Free Boundary Minimal Surfaces in the Unit Three-Ball via Desingularization of the Critical Catenoid and the Equatorial Disk

We construct a new family of high genus examples of free boundary minimal surfaces in the Euclidean unit 3-ball by desingularizing the intersection of a coaxial pair of a critical catenoid and an equatorial disk. The surfaces are constructed by singular perturbation methods and have three boundary components. They are the free boundary analogue of the Costa-Hoffman-Meeks surfaces and the surfaces constructed by Kapouleas by desingularizing coaxial catenoids and planes. It is plausible that the minimal surfaces we constructed here are the same as the ones obtained recently by Ketover using the min-max method.Comment: 45 pages, 10 figure

Sulfuric Acid Modified Bentonite as the Support of Tetraethylene­pentamine for CO₂ Capture

In this work, an inexpensive and commercially available bentonite was modified by sulfuric acid and explored as the new type of support to immobilize tetraethylene­pentamine (TEPA) for CO₂ capture from flue gas. By applying sulfuric acid treatment, the textural properties, in particular, pore volume and surface area of bentonite, were significantly improved. Bentonite treated with 6 M sulfuric acid (Ben_H₂SO₄_6M) can reach a pore volume of 0.77 cc/g from that of the parent bentonite of 0.15 cc/g. With the maximum TEPA loading of 50 wt % onto the Ben_H₂SO₄_6M sorbent, the maximum CO₂ breakthrough sorption capacity reached 130 mg of CO₂/g of sorbent at 75 °C under a dry condition. With an addition of moisture to the simulated flue gas, the CO₂ sorption capacity can be further improved to 190 mg of CO₂ at 18 vol% of moisture addition sorbent due to the bicarbonate formation under a wet condition. The TEPA/Ben_H₂SO₄_6M sorbents show a good regenerability and thermal stability below 130 °C. The high CO₂ sorption capacity, positive effect of moisture addition, and low capital cost of the raw bentonite materials imply that TEPA/Ben_H₂SO₄_6M could be a promising sorbent for cost-efficient CO₂ capture from flue gas. The sulfuric acid treatment was demonstrated as an effective method for bentonite modification to immobilize TEPA for CO₂ capture

Synthesis of ZnO–Ag Hybrids and Their Gas-Sensing Performance toward Ethanol

Herein, we describe a facile surfactant-free method to prepare the ZnO–Ag hybrids at room temperature for improving gas-sensing performance toward ethanol. Characterizations indicate that Ag nanoparticles are well deposited on the surface of ZnO nanorods. It is interesting to note that the introduction of only 1 wt % Ag in ZnO–Ag hybrids leads to the impressive enhancement in gas-sensing properties of ZnO. Notably, the ZnO–Ag hybrids can offer a gas response value of 884.7 toward 1000 ppm of ethanol (approximately 12.6 times higher than pure ZnO nanorods). Meanwhile, the hybrids exhibit excellent stability with only ±5% fluctuation of the gas response value over a period of 480 cycles. Moreover, the above-mentioned hybrids also exhibit good selectivity (about 4.7–52.9 times greater than that of other tested vapors). The high sensitivity, good selectivity and excellent stability presented by ZnO–Ag hybrids make it a potential material for developing an excellent gas-sensing sensor toward ethanol

Selective Deposition of Silver Nanoparticles onto WO₃ Nanorods with Different Facets: The Correlation of Facet-Induced Electron Transport Preference and Photocatalytic Activity

WO₃ nanorods with a regular hexagonal morphology and different exposed facets were fabricated by hydrothermal treatment, and then Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs) selectively deposited onto hexagonal WO₃ nanorods with different facets were also successfully synthesized through an in situ photoreduction method. The prepared samples were characterized by various analytical techniques, such as X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectra, and so on. The results illustrated that the intrinsic nature of charge separation on the {001} facets of WO₃-110 nanorods and the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect both contribute to the enhancement of visible-light absorption and the decrease of the recombination of the photogenerated electron–hole pairs. For comparison, Ag/WO₃-110 catalysts with dominant exposed {001} facets exhibited much better photocatalytic activity than that of Ag/WO₃-001 with a high percentage of exposed {100} and {010} facets for the degradation of organic pollutants (including rhodamine B, methyl orange, and so on) under the visible-light irradiation. In addition, the underlying photocatalytic reaction mechanism was further investigated by the controlled experiments using radical scavengers

Isolating the Spectral Signatures of Individual Sites in Water Networks Using Vibrational Double-Resonance Spectroscopy of Cluster Isotopomers

We report the spectral signatures of water molecules occupying individual sites in an extended H-bonding network using mass-selective, double-resonance vibrational spectroscopy of isotopomers. The scheme is demonstrated on the water heptamer anion, (H₂O)₇¯, where we first randomly incorporate a single, intact D₂O molecule to create an ensemble of isotopomers. The correlation between the two OD stretching frequencies and that of the intramolecular DOD bending transition is then revealed by photochemical modulation of the isotopomer population responsible for particular features in the vibrational spectrum. The observed patterns confirm the assignment of the dominant doublet, appearing most red-shifted from the free OD stretch, to a single water molecule attached to the network in a double H-bond acceptor (AA) arrangement. The data also reveal the unanticipated role of accidentally overlapping transitions, where the highest-energy OD stretch, for example, occurs with its companion OD stretch obscured by the much stronger AA feature

Zircon ages and Hf isotopic compositions of Permian and Triassic A-type granites from central Inner Mongolia and their significance for late Palaeozoic and early Mesozoic evolution of the Central Asian Orogenic Belt

<p>This work presents zircon ages and Hf-in-zircon isotopic data for Permian and Triassic A-type granitoids and reviews the evolution of central Inner Mongolia, China, during the early Permian and Late Triassic. SHRIMP U–Pb dating of zircons of peralkaline granites yielded ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 294 ± 4 Ma and 293 ± 9 Ma that reflect the time of Permian magmatism. Zircon ages were also obtained for Late Triassic granites (226 ± 4 Ma, 224 ± 4 Ma). Our results, in combination with published zircon ages and geochemical data, document distinct magmatic episodes in central Inner Mongolia.</p> <p>The Permian peralkaline granites show typical geochemical features of A-type granites, which also have highly positive zircon <i>ε</i>_Hf(<i>t</i>) values (+4.9 – +17.1), indicating a significant contribution of an isotopically depleted source, likely formed from mantle-derived magmas. Late Triassic A-type granitoids, however, in central Inner Mongolia show large variations and mostly positive in zircon <i>ε</i>_Hf(<i>t</i>) values (−1.3 – +13.5), suggesting derivation from a mixture of crust and mantle or metasomatized lithospheric mantle with crustal contamination. The geochemical characteristics of the Permian peralkaline granites and Late Triassic A-type granitoids are consistent with a post-collisional setting and were likely related to asthenosphere upwelling during the evolution of the Northern Block and Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB).</p

Additional file 1 of Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy for relapsed and refractory thyroid cancer

Additional file 1: Detailed methods and result

Insight of the State for Deliberately Introduced A‑Site Defect in Nanofibrous LaFeO₃ for Boosting Artificial Photosynthesis of CH₃OH

Perovskite-type LaFeO3 is regarded as a potentially efficient visible-light photocatalyst owing to its narrow bandgap energy and unique photovoltaic properties. However, the insufficient active sites and the unsatisfactory utilization of photogenerated carriers severely restrict the realistic application of pure LaFeO3. Herein, we fabricated a series of LaxFeO3−δ nanofibers (x = 1.0, 0.95, 0.9, 0.85, 0.8) with an A-site defect via sol–gel combined with the electrospinning technique. Wherein, the nonstoichiometric La0.9FeO3−δ possessed the highest CH3OH yield of 5.30 μmol·g–1·h–1 with good chemical stability. A series of advanced characterizations were applied to investigate the physicochemical properties and charge-carrier behaviors of the samples. The results illustrated that the one-dimensional (1D) nanostructures combined with the appropriate concentration of vacancy defects on the surface contributed to the radial migration of photogenerated carriers, inhibited the recombination of carriers, and provided more CO2 adsorption-activation sites. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were employed to reveal the influence mechanism of vacancy defects on LaFeO3. This work provides a strategy to enhance the performance of photocatalytic CO2 reduction by modulating the induced oxygen vacancies caused by the A-site defect in perovskite oxides

Occurrence, Distribution, and Trophic Transfer of Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in the Bohai Sea

The ubiquitous presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) in environments has aroused global concerns; however, minimal information is available regarding their multimedia distribution, bioaccumulation, and trophic transfer in marine environments. Herein, we analyzed 77 representative PPCPs in samples of surface and bottom seawater, surface sediments, and benthic biota from the Bohai Sea. PPCPs were pervasively detected in seawater, sediments, and benthic biota, with antioxidants being the most abundant PPCPs. PPCP concentrations positively correlated between the surface and bottom water with a decreasing trend from the coast to the central oceans. Higher PPCP concentrations in sediment were found in the Yellow River estuary, and the variations in the physicochemical properties of PPCPs and sediment produced a different distribution pattern of PPCPs in sediment from seawater. The log Dow, but not log Kow, showed a linear and positive relationship with bioaccumulation and trophic magnification factors and a parabolic relationship with biota-sediment accumulation factors. The trophodynamics of miconazole and acetophenone are reported for the first time. This study provides novel insights into the multimedia distribution and biomagnification potential of PPCPs and suggests that log Dow is a better indicator of their bioaccumulation and trophic magnification

Synthesis of Hierarchically Structured Hybrid Materials by Controlled Self-Assembly of Metal–Organic Framework with Mesoporous Silica for CO₂ Adsorption

The HKUST-1@SBA-15 composites with hierarchical pore structure were constructed by in situ self-assembly of metal–organic framework (MOF) with mesoporous silica. The structure directing role of SBA-15 had an obvious impact on the growth of MOF crystals, which in turn affected the morphologies and structural properties of the composites. The pristine HKUST-1 and the composites with different content of SBA-15 were characterized by XRD, N₂ adsorption–desorption, SEM, TEM, FT-IR, TG, XPS, and CO₂-TPD techniques. It was found that the composites were assembled by oriented growth of MOF nanocrystals on the surfaces of SBA-15 matrix. The interactions between surface silanol groups and metal centers induced structural changes and resulted in the increases in surface areas as well as micropore volumes of hybrid materials. Besides, the additional constraints from SBA-15 also restrained the expansion of HKUST-1, contributing to their smaller crystal sizes in the composites. The adsorption isotherms of CO₂ on the materials were measured and applied to calculate the isosteric heats of adsorption. The HS-1 composite exhibited an increase of 15.9% in CO₂ uptake capacity compared with that of HKUST-1. Moreover, its higher isosteric heats of CO₂ adsorption indicated the stronger interactions between the surfaces and CO₂ molecules. The adsorption rate of the composite was also improved due to the introduction of mesopores. Ten cycles of CO₂ adsorption–desorption experiments implied that the HS-1 had excellent reversibility of CO₂ adsorption. This study was intended to provide the possibility of assembling new composites with tailored properties based on MOF and mesoporous silica to satisfy the requirements of various applications