Guizhou University

Colorimetric methods have the benefits of rapid detection and easy operation in dimethoate (DMT) analysis. However, the existing colorimetric sensor for DMT detection still face challenges in terms of performance stability and result reliability of sensing materials. Bimetallic Ag2CrO4 nanoparticles (NPs) have been found to have both oxidase-mimic and laccase-mimic catalytic activities. DMT has opposite effect on the above dual-enzyme-mimic activities, which can enhance oxidase-mimic activity while inhibiting laccase-mimic activity of Ag2CrO4 NPs. Therefore, a novel colorimetric sensor was constructed using the dual-enzyme-mimic activities as a sensing signal for rapidly detecting DMT in vegetables. The concentration of DMT is directly correlated with the absorbance change of the sensing solution, and the color change is further integrated with the smartphone to enable quantitative measurement of DMT. The limits of detection were as low as 8.7 μg L−1 in the oxidase-mimic channel and 10.9 μg L−1 in laccase-mimic channels. Besides, the colorimetric sensor has shown marked preference in selectivity over other competing pesticides, and obtained relatively preferable recovery rates in some vegetables, indicating that the established sensor has a wide range of potential applications in the area of vegetable pesticide detection.

Nanozyme-based sensors for detecting ascorbic acid (AA) generally depend on the reducibility of the analyte. However, these sensors are susceptible to interference from reducing substances in food. Herein, a novel fluorescent sensor for AA detection was developed based on inhibiting the phosphatase-like activity of a Zr-based metal-organic framework (Zr-CAU-28). Hydroxyl-rich AA molecules adsorb on the surface of Zr-CAU-28 through hydrogen bonding with [Zr6O4(OH)4] cluster, leading to a decrease in the relative content of terminal hydroxyl groups within the catalytic sites. The constructed sensor exhibits a wide detection range (0.08–11 μg·mL−1) and low detection limit of 0.025 μg·mL−1. Potential interfering studies demonstrated the good selectivity of the sensor. Moreover, the fluorescent sensor can effectively detect AA in juices and vitamin C tablets, with the recovery rate ranging from 96.25 % to 108.50 %. This work represents the first application of phosphatase mimics for AA detection, offering a new strategy for food analysis.

Monitoring the quantity and quality of karst springs is essential for groundwater resource management. However, it is challenging to robustly forecast the karst spring discharge and pollutant concentration due to the high complexity and heterogeneity of karst aquifers. Few researchers have addressed the long-term prediction of hourly spring quantity and quality, which is crucial for emergency management. Here, we develop an ensemble model based on the long short-term memory (LSTM) and iTransformer models, with a random forest model as a meta-model to combine the base models. Experiments were conducted on hourly spring discharge and pollutant concentration predictions at the Xianrendong Spring, Guizhou, China, using a dataset comprising 2106 h of precipitation from four stations, spring discharge, and petroleum substances concentrations. The results indicate that the LSTM model can capture short-term dependencies but struggles with long-term variations, while the iTransformer can quickly apprehend complex patterns but tends to result in overfitting. By combining the strengths of LSTM and iTransformer, the ensemble model balances stability and sensitivity, reducing the bias and variance of individual models, and enhancing overall prediction accuracy. The ensemble model consistently outperforms both LSTM and iTransformer across all time steps (24, 36, 48, and 60 h) and longerlead times (6–10 h). The robust prediction with long lead times enables the ensemble model to effectively mitigate the hazard caused by petroleum substances leakage.

Temozolomide, a widely used alkylating agent for glioblastoma treatment, faces significant challenges due to the development of resistance, which severely impacts patient survival. This underscores the urgent need for novel strategies to overcome this barrier. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK), an intracellular non-receptor tyrosine kinase, is highly expressed in glioblastoma cells and has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for anti-glioblastoma drug development. In this study, we report design and synthesis of a novel series of diaminopyrimidine-based small molecules that concurrently target both FAK and DNA. Among these compounds, 9f emerged as a potent dual inhibitor, demonstrating exceptional inhibitory activity against FAK (IC50 = 0.815 nM) and DNA, as well as remarkable antiproliferative effects on glioblastoma cell lines U87-MG (IC50 = 15 nM) and U251 (IC50 = 20 nM). Furthermore, compound 9f significantly induced apoptosis in U87-MG cells and caused cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase. Notably, in a U87-MG xenograft model, compound 9f exhibited superior antitumor efficacy. These findings underscore the potential of FAK/DNA inhibitors as a promising approach to overcome resistance.

Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 (LATP) as the solid‐electrolyte has attracted much attention for Li‐ion batteries. However, the unstable LATP/Li interface and the insufficient contact between the anode/cathode and LATP usually lead to the structural collapse of LATP and the large solid–solid interfacial resistance for Li+ transport. Herein, a poly(1,3‐dioxolane) (PDOL) adhesive layer was constructed by a Al(OTf)3‐induced in‐situ solidification process between the interface of LATP and anode/cathode. Such PDOL interfacial adhesive layer alleviates adverse reduction reactions at the LATP/Li interface and provides stable and well‐contacted bilateral electrode interfaces. Benefitting from the PDOL interfacial adhesive, the Li|adhesive‐LATP|Li symmetric cells achieve a current density up to 0.7 mA cm⁻² and exhibit a good cycling stability for more than 2750 h at 0.1 mA cm⁻², and the Li|adhesive‐LATP|LiFePO4 solid‐state batteries with interface modification exhibit a capacity of 158 mAh g⁻¹ at 0.2 C with a retention of 94 % after 100 cycles.

The raw material for smelting brown corundum is high-quality bauxite. As the quality of bauxite decreases, the main impurity, silicon content, increases, which affects the product quality and smelting energy consumption. Additionally, the smelting process produces a significant amount of brown corundum fly dust (BCFD) with a low utilization rate, resulting in resource wastage. In order to utilize low-quality bauxite and BCFD, this article proposes the method of “roasting-alkali leaching.” Through mixed desilication, the impact of alkali leaching factors on desilication is investigated, analyzed the desiliconization mechanism of BCFD, and established the kinetics of the desilication reaction. Results indicated that the optimal conditions for mixed desilication are BCFD/bauxite mass ratio of 1:6, desilication temperature of 95°C, desilication time of 30 min, alkali concentration of 110 g/L, and liquid-solid ratio of 10:1, achieving a desilication rate of 60.90%. The Al-Si ratio (A/S) of the concentrate increases from 5.33 to 11.72, meeting the requirements for brown corundum smelting raw materials. The desilication reaction follows a solid shrinkage core model, with a kinetic equation of 1−2/3α−(1−α)2/3 = 15.50exp[−29299/(RT)]·t, and an apparent activation energy of 29.30 kJ/mol. The synergistic mechanism involves fine particles of the BCFD adsorbing on the surface after mixing with the bauxite, increasing the mineral surface area and the activity of silicon, thereby accelerating the reaction rate.

The lipid accumulation associated with diabetes causes continuous liver and kidney damage. Laminaria japonica polysaccharide (fucoidan) has been shown to regulate the disorder in lipid metabolism caused by diabetes. Herein, we established a diabetes mellitus (DM) rat model through a high‐fat and high‐sugar diet combined with streptozotocin. An automatic biochemical analyzer was used to detect serum lipid content, and hematoxylin and eosin, Masson, periodic acid‐silver‐methenamine, and Oil Red O staining were used to observe changes in the structure of the kidney and liver, including fibrosis and lipid accumulation. We confirmed that fucoidan could ameliorate renal injury, lipid metabolism, and oxidative stress in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rat models. Metabolomics analysis demonstrated that amino acid metabolism is an important process. We further demonstrated a novel role of fucoidan in regulating kidney and liver lipid metabolism through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)‐mediated CD36 signaling pathway. Similar results were found in DM rats treated with an AhR inhibitor, as well as in those treated with a combination of both an AhR inhibitor and fucoidan. Importantly, we observed a higher expression of AhR/CD36 in the kidneys and liver of rats with DM, and the level of AhR/CD36 correlated with lipid accumulation and kidney function, suggesting that AhR/CD36 signaling could be a promising therapeutic target for fucoidan in treating lipid metabolism in DM. Practical Application As the main component of Laminaria japonica, fucoidan has excellent antioxidant properties and protective effects against liver and kidney damage in diabetes mellitus. It can play a protective role in the daily diet of diabetic patients. Alternatively, it could be developed as a potential therapeutic drug for the treatment of diabetes.

Conversion of greenhouse gas carbon dioxide to valuable products is important to reach carbon balance and sustainability, of which catalytic cycloaddition of CO2 to cyclic carbonates has attracted much attention. Here, a biomass-derived zwitterionic polymer has been synthesized and characterized. The prepared polymer with porous structure was employed for the catalytic cycloaddition of atmospheric CO2 and epoxides in excellent yields with a broad substrate scope under solvent-, co-catalyst, and metal-free conditions. The synthesized polymer with good thermostability could be readily recovered and recycled four times at least. Moreover, this catalytic system provided satisfactory performance with up to 96% yield of cyclic carbonate even in the gram-level scale-up reaction under the optimal standard conditions. The catalytic mechanism has also been preliminarily discussed.

Cadmium (Cd) contamination poses a serious issue in paddy soils due to its significant health risks through transport in soil-food chains. Although the stabilization of Cd in soils and its reduction in rice plants have been extensively studied, the effects on soil microorganisms, particularly the comparison of microbial species diversity and composition between contaminated and uncontaminated soils after restoration, remain insufficiently explored. This study aims to develop FeMg-LDH/Bentonite mixed with compost as an effective stabilizer to reduce Cd mobility in paddy soils. Characterization results reveal that FeMg-LDH/Bentonite exhibits a three-dimensional layered petal-like structure. The adsorption mechanisms of FeMg-LDH/Bentonite suggest the presence of surface complexation, ion exchange, and chemical precipitation interactions between FeMg-LDH/Bentonite and heavy metals. Using the community Bureau of Reference (BCR) sequential extraction procedure to evaluate remediation efficiency, FeMg-LDH/Bentonite mixed with compost effectively reduces the bioavailable Cd in soil and the Cd concentration in plants. The introduction of this material leads to changes in several factors, including soil pH, water-soluble organic carbon (WSOC), enzyme activity, soil microbial community abundance, and specific microbial community composition, ultimately influencing the solubility and speciation of Cd. The research findings demonstrate that a composite material composed of FeMg-LDH/Bentonite and compost, in specific proportions, effectively reduces the bioavailability of Cd in soil while also alleviating the adverse effects of Cd contamination on soil microbial communities and enzyme activity. This study provides valuable insights into efficient strategies for controlling Cd bioavailability in Cd-contaminated paddy soils.

Key message The AP2/ERF transcription factor CaERF2 in pepper enhanced salt tolerance by scavenging reactive oxygen species. Abstract The effects of salt stress on plant development and progression are substantial. Ethylene response factor transcription factors (TFs) play a crucial role in responses to salt stress. Their functions in the salt response, particularly in pepper, are still mostly unknown. This study revealed the function of CaERF2 in salt tolerance of pepper plants. CaERF2 expression was dramatically increased in pepper plants following salt stress treatment. Under salinity treatment, CaERF2-silenced pepper showed decreased activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD), as well as reduced transcription levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging-related genes, resulting in increased O²⁻ and H2O2 accumulation and enhanced salt sensitivity. In contrast, overexpression of CaERF2 (OE) in Nicotiana benthamiana resulted in improved salt tolerance. Under salt stress, the OE lines outperformed the wild type in terms of seed germination rates, root lengths, the activity of SOD, POD, and CAT, and ROS-scavenging-related gene transcription. This study demonstrates that CaERF2 effectively enhances the salt tolerance in pepper by adjusting ROS homeostasis. This finding offers fresh perspectives on the significance of plant ERF2 and key candidate genes in the molecular breeding of salt-tolerant crops.