Conversion Strategy Research Articles

Advantages of biological analogues in blood glucose control of diabetes from a clinical perspective

This study aims to explore the clinical advantages of biosimilar drugs in blood glucose control of diabetes, and analyze the challenges and coping strategies. This paper discusses the advantages of biosimilars through a review. The analysis reveals that biosimilar drugs have significant cost-effectiveness, improved patient affordability, and ease of clinical use in diabetic glycemic control. At the same time, through education, monitoring and scientific conversion strategies, the challenges of doctors and patients, immunogenicity and safety monitoring can be overcome. Biosimilar drugs have important clinical value in the field of diabetes treatment, which provide new perspectives and methods for improving the treatment effect, improving the quality of life of patients, and optimizing the allocation of medical resources. Medical professionals, patients, and policy makers should work together to promote the rational application of biosimilar medicines.

Contraceptive Coercion in Pre-Abortion Counseling: A Conversation Analysis

We explored how contraception is addressed in pre-abortion counseling, with a focus on the conversational strategies used by healthcare providers. We recorded 28 pre-abortion counseling sessions at three South African public hospitals and analyzed them using conversation analysis. In discussions about past contraceptive use, patients were often positioned as irresponsible and required to account for assumed inadequate contraceptive practices. This framing laid the groundwork for the coercive provision of post-abortion contraception, particularly long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). Short-term users and younger patients were singled out, receiving repeated warnings about daily adherence or parental enforcement. Providers’ efforts to prevent the perceived “mistake” of abortion led to the use of coercive conversational tactics.

A chimeric peptide promotes immune surveillance of senescent cells in injury, fibrosis, tumorigenesis and aging.

The accumulation of senescent cells can lead to tissue degeneration, chronic inflammatory disease and age-related tumorigenesis. Interventions such as senolytics are currently limited by off-target toxicity, which could be circumvented by instead enhancing immune-mediated senescent cell clearance; however, immune surveillance of senescent cells is often impeded by immunosuppressive factors in the inflammatory microenvironment. Here, we employ a chimeric peptide as a 'matchmaker' to bind to the urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, a cell surface marker of senescent cells. This peptide modifies the cell surface with polyglutamic acid, promoting immune cell-mediated responses through glutamate recognition. By enhancing the recruitment of immune cells and directly coupling senescent cells and immune cells, we show that this chimeric peptide induces immune clearance of senescent cells and restores tissue homeostasis in conditions such as liver fibrosis, lung injury, cancer and natural aging in mice. This chimeric peptide introduces an immunological conversion strategy that rebalances the senescent immune microenvironment, offering a promising direction for aging immunotherapy.

A synergistic fermentation system of probiotics with low-cost and high butyric acid production: Lactiplantibacillus plantarum and Clostridium tyrobutyricum

Butyric acid plays a significant role in maintaining body health, and thus the research on cost-effective and efficient biological conversion strategies for butyric acid production holds great importance. This study utilized the mutual interactions between prebiotics and multiple probiotic strains to target increasing the butyric acid yield in a co-fermentation system. Briefly, xylan, an inexpensive biomass material, was used as a prebiotic to screen lactic acid bacteria that capable of being promoted for proliferation and metabolism in its presence. Subsequently, the interaction between the screened lactic acid bacteria and a butyric acid-producing strain (Clostridium tyrobutyricum) was utilized to enhance butyric acid production. The results showed that xylan significantly improved the proliferation and lactic acid metabolizing ability of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum C0502. Whole-genome analysis revealed that L. plantarum carries at least four distinct enzyme genes related to the hydrolysis and utilization of xylan. Co-cultivation of L. plantarum with C. tyrobutyricum demonstrated that the C. tyrobutyricum was able to effectively convert lactic and acetic acids into butyric acid. Furthermore, the addition of xylan into this co-culture system yielded a remarkable butyric acid production of up to 5.01 ± 0.04 g/L, which is 4.58 times higher than the yield obtained from the monoculture of C. tyrobutyricum in reinforced Clostridium medium. The results of this study suggested that the co-culture system of xylan, L. plantarum, and C. tyrobutyricum has the potential to significantly enhance butyric acid production while markedly reduce the production cost. This has immense prospects for practical applications.

Adaptable management for cooling cyclic air in ship power plants by heat conversion – Part 1: Downsizing strategy for cogeneration plants

The ship power plants (SPP) are generally based on Diesel engines. Their fuel efficiency is gradually sensible to cyclic air temperatures and drops with their rise. A sustainable performance of ship engines with high fuel efficiency is possible by cooling intake and charge air as two objects in waste heat conversion chillers. The peculiarities of marine engine application are associated with constrained space of machine room. Whereas, the chiller's downsizing leads to inevitable lack of their cooling capacity and incomplete cooling air which results in reduction of fuel saving. The research objective is to develop the heat conversion management adaptable to balanced downsizing and fuel saving strategies due to flexible heat distribution between the chillers of different efficiencies (COP) in response to current thermal loads on engine cyclic air cooling system along the ship routes which enables to foresee a sustainable thermally stabilized and fuel saving operation of SPP. For the first time, such conflicting challenges are satisfied by flexible heat distribution between different chillers in response to intake and charge air cooling needs. The unique of such approach lies in unloading the high efficient but cumbersome chiller (absorption with COP about 0.7 as example) to boost the less efficient but easy to place in machine room ejector chiller (COP of about 0.2). The method of flexible heat distribution to minimize chiller sizes as constraints is realized in methodology based on step-by-step comparing the gap between heat demand and production to minimize shortage in fuel reduction simultaneously. It has been proved that cooling engine air by compact but less efficient ejector chiller (ECh) and high effective but cumbersome lithium bromide absorption chiller (ACh) of reduced capacity and sizes by about 30 % accordingly provides a specific fuel consumption reduced by about 3 %. The loss of route fuel saving by about 10 % is considered as the "cost" for downsizing. These findings have been verified by the calculation results on current and summarized values of the cooling capacities lack, caused by the chiller's downsizing, and fuel saving along the ship route. The novel strategy of heat conversion by combined chillers is especially useful for upgrading the existing engine air cooling system to implement it into the ship machine room. It can be successfully applied for any type of combustion engines and stationary application while space limitation, for instance, mobile autonomous trigeneration plants of container type.

Synthesis of oxygen-rich carbon materials as metal-free catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction in seawater electrolyte

Compared to conventional aqueous metal-air batteries, seawater batteries provide a promising strategy for the sustainable energy conversion and storage systems. However, the intricate ionic environment of seawater, in particular, Cl− significantly restraint the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity of the catalysts. Herein, mesoporous carbon materials with abundant oxygen-containing functional groups were simply fabricated as the cost-effective catalysts from the biowaste Ginkgo biloba, exhibiting prominent stability and ORR activity with a 4e− path selectivity up to 92 % in seawater electrolyte. Structure characterization and ORR experimental results indicated the ORR performance was significantly modulated by the C-O-C in carbon matrix, and the synergistic of C-O-C and N-containing configuration may further enhance the dissociation of O-O of ∗OOH, resulting in an optimized 4e− path selectivity. Additionally, the Ginkgo biloba derived catalysts displayed an overpotential of 580 mV for at 10 mA/cm2 more negative than that of the previously reported commercial Ir/C in seawater electrolyte. This study highlights the synthesis of sustainable and cost-effective catalysts for seawater batteries, offering a strategy for designing metal-free catalysts of seawater battery, and promoting the advancement of sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies.

Mental health care needs of caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease from online forum analysis

Informal caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) are at risk of poor mental health. This study aimed to investigate the feasibility and validity of studying caregivers’ mental stressors using online caregiving forum data (March 2018–February 2022) and natural language processing and machine learning (NLP/ML). NLP/ML topic modeling generated eight prominent topics, which we compared with qualitatively defined themes and the existing caregiving framework to assess validity. Among a total of 60,182 posts, 5848 were mental distress-related; for the ADRD patients (symptoms, medication, relocation, care duty share, diagnosis, conversation strategy) and the caregivers (caregiving burden and support). While we observed novel topics from NLP/ML-defined topics, mostly those were aligned with the existing framework. For feasibility assessment, qualitative title screening was done. The findings shed new light on the potential of NLP/ML text analysis of the online forum for informal caregivers to prepare tailored support for this vulnerable population.

Metapragmatic markers and the instantiation of pragmatic frames: A cognitive-linguistic approach to the problem of current discourse

Abstract Reference to current discourse is often cited as a definitional criterion for classifying linguistic units as metapragmatic. However, there is no consensus in research on the precise meaning and limits of this criterion. In this paper, a cognitive-linguistic perspective is adopted to address this issue by focusing on how interactants conceptualize discourse. A synthesis of Langacker’s (2001) current-discourse-space model (CDS model) and the notion of pragmatic frames is used to analyze metapragmatic practices in a television discussion. The analytical annotation process shows that metapragmatic markers (MPMs) evoke specific kinds of frame structures including the instantiation of pragmatic frames. Based on the annotation of the entire transcribed discussion, it will be argued that the visualization of discourse sequences in the CDS model and the examination of the specific frame structures evoked by MPMs contribute to a better understanding of the core of metapragmaticity. The paper concludes with a pilot study that uses quantitative methods to demonstrate the analytical potential of a cognition-centered categorization of MPMs. It is shown that the use of MPMs reflects different interactional roles (i.e., host or discussant) and the conversational strategies used to shape the conceptualization of argumentative discourse to pursue specific interactional goals.

Biomimetic low carbonization efficient solar-driven thermochemical energy storage reactor design inspired by the diatoms’ superior photosynthesis capacity

Photon is the energy source that drives solar thermochemistry. Photon-based radiative transfer in the reactor space is an essential mode of energy transfer. However, there often exists mismatch between the radiative and chemical fields in direct solar thermochemical processes, which can lead to ultra-high temperature gradients and high carbonization rates. While, the vicious cycle that exists between high temperature gradients and higher carbonization rates could severely limit the thermochemical efficiency. To improve the efficiency and reduce the temperature gradient and carbonization, inspired by the superior performance of diatom photosynthesis, a biomimetic radiation-regulated reactor is proposed. The paper establishes multi-field model of steam methane reforming, and analyzes the energy conversion processes at pore-scale. In numerical analyses, compared to the conventional reactor, the biomimetic reactor enhances the light forward scattering in fore-end and the backward scattering in rear-end, which increases the light absorption efficiency by 6.8% and reduces the temperature gradient by 41.3%. In experimental investigation, the methane conversion and the solar-fuel efficiency of the biomimetic reactor is 48.6% and 44.0%, which is increased by 11.5% and 10.7% respectively. It also demonstrates high efficiency and stability under long operating conditions. The biomimetic reactor provides a new strategy for industrial solar-driven methane conversion.

Perovskite derived oxygen vacancies-rich BiOBr nanosheets for highly efficient photocatalysis

BiOBr has garnered significant attention for photocatalysis owing to its distinctive layered structure. Nevertheless, it is full of challenges to synthesize high-quality BiOBr nanosheets by a simple room-temperature strategy due to the rapid chemical reaction between (Bi2O2)2+ cations and Br- anions. Herein, a Cs3Bi2Br9 conversion strategy is proposed to fabricate BiOBr nanosheets with highly exposed (001) facets. BiOBr nanoclusters can grow on the surface of Cs3Bi2Br9 during the hydrolysis process, which can prevent further corrosion of Cs3Bi2Br9, resulting in a sluggish BiOBr formation rate. During the conversion process, atom rearrangement occurs, leading to the creation of abundant oxygen vacancies. Furthermore, through precise adjustment of the amount of Cs, we can finely modulate the width and thickness of BiOBr nanosheets. As a result, the optimal sample achieves complete photodegradation of rhodamine B under 12.5 min of light irradiation. Utilizing this facile and convenient preparation method, an ohmic heterojunction comprising MXene and BiOBr has been synthesized, effectively promoting the separation of photogenerated carriers. Excitingly, the fabricated BiOBr/MXene exhibits higher photocatalytic efficiency than the single BiOBr, which can degrade rhodamine B within 7.5 min.

Ambient Synthesis of Vanadium-Based Prussian Blue Analogues Nanocubes for High-Performance and Durable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries with Eutectic Electrolytes.

Prussian blue analogues (PBAs) have been widely studied in aqueous zinc-ion batteries (AZIBs) due to the characteristics of large specific surface area, open aperture, and straightforward synthesis. In this work, vanadium-based PBA nanocubes were firstly prepared using a mild in situ conversion strategy at room temperature without the protection of noble gas. Benefiting from the multiple-redox active sites of V3+/V4+, V4+/V5+, and Fe2+/Fe3+, the cathode exhibited an excellent discharge specific capacity of 200 mAh g-1 in AZIBs, which is much higher than those of other metal-based PBAs nanocubes. To further improve the long-term cycling stability of the V-PBA cathode, a high concentration water-in-salt electrolyte (4.5 M ZnSO4+3 M Zn(OTf)2), and a water-based eutectic electrolyte (5.55 M glucose+3 M Zn(OTf)2) were designed to successfully inhibit the dissolution of vanadium and improve the deposition of Zn2+ onto the zinc anode. More importantly, the assembled AZIBs maintained 55 % of their highest discharge specific capacity even after 10000 cycles at 10 A g-1 with superior rate capability. This study provides a new strategy for the preparation of pure PBA nanostructures and a new direction for enhancing the long-term cycling stability of PBA-based AZIBs at high current densities for industrialization prospects.

Planar Deposition via In Situ Conversion Engineering for Dendrite-Free Zinc Batteries.

Owing to the considerable capacity, high safety, and abundant zinc resources, zinc-ion batteries (ZIBs) have been garnering much attention. Nonetheless, the unsatisfactory cyclic lifespan and poor reversibility originate from side reactions and dendrite obstacles to their practical applications. In addition to inhibiting the corrosion of aqueous electrolytes, regulating planar deposition is a key strategy to enhance their long-term stability. Herein, an in situ conversion strategy is reported to construct a protective "dual-layer" structure (VZSe/V@Zn) on zinc metal, consisting of the VSe2-ZnSe outer layer with low lattice mismatch to Zn (002) plane, and corrosion-resistant nanometallic V inner layer. Such design integrates superior interfacial ionic/electronic transfer, corrosion resistance, and unique planar deposition regulation capability. The as-prepared VZSe/V@Zn demonstrates remarkable durability of 238h at 50mA cm-2 with a high depth of discharge (68.3% DOD) in the Zn||Zn symmetric cell. Even in the anode-free system, the as-prepared protective layer can extend the cycle life up to 2000 cycles, with an outstanding capacity retention of 93.1% and ultra-high average coulombic efficiency of 99.998%. This work delineates an effective strategy for fabricating lattice-matching protective layers, with profound implications for elucidating zinc deposition mechanisms and paving the way for the development of high-performance zinc batteries.

Discovery and Analysis of Key Core Technology Topics in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Through the BERTopic Model

As a core component of clean energy technology, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) play a crucial role in promoting the evolution of energy structures and realizing sustainable development, representing an environmentally friendly energy conversion strategy. This paper identifies the key core technology themes in the field of the proton exchange membrane fuel cells by constructing patent and paper datasets in the field, applying the BERTopic model for theme identification, and calculating the key core technology scores of each theme using the importance, innovativeness, and high competitiveness barriers to identify the key core technology themes in the field, so as to provide guidance and references for the relevant research and practice. The results of the study show that patent documents and academic papers show obvious differentiation in technical themes: the key core technologies identified in patent texts include ‘battery separator materials’, ‘rubber sealing materials’, and ‘porous carbon fibre materials’. The key core technologies identified in the academic paper of the thesis include ‘palladium-based electrocatalys’, ‘graphene oxide composite film’, and ‘platinum-graphene oxide catalyst’.

Coupling Conversion of CO2 and High‐Carbon Alkane to CO and Gasoline

AbstractCatalytic conversion of CO2 to valuable products is a promising way to reduce anthropogenic CO2 emission. Herein, a strategy for coupling conversion of CO2 and high‐carbon alkane to CO and gasoline is developed, which is a feasible choice for the combination of CO2 recycling and petroleum refining. The CO2 conversion reaches 2.6% under mild condition (270 °C), and the selectivity of gasoline in the cracking products exceeds 70 wt%. Additionally, the introduction of CO2 improves the selectivity of aromatic hydrocarbons and increases the octane number of gasoline. Mechanism studies indicate that synergistic effect between Brønsted acid centers and Ni sites on the Beta zeolite supported Ni (20 wt%) catalyst (20Ni/β) plays the key role in alkane cracking and CO2 reduction. Notably, 13CO2 isotopic experiments show that the hydrogen produced during the aromatization can be captured by CO2, inhibiting undesired hydrogen transfer pathways and enhanced the yield of aromatics, while CO2 is converted into valuable CO.

Rational Design for Enhancing Cellobiose Dehydrogenase Activity and Its Synergistic Role in Straw Degradation.

Addressing the demand for efficient biological degradation of straw, this study employed rational design coupled with structural biology and enzyme engineering techniques to enhance the catalytic activity of cellobiose dehydrogenase (PsCDH, CDH form Pycnoporus sanguineus). By predicting and modifying the active site and key amino acids of PsCDH, several CDH immobilized enzyme preparations with higher catalytic activities were successfully obtained. The excellent mutant T1 (C286Y/A461H/F464R) exhibited a 2.7-fold increase in enzyme activity compared to the wild type. Simulated calculations indicated that the enhancement of catalytic activity was primarily due to the formation of additional intermolecular interactions between CDH and the substrate, as well as the enlargement of the substrate pocket to reduce steric hindrance effects. Additionally, molecular dynamics simulation analysis revealed a potential correlation between structural stability and enzyme activity. When PsCDH was added to a multienzyme synergistic straw degradation system, the cellulose degradation rate increased by 1.84-fold. Moreover, mutant T1 further increased the degradation of lignocellulose in the mixed system. This study provides efficient enzyme sources and modification strategies for the high-efficiency biological conversion of straw and unconventional feedstock degradation, thereby possessing significant academic value and application prospects.

Membrane Separations in Biomass Processing.

The development of integrated biorefineries and the greater utilization of biomass resources to reduce dependence on fossil fuel-derived products require research emphasis not just on conversion strategies but also on improving separations associated with biorefining. A significant roadblock towards developing biorefineries is the lack of effective separation techniques evidenced by the lack of literature in this area. Additionally, high conversion yields may only be realized if effective separations generate feedstock of sufficient purity - this makes research into biomass conversion strategies all the more critical. In this review, the challenges associated with biomass separations are discussed, followed by an overview of the most appropriate separation strategies for processing biomass. One of the unit operations most appealing for biorefining, membrane separations (MS), is then considered along with a review of the recent literature utilizing this technique in biomass processing.

Pharmaceutical Marketing Management in India

Background: In order to identify key tactics and their gaps, the researcher self- designed questionnaire responses from 80 respondents (who either work at managing level in a pharmaceutical company or own their own firm) on Google through convenience sampling across several areas in India. Additionally, the researcher solicited consumer input on marketing assistance, strategies, and tools. We are going to present research on how pharmaceutical firms' marketing tactics change over time as they transition from one to other. It will additionally shine light on the many marketing techniques and tools that pharmaceutical businesses use. Results: A comprehensive cohort comprising 160 patients satisfying the criteria was included in the study. The duration of the study was six months, and the data were collected from the Department of Nephrology of a Government Medical College. Businesses must use digital marketing, or digital devices for marketing (TAB), to improve efficient advertising after studying pharmaceutical marketing strategies and proposing various strategies for conversation. Digital platforms also play a significant role in facilitating effective feedback and surveys related to marketing strategies. For the healthcare sector to effectively communicate and implement strategies, medical representatives must rotate on a regular basis. The supply chain pricing strategy must also adapt to local requirements in order to enhance sales development. The pricing plan for the supply chain must be adjusted to the demands of the region in order to boost sales. In the pharmaceutical sector, developing new medicines and improving existing ones are necessary to boost sales and generate income. This study includes many details and outcomes that need to be analysed further to improve the current pharmaceutical scenario. Work must be done on quality, the use of advanced techniques, and the implementation of new schemes that benefit the MR team

Biomass-Derived-Carbon-Supported Spinel Cobalt Molybdate as High-Efficiency Electrocatalyst for Oxygen Evolution Reaction.

Ananas comosus leaves were converted to a porous graphitized carbon (GPLC) material via a high-temperature pyrolysis method by employing iron salt as a catalyst. A cobalt molybdate (CoMoO4)-and-GPLC composite (CoMoO4/GPLC) was then prepared by engineering CoMoO4 nanorods in situ, grown on GPLC. N2 adsorption-desorption isothermal curves and a pore size distribution curve verify that the proposed composite possesses a porous structure and a large specific surface area, which are favorable for charge and reactant transport and the rapid escape of O2 bubbles. Consequently, the as-synthesized CoMoO4/GPLC shows low overpotentials of 289 mV and 399 mV to afford the current densities of 10 mA cm-2 and 100 mA cm-2 towards the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), which is superior to many CoMoO4-based catalysts in previous studies. In addition, the decrease in current density is particularly small, with a reduction rate of 3.2% after a continuous OER procedure for 30 h, indicating its good stability. The excellent performance of the CoMoO4/GPLC composite proves that the GPLC carrier can obviously impel the catalytic activity of CoMoO4 by improving electrical conductivity, enhancing mass transport and exposing more active sites of the composite. This work provides an effective strategy for the efficient conversion of waste ananas comosus leaves to a biomass-derived-carbon-supported Co-Mo-based OER electrocatalyst with good performance, which may represent a potential approach to the development of new catalysts for OER, as well as the treatment of waste biomass.

Lignin-derived core-shell flame retardants for fire-safety rigid polyurethane (RPU) insulations

How to ensure the fire safety of rigid polyurethane (RPU) insulation materials remains a challenge. Herein, alkali lignin (AL) and 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) were used as raw materials to construct bio-based cross-linked polyurethane structures on the surface of ammonium polyphosphate (APP) to obtain APP@AL flame retardants. APP@AL was combined with expandable graphite (EG) in varying proportions and applied to rigid polyurethane (RPU) foam to modify its flame retardancy and physico-mechanical characteristics. Compared with untreated RPU, the high interfacial compatibility increased the compressive strength of the flame-retardant RPUs by 10.8 %, and the thermal insulation coefficient reached 22.8 mW·m−1·K−1. The addition of flame retardant for each flame-retardant RPU was 30 wt% of the polymethylene polyphenyl isocyanate. Owing to the P/C/O hybridized char layer in the combustion residues and the capture of gas by EG after expansion, APP@AL/EG not only reached the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 27.1 % but reduced the mean heat release rate and smoke release rate by 70.3 % and 58.9 %, respectively. This work presented a novel approach to designing environmentally friendly flame retardants for RPU foams with enhanced fire safety and superior overall performance. Additionally, it offers a novel strategy for the high-value conversion of lignin.

Electrochemical Decarboxylation Coupling Reactions.

Carboxylic acids are attractive synthetic feedstocks with stable, non-toxic, and inexpensive properties that can be easily obtained from natural sources or through synthesis. Carboxylic acids have long been considered environmentally friendly coupling agents in various organic transformations. In recent years, electrochemically mediated decarboxylation reactions of decarboxylic acids and their derivatives (NHPI) have emerged as effective new methods for constructing carbon-carbon or carbon-heterocarbon chemical bonds. Compared with transition metal and photochemistry-mediated catalytic reactions, which do not require the addition of oxidants and strong bases, electrochemically-mediated decarboxylative transformations are considered a sustainable strategy. In addition, various functional groups tolerate the electrochemical decarboxylation conversion strategy well. Here, we summarize the recent electrochemical decarboxylation reactions to better elucidate the advantages of electrochemical decarboxylation reactions.