Post-pandemic trends: Epidemiological and etiological insights into acute respiratory infections in southern China.

Data on people suspected with acute respiratory infections (ARIs) from August 2022 to December 2023 in southern China were analyzed. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the positive detection rates of respiratory pathogens increased to 56.9%. Influenza A virus (IAV) emerged as the predominant prevalence pathogen (52.1%), followed by Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp: 21.2%), and SARS-CoV-2 (11.6%). Mp, IAV, and Human rhinovirus (HRV) infection were the primary etiologies of ARIs patients under age 18, accounting for 49.4%, 48.6%, and 21.7%, respectively. Mp, HRV, Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and Adenovirus (ADV) contributed to ARIs cases in virtually every month in this group, with Mp being particularly notable for its consistent presence and high co-infection rate (31.0%). IAV was predominant in the 19 to 59 age group (88.6%), SARS-CoV-2 was responsible for most of ARIs in the elderly group (82.5%). This study provides valuable insights into the dynamic nature of respiratory pathogens post COVID-19 era.

The mystery of Ph3PS revealed in magic-size Ag-S cluster nucleation.

The synthesis of atomically precise semiconductors Ag-S clusters is a subject of intense research interest, yet the formation mechanism of such nanoclusters remains obscure due to their uncontrolled fast nucleation process in solution. Herein, we have investigated the reaction mechanism responsible for {Ag32S3} nucleation using UV, ESI-MS, NMR and SCXRD analyses. Triphenylphosphorus sulfide (PPh3S) was surprisingly found to slow down the kinetic process of the cluster nucleation. Furthermore, a key precursor [Ag2(Ph3PS)4]2+ was captured, which was attacked by Agn(CCBut)m and traces of water to generate {Ag32S3}. This mechanism provides valuable new insights into the synthesis of inorganic magic-size clusters.

Fabrication of porous carbon derived from cotton/polyester waste mixed with oyster shells: Pore-forming process and application for tetracycline removal.

Porous carbon was fabricated from cotton/polyester-based textile wastes as a carbon source coupled with oyster shells for tetracycline removal. The preparation conditions were optimized and detailed characterization was conducted to study the effects of oyster shells on cotton/polyester pyrolysis. The optimal pyrolysis temperature (900 °C), pyrolysis time (1 h) and mass ratio (OS/CPW of 1:1) were determined using the Box-Behnken experiment. The best porous carbon reached a surface area of 645.05 m2/g. Oyster shells acted as templates to produce cotton/polyester-based porous carbon and a possible pore-forming process was proposed. CaO was converted from CaCO3, which played the dominant role in developing the mesoporous structure. CO2 gas released from CaCO3 promoted the creation of micropore structure. In addition, the impurites of oyster shells acted as the dispersing agent inhibiting CaCO3 and CaO aggregation and growth. Fe2O3 and K2O from impurities reacted with the carbon skeleton to increase microporosity. Finally, the well-developed and uniform porous carbon was obtained. The first-pseudo order model and Langmuir isotherms were suitable. The maximum adsorption capacity of PC-OS-900 was 515.17 mg/g which competed with other waste-based adsorbents. The TET adsorption mechanism was related to pore distribution, hydrogen bonds, π-π EDA interactions and electrostatic interactions.

Enhanced reactivity and electron selectivity of GAC-Fe-Cu ternary micro-electrolysis system toward p-chloronitrobenzene under oxic conditions.

A novel GAC-Fe-Cu ternary micro-electrolysis system was synthesized for the removal of p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) under oxic conditions. p-CNB could be efficiently removed by GAC-Fe-Cu at a wide initial pH range of 1.0-9.0. In particular, the p-CNB removal efficiency of 96.96 % was obtained at initial pH of 7.2, and the degradation (44.96 %) was the major removal pathway. Additionally, reduction and oxidation simultaneously contributed to the degradation of p-CNB. The results indicated that OH was the prime reactive species under acidic conditions while O2- dominated the degradation of p-CNB under neutral conditions. Reduction reaction was remarkably enhanced in the presence of dissolved oxygen and the iron corrosion could be accelerated by in-situ generated H2O2. Furthermore, XPS analysis of GAC-Fe-Cu revealed the surface-mediated electron transfer and oxidant generation process. The excellent degradation efficiency of p-CNB at initial pH of 7.2 was attributed to the enhanced electron selectivity of GAC-Fe-Cu as well as the high selectivity of near-surface generated O2- toward p-CNB and its intermediate products.

New insights into the reinforced reduction performance of Fe0/C internal electrolysis activated by persulfate for p-nitrophenol removal.

In this study, the reduction of iron-carbon internal electrolysis was reinforced by persulfate for p-nitrophenol removal. The effects of persulfate dosage, initial pH and iron-carbon mass ratio were comprehensively studied in batch experiments. In the system of iron-carbon internal electrolysis coupled with persulfate, the iron-carbon internal electrolysis and persulfate had a significant mutual influence, exhibiting a wide range of pH in the treatment process. Moreover, the coupled system also showed the remarkable removal and degradation efficiency of p-nitrophenol according to the contrast experiments. The satisfactory results should be attributed to the potential reduction of iron-carbon internal electrolysis, which was stimulated by persulfate to transform the nitro group to the amine group, accompanying the subsequent oxidation. Furthermore, persulfate possessed the ability that the dynamically destructive effect on external and internal of Fe0 and the scavenging action on activated carbon, effectively strengthening the potential energy for release and transfer of reductive substances. Both HO• and SO4•- as the main free radicals were formed to mineralize the intermediates in the coupled system. These findings indicate that the system of iron-carbon internal electrolysis coupled with persulfate can be a promising strategy for the treatment of the toxic and refractory wastewater.

Effect of dispersant on the synthesis of cotton textile waste-based activated carbon by FeCl2 activation: characterization and adsorption properties.

Considering the accumulation and high consumption of activating agents, anhydrous ethanol (AE) could be used to dissolve them to improve the dispersion effect, which was an effective way of improving the practical utilization rate. In this study, FeCl2 was dissolved in AE and further impregnated cotton textile waste (CTW) to prepare activated carbons (ACs) by pyrolysis. Afterward, ACs prepared in optimal conditions determined by the orthogonal experiment evaluated the physicochemical properties and adsorption capacities for Cr(VI). The results illustrated that AE greatly increased the dispersion of FeCl2 on CTW, reduced the conventional impregnation dosage, and remarkably improved the activation efficiency. Textural analyses revealed that ACs exhibited excellent porosity properties and graphite carbon structure. FeCl2 catalyzed the decomposition of volatile substances to produce gaseous products and promoted the transformation of amorphous carbon to graphite carbon that was conducive to pore development, followed by the formation of developed micropores and crystal structures. The adsorption performance of ACs was estimated using Cr(VI), and the adsorption was fitted with the pseudo-second-order kinetic and the Langmuir isotherm. Furthermore, the ACs possessed superior magnetization and reusability. Graphical abstract.

Synthesis of char-based adsorbents from cotton textile waste assisted by iron salts at low pyrolysis temperature for Cr(VI) removal.

Char-based adsorbents (char-FeCl3, char-FeCl2, and char-FeCit) derived from cotton textile waste (CTW) were synthesized by one-step low-temperature pyrolysis approach with different iron salts. The properties of the samples were conducted by BET, SEM, EDS, XRD, XPS, TEM, and FTIR. The results suggested that the surface areas of char-FeCl3 and char-FeCl2 were higher than those of char-FeCit. The presence of Fe2O3 as well as pyrolysis gas (HCl (g) and H2O (g)) could catalyze the formation of porosity. Meanwhile, FeCl3 showed the strongest catalysis effect to decompose cellulose to produce char. The pyrolysis process analysis was investigated by means of thermogravimetry-DSC. FeCl3 and FeCl2 could accelerate the breakage of cellulose structure whereas FeC6H5O7 was not beneficial to form char at low temperature as the incomplete decomposition of citrate. The adsorption property of Cr(VI) for the chars was evaluated. Adsorption processes were fitted well with the Freundlich model, and char-FeCl3 presented the best adsorptive capacity (70.39 mg/g). Thus, this low-temperature pyrolysis method was economical and technologically simplified as well as efficient adsorption capacity of Cr(VI) removal. Graphical abstract.