Composition of soluble organic matter and its causes of No. 11 coal from Sangshuping Mine, Shaanxi Province

Eight samples of No.11 coal in Sangshuping Mine were used for organic geochemical study, Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF) were combined with the test results of proximate analysis, sulfur forms and random vitrinite reflectance, the organic matter sources and coal-forming environment of No.11 coal from the Sangshuping mine, Shaanxi Province were comprehensively analyzed. The results indicate that the total sulfur content of the coal sample is 3.29%, and the mean vitrinite oil-leaching reflectance is 2.01%, which is high-sulfur lean coal. The phase parameters of major elements indicate that the coal samples are mainly formed in reductive sedimentary environment. There are two types of carbon number distribution of n-alkanes in saturated hydrocarbon: the front peak type main carbon peak is C16, and the back peak type is main carbon C26; Combined with the distribution characteristics of ∑C22−/∑C23+、(C21+C22)/(C28+C29)、Pr/nC17、Ph/nC18 indicated that the parent material of organic matter come from aquatic organisms and higher plants. The OEP value was between 0.49 to 1.05,with an average value of 0.84, indicating that No.11 coal of Sangshuping has undergone different degrees of biodegradation. In the analysis of saturated hydrocarbon steroidal terpanes, the ratio of w(Ts)/w(Tm) is between 0.83-1.21 and w(Ts)/[w(Ts)+w(Tm)] is between 0.45-0.55, indicating that the thermal evolution degree of coal sample is high. In the analysis of aromatic compounds, the methyl rearrangement of trimethylnaphthalene and the distribution characteristics of methyl phenanthrene index are correlated with the high thermal evolution degree of coal samples. The aromatic hydrocarbons were dominated by naphthalene, phenanthrene and biphenyl series, and the sulfur-containing compounds in the trifluorene series (oxygen-fluorene, sulfur-fluorene, fluorene) are obviously higher than the oxygen-containing compounds, which also indicates the coal-forming environment under higher salinity partial reduction conditions

Is Childhood General Anesthesia Exposure An Etiological Contributor to Cognitive Impairment?

General anesthesia is necessary for patients to undergo surgery and invasive procedures. However, numerous preclinical studies have demonstrated widespread developmental neurotoxicity of the commonly used anesthetics and sedatives for the immature brain. Clinical studies also suggest a strong correlation between childhood anesthesia exposure and subsequent behavioral or cognitive impairment in adulthood. These findings have attracted increasing attention of anesthesiologists, pediatricians, and caregivers about the safety of anesthesia exposure in children, especially during early childhood. Herein, the aim of this review was to present the molecular mechanism of general anesthesia and its effects on the developing brain and introduce the recent clinical evidence of changes in cognition function post-childhood general anesthesia exposure. More importantly, some of the spots will be importantly discussed to scrutinize the phenomena; only in this way, it may help minimize or eliminate relevant risk factors

Data on the sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds of high-sulfur coal of SW China

The data presented in this article are related to the research paper entitled “Origin and geological implications of super high sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds in high-sulfur coal” by Zhao et al. [1]. The collected data of high-sulfur coal, including the coalfield, geological age, coal rank, sulfur content, and depositional environment were from all over the world. Polycyclic aromatic compounds from 15 coal and 4 parting samples were identified and quantified using gas chromatograph (GC) and gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS). Approximately, 145 polycyclic aromatic compounds (PAC) in each sample were identified. Among them, 70 compounds are sulfur-containing polycyclic aromatic compounds (SPACs). The highest ratio of total SPAC/ PAC was reached 89.22 wt% in the coal and 83.07 wt% in the parting samples

Occurrence of harmful elements in the ‘high-aluminium coals’ from the Pingshuo mining district, Shanxi Province, China

"High-aluminous coal" is an important coal kind and widely distributed in North China in age of Permo-Carboniferous period. To explore their occurrence state, a total of 15 harmful elements (Li, Ga, In, Cd, Cr, Pb, Be, Mn, Zn, Ag, Co, Ni, Cu, Ba and U) in the No.9 coal and No.11 coal collected from Pingshuo mining district were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and scanning electron microscope with energy spectrum (SEM-EDX). The results showed that the content of Li, Ga, In, Pb, Ag and U were all exceed the world hard coal. In view of the result of clustering analysis within trace elements, it was found that Co, Ni, Zn, Cu, Ag and Cr were mainly associated with sulfide minerals due to their common sulfophilic property. Manganese was mainly occurred in carbonate minerals, while Ba, Cd and U were mainly associated with total minerals. In addition, Pb was related to sulfides and Be is mainly distributed in clay minerals. The enrichment of such harmful elements in Pingshuo coal was caused by the combined effect of transgression and input of terrestrial materials in the peat accumulation stage. Li, Ga, In and Ag have reached the harmful grade

Decadal Variation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in an Area Contaminated by Coal Gangue Dump: Emphasis on Concentration, Profile, Source and Carcinogenic Risk

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are recognized as carcinogens that pose a severe threat to human health. Research on the temporal variation of PAHs was confined to monthly and seasonal investigations, and a longer timescale study remained inadequate until recently. Therefore, this study focuses on the decadal variation of PAHs in environmental media contaminated by a coal gangue dump in the Jiulong Coal Mine, Fengfeng, China. The results show that the total concentrations of PAHs have sharply declined compared to the past. The result of the paired-sample t-test indicates that several individual PAHs have obviously changed in concentration with statistical significance (p p < 0.01) when compared to the past. Various diagnostic ratios suggest that PAHs in previous samples are mainly derived from weathering products of coal gangue and vehicle exhaust, while PAHs in the present samples are dominated by those originating from pyrogenic sources. Calculation of incremental lifetime cancer risks (ILCRs) indicates high carcinogenic risk despite a considerable decrease in ILCR values by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude. It shows that recent measurements conducted by the local government do weaken the contamination of coal gangue dumps, but more attention to pyrogenic PAHs is necessary

Anti-breast cancer-induced cardiomyopathy: Mechanisms and future directions

With the progression of tumor treatment, the 5-year survival rate of breast cancer is close to 90%. Cardiovascular toxicity caused by chemotherapy has become a vital factor affecting the survival of patients with breast cancer. Anthracyclines, such as doxorubicin, are still some of the most effective chemotherapeutic agents, but their resulting cardiotoxicity is generally considered to be progressive and irreversible. In addition to anthracyclines, platinum- and alkyl-based antitumor drugs also demonstrate certain cardiotoxic effects. Targeted drugs have always been considered a relatively safe option. However, in recent years, some random clinical trials have observed the occurrence of subclinical cardiotoxicity in targeted antitumor drug users, which may be related to the effects of targeted drugs on the angiotensin converting enzyme, angiotensin receptor and β receptor. The use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers and beta-blockers may prevent clinical cardiotoxicity. This article reviews the toxicity and mechanisms of current clinical anti-breast cancer drugs and proposes strategies for preventing cardiovascular toxicity to provide recommendations for the clinical prevention and treatment of chemotherapy-related cardiomyopathy

Multifunctional Additive CdAc₂ for Efficient Perovskite-Based Solar Cells

Polycrystalline perovskite films fabricated on flexible and textured substrates often are highly defective, leading to poor performance of perovskite devices. Finding substrate-tolerant perovskite fabrication strategies is therefore paramount. Herein, this study shows that adding a small amount of Cadmium Acetate (CdAc2) in the PbI2 precursor solution results in nano-hole array films and improves the diffusion of organic salts in PbI2 and promotes favorable crystal orientation and suppresses non-radiative recombination. Polycrystalline perovskite films on the flexible substrate with ultra-long carrier lifetimes exceeding 6 µs are achieved. Eventually, a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 22.78% is obtained for single-junction flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs). Furthermore, it is found that the strategy is also applicable for textured tandem solar cells. A champion PCE of 29.25% (0.5003 cm2) is demonstrated for perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells (TSCs) with CdAc2. Moreover, the un-encapsulated TSCs maintains 109.78% of its initial efficiency after 300 h operational at 45 °C in a nitrogen atmosphere. This study provides a facile strategy for achieving high-efficiency perovskite-based solar cells.</p

&lt;em&gt;Astragalus &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;membranaceus&lt;/em&gt; Inhibits Inflammation via Phospho-P38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) and Nuclear Factor (NF)-κB Pathways in Advanced Glycation End Product-Stimulated Macrophages

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and inflammation contribute to the development of diabetic complications. &lt;em&gt;Astragalus membranaceus&lt;/em&gt; has properties of immunological regulation in many diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the function of &lt;em&gt;A. membranaceus&lt;/em&gt; extract (AME) on the AGE-induced inflammatory response in Ana-1 macrophages. The viability of cells treated with AME or AGEs was evaluated with the MTT [3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2&lt;em&gt;H&lt;/em&gt;-tetrazolium bromide] method. The secretion and mRNA levels of IL-1β and TNF-α were measured by ELISA and RT-PCR, respectively. The activity of NF-κB was assayed by EMSA. The phosphorylation of p38 MAPK was assessed by western blotting. The results showed that AME was not toxic to macrophages. The treatment of macrophages with AME effectively inhibited AGE-induced IL-1β and TNF-α secretion and mRNA expression in macrophages. These effects may be mediated by p38 MAPK and the NF-κB pathway. The results suggest that AME can inhibit AGE-induced inflammatory cytokine production to down-regulate macrophage-mediated inflammation via p38 MAPK and NF-κB signaling pathways and indicate that AME could be an immunoregulatory agent against AGE-induced inflammation in diabetes

Quasi-Heteroface Perovskite Solar Cells

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) have attracted unprecedented attention due to their rapidly rising photoelectric conversion efficiency (PCE). In order to further improve the PCE of PSCs, new possible optimization path needs to be found. Here, quasi-heteroface PSCs (QHF-PSCs) is designed by a double-layer perovskite film. Such brand new PSCs have good carrier separation capabilities, effectively suppress the nonradiative recombination of the PSCs, and thus greatly improve the open-circuit voltage and PCE. The root cause of the performance improvement is the benefit from the additional built-in electric field, which is confirmed by measuring the external quantum efficiency under applied electric field and Kelvin probe force microscope. Meanwhile, an intermediate band gap perovskite layer can be obtained simply by combining a wide band gap perovskite layer with a narrow band gap perovskite layer. Tunability of the band gap is obtained by varying the film thicknesses of the narrow and wide band gap layers. This phenomenon is quite different from traditional inorganic solar cells, whose band gap is determined only by the narrowest band gap layer. It is believed that these QHF-PSCs will be an effective strategy to further enhance PCE in PSCs and provide basis to further understand and develop the perovskite materials platform