Highly stable double crosslinked membrane based on poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) for anion exchange membrane fuel cell

Anion exchange membranes (AEMs) with high ionic conductivity and excellent stability are critical for long-life AEM fuel cells. In this paper, a novel double crosslinked AEM was prepared successfully based on polybenzimidazole (PBI) and poly(vinylbenzyl chloride) (PVBC) with N,N,N,N-tetramethyl-1,6-hexanediamine as a homogeneous quaternization reagent. As the mass ratios of PBI and PVBC increased from 1:1 to 3:1, the water uptake and swelling ratio of AEM decreased by half, while the ionic exchange capacity had a small reduction. Moreover, little change occurred in water uptake and swelling ratio under elevated temperature, as well as the ionic exchange capacity after soaking in KOH for 500h. When the mass ratios of PBI and PVBC was 1:1, the AEM showed the minimum tensile strength of 45.8MPa and highest conductivity of 31.5mScm(-1) at 20 degrees C and 68.8mScm(-1) at 80 degrees C. In addition, excellent alkali resistance and oxidative stability were reflected in durability studies and the maximum power density of an H-2/O-2 single fuel cell using the AEM reached 244.93mWcm(-2) at 0.54V

Photophysical, electrochemical, self-assembly and molecular packing properties of a sulfur-decorated perylene derivative

A sulfur-decorated perylene derivative, 1-propanethiol-N, N’-dicyclohexyl perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylic diimide (PTPDI), was facilely synthesized, and was fully characterized by 1H-NMR, 13C NMR, FT-IR, HRMS, UV-Vis absorption, fluorescence, fluorescence lifetime, fluorescence quantum yield, cyclic votammetry, and thermogravimetric techniques. The optical, fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopies were employed to study its self-assembly process. The photophysical properties were affected strongly by modifying the propanethiol unit linking to the perylene core. Furthermore, the chromophore showed two irreversible oxidation and two quasi-reversible reductions in dichloromethane at modest potential. The optical properties of PTPDI in various conditions and complementary density functional theory (DFT) calculations were reported. Due to steric hindrance of bulky n-propyl mercaptan substituent, PTPDI molecules are arranged in slipped face-to-face fashion to form J-aggregates. Thus, the intermolecular π-π actions of the molecular are weak and causing its high luminescence efficiency. In the mean time, the space between perylene cores is very short (3.45 Å), which is favorable for the hopping transportation of charge carrier from one molecule to an adjacent one. PTPDI could be a candidate material for acquiring well defined organic nanostructure with excellent charge-transporting and light-emitting capabilities.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Seven New Lobane Diterpenoids from the Soft Coral <i>Lobophytum catalai</i>

Seven new lobane diterpenoids, namely, lobocatalens A–G (1–7), were isolated from the Xisha soft coral Lobophytum catalai. Their structures, including their absolute configurations, were elucidated via spectroscopic analysis, comparison with the literature data, QM-MNR, and TDDFT-ECD calculations. Among them, lobocatalen A (1) is a new lobane diterpenoid with an unusual ether linkage between C-14 and C-18. In addition, compound 7 showed moderate anti-inflammatory activity in the zebrafish models and cytotoxic activity against the K562 human cancer cell line

The prevalence and clinical correlates of anxiety in Chinese patients with first-episode and drug-naive major depressive disorder at different ages of onset

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) with comorbid anxiety is very common and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. MDD patients at different ages of onset may have different clinical features and asso-ciated factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and related factors in MDD patients at different ages of onset.Methods: A total of 1718 first-episode and drug-naive (FEDN) MDD patients were recruited. The cutoff point for early-adulthood onset (EAO) and mid-adulthood onset (MAO) was the first depressive episode before or after age 45 years. Clinical features (depressive, anxiety and psychiatric symptoms) and some metabolic parameters were collected.Results: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of anxiety between EAO patients (50.7 %) and MAO patients (55.7 %). For EAO patients, regression analysis showed that TSH levels, TgAb levels, and TC levels were significantly associated with anxiety. For MAO patients, regression analysis showed that anxiety was associated with HDL-c levels and impaired glucose metabolism. Furthermore, suicide attempts, psychotic symptoms, and depression severity were correlated with anxiety in both groups. Limitations: Our cross-sectional study cannot explain the causal relationship between anxiety and related factors in MDD patients at different ages of onset. Conclusions: This study revealed that the clinical characteristics and factors associated with anxiety in MDD patients differed according to age of onset, and therefore age of onset needs to be considered while treating anxiety.</p

The prevalence and clinical correlates of anxiety in Chinese patients with first-episode and drug-naive major depressive disorder at different ages of onset

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) with comorbid anxiety is very common and is associated with worse clinical outcomes. MDD patients at different ages of onset may have different clinical features and asso-ciated factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and related factors in MDD patients at different ages of onset.Methods: A total of 1718 first-episode and drug-naive (FEDN) MDD patients were recruited. The cutoff point for early-adulthood onset (EAO) and mid-adulthood onset (MAO) was the first depressive episode before or after age 45 years. Clinical features (depressive, anxiety and psychiatric symptoms) and some metabolic parameters were collected.Results: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of anxiety between EAO patients (50.7 %) and MAO patients (55.7 %). For EAO patients, regression analysis showed that TSH levels, TgAb levels, and TC levels were significantly associated with anxiety. For MAO patients, regression analysis showed that anxiety was associated with HDL-c levels and impaired glucose metabolism. Furthermore, suicide attempts, psychotic symptoms, and depression severity were correlated with anxiety in both groups. Limitations: Our cross-sectional study cannot explain the causal relationship between anxiety and related factors in MDD patients at different ages of onset. Conclusions: This study revealed that the clinical characteristics and factors associated with anxiety in MDD patients differed according to age of onset, and therefore age of onset needs to be considered while treating anxiety

The PGS1 basic helix-loop-helix protein regulates Fl3 to impact seed growth and grain yield in cereals.

Plant transcription factors (TFs), such as basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) and AT-rich zinc-binding proteins (PLATZ), play critical roles in regulating the expression of developmental genes in cereals. We identified the bHLH protein TaPGS1 (T. aestivum Positive Regulator of Grain Size 1) specifically expressed in the seeds at 5-20 days post-anthesis in wheat. TaPGS1 was ectopically overexpressed (OE) in wheat and rice, leading to increased grain weight (up to 13.81% in wheat and 18.55% in rice lines) and grain size. Carbohydrate and total protein levels also increased. Scanning electron microscopy results indicated that the starch granules in the endosperm of TaPGS1 OE wheat and rice lines were smaller and tightly embedded in a proteinaceous matrix. Furthermore, TaPGS1 was bound directly to the E-box motif at the promoter of the PLATZ TF genes TaFl3 and OsFl3 and positively regulated their expression in wheat and rice. In rice, the OsFl3 CRISPR/Cas9 knockout lines showed reduced average thousand-grain weight, grain width, and grain length in rice. Our results reveal that TaPGS1 functions as a valuable trait-associated gene for improving cereal grain yield