Large Scale Research Articles

The Potential of RainWater Harvesting Systems in Europe – Current State of Art and Future Perspectives

AbstractWater scarcity and climate change led to changes in water management, especially in urban areas. RainWater Harvesting (RWH) is a promising technique that allows the collection and reuse of rainwater, as well as protecting sewage systems from overload. This article reviews the current state of RWH in Europe, including advantages, implementation, potential efficiency, usage requirements, quality, and treatment processes. The main findings include the importance of RWH as a sustainable water management technique, the historical background and renewed interest in RWH systems in recent years, the positive impact of RWH on reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the versatility of rainwater usage, and the potential cost savings and benefits in various regions. RWH systems are gaining popularity in Europe, particularly in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Climate change and precipitation patterns affect rainwater availability and quality. RWH can be used for various purposes, including drinking, but requires proper purification for health safety. It is also being implemented in new locations like airports and large buildings. RWH systems have a high potential to overcome undesired results of climate change. Among that, numerous aspects still need to be considered in the future that allow the application of RWH systems on a larger scale.

Approach to hyperuniformity of steady states of facilitated exclusion processes.

We consider the fluctuations in the number of particles in a box of size L^d in Z^d, d>=1, in the (infinite volume) translation invariant stationary states of the facilitated exclusion process, also called the conserved lattice gas model. When started in a Bernoulli (product) measure at density ρ, these systems approach, as t goes to infinity, a "frozen" state for ρ<=ρ_c, with ρ_c=1/2 for d=1 and ρ_c<1/2 for d>=2. At ρ=ρ_c the limiting state is, as observed by Hexner and Levine, hyperuniform, that is, the variance of the number of particles in the box grows slower than L^d. We give a general description of how the variances at different scales of L behave as ρ increases to ρ_c. On the largest scale, L>>L_2, the fluctuations are normal (in fact the same as in the original product measure), while in a region L_1<<L<<L_2, with both L_1 and L_2 going to infinity as ρ increases to ρ_c, the variance grows faster than normal. For 1<<L<<L_1 the variance is the same as in the hyperuniform system. (All results discussed are rigorous for d=1 and based on simulations for d>=2.).

Clusternets: a deep learning approach to probe clustering dark energy

ABSTRACT Machine learning (ML) algorithms are becoming popular in cosmology for extracting valuable information from cosmological data. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on matter density snapshots to distinguish clustering dark energy (DE) from the cosmological constant scenario and to detect the speed of sound (cs) associated with clustering DE. We compare the CNN results with those from a Random Forest (RF) algorithm trained on power spectra. Varying the DE equation of state parameter wDE within the range of −0.7 to −0.99 while keeping $c_s^2 = 1$, we find that the CNN approach results in a significant improvement in accuracy over the RF algorithm. The improvement in classification accuracy can be as high as 40 per cent depending on the physical scales involved. We also investigate the ML algorithms’ ability to detect the impact of the speed of sound by choosing $c_s^2$ from the set {1, 10−2, 10−4, 10−7} while maintaining a constant wDE for three different cases: wDE ∈ {−0.7, −0.8, −0.9}. Our results suggest that distinguishing between various values of $c_s^2$ and the case where $c_s^2=1$ is challenging, particularly at small scales and when wDE ≈ −1. However, as we consider larger scales, the accuracy of $c_s^2$ detection improves. Notably, the CNN algorithm consistently outperforms the RF algorithm, leading to an approximate 20 per cent enhancement in $c_s^2$ detection accuracy in some cases.

PDE4D and miR-203 are promising biomarkers for canine atopic dermatitis

BackgroundCanine atopic dermatitis (CAD) is a common genetically predisposed, inflammatory, and pruritic skin disorder that affects dogs globally. To date, there are no specific biomarkers available to diagnose CAD, and the current diagnosis is based on a combination of criteria including patient history, clinical signs, and exclusion of other relevant differential diagnoses.Methods and resultsWe examined the gene expression of phosphodiesterase 4D (PDE4D) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), as well as miR-203 and miR-483 in plasma, in three groups: healthy dogs, CAD dogs, and other inflammatory pruritic skin diseases (OIPSD) such as pemphigus foliaceus, scabies, cutaneous lymphoma, and dermatophytosis. Our results showed that PDE4D gene expression in the CAD group is statistically higher compared to those in the healthy and OIPSD groups, suggesting PDE4D may be a specific marker for CAD. Nevertheless, no correlation was found between PDE4D gene expression levels and the lesion severity gauged by CAD severity index-4 (CADESI-4). We also showed that miR-203 is a generic marker for clinical dermatitis and differentiates both CAD and OIPSD inflammatory conditions from healthy controls.ConclusionsWe show that PDE4D is a potential marker to differentiate CAD from non-atopic healthy and OIPSD while miR-203 may be a potential marker for general dermatologic inflammation. Future study of PDE4D and miR-203 on a larger scale is warranted.

The Therapeutic Effect of Pancreatic Enzyme Replacement on Anthropometric Parameters in Children with Malnutrition: A Pilot Clinical Trial

Background: Malnutrition presents a significant global health challenge, necessitating the creation of innovative treatment strategies. Objectives: This study explored the therapeutic impact of pancreatic enzymes on improving growth indicators in children suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition. Methods: In this clinical trial, patients aged 2 to 14 years with growth disorders (Z-score weight below -2) attending a Gastroenterology Clinic were randomly assigned to two groups: Pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy (PERT) and control. The trial involved a pilot study with 30 subjects in each group. The PERT group underwent a 2-month treatment regimen of 1000 U/kg pancreatic enzymes taken with the main three meals, complemented by a nutritional plan. In contrast, the Control group received mineral supplements and followed a regular diet. Demographic data and anthropometric indices, including height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and Z scores, were recorded before and after the intervention. Results: In this study, a statistically significant difference was observed in the mean values of weight, height, BMI, and appetite among children with growth disorders in the PERT group before and after the intervention. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the mean values in the PERT group and the control group. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that the therapeutic effect of pancreatic enzymes on improving growth parameters in malnourished children was not statistically significant. Future randomized trials on a larger scale with longer treatment durations are warranted.

Utilization of Sustainable Ingredients (Cañihua Flour, Whey, and Potato Starch) in Gluten-Free Cookie Development: Analysis of Technological and Sensorial Attributes.

In recent years, the consumption of gluten-free products has increased due to the increasing prevalence of celiac disease and the increased preference for gluten-free diets. This study aimed to make cookies using a mixture of cañihua flour, whey, and potato starch. The use of a Box-Behnken design allowed for flexible ingredient proportions and physicochemical properties, centesimal composition, color, texture, and sensory attributes to be evaluated through consumer tests (Sorting and acceptability). The results highlighted significant variations in physicochemical data, composition, color, and texture across formulations. The blend with 38.51% cañihua flour, 10.91% sweet whey, 25.69% potato starch, 8.34% margarine, 11.10% sugar, 0.19% sodium chloride, 0.51% baking powder, 0.51% vanilla essence, and 4.24% egg exhibited superior sensory appeal. This formulation boasted excellent texture, aroma, flavor, color, and appearance, indicating high sensory and physicochemical quality. The use of cañihua flour, sweet whey, and potato starch not only provides a gluten-free option but also delivers a nutritious and sensorily pleasing choice for those with dietary restrictions. Future research could explore the commercial viability of producing these cookies on a larger scale, as well as investigating the potential health benefits of these ingredients.

Large-scale overlap and fine-scale avoidance: assessing interactions between coyotes, bobcats, and cougars at multiple scales

Abstract In multi-carnivore systems individuals must forage and reproduce while also competing with other carnivores and avoiding intraguild predation. These interactions may vary by strength and scales across different ecosystems. We used occupancy analyses and attraction–avoidance indices to assess large- and fine-scale interactions, respectively, between Cougars (Puma concolor), Bobcats (Lynx rufus), and Coyotes (Canis latrans) in northeast Oregon based on data from camera traps set during the summer and fall of 2016 and 2017. To determine the importance of habitat preferences and spatial overlap, we compared occupancy (probability of use) models that included habitat covariates with and without species co-occurrence terms. Detection was different for all species and was influenced by roads, game trails, and canopy cover. Terrain ruggedness was important for all species; Bobcats showed the strongest preference for ruggedness, Cougars showed a weak preference, and Coyotes significantly but weakly avoided rugged areas. The top probability of use model showed that Bobcats and Coyotes were 1.88 times more likely to spatially overlap on roads. We also found evidence that interactions among carnivores were scale-dependent. At larger scales, habitat preference was more important than interactions with other carnivores, whereas at finer scales, most carnivores avoided each other. At fine spatiotemporal scales, our attraction–avoidance analyses showed that Bobcats avoided Coyotes and Coyotes avoided both Bobcats and Cougars. These findings suggest that carnivores in our study system were adept at minimizing conflict through fine-scale avoidance in space and time, that the human footprint can influence carnivore interactions, and that studying carnivore interactions at multiple scales is important for understanding the effects of spatial overlap and potential competition.

Az európai regionális integráció jövője. Kormányzási és elosztási dilemmák

The cornerstone of the global system, as well as the EU, is the principle of the sovereign equality of states. However, states are far from being equal. This paradox is one of the main obstacles to the smooth functioning of international organisations, including the EU. Sovereigntist critics of the EU pretend that national competencies are sacrificed in exchange for co-operation and joint governance at a larger scale. In reality, EU membership has widened the scope of member states’ sovereignty: they are better informed and can take part in decision-making at the European level. However, the EU’s decision-making power has weakened for two main reasons. First, EU competencies have been watered down: exclusive union competencies exist only in five sectors, in parallel with a large and growing number of mixed and shared competencies. As a result, EU decision-making tends towards intergovernmental methods, and consensus seeking opens the way for veto players. Second, after the end of the Cold War, in the 1990s, many new states were formed because of the dissolution of former federal structures. In place of the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and Czechoslovakia 24 new states have taken form so far, 19 out of them Europeans, and the majority is attracted by the EU. The EU member states from the former eastern bloc which have Soviet-type political, economic, and social heritage, have ‘imported’ their unsolved – internal and external – conflicts into the EU. After the European elections in 2024 and the renewal of the European Parliament and the European Commission, those institution should undergo a ‘slimming diet’ and speed up decision-making by extending qualified majority voting. This is an absolute precondition of further enlargements.

Evaluation of SARS-CoV-2 anti-Spike antibody levels and breakthrough infection risk among vaccinated adults in North Lebanon

Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has swiftly propagated, triggering a competitive race among medical firms to forge vaccines that thwart the infection. Lebanon initiated its vaccination campaign on February 14, 2021. Despite numerous studies conducted to elucidate the characteristics of immune responses elicited by vaccination, the topic remains unclear. Here, we aimed to track the progression of anti-spike SARS-CoV-2 antibody titers at two-time points (T1: shortly after the second vaccination dose, T2: six months later) within a cohort of 201 adults who received Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2), AstraZeneca, or Sputnik V vaccines in North Lebanon. Blood specimens were obtained from participants, and antibody titers against SARS-CoV-2 were quantified through the Elecsys-Anti-SARS-CoV-2 S assay (Roche Diagnostics, Switzerland). We used univariate analysis and multivariable logistic regression models to predict determinants influencing the decline in immune response and the occurrence of breakthrough infections among vaccinated patients. Among the 201 participants, 141 exhibited unchanging levels of antibody titers between the two sample collections, 55 displayed waning antibody titers, and only five participants demonstrated heightened antibody levels. Notably, age emerged as the sole variable significantly linked to the waning immune response. Moreover, the BNT162b2 vaccine exhibited significantly higher efficacy concerning the occurrence of breakthrough infections when compared with the AstraZeneca vaccine. Overall, our study reflected the immune status of a sample of vaccinated adults in North Lebanon. Further studies on a larger scale are needed at the national level to follow the immune response after vaccination, especially after the addition of the third vaccination dose.

Acceptability of an Incentivized Peer Referral Intervention to Address COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Adults in Yopougon-Est, Côte d'Ivoire.

Vaccine hesitancy persists as a barrier to vaccine uptake among adults across geographies. We pilot-tested an incentivized peer referral intervention in Yopougon-Est, Côte d'Ivoire, to encourage adults who recently received COVID-19 vaccination to discuss their experiences and motivate family and friends to seek vaccination. From May through June 2023, the intervention operated at 2 vaccination sites, where staff approached individuals immediately after receiving COVID-19 vaccination. Interested vaccine recipients received up to 9 referral coupons to distribute among their social circles, with a small financial incentive (approximately US$3) offered for each person they referred who returned to 1 of the 2 sites for COVID-19 vaccination. We collected data on numbers of people vaccinated and coupons returned. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 40 referred vaccine recipients and 7 public health officials. During the 6-week intervention, 450 newly vaccinated individuals were offered the opportunity to enroll, with 197 opting to distribute coupons. Nearly half (45%) of these peer mobilizers who distributed coupons referred at least 1 person who subsequently came in for vaccination, and most of this subset had 2 or more completed referrals. Qualitative findings revealed that coupons served as effective reminders, sparking discussions within social networks and prompting vaccine-seeking behavior. According to the referred vaccine recipients, hearing about their peers' vaccination experience influenced uptake. Vaccine recipients and public health officials found the small referral incentive acceptable. Officials noted the intervention's potential utility and cost effectiveness, suggesting possible sustainability. This incentivized peer referral intervention, capitalizing on peer networks and social norms, holds promise for increasing vaccine uptake in Yopougon-Est and potentially in other vaccination contexts globally. Practitioners can leverage the implementation guide and training materials we developed to replicate the intervention at larger scale and assess impact on vaccination trends.

A brief mindfulness-based intervention for stress, pain, emotion and attention regulation in military service members with mild traumatic brain injury.

The primary aim of this study was to conduct an open pilot clinical trial of a brief mindfulness-based intervention for persistent postconcussion symptoms that occur after mild traumatic brain injury in military service members. For many service members, operational tempo and other time constraints may prevent them from completing a standard mindfulness-based stress reduction course. Thus, this study sought to examine the effectiveness of a five-session intervention called mindfulness-based stress, pain, emotion, and attention regulation (MSPEAR). Participants were active duty service members with a history of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) and persisting postconcussion symptoms, all of whom were recruited from an outpatient TBI rehabilitation program at a military treatment facility. Of the 38 service members that were initially enrolled, 25 completed the 5-session MSPEAR intervention, and 20 returned for a 5-week follow-up evaluation. Questionnaires assessing perceived stress, positive affect, pain interference and catastrophizing, sleep disturbances, perceived behavioral and attention regulation, self-efficacy and satisfaction with life were administered at preintervention, postintervention, and at 5-week follow-up intervals. Neuropsychological testing at preintervention and 5-week follow-up included performance validity measures, attention, working memory, and executive function measures. T-tests were run to compare for questionnaire measures at preintervention (Time 1) to postintervention (Time 2). Repeated analysis of variances were conducted to compare questionnaire and neuropsychological measures at Time 1, Time 2, and at Time 3 which is the 5-week follow-up. Improvements in perceived stress, positive affect, behavioral regulation, metacognition, sleep disturbance, self-efficacy, and satisfaction with life were found immediately after the MSPEAR intervention and were maintained at the 5-week follow-up. Magnification and helplessness aspects of pain catastrophizing improved when comparing preintervention to the 5-week follow-up. Pain interference was not significantly different across study assessment times. Neuropsychological testing revealed improvements in sustained attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control when comparing preintervention to the 5-week follow-up assessment. The MSPEAR intervention appears to show promise as a brief and effective therapy for specific postconcussion symptoms after mild traumatic brain injury in military service members. Each of the components of MSPEAR including stress, pain catastrophizing, emotion and attention regulation showed improvements in this study, and bears further investigation in a larger scale, preferably randomized controlled trial in those active duty military service members who experience persisting symptoms after a mild traumatic brain injury.

Immunosuppression in liver transplant oncology: position paper of the Italian Board of Experts in Liver Transplantation (I-BELT).

Liver transplant oncology (TO) represents an area of increasing clinical and scientific interest including a heterogeneous group of clinical-pathological settings. Immunosuppressive management after LT is a key factor relevantly impacting result. However, disease-related guidance is still lacking, and many open questions remain in the field. Based on such a substantial lack of solid evidences, the Italian Board of Experts in Liver Transplantation (I-BELT) (a working group including representatives of all national transplant centers), unprecedently promoted a methodologically sound consensus conference on the topic, based on the GRADE approach. The group final recommendations are herein presented and commented. The 18 PICOs and Statements and their levels of evidence and grades of recommendation are reported and grouped into seven areas: (1) risk stratification by histopathological and bio-molecular parameters and role of mTORi post-LT; (2) steroids and HCC recurrence; (3) management of immunosuppression when HCC recurs after LT; (4) mTORi monotherapy; (5) machine perfusion and HCC recurrence after LT; (6) physiopathology of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and immunosuppression, the role of inflammation; (7) immunotherapy in liver transplanted patients. The interest in mammalian targets of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORi), for steroid avoidance and the need for a reduction to CNI exposure emerged from the consensus process. A selected list of unmet needs prompting further investigations have also been developed. The so far heterogeneous and granular approach to immunosuppression in oncologic patients deserves greater efforts for a more standardized therapeutic response to the different clinical scenarios. This consensus process makes a first unprecedented step in this direction, to be developed on a larger scale.

Constraining z lesssim 2 ultraviolet emission with the upcoming ULTRASAT satellite

The extragalactic background light (EBL) carries a huge astrophysical and cosmological content. Its frequency spectrum and redshift evolution are determined by the integrated emission of unresolved sources, with these being galaxies, active galactic nuclei, or more exotic components. The near-UV region of the EBL spectrum is currently not well constrained, yet a significant improvement can be expected thanks to the soon-to-be launched Ultraviolet Transient Astronomy Satellite (ULTRASAT). Intended to study transient events in the 2300-2900\ band, this detector will provide wide field maps tracing the UV intensity fluctuations at the largest scales. In this paper, we suggest how to exploit the ULTRASAT full-sky map as well as its low-cadence survey in order to reconstruct the redshift evolution of the UV-EBL volume emissivity. We build upon the work of Chiang et al.\ (2019), who used the clustering-based redshift (CBR) technique to study diffuse light maps from GALEX. Their results showed the capability of the cross correlation between GALEX and SDSS spectroscopic catalogs in constraining UV emissivity, highlighting how CBR is sensitive only to extragalactic emissions, avoiding foregrounds and Galactic contributions. In our analysis, we introduce a framework to forecast the CBR constraining power when applied to ULTRASAT and GALEX in cross correlation with the five-year DESI spectroscopic survey. We show that these will yield a strong improvement in the measurement of the UV-EBL volume emissivity. For $ continuum below $z 2$, we forecast a $1 uncertainty $ 26&lt;!PCT!&gt;\,(9&lt;!PCT!&gt;)$ with conservative (optimistic) bias priors using the ULTRASAT full-sky map. Similar constraints can be obtained from its low-cadence survey, which will provide a smaller but deeper map. Finally, we discuss how these results will foster our understanding of UV-EBL models.

Forest restoration in practice across Latin America

Forest restoration is a promising solution to counteract climate change, biodiversity loss, and meet a host of socioeconomic objectives. While international initiatives highlight potential contributions of forest restoration as a win-win for people and nature, we lack detailed information on how frontline restoration practitioners are addressing this challenge on the ground. Here, we present a systematic assessment of motivations, scale, and costs of forest restoration implemented by 166 practitioners across 14 countries in Latin America. We found that forest restoration is motivated by interlinked objectives and accordingly, most restoration practitioners concurrently used multiple interventions spanning a range of intensity of inputs matched to the scale of individual projects. Project scale influenced strategy, with low-intensity interventions like natural regeneration implemented when operating at larger scales (≥500 ha). However, active tree planting remains the most frequently used intervention (included in >92 % of programs). Costs of establishing planted areas vary most broadly at the project level ($4445/ha ± 4841 over first 3 years) with little evidence of efficiencies of scale and with additional financial support ($964/ha/yr) required ~10 years past establishment. Moreover, monitoring added substantial additional costs, and we identified widespread misalignment between indicators measured and the most frequently expressed objective of restoring biodiversity. Our results emphasize that, while a promising range of new forest restoration interventions are being implemented across Latin America, lower-cost interventions, accessible and practical monitoring strategies, and better alignment between funding cycles and actual time frames required to achieve restoration objectives are urgently needed to support successful outcomes.

Local Watershed Properties Cannot Explain Divergent Dynamics of Pacific Herring in an Urbanizing Estuary

AbstractPacific herring (Clupea pallasii) is a foundational species in Puget Sound (Washington State, U.S.A.) and is subject to many anthropogenic threats. We assessed the overall status of the Puget Sound Pacific herring sub-stock complex and asked whether watersheds with less urban or agricultural land cover, less impervious surface, and lower human density were associated with better stock status. To this end, we developed multiple metrics of sub-stock population status; characterized watershed properties with respect to land use/land cover, percent impervious surfaces, and human density; and used statistical model selection to evaluate the weight of evidence in support of our hypotheses. Overall, the status of sub-stocks was poor; metrics for most sub-stocks indicate a decline from 1996–2021. However, the status metrics of sub-stocks were not related to recent (2016) watershed characteristics or the rate of change in watershed characteristics from the mid-1990s to 2016. While the cumulative effects of local human land use throughout Puget Sound may be contributing to the deterioration of spawning biomass, these results also suggest that other drivers that operate at larger scales (e.g., predation, disease, climate) are likely important.

The effects of solar insolation and cloud opacity on the optimum array size for a direct-coupled solar pumping system

The widespread adoption of solar photovoltaic pumping technology requires pertinent information on the sizing and design of these systems. This research investigated how the ratio of photovoltaic array peak power to motor power consumption, solar insolation and cloud opacity affects the water yield of a direct-coupled solar PV pumping system. The specific aim was to estimate the optimum photovoltaic power to motor power consumption (OPVM) ratio for a 3 W DC pump under Jamaican weather conditions. The PVM ratio is the ratio of peak array power to nominal motor power consumption. Four experimental direct coupled solar pumping systems were set up and the water yield for each measured daily for thirty days. Each system was identical in every respect except each having a different solar array peak power. The findings show that there is a strong correlation (Pearson coefficient of −0.903) between solar insolation and the optimum photovoltaic power to motor power consumption ratio. Additionally, there was found to be a strong correlation between average cloud opacity and optimum photovoltaic power to motor power consumption ratio (Pearson coefficient of 0.899). Both correlations were shown to be statistically significant, with both yielding p-values <0.001. The findings of the correlation analysis indicate that a relatively large PVM ratio would be economical when used on a site that regularly receives relatively low insolation and heavy cloud cover. Finally, the daily optimum photovoltaic power to motor power consumption ratio ranged from approximately 2.3 to 5.0. Generally, it was observed that the OPVM ratio shifted below 2.4 on clear sunny days and above 4.0 on very cloudy days. While these conclusions may not exactly extrapolate to scales of practical application, performance metrics of larger systems are expected to bear some similarity. Being guided by these results, additional studies at these larger scales are recommended.

Towards Retrieval-Augmented Architectures for Image Captioning

The objective of image captioning models is to bridge the gap between the visual and linguistic modalities by generating natural language descriptions that accurately reflect the content of input images. In recent years, researchers have leveraged deep learning-based models and made advances in the extraction of visual features and the design of multimodal connections to tackle this task. This work presents a novel approach towards developing image captioning models that utilize an external k NN memory to improve the generation process. Specifically, we propose two model variants that incorporate a knowledge retriever component that is based on visual similarities, a differentiable encoder to represent input images, and a k NN-augmented language model to predict tokens based on contextual cues and text retrieved from the external memory. We experimentally validate our approach on COCO and nocaps datasets and demonstrate that incorporating an explicit external memory can significantly enhance the quality of captions, especially with a larger retrieval corpus. This work provides valuable insights into retrieval-augmented captioning models and opens up new avenues for improving image captioning at a larger scale.

Finding Natural, Dense, and Stable Frustrated Lewis Pairs on Wurtzite Crystal Surfaces for Small‐Molecule Activation

AbstractThe surface frustrated Lewis pairs (SFLPs) open up new opportunities for substituting noble metals in the activation and conversion of stable molecules. However, the applications of SFLPs on a larger scale are impeded by the complex construction process, low surface density, and sensitivity to the reaction environment. Herein, wurtzite‐structured crystals such as GaN, ZnO, and AlP are found for developing natural, dense, and stable SFLPs. It is revealed that the SFLPs can naturally exist on the (100) and (110) surfaces of wurtzite‐structured crystals. All the surface cations and anions serve as the Lewis acid and Lewis base in SFLPs, respectively, contributing to the surface density of SFLPs as high as 7.26×1014 cm−2. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the SFLPs can keep stable under high temperatures and the reaction atmospheres of CO and H2O. Moreover, outstanding performance for activating the given small molecules is achieved on these natural SFLPs, which originates from the optimal orbital overlap between SFLPs and small molecules. Overall, these findings not only provide a simple method to obtain dense and stable SFLPs but also unfold the nature of SFLPs toward the facile activation of small molecules.

GC–MS based antioxidants characterization in Saussurea heteromalla (D. Don) Hand-Mazz by inhibition of nitric oxide generation in macrophages

For centuries, medicinal plants have served as the cornerstone for traditional health care systems and same practice is still prevalent today. In the Himalayan region, Saussurea heteromalla holds a significant place in traditional medicine and is used to address various health issues. Despite its historical use, little exploration has focused on its potential for scavenging free radicals and reducing inflammation. Hence, our current study aims to investigate the free radical scavenging capabilities of S. heteromalla extracts. The n-hexane extract of entire plant revealed promising activity. This extract underwent extensive extraction on a larger scale. Subsequent purification, employing column chromatography, HPLC–DAD techniques, led to the identification of active compounds, confirmed via GC–MS and the NIST database as 1-O-butyl 2-O-octyl benzene-1,2-dicarboxylate and 2,4-ditert-butylphenol. Assessing the free radical scavenging properties involved utilizing RAW-264.7 macrophages activated by lipopolysaccharides. Notably, the compound 2,4-di-tert-butylphenol exhibited remarkable scavenging abilities, demonstrating over 80% inhibition of Nitric oxide. This study stands as the inaugural report on the isolation of these compounds from S. heteromalla.

Finding Natural, Dense, and Stable Frustrated Lewis Pairs on Wurtzite Crystal Surfaces for Small-Molecule Activation.

The surface frustrated Lewis pairs (SFLPs) open up new opportunities for substituting noble metals in the activation and conversion of stable molecules. However, the applications of SFLPs on a larger scale are impeded by the complex construction process, low surface density, and sensitivity to the reaction environment. Herein, wurtzite-structured crystals such as GaN, ZnO, and AlP are found for developing natural, dense, and stable SFLPs. It is revealed that the SFLPs can naturally exist on the (100) and (110) surfaces of wurtzite-structured crystals. All the surface cations and anions serve as the Lewis acid and Lewis base in SFLPs, respectively, contributing to the surface density of SFLPs as high as 7.26×1014 cm-2. Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations indicate that the SFLPs can keep stable under high temperatures and the reaction atmospheres of CO and H2O. Moreover, outstanding performance for activating the given small molecules is achieved on these natural SFLPs, which originates from the optimal orbital overlap between SFLPs and small molecules. Overall, these findings not only provide a simple method to obtain dense and stable SFLPs but also unfold the nature of SFLPs toward the facile activation of small molecules.