The development of low-cost, efficient physisorbents is essential for gas adsorption and separation; however, the intrinsic tradeoff between capacity and selectivity, as well as the unavoidable shaping procedures of conventional powder sorbents, greatly limits their practical separation efficiency. Herein, an exceedingly stable iron-containing mordenite zeolite monolith with a pore system of precisely narrowed microchannels was self-assembled using a one-pot template- and binder-free process. Iron-containing mordenite monoliths that could be used directly for industrial application afforded record-high volumetric carbon dioxide uptakes (293 and 219 cubic centimeters of carbon dioxide per cubic centimeter of material at 273 and 298 K, respectively, at 1 bar pressure); excellent size-exclusive molecular sieving of carbon dioxide over argon, nitrogen, and methane; stable recyclability; and good moisture resistance capability. Column breakthrough experiments and process simulation further visualized the high separation efficiency.

A selective and sensitive method for the simultaneous detection of three common and hazardous microcystins (microcystins-LR, -RR, and -YR) in various vegetables was established using solid-phase extraction followed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The methanol-water proportion ratio of the extraction solvent and its acidity, as well as the efficiencies of solid-phase extraction, were evaluated to optimize a pretreatment procedure for extracting the microcystins from 10 vegetable matrices. The limits of detection and quantitation were below 7.5 μg/kg (dw) and 25 μg/kg (dw), respectively, in different vegetable matrices. The recoveries of the microcystins in the 10 vegetable matrices ranged from 61.3 to 117.3%, with RSDs of 0.2-18.3%. The established method was used to analyze 28 field vegetable samples collected from the sides of Lake Dianchi, and microcystin-RR was found in almost all samples at concentrations of 36.4-2352.2 μg/kg (dw).

A highly luminescent terbium nanoparticle as the biolabel based on the sensitization of a dye molecule was prepared. The luminescent complexes included in the particles were composed of a quinolone-based dye molecule as the light-energy transfer donor and a polyaminocarboxylate-based chelator with excellent water-solubility and a high binding constant for lanthanides. The structure of two functional entities in the single molecule made the complex highly luminescent in aqueous solution. Silica nanoparticles containing terbium complexes were prepared by the reverse microemulsion method. Such a terbium nanoparticle is as bright as about 340 free terbium complexes, and it has a 1.5-ms fluorescence lifetime that enables it to be used in the time-resolved fluorescence assays. The conjugate of the nanoparticle with oligonucleotide was prepared and used to carry out a DNA sandwich hybridization assay based on magnetic microbeads as solid-phase carrier. The experimental results showed that the detection sensitivity with the nanoparticles is more than 100-fold as high as that with dye Fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) molecules.

Background: In the United States, stroke continues to be the cause for long-term disability. Of the patients with a first stroke, up to 75% will experience post-stroke fatigue (PSF) in the first year following stroke. PSF is one of the most disabling symptoms in stroke survivors; it decreases quality of life, increases mortality, and is a barrier to stroke rehabilitation. Given the incidence of stroke and the prevalence and detrimental impact of PSF on quality of life, independent living, and overall survival, efficient management of PSF must be a priority in stroke rehabilitation. The cause of PSF remains unknown. The burden of fatigue in stroke survivors is influenced by other stroke-related symptoms, most notably post-stroke depression (PSD). It is well known that stroke induces a systemic inflammatory response that is the trigger for sickness behavior, of which fatigue and depression are predominant symptoms. Summary: To date, only a handful of studies have sought to explore the relationship between stroke-induced inflammation and PSF and PSD. In this review, we describe this evidence, highlight the strengths and weaknesses of these existing studies, and suggest further experiments that may further support the association between stroke-related inflammatory processes and stroke-related symptoms. Key Messages: The current concept and further research are important for a more specific therapeutic intervention for PSF and PSD.