There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality.

Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

I and i

2.3. Evaluation of Photocatalytic Water Splitting 6507 2.3.1. Photocatalytic Activity 6507 2.3.2. Photocatalytic Stability 6507 3. UV-Active Photocatalysts for Water Splitting 6507 3.1. d0 Metal Oxide Photocatalyts 6507 3.1.1. Ti-, Zr-Based Oxides 6507 3.1.2. Nb-, Ta-Based Oxides 6514 3.1.3. W-, Mo-Based Oxides 6517 3.1.4. Other d0 Metal Oxides 6518 3.2. d10 Metal Oxide Photocatalyts 6518 3.3. f0 Metal Oxide Photocatalysts 6518 3.4. Nonoxide Photocatalysts 6518 4. Approaches to Modifying the Electronic Band Structure for Visible-Light Harvesting 6519

Semiconductor-based Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation

This critical review provides a processing-structure-property perspective on recent advances in cellulose nanoparticles and composites produced from them. It summarizes cellulose nanoparticles in terms of particle morphology, crystal structure, and properties. Also described are the self-assembly and rheological properties of cellulose nanoparticle suspensions. The methodology of composite processing and resulting properties are fully covered, with an emphasis on neat and high fraction cellulose composites. Additionally, advances in predictive modeling from molecular dynamic simulations of crystalline cellulose to the continuum modeling of composites made with such particles are reviewed (392 references).

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Cellulose nanomaterials review: structure, properties and nanocomposites

Cellulose constitutes the most abundant renewable polymer resource available today. As a chemical raw material, it is generally well-known that it has been used in the form of fibers or derivatives for nearly 150 years for a wide spectrum of products and materials in daily life. What has not been known until relatively recently is that when cellulose fibers are subjected to acid hydrolysis, the fibers yield defect-free, rod-like crystalline residues. Cellulose nanocrystals (CNs) have garnered in the materials community a tremendous level of attention that does not appear to be relenting. These biopolymeric assemblies warrant such attention not only because of their unsurpassed quintessential physical and chemical properties (as will become evident in the review) but also because of their inherent renewability and sustainability in addition to their abundance. They have been the subject of a wide array of research efforts as reinforcing agents in nanocomposites due to their low cost, availability, renewability, light weight, nanoscale dimension, and unique morphology. Indeed, CNs are the fundamental constitutive polymeric motifs of macroscopic cellulosic-based fibers whose sheer volume dwarfs any known natural or synthetic biomaterial. Biopolymers such as cellulose and lignin and † North Carolina State University. ‡ Helsinki University of Technology. Dr. Youssef Habibi is a research assistant professor at the Department of Forest Biomaterials at North Carolina State University. He received his Ph.D. in 2004 in organic chemistry from Joseph Fourier University (Grenoble, France) jointly with CERMAV (Centre de Recherche sur les Macromolecules Vegetales) and Cadi Ayyad University (Marrakesh, Morocco). During his Ph.D., he worked on the structural characterization of cell wall polysaccharides and also performed surface chemical modification, mainly TEMPO-mediated oxidation, of crystalline polysaccharides, as well as their nanocrystals. Prior to joining NCSU, he worked as assistant professor at the French Engineering School of Paper, Printing and Biomaterials (PAGORA, Grenoble Institute of Technology, France) on the development of biodegradable nanocomposites based on nanocrystalline polysaccharides. He also spent two years as postdoctoral fellow at the French Institute for Agricultural Research, INRA, where he developed new nanostructured thin films based on cellulose nanowiskers. Dr. Habibi’s research interests include the sustainable production of materials from biomass, development of high performance nanocomposites from lignocellulosic materials, biomass conversion technologies, and the application of novel analytical tools in biomass research. Chem. Rev. 2010, 110, 3479–3500 3479

Cellulose nanocrystals: chemistry, self-assembly, and applications.

Summary Background Since December, 2019, Wuhan, China, has experienced an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients with COVID-19 have been reported but risk factors for mortality and a detailed clinical course of illness, including viral shedding, have not been well described. Methods In this retrospective, multicentre cohort study, we included all adult inpatients (≥18 years old) with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 from Jinyintan Hospital and Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital (Wuhan, China) who had been discharged or had died by Jan 31, 2020. Demographic, clinical, treatment, and laboratory data, including serial samples for viral RNA detection, were extracted from electronic medical records and compared between survivors and non-survivors. We used univariable and multivariable logistic regression methods to explore the risk factors associated with in-hospital death. Findings 191 patients (135 from Jinyintan Hospital and 56 from Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital) were included in this study, of whom 137 were discharged and 54 died in hospital. 91 (48%) patients had a comorbidity, with hypertension being the most common (58 [30%] patients), followed by diabetes (36 [19%] patients) and coronary heart disease (15 [8%] patients). Multivariable regression showed increasing odds of in-hospital death associated with older age (odds ratio 1·10, 95% CI 1·03–1·17, per year increase; p=0·0043), higher Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score (5·65, 2·61–12·23; p Interpretation The potential risk factors of older age, high SOFA score, and d-dimer greater than 1 μg/mL could help clinicians to identify patients with poor prognosis at an early stage. Prolonged viral shedding provides the rationale for a strategy of isolation of infected patients and optimal antiviral interventions in the future. Funding Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences; National Science Grant for Distinguished Young Scholars; National Key Research and Development Program of China; The Beijing Science and Technology Project; and Major Projects of National Science and Technology on New Drug Creation and Development.

Clinical course and risk factors for mortality of adult inpatients with COVID-19 in Wuhan, China: a retrospective cohort study

Synergistic H2O2 self-supplying and NIR-responsive drug delivery nanoplatform for chemodynamic-photothermal-chemotherapy.

The present invention provides a water soluble tuckahoe mycelium hetero polysaccharide with anti-tumor activity. By using corn slurry as main component to prepare culture medium, tuckahoe, mycelium is cultured through deep fermentation of wild Tuckahoe strain. Water soluble hetereo polysaccharide is extracted from the mycelium with physiological saline and hot water. The hetero polysaccharide consists of alpha-D-glucose, mannitol, galactose and protein in different content. Experiments shows that the hetero polysaccharides can inhibit the growth of Sarcoma 180 tumor in mouse and acute leukovirus cell, so that they may be used as antitumor medicine and health article for raising body's immunological function.

Water soluble heteropolysaccharide with anti-tumor activity and its preparing method and use

Pathological scar tissues and normal skin tissues were differentiated by screening for differentially expressed genes in pathologic scar tissues via gene expression microarray. The differentially expressed gene data was analyzed by gene ontology and pathway analyses. There were 5001 up- or down-regulated genes in 2-fold differentially expressed genes, 956 up- or down-regulated genes in 5-fold differentially expressed genes, and 114 up- or down-regulated genes in 20-fold differentially expressed genes. Therefore, significant differences were observed in the gene expression in pathological scar tissues and normal foreskin tissues. The development of pathological scar tissues has been correlated to changes in multiple genes and pathways, which are believed to form a dynamic network connection.

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Screening of differentially expressed genes in pathological scar tissues using expression microarray.

We prepared novel semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) materials by mixing poly(ester urethane), synthesized by the polymerization reaction between poly(ethylene glycol adipate) and toluene diisocyanate in the presence of 2,2-bis(hydroxyl methyl) propionic acid as an extender, with nitrokonjac glucomannan (NKGM) in tetrahydrofuran and then by crosslinking and curing the mixture at 60°C for 1.5 h. Miscibility and the properties of the sheets were studied by Fourier transition infrared spectroscopy, wide-angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and scanning electron microscopy. The results indicate that strong interactions between poly(ester urethane) and NKGM in the semi-IPN sheets occurred, leading to good miscibility between the two polymers in the whole region of component ratios. When the content of NKGM was 10%, the tensile strength and breaking elongation of the semi-IPN sheet were simultaneously enhanced to 35 MPa and 960%, respectively, compared with pure polyurethane. The DSC curves showed a low softening temperature for the poly(ester urethane), which resulted in the high elongation. By changing the NKGM amount from 10 to 90%, we prepared a series of composite materials from an elastomer to tough plastics. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 90: 2224–2228, 2003

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ester urethane)/nitrokonjac glucomannan semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks

Silyl celluloses (SiC) were prepared by reacting cellulose with chloropropyltrichlorosilane (CPTCSi) andchloropropyltriethoxysilane (CPTESi) in LiCl/N,N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc). The Si content in the silyl cellulose could becontrolled by adjustment of the molar ratio of silane and cellulose. FT-IR spectra showed that cellulose was readily reactedwith the above two silane reagents, and the reactivity of CPTCSi is higher than that of CPTESi. It was presumed that thereaction process belongs to graft-polymerization. The results of differential thermal analysis (DTA) indicated that thethermostability of the materials produced increased with the increase of Si content in the sample. The acid resistance of thesamples SiC in 1 mol/L HCl aqueous solution was improved significantly. When Si content was ca. 20%, the silyl cellulosehas excellent thermostability, hydrophobicity, low density and stability in 1 mol/L HCl aqueous solution, owing tocrosslinking of cellulose chain with silane.

Lina Zhang

Papers

Synergistic H2O2 self-supplying and NIR-responsive drug delivery nanoplatform for chemodynamic-photothermal-chemotherapy.

Water soluble heteropolysaccharide with anti-tumor activity and its preparing method and use

Screening of differentially expressed genes in pathological scar tissues using expression microarray.

Synthesis and characterization of poly(ester urethane)/nitrokonjac glucomannan semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks

SILYLATION OF CELLULOSE WITH TRICHLOROSILANE AND TRIETHOXYSILANE IN HOMOGENEOUS LiCl/N,N-DIMETHYLACETAMIDE SOLUTION *