Explainable Machine Learning-Based Prediction Model for Diabetic Nephropathy.

The aim of this study is to analyze the effect of serum metabolites on diabetic nephropathy (DN) and predict the prevalence of DN through a machine learning approach. The dataset consists of 548 patients from April 2018 to April 2019 in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University (SAHDMU). We select the optimal 38 features through a least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model and a 10-fold cross-validation. We compare four machine learning algorithms, including extreme gradient boosting (XGB), random forest, decision tree, and logistic regression, by AUC-ROC curves, decision curves, and calibration curves. We quantify feature importance and interaction effects in the optimal predictive model by Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) method. The XGB model has the best performance to screen for DN with the highest AUC value of 0.966. The XGB model also gains more clinical net benefits than others, and the fitting degree is better. In addition, there are significant interactions between serum metabolites and duration of diabetes. We develop a predictive model by XGB algorithm to screen for DN. C2, C5DC, Tyr, Ser, Met, C24, C4DC, and Cys have great contribution in the model and can possibly be biomarkers for DN.

Cobalt-Graphene Catalyst for Selective Hydrodeoxygenation of Guaiacol to Cyclohexanol.

Herein, cobalt-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) catalyst was synthesized with a practical impregnation-calcination approach for the selective hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol to cyclohexanol. The synthesized Co/rGO was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-angle annular dark-field scanning TEM (HAADF-STEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and H2 temperature-programmed reduction (H2-TPR) analysis. According to the comprehensive characterization results, the catalyst contains single Co atoms in the graphene matrix and Co oxide nanoparticles (CoOx) on the graphene surface. The isolated Co atoms embedded in the rGO matrix form stable metal carbides (CoCx), which constitute catalytically active sites for hydrogenation. The rGO material with proper amounts of N heteroatoms and lattice defects becomes a suitable graphene material for fabricating the catalyst. The Co/rGO catalyst without prereduction treatment leads to the complete conversion of guaiacol with 93.2% selectivity to cyclohexanol under mild conditions. The remarkable HDO capability of the Co/rGO catalyst is attributed to the unique metal-acid synergy between the CoCx sites and the acid sites of the CoOx nanoparticles. The CoCx sites provide H while the acid sites of CoOx nanoparticles bind the C-O group of reactants to the surface, allowing easier C-O scission. The reaction pathways were characterized based on the observed reaction-product distributions. The effects of the process parameters on catalyst preparation and the HDO reaction, as well as the reusability of the catalyst, were systematically investigated.

Experimental and modeling investigation of organic modified montmorillonite with octyl quaternary ammonium salt.

The sodium montmorillonite was organic modified with three kinds of quaternary ammonium salts containing 1 to 3 octyl chains, and then the organic montmorillonite was studied by FT-IR, XRD, and TG characterization as well as Monte Carlo simulations, to explore the influence of the number of octyl chains and the loading of intercalated cations on the basal spacing (d001) of the modified montmorillonite complexes. According to the distribution of intercalated quaternary ammonium cations and the energy change of the montmorillonite complexes, a reasonable explanation was given for the enlargement of the interlayer space. The results of experimental characterization and Monte Carlo simulations show that all the three intercalation agents can enlarge the interlayer space of montmorillonite complexes. The more the number of octyl chains in the salt, the more significant expanding effect on the interlayer space. The three intercalation cations exhibited a distribution arranged from mono-layered to multi-layered structure as the loading of intercalated cations increases.

Deep desulfurization performance of thiophene with deep eutectic solvents loaded carbon nanotube composites.

One source of air pollution is the combustion of sulfur compounds in fuel oil. Reducing sulfur content in fuel oil has become a hot issue demanding timely solutions. Using ionic liquids and deep eutectic solvents (DESs) to remove sulfides in fuel oil has achieved good results presently. However, since DESs are liquid and their transportation and separation are inconvenient, a new way is proposed that the DESs are loaded on the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with large specific surface area and good chemical stability. A series of composites materials (DESs/CNTs) were prepared. Finally, they are applied to the removal of sulfides in fuel oil. This loading method, which imparts introduced unique physico-chemical properties of the DESs to the carrier materials, preserves both advantages while overcoming some of the problems with DESs. The interaction between DESs and CNTs is mutual promotion. Therefore, this study has important theoretical significance and industrial application value. Under optimal conditions, when the reagent ChCl/p-TsOH (1 : 2) was loaded on multi-walled CNTs (OD = 30-60 nm) to prepare the composite material (ChCl/p-TsOH)/CNTs, the single desulfurization rate of the composite material was 95.8%. Finally, the catalytic/oxidation mechanism was studied systematically and this work would provide a green route for the desulfurization of fuels.

A feedback-controlling digital microfluidic fluorimetric sensor device for simple and rapid detection of mercury (II) in costal seawater.

By combination of miniaturization potential of digital microfluidics (DMF) and sensitivity of fluorescence probe, an integrated sensor device has been initially constructed for mercury detection in coastal waters. The actuation feature of the detecting target, seawater droplet, which remains unclear, was basically explored. To overcome a potential risk of driven failure, induced by diversity ion ingredients in seawater, a feedback control loop was included into control system. Analyzing method for coastal waters was well established on DMF, which showed satisfied stability and selectivity in Hg sensing under high salinity condition, with the sensitivity of Hg2+ at the parts per billion level and total testing time less than 20s. With the advantages of being fast, amenable to automation and low cost, this device is promising for the formation of simple and rapid sensor device, especially for a routine monitoring and emergency detection of Hg/or other metals in coastal waters.

Computational and experimental research on mechanism of cis/trans isomerization of oleic acid.

The harm of trans-fatty acids to health has aroused public concern. It is believed that the main source of trans-fatty acids in diets is the isomerization of unsaturated fatty acids in edible oils during cooking. However, the information on the isomerization mechanism is very limited. In this paper, we used oleic acid, an unsaturated fatty acid, as a simplified model for edible oil and investigated the mechanism of cis/trans isomerization by computation and experiments. The computational results show that Rc-O-O-H is a very important intermediate, and the cleavage of O-O bond in Rc-O-O-H is the rate-controlling step during the cis/trans isomerization. Using the ATR-FTIR measurements, the contents of elaidic acid were measured quantitatively in sites. The experimental results indicate that the cis/trans isomerization of oleic acid can occur obviously only under oxidizing condition when the temperature is higher than 120 °C.

Experimental and theoretical studies on compositions, structures, and IR and NMR spectra of functionalized protic ionic liquids.

The compositions and structures of amine-based functionalized protic ionic liquids (PILs), namely N,N-dimethyl(cyanoethyl)ammonium propionate (DMCEAP) and N,N-dimethyl(hydroxyethyl)ammonium propionate (DMEOAP) have been investigated systematically by IR and (1)H NMR spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Analysis of the IR spectra suggests that both DMCEAP and DMEOAP are composed of neutral and ionized species in the liquid phase, the former one mainly existing in the state of precursor molecules, and the latter mainly as ion-pairs. The ratio of precursor molecules to ion-pairs in the liquid phase depends on the types of precursors, especially the functional groups of cations. (1)H NMR spectra indicate that there is a dynamic equilibrium between the neutral and ionized species, probably due to the formation of some intermediates in the PILs. The DFT calculations have been carried out to reveal the conformation, and obtain the corresponding IR and (1)H NMR spectra of the neutral and ionized species, so that the theoretical support to the experimental results can be provided. The present study will help understand the properties of PILs and provide guidance for further applications of PILs.

[Analysis of by-products in photopromoted carbonylation of cyclohexene and carbon dioxide by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry].

The analysis of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been applied more and more in organic chemistry because of the availability of the immediate information from reaction mixture. In some simple reaction systems, the structures can be determined by the comparison of the normal MS with the isotopic MS though usually it is difficult to get structures only from MS. Cyclohexene could also react with acetone to produce by-products in photopromoted carbonylation of cyclohexene with carbon dioxide under ambient conditions. CH3COCH3 and CD3COCD3 were used to analyze those by-products in the carbonylation of cyclohexene with carbon dioxide by GC-MS. The comparison of the normal MS with the isotopic MS from CH3COCH3 and CD3COCD3 was made to make sure if acetone takes part in side-reactions. The molecular weight and mass charge ratio of some related fragments could increase by 3 (one -CH3 from CH3COCH3) or 6 (two -CH3 from CH3COCH3) when using CD3COCD3 in place of CH3COCH3, which was an efficient way to determine the structures and the fragments in MS. By using this method it was confirmed that 2% derivative of epoxybutane, 4% cyclo-C6H9-C(CH3)2OH and 2% cyclo-C6H11-C(CH3)2OH were formed from the reaction of cyclohexene and acetone. The explanation of the formation of these three compounds was made according to photochemistry and the experimental results.