: Exploiting the relationship between the stacking modes of molecules and room-temperature phosphorescence (RTP) performance is of great important to design afterglow materials. A series of coordination polymers base on carbazole–isophtalic acid are synthesized. These compounds exhibit stacking-dependent RTP. It reveals that the phosphorescence efficiency is not proportional to the overlap of p–p stacking, the triplet excited states of discrete dimer mode rather than H-aggregation can dominate the generation of room-temperature phosphorescence. Besides, compounds 1 and 2 exhibit obvious time-dependent RTP with the afterglow color from orange to green, and show white-light emission owing to fluorescence and phosphorescence dual emission. These results indicate that coordination induction is an efficient approach to regulate the aggregation of chromophores, further modulate the room-temperature phosphorescence.

The influence of polysialic acid (PSA) and sialic acid (SA) on the gut microbial community composition and metabolites in healthy human was investigated using a bionic gastrointestinal reactor. The results indicated that PSA and SA significantly changed the gut microbiota and metabolites in different degrees. PSA can increase the relative abundances of Faecalibacterium and Allisonella, whereas SA can increase those of Bifidobacterium and Megamonas. Both can significantly increase the content of short-chain fatty acids. The results of metabolome analysis showed that PSA can upregulate ergosterol peroxide and gallic acid and downregulate the harmful metabolite N-acetylputrescine. SA can upregulate 4-pyridoxic acid and lipoic acid. PSA and SA affect gut microbiota and metabolites in different ways and have positive effects on human health. These results will provide reference for the further development of PSA- and SA-related functional foods and health products.

The research aims to resolve water pollution generated by dye wastewater. In this paper, the aminated sodium lignosulfonate (AELS) was prepared through the Mannich reaction, and the synthesis conditions were optimized using orthogonal experiments to determine the best amination conditions. The successful preparation of AELS was demonstrated through the use of FT-IR, XRD, TG, SEM and XPS characterization techniques. Then, the adsorption capacity of Methyl blue (MB) by AELS was compared in a range of different circumstances, like pH, adsorbent dose, initial concentration, time, and temperature. Additionally, the kinetics, isotherms, and thermodynamic properties of the AELS adsorption for MB were studied and discussed. The results indicated that the fitting results were consistent with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm model, in accordance with the mechanism of single-molecular-layer chemisorption. And the adsorption of MB by AELS was a spontaneous and endothermic process. Upon completion of five adsorption experiments, the adsorption capacity of MB by AELS was determined to be 107.95 mg g-1, which was 5.3% lower than the first experiment. This research promotes the effective use of natural resources and allows for the sustainable use of lignin and the advancement of new applications for it.

Cellulose-based carbon (CBC) has been widely concerned with its porous structure, high specific surface area, and is liable to adsorb gas molecules and macromolecular pollutants. However, the application of CBC in gas sensing has been little studied. In this paper, ZnO/CBC heterojunction was formed by means of simple co-precipitation and high temperature carbonization. As a new ammonia sensor, the prepared ZnO/CBC sensor can detect ammonia compared with that of the previous pure ZnO ammonia sensor can not at room temperature. It has great gas sensing response, stability and selectivity to ammonia concentration at 200 ppm. This study provides a new idea for the design and synthesis of biomass carbon-metal oxide composites.

Establishment of diagnostic methods with low detection limits plays a critical role in the maintenance of early diagnosis, prevention of serious neurological complications, and control of the spread of ZIKA. In this study, we established the micro-droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) and real-time fluorescent quantification PCR (qPCR) protocols for the detection of Zika virus based on the NS5 gene. For the Zika standard plasmid, the standard curve of R² was 0.999, and the amplification efficiency was 92.203%, as determined by qPCR. Both ddPCR and qPCR were positive for cell culture of Zika nucleic acid.The minimum detection limit of ddPCR is 1–2 times lower than qPCR. Moreover, all tests of Dengue virus (1–4 serotypes) were negative in cell culture. Overall, these results suggested than ddPCR may have a lower limit of detection than qPCR.

Abstract: Genomic sequencing of Alternaria oxytropis OW 7.8 isolated from Oxytropis glabra was performed, the swnK gene was cloned and knocked out firstly. The colony morphology of ΔswnK-ACP differed from that of A. oxytropis OW 7.8, appearing milky white or pale yellow, with irregular shapes and a slower growth rate. SW was not detected in ΔswnK-ACP, indicating that the swnK gene promotes SW synthesis in A. oxytropis OW 7.8. 8 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and 7 differentially expressed metabolites (DEMs) closely associated with SW biosynthesis were identified in the transcriptome and metabolome analysis of A. oxytropis OW 7.8 and ΔswnK-ACP. The SW biosynthesis pathway in A. oxytropis OW 7.8 was predicted and refined. These results may lay foundation of in-depth analysis of the molecular mechanisms and metabolic pathway of SW synthesis in fungi, and provide reference for future control of SW in locoweed, which would benefit the development of grassland animal husbandry and the sustainable use of grassland ecosystem.

Vaccine antigens must present the correct conformation of viral fusion glycoproteins to elicit effective immune responses. Virus-like particles (VLPs) serve as promising vaccine platforms because they mimic the membrane-embedded conformations of fusion glycoproteins on native viruses. Here, we employed SARS-CoV-2 VLPs (SMEN) presenting ancestral, Beta, or Omicron spikes to identify the variant that elicits potent and cross-protective immune responses in the highly sensitive K18-hACE2 mouse model. A combined intranasal and intramuscular administration regimen of the SMEN vaccine generated effective immune responses and was predominantly mediated by antibodies with minor contributions from T cells. Immunization with SMEN presenting an ancestral spike resulted in 100, 75, or 0% protection against ancestral, Delta or Beta VOC-induced mortality, respectively, whereas SMEN presenting the most divergent Omicron spike provided only limited protection (50%, 0%, and 25%) against ancestral, Delta, and Beta variants, respectively. By contrast, SMEN with a Beta spike offered 100% protection against the variants used in this study. Thus, the Beta variant not only overcame the immunity produced by other variants, but also elicited diverse and effective immune response. Our findings suggest that leveraging the Beta variant spike protein can enhance SARS-CoV-2 immunity, potentially leading to a more comprehensive vaccine against emerging variants.

Background and Objectives: Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) is a clinical condition with high mortality rates, particularly in patients over 65. Current guidelines recommend assessing the Probability of Pulmonary Hypertension (PHP) using advanced echocardiography, before pro-ceeding to right heart catheterization. This study proposes using the common femoral vein (CFV), an accessible vein that reflects right atrial pressure, as an alternative method to assess the like-lihood of severe PHP. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study included 175 emergency patients from three hospitals. Ultrasound assessed the Pulsed Wave Doppler (PW-Doppler) morphology of the CFV. This diagnostic yield for high PHP was evaluated along-side traditional ultrasound parameters (right-to-left ventricular basal diameter ratio greater than 1 (RV>LV), septal flattening, right ventricular outflow acceleration time of less than 105 ms and/or mesosystolic notching, pulmonary artery diameter greater than the aortic root diameter or over 25 mm, early pulmonary regurgitation maximum velocity >2.2 m/s, TAPSE/PASP less than 0.55, in-ferior vena cava (IVC) diameter over 21 mm with decreased inspiratory collapse, and right atrial (RA) area over 18 cm²). Results: The CFV's PW-Doppler cardiac pattern correlated strongly with high PHP, showing a sensitivity (Sn) of 72% and a specificity (Sp) of 96%. RA dilation and TAPSE/PASP < 0.55 also played significant diagnostic roles. Conclusions: The CFV's PW-Doppler cardiac pattern is an effective indicator of high PHP, allowing reliable exclusion of this condition when absent. This approach could simplify initial PHP evaluation in emergency settings or where echocardiographic resources are limited.