Photoelectrocatalytic Degradation of Humic Acids Using Codoped TiO 2

Cu/N codoped TiO2 films on Ti substrates were successfully prepared by electrochemical method with the goal of enhancing the photoelectrocatalytic activity under visible light. The morphology and composition of the Cu/N codoped films were characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), and UV-Vis diffusion reflection spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS). The photocatalytic activities of the Cu/N codoped TiO2 films were evaluated by the degradation of humic acid. The visible light photocatalytic degradation of humic acid (HA) was tested and Cu/N codoped TiO2 films showed the highest degradation efficiency up to 41.5% after 210 minutes of treatment. It showed that Cu2+ and NH4+ codoped TiO2 film significantly improved the photocatalytic efficiency under the visible light. When +5.0 V anodic bias potential and visible light were simultaneously applied, the degradation efficiency of HA over the Cu/N codoped TiO2 films significantly improved to 93.5% after 210 minutes of treatment

FinGPT: Open-Source Financial Large Language Models

Large language models (LLMs) have shown the potential of revolutionizing natural language processing tasks in diverse domains, sparking great interest in finance. Accessing high-quality financial data is the first challenge for financial LLMs (FinLLMs). While proprietary models like BloombergGPT have taken advantage of their unique data accumulation, such privileged access calls for an open-source alternative to democratize Internet-scale financial data. In this paper, we present an open-source large language model, FinGPT, for the finance sector. Unlike proprietary models, FinGPT takes a data-centric approach, providing researchers and practitioners with accessible and transparent resources to develop their FinLLMs. We highlight the importance of an automatic data curation pipeline and the lightweight low-rank adaptation technique in building FinGPT. Furthermore, we showcase several potential applications as stepping stones for users, such as robo-advising, algorithmic trading, and low-code development. Through collaborative efforts within the open-source AI4Finance community, FinGPT aims to stimulate innovation, democratize FinLLMs, and unlock new opportunities in open finance. Two associated code repos are \url{https://github.com/AI4Finance-Foundation/FinGPT} and \url{https://github.com/AI4Finance-Foundation/FinNLP

Inhibitory effects of anticancer peptide from Mercenaria on the BGC-823 cells and several enzymes

AbstractAn anti-cancer peptide was purified from the Mercenaria (Meretrix meretrix Linnaeus) by the method of chromatography on Sephadex G-25 and FPLC, and its molecular weight was determined to be 3147Da by the way of MALDI-TOF mass spectrum. The effects of this peptide on human gastric gland carcinoma cells (BGC-823) and their cytoskeletal morphology were investigated. The results showed that the peptide could inhibit the proliferation of BGC-823 cells and obviously destroy the skeletal structures of the cells. When the concentration of the peptide reached 4.0μg/ml, the inhibition percentage of the cell growth was about 60%. The effects of this anticancer peptide on the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and tyrosinase were studied. The results showed that the peptide activated ALP and SOD, but inhibit the tyrosinase activity. When the concentration of the peptide reached to 0.5μg/ml, the relative activities of SOD, ALP and tyrosinase were determined to be 188.5%, 122.0% and 27.5%, respectively

Characterization of a new feather-degrading bacterium from Calotes versicolor feces

A total of 842 spore-forming strains were isolated from 221 animal feces samples, in which a new feather-degrading bacterium identified as Bacillus sp. 50-3 based on morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA tests was isolated from Calotes versicolor (an agamid lizard) feces. The bacterium can degrade native feather completely at mild conditions and in much shorter time (36 h) when using chicken feather as the sole carbon and nitrogen source. It presented optimum growth and maximum keratinase activity (680±25 U/ml, 36 h) at 37°C and pH 7.0 in feather meal medium. The keratinase of Bacillus sp. 50-3 was active on feather keratin as substrate and presented optimum additive quantity of 1.0% (w/v). So the high efficiency of Bacillus sp. 50-3 on feather-degradation suggested its potential use in biotechnological processes, especially in decreasing the environment pollution.Keywords: Animal feces, Bacillus, chicken feathers, keratinase, optimum conditions

2-(4-Isopropyl-4-methyl-5-oxo-4,5-dihydro-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-5-methyl­nicotinic acid

In the title herbicideh/phytocide, known as imaza­pic, C14H17N3O3, the pyridine and imidazole rings are almost coplanar [dihedral angle = 3.08 (5)°]. An intra­molecular O—H⋯N hydrogen bond occurs. In the crystal, an N—H⋯O hydrogen bond links mol­ecules into a chain parallel to [010]

Comparison of the therapeutic effects of continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion with systemic intravenous chemotherapy

Purpose: To compare the effectiveness and safety of intravenous cisplatin (DDP) and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) alone or in combination with continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion (CHPP) for the treatment of malignant ascites.Methods: In the study, 124 patients with tumour-induced malignant ascites were assign to test and control groups according to the sequence of their hospital visits. Patients in the test group were treated with intravenous DDP and 5-FU combined with CHPP, whereas patients in the control group were only treated with DDP and 5-FU. The treatments in both groups lasted for 4 weeks. Thereafter, treatment efficacy, remission of abdominal distension, ascites, Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS) score, and incidence of adverse reactions were compared between the two groups.Results: The overall response rates of the test and control groups were 85.50 (53/62) and 35.50 % (22/62), respectively, and the difference was significant (p < 0.05). Patients in the test group showed significant reduction in abdominal distension and markedly reduced ascites compared to the controls. The improvement in KPS score was superior in the test group (p < 0.05). No treatment-associated complications, such as intestinal adhesions or obstruction and grade III or IV toxic and side reactions, were found in either group. The incidence of adverse reactions was lower in the test group than in the controls.Conclusion: Chemotherapy in combination with CHPP is safe and effective for patients with advanced malignant tumours and ascites should be promoted clinically.Keywords: Malignant ascites, Continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion, Systemic intravenous chemotherap