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Chinese researchers use bacteria to remove toxic chemicals from water.

China to lift nationality restrictions on top science awards.

Why sunshine improves mood and makes us smarter.

Science fund to support innovation.

Human embryonic stem cell-derived neurons for treating Parkinson’s disease.

DNA analysis reveals distinct lineage of ancient panda in South China.

Cryo-EM reveals interaction between major drug targets.

Fetal imaging equipment improved.

Chinese, French scientists develop one-two punch for cancer treatment.

Tech giants tap into AI healthcare market.

Chinese ‘nurse sharing’ app to offer at-home care.

Esco invests RMB100 million into Innovation Center in China.

Nutrition Society of China and Russia jointly promote dairy industry development.

Merck’s collaborations in China: Alibaba Health and Tongji University.

Pyrene is a high molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) that is found in water systems worldwide. It is harmful to living organisms, even when taken in very small amounts. The photocatalytic degradation of pyrene in porous Pt/TiO₂–SiO₂ photocatalyst (PPtPC) suspension under UV irradiation was investigated in this study. PPtPC was prepared by a simple heat treatment of the compacted powder mixtures of anatase TiO₂ and amorphous SiO₂ with camphor as a pore directing template, followed by coating platinum by the dip-coating method. X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an integrated energy-dispersive analysis of the X-ray (EDX) system, and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) were used to characterize PPtPC. The degradation kinetics of pyrene in different experimental conditions, such as initial concentration of pyrene, oxygen concentrations, pH, and temperature, were investigated. The durability of PPtPC was also tested. The results indicate that the structure of TiO₂ in PPtPC is anatase. The aggregated size of PPtPC is in the range of 10–100 μm, the mean pore diameter is 3 nm, and the BET surface area is 109 m² g^-1. The photocatalytic degradation process of pyrene follows pseudo-first-order kinetics. The rate constants increase as the initial concentration of pyrene and pH decrease. Higher temperature slightly enhances the rate constant. The dissolved oxygen in the photocatalytic degradation process is not as important as in the photolysis process. The recovered PPtPC still shows high photoactivity. This work suggests that PPtPC offers a promising method for high molecular weight PAH removal.

Healthcare-associated infections are a significant concern in acute care facilities across the US. Studies have shown the importance of a hygienic patient environment in reducing the risk of such infections. This has caused an increased interest in ultraviolet (UV-C) light disinfectant technology as an adjunct technology to provide additional pathogen reduction to environmental surfaces and patient care equipment (i.e., surfaces). It is also well known that UV-C light can cause premature degradation of materials, particularly certain plastic materials. However, there is little information in the literature regarding characterizing this degradation of plastics and other materials used for surfaces in healthcare. This study aims to evaluate multiple characterization techniques and propose a systematic approach to further understand early onset degradation of plastics due to UV-C exposure. Susceptibility and modes of degradation of multiple plastic materials were compared using the techniques evaluated. Ten grades of plastic materials were exposed to UV-C light in a manner consistent with standards given in the healthcare and furniture industry to achieve disinfection. These materials were characterized for visual appearance, chemical composition, surface roughness and hardness using light microscopy, spectrophotometry, contact angle analysis, infrared spectroscopy, profilometry and nanoindentation. All characterization methods were able to identify one or more specific degradation features from UV-C exposure covering different aspects of physicochemical properties of the surfaces. However, these methods showed different sensitivity and applicability to identify the onset of surface damage. Different types of surface materials showed different susceptibility and modes to degradation upon UV-C light exposure. UV-C disinfection can cause detectable damage to various surfaces in healthcare. A characterization approach consisting of physical and chemical characterizations is proposed in quantifying surface degradation of a material from UV-C exposure to address the complexity in modes of degradation and the varied sensitivity to UV-C from different materials. Methods with high sensitivity can be used to evaluate onset of damage or early stage damage.