Effect of acetyl L-carnitine on human retinal pigment epithelium-19 cells in hypoxic conditions

AIM:To investigate the effect of acetyl-L-carnitine(ALCAR)on cell viability,morphological integrity,and vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)expression in human retinal pigment epithelium(ARPE-19)cells using a hypoxic model.METHODS:In the first set of experiments,the optimal CoCl_(2) dose was determined by exposing ARPE-19 cell cultures to different concentrations.To evaluate the effect of ALCAR on cell viability,five groups of ARPE-19 cell culture were established that included a control group,a sham group(200μM CoCl_(2)),and groups that received 1,10 and 100 mM doses of ALCAR combined with 200μM CoCl_(2),respectively.The cell viability was measured by MTT assay.The morphological characteristics of cells were observed by an inverted phase contrast microscope.The levels of VEGF and HIF-1α secretion by ARPE-19 cells were detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)assay.RESULTS:ARPE-19 cells were exposed to different doses of CoCl_(2) in order to create a hypoxia model.Nevertheless,when exposed to a concentration of 200μM CoCl_(2),a notable decrease in viability to 83% was noted.ALCAR was found to increase the cell viability at 1 mM and 10 mM concentrations,while the highest concentration(100 mM)did not have an added effect.The cell viability was found to be significantly higher in the groups treated with a concentration of 1 mM and 10 mM ALCAR compared to the Sham group(P=0.041,P=0.019,respectively).The cell viability and morphology remained unaffected by the greatest dose of ALCAR(100 mM).The administration of 10 mM ALCAR demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the levels of VEGF and HIF-1α compared with the Sham group(P=0.013,P=0.033,respectively).CONCLUSION:The findings from the current study indicate that ALCAR could represent a viable therapeutic option with the potential to open up novel treatment pathways for retinal diseases,particular relevance for age-related macular degeneration(AMD).However,to fully elucidate ALCAR’s application potential in retinal diseases,additional investigation is necessary to clearly define the exact mechanisms involved.

Syntheses,crystal structures,and catalytic properties of three zinc(Ⅱ),cobalt(Ⅱ)and nickel(Ⅱ)coordination polymers constructed from 5⁃(4⁃carboxyphenoxy)nicotinic acid

Three zinc(Ⅱ),cobalt(Ⅱ),and nickel(Ⅱ)coordination polymers,namely[Zn(μ^(3-)cpna)(μ-dpea)_(0.5)]_(n)(1),[Co(μ^(3-)cpna)(μ-dpey)_(0.5)]_(n)(2),and[Ni(μ^(3-)cpna)(μ-dpey)_(0.5)(H_(2)O)]_(n)(3),have been constructed hydrothermally using H_(2)cpna(5-(4-carboxyphenoxy)nicotinic acid),dpea(1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethane),dpey(1,2-di(4-pyridyl)ethylene),and zinc,cobalt,and nickel chlorides at 160℃.The products were isolated as stable crystalline solids and were characterized by IR spectra,elemental analyses,thermogravimetric analyses,and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses.Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analyses revealed that three compounds crystallize in the triclinic system,space group P1.Compounds 1-3 show 2D layer structures.The catalytic activities in the Knoevenagel condensation reaction of these compounds were investigated.Compounds 1 and 2 exhibit effective catalytic activities in the Knoevenagel condensa-tion reaction at room temperature.For this reaction,various parameters were optimized,followed by the investiga-tion of the substrate scope.CCDC:2335676,1;2335677,2;2335678,3.

Boosting CO_(2) photoreduction by synergistic optimization of multiple processes through metal vacancy engineering

The photoreduction of greenhouse gas CO_(2) using photocatalytic technologies not only benefits en-vironmental remediation but also facilitates the production of raw materials for chemicals.Howev-er,the efficiency of CO_(2) photoreduction remains generally low due to the challenging activation of CO_(2) and the limited light absorption and separation of charge.Defect engineering of catalysts rep-resents a pivotal strategy to enhance the photocatalytic activity for CO_(2),with most research on met-al oxide catalysts focusing on the creation of anionic vacancies.The exploration of metal vacancies and their effects,however,is still underexplored.In this study,we prepared an In2O3 catalyst with indium vacancies(VIn)through defect engineering for CO_(2) photoreduction.Experimental and theo-retical calculations results demonstrate that VIn not only facilitate light absorption and charge sepa-ration in the catalyst but also enhance CO_(2) adsorption and reduce the energy barrier for the for-mation of the key intermediate*COOH during CO_(2) reduction.Through metal vacancy engineering,the activity of the catalyst was 7.4 times,reaching an outstanding rate of 841.32μmol g(-1)h^(-1).This work unveils the mechanism of metal vacancies in CO_(2) photoreduction and provides theoretical guidance for the development of novel CO_(2) photoreduction catalysts.

Engineering the coordination structure of Cu for enhanced photocatalytic production of C_(1) chemicals from glucose

Photocatalytic decomposition of sugars is a promising way of providing H_(2),CO,and HCOOH as sus-tainable energy vectors.However,the production of C_(1) chemicals requires the cleavage of robust C−C bonds in sugars with concurrent production of H_(2),which remains challenging.Here,the photo-catalytic activity for glucose decomposition to HCOOH,CO(C_(1) chemicals),and H_(2) on Cu/TiO_(2)was enhanced by nitrogen doping.Owing to nitrogen doping,atomically dispersed and stable Cu sites resistant to light irradiation are formed on Cu/TiO_(2).The electronic interaction between Cu and nitrogen ions originates valence band structure and defect levels composed of N 2p orbit,distinct from undoped Cu/TiO_(2).Therefore,the lifetime of charge carriers is prolonged,resulting in the pro-duction of C_(1) chemicals and H_(2) with productivities 1.7 and 2.1 folds that of Cu/TiO_(2).This work pro-vides a strategy to design coordinatively stable Cu ions for photocatalytic biomass conversion.

Microstructure and remarkably improved hydrogen storage properties of Mg_2Ni alloys doped with metal elements of Al, Mn and Ti

Mg2Ni0.7M0.3(M=Al,Mn and Ti)alloys were prepared by solid phase sintering process.The phases and microstructure of the alloys were systematically characterized by XRD,SEM and STEM.It was found that Mg3MNi2intermetallic compounds formed in Mg2Ni0.7M0.3alloys and coexisted with Mg and Mg2Ni,and that radius of M atoms closer to that of Mg atom was more beneficial to the formation of Mg3MNi2.The hydrogen storage properties and corrosion resistance of Mg2Ni0.7M0.3alloys were investigated through Sievert and Tafel methods.Mg2Ni0.7M0.3alloys exhibited remarkably improved hydrogen absorption and desorption properties.Significantly reduced apparent dehydriding activation energy values of-46.12,-59.16and-73.15kJ/mol were achieved for Mg2Ni0.7Al0.3,Mg2Ni0.7Mn0.3and Mg2Ni0.7Ti0.3alloys,respectively.The corrosion potential of Mg2Ni0.7M0.3alloys shifted to the positive position compared with Mg2Ni alloy,e.g.there was a corrosion potential difference of0.110V between Mg2Ni0.7Al0.3alloy(-0.529V)and Mg2Ni(-0.639V),showing improved anti-corrosion properties by the addition of Al,Mn and Ti.

Experiments on Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 catalyst for improving lower heating value of biomass gasification fuel gas via methanation

Ni-based catalysts supported by γ-Al_2O_3 were prepared for improving the lower heating value( LHV) of biomass gasification fuel gas through methanation. Prior to the performance tests, the physico-chemical properties of the catalyst samples were characterized by N_2 isothermal adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction( XRD) and a scanning electron microscope( SEM). Afterwards, a series of experiments were carried out to investigate the catalytic performance and the results showthat catalysts with 15% and20% Ni loadings have better methanation catalytic effect than those with 5% and 10% Ni loadings in terms of elevating the LHV of biomass gasification fuel gas. M oreover, controllable influential factors such as the reaction temperature, the H_2/CO ratio and the water content occupy an important position in the methanation of biomass gasification fuel gas. 15 Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 and 20 Ni/γ-Al_2O_3 catalysts have a higher CO conversion and CH_4 selectivity at 350 ℃ and the LHV of biomass gasification fuel gas can be largely increased by 34. 3 % at 350 ℃. Higher H_2/CO ratio and a lower water content are more beneficial for improving the LHV of biomass gasification fuel gas when considering the combination of both CO conversion and CH_4 selectivity. This is due to the fact that a higher H_2/CO ratio and lower water content can increase the extent of the methanation reaction.

Effects of SiC interfacial coating on mechanical properties of carbon fiber needled felt reinforced sol-derived Al2O3 composites

3D carbon fiber needled felt and polycarbosilane-derived SiC coating were selected as reinforcement and interfacial coating,respectively,and the sol-impregnation-drying-heating(SIDH)route was used to fabricate C/Al2O3 composites.The effects of Si C interfacial coating on the mechanical properties,oxidation resistance and thermal shock resistance of C/Al2O3 composites were investigated.It is found that the fracture toughness of C/Al2O3 composites was remarkably superior to that of monolithic Al2O3 ceramics.The introduction of SiC interfacial coating obviously improved the strengths of C/Al2O3 composites although the fracture work diminished to some extent.Owing to the tight bonding between SiC coating and carbon fiber,the C/SiC/Al2O3 composites showed much better oxidation and thermal shock resistance over C/Al2O3 composites under static air.

ESO-based decoupling control with multi-objective optimization for boiler-turbine unit

A model-assistant extended state observer(MESO)-based decoupling control strategy is proposed for boiler-turbine units in the presence of unknown external disturbance and model-plant mismatch. For ease of implementation, the decoupling compensator is reduced to the proportion integration(PI) decoupler with the frequency domain analysis, where the decoupling error in collusion of uncertainties and disturbances can be estimated by the proposed MESO and then compensated. To decrease the sensitivity of the dynamic error for the decoupling control and fulfill various requirements of constraints, such as safety operation, energy conservation, emission reduction, etc., the plant is transmitted through a scheduled steady state region which is achieved from the optimized reference governor in advance. Simulation results show that the proposed control strategy can well suppress various disturbances including a decoupling error, and multi-objective optimization can meet multiple requirements with the premise of safety production.

A review of refractory high-entropy alloys

This work reviews recent progress in the alloy design,microstructure,and mechanical properties of refractory high-entropy alloys(RHEAs).What’s more,the underlying strengthening mechanisms and deformation behavior are discussed.Composed mainly of near-equimolar refractory elements,RHEAs have superior mechanical properties,especially at high temperatures.However,many of them have limited room-temperature ductility.Much work has been done to solve this trade-off,and some of the RHEAs have the potential to be used for high-temperature applications in the future.In addition to their mechanical properties,RHEAs have other attractive properties,such as biocompatibility and wear resistance,which are discussed.Finally,current problems and future suggestions for RHEAs are discussed.

Activity and selectivity of propane oxidative dehydrogenation over VO_3/CeO_2(111) catalysts: A density functional theory study

The oxidative dehydrogenation（ODH） of propane on monomeric VO3 supported by CeO2（111）（VO3/CeO 2（111）） is studied by periodic density functional theory calculations. Detailed energetic, structural, and electronic properties of these reactions are determined. The calculated activation energies of the breaking of the first and second C–H bonds of propane on the VO3/CeO2（111） catalyst are compared, and it is found that both the unique structural and electronic effects of the VO3/CeO2（111） catalyst contribute to the relatively easy rupture of the first C–H bond of the propane molecule during the ODH reaction. In particular, the so-called new empty localized states that are mainly constituted of O2 porbitals of the ceria-supported VO3 species are determined to be crucial for assisting the cleavage of the first C–H bond of the propane molecule. Following this they become occupied and the remaining C–H bonds become increasingly difficult to break owing to the increasing repulsion between the localized 4 felectrons at the Cecations, resulting in the adsorption of more H and other moieties. This work illustrates that CeO2-supported monomeric vanadium oxides can exhibit unique activity and selectivity for the catalytic ODH of alkanes to alkenes.

Conversion of biomass to chemicals over zirconium phosphate-based catalysts

1.IntroductionCatalysis is an important phenomenon in nature and is involvedin all areas of the chemical industry.Homogeneous andheterogeneous catalysis are key techniques in chemical production.The development of efficient,stable,and environmentallyfriendly catalytic methods is receiving much attentionbecause of the increasing global shortage of energy and seriousenvironmental damage.A number of efforts have been made inthe past for designing rationally catalysts to achieve desirablecatalytic activities,selectivities,and stabilities for specific reactions[1].The current energy crisis is affecting economies inevery region,particularly in fossil‐oil‐consuming countries,because of rapidly decreasing available stocks,therefore biomassconversion to fuels and chemicals using various approaches,including thermal,biological,and chemocatalyticprocesses,is attracting great attention worldwide[2].

Blast and tensile properties of tantalum/niobium lined SiC/SiC composite tubes for nuclear cladding

The mechanical performances such as tensile strength and blast property of metal lined SiC/SiC composite cladding tubes were investigated. Nb or Ta was selected as liner material, and the SiC/SiC composite layer was fabricated by winding and different precursor impregnation and pyrolysis(PIP) processes. The tensile strengths of different tube samples were measured at room temperature(RT) and 1200 °C, respectively. The blast property was investigated through the maximum water pressure of tubes. And the fracture microstructures were observed by SEM.The highest tensile strength at RT was 150.7 MPa. The blast strength was enhanced with the PIP process increasing from 1 to 4 cycles and the tube of 4 PIP cycles had the highest water pressure of 34.7 MPa. Compared with the metal tubes, the multi-layer structure improved tensile and blast properties significantly. The different processes such as PIP cycles and pyrolytic carbon(PyC) coating were important factors to enhance the mechanical performances of SiC/SiC-based tubes. However, the retention rate of tensile strength was only 18.5% at 1200 °C.

Multi sites vs single site for catalytic combustion of methane over Co3O4(110):A first-principles kinetic Monte Carlo study

Single-atom catalysts have been applied in many processes recently.The difference of their kinetic behavior compared to the traditional heterogeneous catalysts has not been extensively discussed yet.Herein a complete catalytic cycle of CH4 combustion assuming to be confined at isolated single sites of the Co3O4(110)surface is computationally compared with that on multi sites.The macroscopic kinetic behaviors of CH4 combustion on Co3O4(110)is systematically and quantitatively compared between those on the single site and multi sites utilizing kinetic Monte Carlo simulations upon the energetic information from the PBE+U calculation and statistic mechanics.The key factors governing the kinetics of CH4 combustion are disclosed for both the catalytic cycles respectively following the single-site and multi-site mechanisms.It is found that cooperation of multi active sites can promote the activity of complete CH4 combustions substantially in comparison to separated single-site catalyst whereas the confinement of active sites could regulate the selectivity of CH4 oxidation.The quantitative understanding of catalytic mechanism paves the way to improve the activity and selectivity for CH4 oxidation.

Preparation of three-dimensional braided carbon fiber reinforced mullite composites from a sol with high solid content

To prepare the three-dimensional braided carbon fiber reinforced mullite （3D C/mullite） composites, an Al2O3-SiO2 solwith a solid content of 20% （mass fraction） and an Al2O3/SiO2 mass ratio of 2：1 was selected as the raw material. Characteristics andmullitization of the sol were analyzed throughly. It is found that the formation of mullite is basically completed at 1300℃ and thegel powders exhibit favorable sintering shrinkage. The 3D C/mullite composites without interfacial coating were fabricated throughthe route of vacuum impregnation-drying-heat treatment. Satisfied mechanical properties with a flexural strength of 241.2 MPa anda fracture toughness of 10.9 MPa·m1/2are obtained although the total porosity reaches 26.0%. Oxidation resistances of the compositesat 1200, 1400 and 1600 ℃ were investigated. Due to the further densification of matrix, the 3D C/mullite composites show tiny massloss and their mechanical properties are well retained after oxidation at 1600 ℃ for 30 min.

Microstructure and electrochemical corrosion behavior of selective laser melted Ti−6Al−4V alloy in simulated artificial saliva

Ti−6Al−4V alloy was fabricated via selective laser melting(SLM)to improve its corrosion resistance for implant.The microstructure and electrochemical corrosion behavior were investigated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD),transmission electron microscopy(TEM),electrochemical test and contact angle test.It can be found that the as-selective laser melted(as-SLMed)Ti−6Al−4V alloys showβcolumnar microstructure in building direction and nearly circular checkerboard microstructure in scanning direction,while the wrought and wrought+HT samples exhibit equiaxed microstructure.The as-SLMed Ti−6Al−4V alloy exhibits better corrosion resistance than the wrought and wrought+HT samples due to hydrophobicity,high grain boundary density and uniform distribution of alloying elements in simulated artificial saliva at 37℃.

Min-max fuzzy model predictive tracking control of boiler-turbine system for ultra-supercritical units

To improve the control performance of nonlinear ultra-supercritical(USC)thermal power units,an improved min-max fuzzy model predictive tracking control(FMPTC)strategy is proposed.First,a T-S fuzzy model is established to approximate the dynamics of the nonlinear boiler-turbine system.Then,based on an extended fuzzy model containing state variables and output variables,a min-max FMPTC is derived for output regulation while ensuring the closed-loop system stability and the inputs in their given constraints.For greater controller design freedom,the developed controller adopts a new state-and output-based objective function.In addition,the observer estimation error is regarded as a bounded disturbance,ensuring the stability of the entire closed-loop control system.Simulation results on a 1000 MW USC boiler-turbine model illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Effect of partial recrystallization on microstructure and tensile properties of NiFeCoCrMn high-entropy alloy

To obtain a balance between strength and ductility in NiFeCoCrMn high-entropy alloy, the degree of dislocation strengthening was tuned via partial recrystallization during traditional thermomechanical processing(cold rolling and recrystallization). The tensile properties in each state were then examined. Significant improvements in uniform elongation and work hardening rate, with decrease in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, are associated with increase in the recrystallized fraction, i.e., reductions in the degree of strain hardening. In particular, recrystallized fractions of 37% and 74% are obtained by annealing at 650 ℃ for 10 min and 15 min, respectively, which results in yield strengths of 1003 MPa and 742 MPa and uniform elongations of 4% and 24%, respectively. The strengthening is due to the unrecrystallized grains with a high density of dislocations, whereas the ductility benefits from the presence of recrystallized strain-free grains.

Catalytic ativities of single-atom catalysts for CO oxidation: Pt_1/FeO_x vs. Fe_1/FeO_x

An FeOx‐based Pt single‐atom catalyst(SAC),Pt1/FeOx,has stimulated significant recent interest owing to its extraordinary activity toward CO oxidation.The concept of SAC has also been successfully extended to other FeOx supported transition metal systems both experimentally and theoretically.However,the FeOx substrate itself(denoted by Fe1/FeOx following the same nomenclature of Pt1/FeOx)as a typical transition metal oxide possesses a very low catalytic activity toward CO oxidation,although it can be viewed as Fe1/FeOx SAC.Here,to understand the catalytic mechanism of FeOx‐based SACs for CO oxidation,we have performed density functional theory calculations on Pt1/FeOx and Fe1/FeOx for CO oxidation to address the differences between these two SACs in terms of the catalytic mechanism of CO oxidation and the chemical behavior of the catalysts.Our calculation results indicated that the catalytic cycle of Fe1/FeOx is much more difficult to accomplish than that of SAC Pt1/FeOx because of a high activation barrier(1.09eV)for regeneration of the oxygen vacancy formed when the second CO2molecule desorbs from the surface.Moreover,density of states and Bader charge analysis revealed differences in the catalytic performance for CO oxidation by the SACs Fe1/FeOx and Pt1/FeOx.This work provides insights into the fundamental interactions between the single‐atom Pt1and FeOx substrate,and the exceptional catalytic performance of this system for CO oxidation.

Ultrafast Investigation of Excited-State Dynamics in Trans-4-methoxyazobenzene Studied by Femtosecond Transient Absorption Spectroscopy

The ultrafast photoisomerization and excited-state dynamics of trans-4-methoxyazobenzene (trans-4-MAB) in solutions were investigated by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum chemistry calculations. After being excited to the S2 state, the two-dimensional transient absorptions spectra show that cis-4-MAB is produced and witnessed by the permanent positive absorption in 400-480 nm. Three decay components are determined to be 0.11, 1.4 and 2.9 ps in ethanol, and 0.16, 1.5 and 7.5 ps in ethylene glycol, respectively. The fast component is assigned to the internal conversion from the S2 to S1 state. The other relaxation pathways are correlated with the decay of the S1 state via internal conversion and isomerization, and the vibrational cooling of the hot S0 state of the cis-isomer. Comparing of the dynamics in different solvents, it is demonstrated that the photoisomerization pathway undergoes the inversion mechanism rather than the rotation mechanism.

Lattice Dynamics and Electronic Properties of Heusler Alloys Li_(2)AlX(X=Ga,In):A Comparison Study

The lattice parameters,bulk modulus,rst derivative of the bulk modulus,electronic band structures,phonon dispersion curves and phonon density of states calculations for Li_(2)AlGa and Li_(2)AlIn Heusler alloys are performed and compared in this study using density functional theory within the generalized gradient approximation.Computed lattice parameters display a good agreement with the literature.Obtained electronic band structures of both Heusler alloys show that they are in semi-metallic structure.Phonon dispersion curves and the phonon density of states graphs are also obtained in order to study the lattice dynamics of these Heusler alloys.It is noticed that Li_(2)AlGa and Li_(2)AlIn Heusler alloys are dynamically stable in the ground state.