Review of Cellulose Smart Material: Biomass Conversion Process and Progress on Cellulose-Based Electroactive Paper

Cellulose is a renewable biomass material and natural polymer which is abundantly available on Earth,and includes agricultural wastes,forestry residues,and woody materials.The excellent and smart characteristics of cellulose materials,such as lightweight,biocompatibility,biodegradability,high mechanical strength/stiffness and low thermal expansibility,have made cellulose a highpotential material for various industry applications.Cellulose has recently been discovered as a smart material in the electroactive polymers family which carries the name of cellulose-based electroactive paper(EAPap).The shear piezoelectricity in cellulose polymers is able to induce large displacement output,low actuation voltage,and low power consumption in the application of biomimetic sensors/actuators and electromechanical system.The present study provides an overview of biomass pretreatment from various lignocellulosic cellulose(LC)resources and nanocellulose production via TEMPO-mediated oxidation reaction,followed by the production of different types of EAPap versus its performance,and lastly the applications of EAPap in different areas and industries.Specifically,LC biomass consists mainly of cellulose having a small content of hemicelluloses and lignins which form a defensive inner structure against the degradation of plant cell wall.Thus,selective approaches are discussed to ensure proper extraction of cellulosic fibers from complex biomass for further minimization to nano-dimensions.In addition,a comprehensive review of the development of cellulose-based EAPap as well as fabrication,characterization,performance enhancement and applications of EAPap devices are discussed herein.

Mixed-Ligand Ni(Ⅱ), Co(Ⅱ) and Fe(Ⅱ) Complexes as Catalysts for Esterification of Biomass-Derived Levulinic Acid with Polyol and in Situ Reduction via Hydrogenation with NaBH_(4)

Synthesizing polyol-based ester from biomass feedstocks for the preparation of biolubricant overcomes the dependence on petroleum oil usage.Albeit biomass-derived bio-oil is an alternative for the production of polyol ester,upgrading is essential prior to use as biolubricant.Levulinic acid(LA),obtained from bio-oil was applied for the catalytic esterification with two polyols,e.g.,trimethylolpropane(TMP)and pentaerythritol(PE),in the presence of mixed-ligand Ni(Ⅱ),Co(Ⅱ),and Fe(Ⅱ)complexes as catalyst.New mixed-ligand coordination complexes with empirical formula;[Ni(Phe)(Bpy)Cl].H2O,[Co(Phe)(Bpy)Cl].H2O,and[Fe(Phe)(Tyr)Cl].H2O were synthesized by the reaction of ligands[L-phenylalanine(Phe),4,4'-bipyridine(Bpy),and L-tyrosine(Tyr)]with metal chloride salts and characterized by elemental analysis,magnetic susceptibility,FTIR,TGA/DTA,powder-XRD,and SEM techniques.This study aims to investigate the catalytic activities of the complexes via esterification reaction of levulinic acid with trimethylolpropane and pentaerythritol.In addition,these catalysts were further employed for the in situ hydrogenation of levulinate esters via NaBH_(4) at room temperature upon refluxing.Indeed,the iron(Ⅱ)complex was more potential,exhibiting its efficiency as a homogeneous catalyst for esterification-hydrogenation reaction for synthesizing ester-based oils.

Novel layer-by-layer assembly of rGO-hybridised ZnO sandwich thin films for the improvement of photo-catalysed hydrogen production

Metal oxide semiconductor materials such as ZnO have tremendous potential as light absorbers for photocatalysed electrodes in the electrochemical reduction of water. Promoters such as rGO have been added to reduce the recombination losses of charge carriers and improve its photoelectrochemical activity. In this study, the effect of layer ordering on the charge transfer properties of rGO-hybridised ZnO sandwich thin films for the photo-catalysed electrochemical reduction of water was investigated. rGO-hybridised ZnO sandwich thin films were prepared via a facile electrode position technique using a layer-by-layer approach. The thin films were analysed using FESEM, XRD, Raman, PL, UV–vis, EIS and CV techniques to investigate its morphological, optical and electrochemical properties. The FESEM images show the formation of distinct layers of rGO and ZnO nanorods/flakes via the layer-by-layer method. XRD confirmed the wurtzite structure of ZnO. PL spectroscopy revealed a reduction of photoemission intensity in the visible region（580 nm） when rGO was incorporated into the ZnO thin film. Among the six thin films prepared, ZnO/rGO showed superior performance compared to the other thin films（0.964 m A/cm） due to the presence of graphene edges which participate as heterogenous electrocatalysts in the photocatalysed electrolysis of water. rGO also acts as electron acceptor, forming an n-p heterojunction which improves the activity of ZnO to oxidise water molecules to O2. EIS revealed that the application of rGO as back contact（rGO/ZnO, rGO/ZnO/rGO） reduces the charge transfer resistance of a semiconductor thin film. Alternatively, rGO as front contact（ZnO/rGO, rGO/ZnO/rGO） improves the photo-catalysed electrolysis of water through the participation of the rGO edges in the chemical activation of water. The findings from this study indicate that the layer ordering significantly affects the thin film＇s electrostatic properties and this understanding can be further advantageous for tunable applications.

采用柠檬酸合成高分散铜催化剂用于选择氢解反应(英文)

A highly dispersed Cu catalyst supported on silica was prepared by an incipient wetness impregnation method with citric acid.The synthesis was studied by nitrogen physisorption,X-ray diffraction,and temperature-programmed reduction by comparing with a reference prepared without citric acid.The catalyst precursor obtained after impregnation was X-ray amorphous.The precursor was readily transformed to crystalline CuO upon calcination.The CuO particles were of uniform size in a highly dispersed state and can be reduced to Cu at a lower temperature.The activity of the Cu catalyst obtained was an order of magnitude higher than that of the reference for the hydrogenolysis of methyl laurate to dodecanol.

On Chiral Space Groups and Chiral Molecules

This note explains the relationship (as well as the absence of a relationship) between chiral space groups and chiral molecules (which have absolute configurations). For a chiral molecule, which must crystallize in a chiral space group, the outcome of the absolute configuration determination must be linked to some other properties of the chiral crystal such as its optical activity for the observation to the relevant.

Towards a natural classification of Botryosphaeriales

The type specimens of Auerswaldia,Auerswaldiella,Barriopsis,Botryosphaeria,Leptoguignardia,Melanops,Neodeightonia,Phaeobotryon,Phaeobotryosphaeria,Phyllachorella,Pyrenostigme,Saccharata,Sivanesania,Spencermartinsia and Vestergrenia were examined and fresh specimens of Botryosphaeriales were collected from Thailand.This material is used to provide a systematic treatment of Botryosphaeriales based on morphology and phylogeny.Two new genera,Botryobambusa and Cophinforma are introduced and comparedwith existing genera.Four species newto science,Auerswaldia dothiorella,A.lignicola,Botryosphaeria fusispora and Phaeobotryosphaeria eucalypti,are also described and justified.We accept 29 genera in Botryosphaeriales,with Macrovalsaria being newly placed.In the phylogenetic tree,the 114 strains of Botyrosphaeriales included in the analysis cluster into two major clades with 80%,96%and 1.00(MP,ML and BY)support,with Clade A containing the family type of Botryosphaeriaceae,and Clade B containing Phyllosticta,Saccharata and Melanops species.This group may represent Phyllostictaceae.In Clade A the taxa analyzed cluster in eight sub-clades(Clades A1-8).Clade A1 comprises three distinct subclusters corresponding to the genera Diplodia(Diplodia Clade),Neodeightonia(Neodeightonia Clade)and Lasiodiplodia(Lasiodiplodia Clade).Clade A2 clusters into three groups representing Phaeobotryosphaeria(100%),Phaeobotryon(100%)and Barriopsis(94%).Clade A3 incorporates 17 strains that cluster into three well-supported genera(Dothiorella(86%),Spencermartinsia(100%)and Auerswaldia(63%);the position of Macrophomina is not stable.Clade A4 is a single lineage(100%)representing the new genus Botryobambusa.Clade A5 is a wellsupported subclade incorporating Neofussicoccum.Clade A6 represents the type species of Botryosphaeria,three other Botryosphaeria species and two other genera,Neoscytalidium and Cophinforma gen.nov.Clade A7 comprises two Pseudofusicoccum species and Clade A8 has two Aplosporella species.These sub-clades may eventually require separate families but this requires analysis of a much larger dataset.Our data advances the understanding of Botryosphaeriales,there is,however,still much research to be carried out with resolution of families and genera,linkage of sexual and asexual morphs and differentiation of cryptic species.

Trichomeriaceae, a new sooty mould family of Chaetothyriales

Trichomerium is a genus of foliar epiphytes with the appearance of sooty moulds,mostly occurring on the surface of living leaves and apparently gaining their nutrients from insect exudates.Species have ascostromata with setae and develop on a loosely interwoven mycelial mass of dark brown hyphae,while asci have a bitunicate appearance with hyaline ascospores.In this study,we made 16 collections of Trichomerium from Thailand.All were isolated,and the LSU and ITS rDNA gene regions sequenced.Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the Trichomerium species form a monophyletic clade within Chaetothyriales and warrant the introduction of a new family Trichomeriaceae.Bootstrap support for the Chaetothyriales is 100%and clearly separates Trichomeriaceae from Capnodiales which are morphologically very similar.A detailed account of Trichomerium is provided and we describe and illustrate three new species based on morphological and molecular data.We propose that T.foliicola is adopted as the generic type of Trichomerium because it has been impossible to obtain the holotype specimen of T.coffeicola and also no molecular data exists in worldwide databases for this species or genus.

Sonication and grinding pre-treatments on Gelidium amansii seaweed for the extraction and characterization of Agarose

Various prctreatments methods including sonication and grinding were perfonned on red seaweed Gelidium amansii for the subsequent extraction ofagarose. The agarose products are usually extracted from agar powder products from seaweeds. In this study, the agarose was extracted using a direct polyethylene glycol （PEG） method without the need to first process the agar from seaweed. The agar extract was frozen then thawed and mixed directly with PEG solution to precipitate the agarose. The quality of agarose obtained was evaluated through physico-chemical properties analysis which includes spectral technique （FTIR）, melting and boiling point, gel strength and sulfate content. These properties were compared with a non-pretreated sample and it was found that the addition of pretreatment steps improved the quality of agarosc but gave a slightly lower yield. The gel strength of pretreated samples was much higher and the sulfate content was lower compared to non-pretreated samples. The best pretreatment method was sonication which gave gel strength of 742 gcm - and sulfate content of 0.63%. The extraction of agarose can be further improved with the use of different neutralizing agents. Pretreating the seaweed shows potential in improving the quality of agarosc from seaweed and can be applied for thture extraction of the agarose.

Review of global neurosurgery education: Horizon of Neurosurgery in the Developing Countries

Globally,the discipline of neurosurgery has evolved remarkably fast.Despite being one of the latest medical specialties,which appeared only around hundred years ago,it has witnessed innovations in the aspects of diagnostics methods,macro and micro surgical techniques,and treatment modalities.Unfortunately,this development is not evenly distributed between developed and developing countries.The same is the case with neurosurgical education and training,which developed from only traditional apprentice programs in the past to more structured,competencebased programs with various teaching methods being utilized,in recent times.A similar gap can be observed between developed and developing counties when it comes to neurosurgical education.Fortunately,most of the scholars working in this field do understand the coherent relationship between neurosurgical education and neurosurgical practice.In context to this understanding,a symposium was organized during the World Federation of Neurological Surgeons(WFNS)Special World Congress Beijing 2019.This symposium was the brain child of Prof.Yoko Kato-one of the eminent leaders in neurosurgery and an inspiration for female neurosurgeons.Invited speakers from different continents presented the stages of development of neurosurgical education in their respective countries.This paper summarizes the outcome of these presentations,with particular emphasis on and the challenges faced by developing countries in terms of neurosurgical education and strategies to cope with these challenges.

The sooty moulds

Sooty moulds are a remarkable,but poorly understood group of fungi.They coat fruits and leaves superficially with black mycelia,which reduces photosynthesis rates of host plants.Few researchers have,however,tried to quantify their economic importance.Sooty moulds have been well-studied at the morphological level,but they are poorly represented in a natural classification based on phylogeny.Representatives are presently known in Antennulariellaceae,Capnodiaceae,Chaetothyriaceae,Coccodiniaceae,Euantennariaceae,Metacapnodiaceae and Trichomeriaceae and several miscellaneous genera.However,molecular data is available for only five families.Most sooty mould colonies comprise numerous species and thus it is hard to confirm relationships between genera or sexual and asexual states.Future studies need to obtain single spore isolates of species to test their phylogenetic affinities and linkages between morphs.Next generation sequencing has shown sooty mould colonies to contain many more fungal species than expected,but it is not clear which species are dominant or active in the communities.They are more common in tropical,subtropical and warm temperate regions and thus their prevalence in temperate regions is likely to increase with global warming.Sooty moulds are rarely parasitized by fungicolous taxa and these may have biocontrol potential.They apparently grow in extreme environments and may be xerophilic.This needs testing as xerophilic taxa may be of interest for industrial applications.Sooty moulds grow on sugars and appear to out-compete typical“weed”fungi and bacteria.They may produce antibiotics for this purpose and their biochemical potential for obtaining novel bioactive compounds for medical application is underexplored.

One stop shop:backbones trees for important phytopathogenic genera:Ⅰ(2014)

Many fungi are pathogenic on plants and cause significant damage in agriculture and forestry.They are also part of the natural ecosystem and may play a role in regulating plant numbers/density.Morphological identification and analysis of plant pathogenic fungi,while important,is often hampered by the scarcity of discriminatory taxonomic characters and the endophytic or inconspicuous nature of these fungi.Molecular(DNA sequence)data for plant pathogenic fungi have emerged as key information for diagnostic and classification studies,although hampered in part by non-standard laboratory practices and analytical methods.To facilitate current and future research,this study provides phylogenetic synopses for 25 groups of plant pathogenic fungi in the Ascomycota,Basidiomycota,Mucormycotina(Fungi),and Oomycota,using recent molecular data,up-to-date names,and the latest taxonomic insights.Lineagespecific laboratory protocols together with advice on their application,as well as general observations,are also provided.We hope to maintain updated backbone trees of these fungal lineages over time and to publish them jointly as new data emerge.Researchers of plant pathogenic fungi not covered by the present study are invited to join this future effort.Bipolaris,Botryosphaeriaceae,Botryosphaeria,Botrytis,Choanephora,Colletotrichum,Curvularia,Diaporthe,Diplodia,Dothiorella,Fusarium,Gilbertella,Lasiodiplodia,Mucor,Neofusicoccum,Pestalotiopsis,Phyllosticta,Phytophthora,Puccinia,Pyrenophora,Pythium,Rhizopus,Stagonosporopsis,Ustilago and Verticillium are dealt with in this paper.