density of 6.28×10^(-6)A/cm^(2)and 0.31 A/cm^(2)under-600 mV at 97 K and297 K,respectively,which is lower than most reported InAs/InAsSb-based MWIR photodetectors.Corresponding resistance area product values of 3.20×10^(4)Ω·cm^(2)and 1.32Ω·cm^(2)were obtained at 97 K and 297 K.A peak responsivity of 0.39 A/W with a cutoff wavelength around 5.5μm and a peak detectivity of 2.1×10^(9)cm·Hz^(1/2)/W were obtained at a high operating temperature up to 237 K.

Efficacy and safety of low-dose interleukin-2 in combination with methotrexate in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis:a randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled phase 2 trial

Rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is an aggressive autoimmune arthritis,and current therapies remain unsatisfactory due to low remission rate and substantially adverse effects.Low-dose interleukin-2(Ld-IL2)is potentially a therapeutic approach to further improve the disease.This randomized,double-blind,placebo-controlled trial was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy and safety of Ld-IL2 in patients with active RA.Patients were randomly assigned(1:1)to receive Ld-IL2,defined as a dose of 1 million IU,or placebo in a 12-week trial with a 12-week follow-up.Three cycles of Ld-IL2 or placebo were administered subcutaneously every other day for 2 weeks(a total of 7 doses),followed by a 2-week break.All patients received a stable dose of methotrexate(MTX).The primary outcomes were the proportion of patients achieving the ACR20,DAS28-ESR<2.6,and the change from baseline in CDAI or SDAI at week 24.Secondary endpoints included other clinical responses and safety.The primary outcomes were achieved in the perprotocol population.The improvements from baseline in CDAI and SDAI were significantly greater across time points for the LdIL2+MTX group(n=17)than for the placebo+MTX group(n=23)(P=0.018 and P=0.015,respectively).More patients achieved ACR20 response in the Ld-IL2+MTX group than those in the placebo+MTX group at week 12(70.6%vs 43.5%)and at week 24(76.5%vs 56.5%)(P=0.014).In addition,low Treg and high IL-21 were associated with good responses to Ld-IL2.Ld-IL-2 treatment was well-tolerated in this study.These results suggested that Ld-IL2 was effective and safe in RA.ClinicalTrials.gov number:NCT 02467504.

Decorating rare-earth fluoride upconversion nanoparticles on AuNRs@Ag core-shell structure for NIR light-mediated photothermal therapy and bioimaging

Photothermal therapy(PTT)has presented its inherent application value in cancer treatment.Nevertheless,single-functional photothermal materials cannot meet the precise diagnosis and treatment of cance r.Therefo re,it is important to design a nanocomposite that has both high therapeutic efficiency and multimodal imaging capabilities.In our work,a new nanostructure of gold nanorods(AuNRs)with silver shells decorated by BaGdF5:Yb^(3+),Er^(3+)nanoparticle was synthesized by a simple way.The biostability of AuNRs is increased by coating with silver shells,and the AuNR@Ag nanoparticles can be used as excellent surface enhanced Raman scattering(SERS)probe.Moreover,the modification of BaGdF5:Yb^(3+),Er^(3+)nanoparticles provides the possibility of real-time optical imaging of the tumor area.Under the irradiation of NIR laser,the AuNR@Ag/BaGdF5:Yb^(3+),Er^(3+)nanocomposites(NCs)have strong upconversion emission and excellent photothermal conversion efficiency.Meanwhile,the NCs show low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility in MTT cytotoxicity test.Moreover,the NCs are also exceptional contrast agents for CT imaging.For in vitro photothermal therapy test,NCs show excellent killing efficiency on tumor cells.Therefore,the multifaceted research of AuNR@Ag/BaGdF5:Yb^(3+),Er^(3+)multifunctional nanomaterials provides a break for high-efficiency tumor photothermal therapy and multimodal imaging.

Additional risk factors associated with thrombosis and pregnancy morbidity in a unique cohort of antiphospholipid antibody-positive patients

Background:Antiphospholipid syndrome(APS)is an autoimmune prothrombotic condition with significant morbidity.The objective of this study was to identify additional clinical and epidemiological risks of arterial thrombosis,venous thrombosis,and pregnancy morbidities in a large cohort of persistent antiphospholipid antibodies(aPLs)-positive carriers.Methods:This was a cross-sectional cohort study of 453 consecutive patients with a documented positive aPL who attended Peking University People's Hospital.Among 453 patients screened,297 patients had persistent positive aPL.We compared asymptomatic aPL carriers with thrombotic and obstetric APS patients.And the univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression were used to evaluate the association between different risk factors and APS clinical manifestations.The levels of circulating markers of neutrophil extracellular traps(NETs)(cell-free DNA and citrullinated histone H3[Cit-H3])were assessed and compared among aPL-positive carriers with or without autoimmune disease and APS patients.Results:Additional risk factors associated with arterial thrombosis among aPL-positive carriers included:smoking(odds ratio[OR]=6.137,95%confidence interval[CI]=2.408-15.637,P=0.0001),hypertension(OR=2.368,95%CI=1.249-4.491,P=0.008),and the presence of underlying autoimmune disease(OR=4.401,95%CI=2.387-8.113,P<0.001).Additional risks associated with venous thrombosis among aPL carriers included:smoking(OR=4.594,95%CI=1.681-12.553,P=0.029)and the presence of underlying autoimmune disease(OR=6.330,95%CI=3.355-11.940,P<0.001).The presence of underlying autoimmune disease(OR=3.301,95%CI=1.407-7.744,P=0.006)is the additional risk,which demonstrated a significant association with APS pregnancy morbidity.Higher circulating levels of cell-free DNA and Cit-H3 were observed among APS patients and aPL patients with autoimmune diseases compared with those aPL carriers without underlying autoimmune diseases.Furthermore,control neutrophils that are conditioned with APS patients'sera have more pronounced NET release compared with those treated with aPL carriers'sera without underlying autoimmune diseases.Conclusions:We identified several potential additional risk factors for APS clinical manifestations among a large cohort of Chinese aPL carriers.Our data may help physicians to risk stratify aPL-positive Asian patients.

Features of hyperintense white matter lesions and clinical relevance in systemic lupus erythematosus

Background: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease characterized by complex and various clinical manifestations. The study aimed to analyze clinical features and cerebral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes of hyperintense white matter (WM) lesions in SLE patients.Methods: This was a retrospective study based on a consecutive cohort of 1191 SLE patients;273 patients for whom cerebral MRI data were available were enrolled to assess hyperintense WM lesions associated with SLE. Patients were assigned to two groups, ie, with or without hyperintense WM lesions. The MRI assessment showed that the hyperintense WM lesions could be classified into three categories: type A, periventricular hyperintense WM lesions;type B, subcortical hyperintense WM lesions;and type C, multiple discrete hyperintense WM lesions. The clinical and MRI characteristics were analyzed. Factors related to hyperintense WM lesions were identified by multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results: Among the 273 SLE patients with available cerebral MRI scans, 35.9% (98/273) had hyperintense WM lesions associated with SLE. The proportions of types A, B, and C were 54.1% (53/98), 11.2% (11/98), and 92.9% (91/98), respectively. Fifty-one percents of the patients showed an overlap of two or three types. Type C was the most common subgroup to be combined with other types. Compared with those without hyperintense WM lesions, the patients with hyperintense WM lesions were associated with neuropsychiatric SLE (NPSLE), lupus nephritis (LN), hypertension, and hyperuricemia (P = 0.002,P = 0.018,P = 0.045, andP = 0.036, respectively). Significantly higher rates of polyserous effusions and cardiac involvement were found in the patients with hyperintense WM lesions (P = 0.029 andP = 0.027, respectively), and these patients were more likely to present with disease damage (P < 0.001). In addition, the patients with hyperintense WM lesions exhibited a higher frequency of proteinuria (P = 0.009) and higher levels of CD8+ T cells (P = 0.005). In the multivariate logistic analysis, hyperuricemia and higher CD8+ T cells percentages were significantly correlated with hyperintense WM lesions in SLE patients (P= 0.019;OR 2.129, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.313-4.006 andP < 0.001;OR 1.056, 95% CI 1.023-1.098, respectively).Conclusions: Hyperintense WM lesions are common in SLE patients and significantly associated with systemic involvement, including NPSLE, LN, polyserous effusions, cardiac involvement, and disease damage. Hyperuricemia and a higher number of CD8+ T cells were independent factors associated with hyperintense WM lesions in SLE.

Platelet phagocytosis by neutrophils in a patient with antiphospholipid syndrome

A 49-year-old man presented to the emergency department with 1-week history of periumbilical abdominal pain with bloody stools.He did not vomit and was afebrile.He was well with no medical history of note.On examination,we found petechiae around his elbows after venous puncture.

Effect of phosphor sedimentation on photochromic properties of a warm white light-emitting diode

In the process of producing a white light emitting diode, the consistency of the optical coherence and stability of the photochromic properties is a crucial index for measuring the quality of the product. Phosphor sedimentation is a significant factor affecting optical coherence, thus, in this paper, seven sets of control experiments were set up with the phenomenon of the phosphor precipitation at time intervals 0, 2, 5, 10, 20, 30, and 40 min.The color coordination concentration and optical properties were also tested. The results indicate that phosphor sedimentation occurs between 0 and 20 min, during which the color coordinate placement is concentrated, the central coordinates are(x = 0.4432 ± 0.004, y = 0.4052±0.002); the quality was verified because the supply demand chain management(SDCM) was no greater than 7. Later, between 30 and 40 min, the central coordinates are(x = 0.4366 ± 0.003, y = 0.4012 ± 0.003), which had an SDCM value higher than 7, and had a more discrete color placement; it does not meet the requirements of the national standard GBT24823-2016 general lighting LED module performance.

Identification of lipopolysaccharide-binding protein as a novel citrullinated autoantigen in rheumatoid arthritis

Background:A specific feature of the autoimmune response in rheumatoid arthritis(RA)is the presence of anti-citrullinated protein antibodies(ACPAs)in patient sera.These antibodies can appear several years before disease onset and are involved in the development of RA.Objective:We performed proteomic analysis by mass spectroscopy to identify novel citrullinated antigens and autoantibodies in RA patients.Methods:Polypeptides isolated from the sera of RA patients were identified by Orbitrap high-precision mass spectrometry and then citrulline-containing proteins were selected.The levels of ACPAs against these newly identified citrullinated autoantigens in sera of 100 RA patients and 50 healthy controls were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays.Results:A total of 135 proteins were identified in RA patients and the protein profile included 11 citrulline-containing antigens.Three of the 11 citrullinated proteins had been reported in previous studies.ACPAs against the novel citrullinated epitopes from these proteins were increased in sera from the RA patients compared with those from healthy controls.Autoantibodies against one of the citrullinated antigens,lipopolysaccharide-binding protein(LBP),was significantly increased in RA patients and associated with disease activities.The titer of anti-citrullinated LBP antibodies(anti-cLBP)was closely related to the infection incidence in RA patients.Conclusion:Serum protein analysis by high-precision proteomic technology is a feasible method to identify novel citrullinated epitopes in RA patients.Anti-cLBP antibodies are associated with disease severity and infection in RA patients.

Low-dose IL-2 mitigates glucocorticoid-induced Treg impairment and promotes improvement of SLE

Dear Editor,Previous studies have proved that regulatory T cell(Treg)insufficiency contributed to the development of autoimmune conditions including systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).Conventional immunosuppressive treatment was reported to downregulate beneficial Tregs together with pathogenic effector immune cells,which may impede a rapid achievement of optimal therapeutic effects.

Elevated Levels of Serum IgA against Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mannan in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

This study was undertaken to investigate whether levels of anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae mannan antibodies （ASCMA） in human sera, a marker for several autoimmune diseases, correlate with rheumatoid arthritis （RA）. ASCMA-IgA, -IgG and -IgM levels were measured with enzyme linked immunosorbent assays （ELISA） in patients with RA （n = 30） and 152 healthy adult controls. ASCMA-IgA prevalence was significantly higher in RA patients （40%） than in healthy subjects （5.3%）. A strong correlation between levels of ASCMA-IgA and CRP （r = 0.695; p 〈 0.01） and ESR （r = 0.708; p 〈 0.01） in RA patients was observed. No significant differences in ASCMA-IgG or IgM levels were noted between RA patients and healthy control subjects in the present study. This result differs from previous reports. It remains to be evaluated whether elevated ASCMA-levels are common to all rheumatic disorders.

Altered influenza virus haemagglutinin(HA)-derived peptide is potent therapy for CIA by inducing Th1 to Th2 shift

There has been an increase in interest in the use of altered peptides as antigen-specific therapeutic agents in autoimmune diseases.Here we investigated the inhibitory effect and possible mechanism of an altered influenza virus haemagglutinin(HA)-derived peptide in collagen-induced arthritis(CIA).CIA was induced in DBA/1 mice by immunisation with type II collagen(CII).Altered HA308-317,wild-type HA308-317 or irrelevant peptide was administered intranasally beginning from arthritis onset.Clinical and histological scores were assessed,and cytokine levels in the serum or supernatants from splenocytes were determined.The percentages of Th1 and Th2 cells in response to different peptides were analysed by FACS both in vivo and in vitro.Our results showed that intranasal administration of altered HA308-317 peptide significantly ameliorated CIA.The therapeutic effect of altered HA308-317 peptide was associated with a substantial decrease in production of interferon(IFN)-c,interleukin(IL)-6,monocyte chemoattractant protein(MCP)-1,anti-CII IgG,IgG1 and IgG2a antibodies,and an markedly increase in production of IL-10 and IL-4 in serum or supernatants from splenocytes treated with altered HA308-317 peptide.The percentage of Th2(CD41IL-41)cells was upregulated significantly by altered HA308-317 peptide with a decreased percentage of Th1(T helper 1;CD41INF-c1)cells both in vivo and in vitro.These findings suggest that altered HA308-317 peptide might be a promising candidate for rheumatoid arthritis(RA)treatment.

Study on the mechanism of color coordinate shift of LED package

In the paper, the influences of the chip, silicone and phosphors on the color coordinate shift of LED were studied. In the process of LED baking, it was found that the effect of the chip and silicone on the color coordinate drift is less than 3% through the analysis of each influencing factor. But the influence of the phosphors is large and accounted for 11.11% of the overall impact factors. Therefore, it is important to select the better green phosphors in thermal stability for the LED package and it has a guiding significance to the color coordinate of LED distribution.