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The surface characteristics of nanoparticles have a huge impact on adsorption effects. In this paper, thiol‐functional mesoporous silica nanospheres (MSNs−SH) are successfully prepared through simple one‐step hydrolysis and co‐condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate and (3‐mercaptopropyl) triethoxysilane with hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide and sulfobetaine 12 as dual‐template. The obtained MSNs−SH have high surface area (1260 m2 g−1), accessible mesopores (2.2 nm), great pore volume (1.7 cm3 g−1), and uniform adjustable diameter (90 nm). Furthermore, the diameter and pore‐size of MSNs−SH can be controlled via adjusting the ethanol content in the synthesis system. MSNs−SH exhibit a fast adsorption kinetics, marked adsorption capacity of cationic rhodamine B (RB 534.2 mg g−1), and remarkable selective adsorption for cationic dyes. Theoretical analysis reveals the adsorption behavior of RB on MSNs−SH follows the Langmuir isotherm models and pseudo‐second‐order kinetic. Additionally, the thermodynamic results indicate that the adsorption process is a spontaneous process driven by temperature. The results demonstrate that MSNs−SH are greatly potential for effectively removing cationic dyes from wastewater, with the advantages of simple preparation, high adsorption performance and perfect selectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesoporous Pt-based alloy nanospheres were prepared via a one-step soft-template strategy. The regulation of electronic structure, lattice contraction and abundant active sites endowed the mesoporous Pt-based catalysts with remarkable electrochemical activity towards ethanol oxidation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monodisperse hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres with large cavity (62 nm) in the inner core, small mesopores in the outer shell, and high specific surface area of 373 m2/g are successfully synthesized via one‐step dual‐template synthetic approach utilizing dodecyl sulfobetaine and sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate as double templates. The architectures including particles sizes, outer shell thickness, and hollow structure could be effective regulated by simple adjusting the volume proportion of alcohols in the solution. Besides, the functions of alcohols in determining the critical micelle concentration and polarity of the synthesis system are elaborated. Owing to introduction of amino active sites in the outer shell, the prepared hollow mesoporous silica nanospheres deliver high loading capacity and favorable selectivity towards anionic dye molecules. The maximum uptake amount for methyl orange and eosin Y reaches as high as 359 mg/g and 332 mg/g, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The introduction of oxygen vacancies (Ov) into photoanodes has been considered an effective method to enhance the photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance. The efficiency of water splitting is related to light absorption, charge separation to the electrode surface, and charge injection into the electrolyte. However, introducing Ov from a single level cannot meet the above objectives. In this work, we present the fabrication of BiVO 4 (BVO) photoanodes with bulk and surface Ov, and their respective roles in the PEC performance have been studied. The bulk O V of the photoanode could increase the carrier density and improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated electrons and holes. The surface Ov provide abundant surface active sites, and enhance the charge injection efficiency. Charge separation efficiency of the nitrogen-treated BVO (N:BVO) (69.1 % at 0.75 V vs RHE and 85.1 % at 1.23 V vs RHE) has a noticeable increase compared with that of BVO (51.2 % at 0.75 V vs RHE and 64.6 % at 1.23 V vs RHE), nevertheless, only a minor enhancement of charge injection efficiency (from 49.1 % to 56.5 % at 1.23 V vs RHE). After the deposition of NiFeOOH, the photoanodes present superior charges injection efficiency in the whole range of applied potential. The as-synthesized N:BVO/U-NiFeOOH photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 5.52 mA·cm−2 at 1.23 V vs RHE with a 97 % Faradaic efficiency for O 2 /H 2 evolution. Thus, there is a synergistic effect between the bulk O V and surface O V on the BVO photoanode, exhibiting highly promoted PEC water splitting activity relative to the individual O V decorated BVO for oxygen evolution reaction, which provides a promising strategy for fabricating efficient solar water splitting systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recognition and separation of chiral isomers are of great importance in both industrial and biological applications. However, owing to identical molecular formulas and chemical properties of enantiomers, signal transduction and amplification are still two major challenges in chiral sensing. In this study, we developed an enantioselective device by integrating chiral covalent organic framework nanosheets (CONs) with nanochannels for sensitive identification and quantification of enantiomers. Using 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) as the model analyte, the as-prepared chiral nanofluidic device exhibits a remarkable chiral recognition ability to l -DOPA than d -DOPA. More importantly, due to the chelation of DOPA with Fe3+ ions, it can efficiently block the ion transport through channel and shield the channel surface charge, which will amplify the difference in the electrochemical response of l -DOPA and d -DOPA. Therefore, a sensitive chiral recognition can be achieved using the present nanofluidic device coupled using electrochemical amplification strategy. Notably, using this method, an ultra-low concentration of l -DOPA (as low as 0.21 pM) can be facilely and successfully detected with a linear range of 1 pM–10 μM. This study provides a reliable and sensitive approach for achieving highly selective detection of chiral molecules. A novel enantioselective device by integrating chiral covalent organic framework nanosheets with nanochannels was prepared for sensitive identification and quantification of enantiomers. The as-prepared chiral nanofluidic device exhibits a remarkable chiral recognition to l -DOPA than d -DOPA. More importantly, due to the chelation of DOPA with Fe3+ ions, it can efficiently block the ion transport through channel and shield the channel surface charge, which will significantly reduce the transport ion current and amplify chiral recognition signal. [Display omitted] • A novel enantioselective device was perpared for the highly sensitive identification and quantification of enantiomers. • Due to the signal is largely charge amplified, an ultra-low concentration of l -DOPA can be successfully detected. • This novel device present great detection selectivity and reversibility, which is necessary for enantiomers detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To investigate the genetic contribution of copy number variations (CNVs) in Wingless-type MMTV integration site family, member 4 (WNT4), in a Chinese population with Müllerian anomalies (MA), copy number analysis of WNT4 by Multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) was performed on 248 female patients. Some studies have shown that heterozygous missense mutation of WNT4 can lead to MA. However, few studies on the relationship between WNT4 CNVs and MA have been performed.Results: Among the 248 Chinese women affected by MA in this study, heterozygous deletion of WNT4 was detected in a single patient.Conclusions: MLPA identified one heterozygous deletion in WNT4 in a single female patient among 248 Chinese women affected by MA. This study firstly reports CNVs of WNT4 in a large sample of MA patients from the Chinese population, which suggests that CNVs of WNT4 cannot be excluded in the occurrence of MA. This provides a genetic basis for precise treatment in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inhibiting effects of ciprofloxacin (CIP) on enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) were investigated with no change in reactor operation and with increased aeration rate and sludge retention time (SRT) to explore inhibition-alleviating solutions. Additionally, performance recoverability was evaluated. The results showed that the phosphorus removal efficiency in the presence of 0.002–0.092 mg/L CIP for 7 days was only 12.5%. Increasing the aeration rate relieved inhibition (33.5% phosphorus removal efficiency on Day 7), and increasing SRT slowed EBPR performance deterioration. The EBPR performance recovered from CIP inhibition and increases in the aeration rate and SRT resulted in different recovery phenomena. The maximum PO 4 3--P release rate continued to decrease in the first 2 days of the recovery stage and then gradually increased. However, the maximum PO 4 3--P uptake rate immediately increased at different rates among reactors, which might be attributed to variations in the microbial community structure, decreased poly-P content, and enhanced abundances of ABC transporters and quorum sensing. It was found that some microorganisms associated with phosphorus removal were more tolerant to CIP than glycogen accumulating organisms. Moreover, the increased relative abundance of the qepA gene indicated that the microorganisms in the EBPR system had strong antibiotic resistance capacity. The bacterial community structure was significantly affected by CIP and could not recover to the initial structure. The results help to provide technical support for the operation of the EBPR process in the presence of CIP and to increase the understanding of system recoverability. [Display omitted] • Increasing aeration rate and sludge retention time alleviated the inhibition. • Ciprofloxacin inhibition on phosphorus removal performance was recoverable. • The bacterial community was affected and could not recover to the initial structure. • The maximum PO 4 3--P uptake rate increased immediately in the recovery stage. • The maximum PO 4 3--P release rate decreased and then increased in the recovery stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dysfunction of susceptibility genes leads to broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) in plants. A rice ubiquitin E3 ligase degrades an ortholog of plant thermosensor to positively regulate blast resistance. Gao et al. recently showed that this E3 ligase also ubiquitinates a Ca2+-sensor to mediate rice BSR, extending our knowledge of susceptibility protein ubiquitination for plant BSR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat (NLR) proteins play critical roles in plant immunity. However, how NLRs are regulated and activate defense signaling is not fully understood. The rice (Oryza sativa) NLR receptor Piz-t confers broad-spectrum resistance to the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae and the RING-type E3 ligase AVRPIZ-T INTERACTING PROTEIN 10 (APIP10) negatively regulates Piz-t accumulation. In this study, we found that APIP10 interacts with two rice transcription factors, VASCULAR PLANT ONE-ZINC FINGER 1 (OsVOZ1) and OsVOZ2, and promotes their degradation through the 26S proteasome pathway. OsVOZ1 displays transcriptional repression activity while OsVOZ2 confers transcriptional activation activity in planta. The osvoz1 and osvoz2 single mutants display modest but opposite M. oryzae resistance in the non- Piz-t background. However, the osvoz1 osvoz2 double mutant exhibits strong dwarfism and cell death, and silencing of both genes via RNA interference also leads to dwarfism, mild cell death, and enhanced resistance to M. oryzae in the non- Piz-t background. Both OsVOZ1 and OsVOZ2 interact with Piz-t. Double silencing of OsVOZ1 and OsVOZ2 in the Piz - t background decreases Piz-t protein accumulation and transcription, reactive oxygen species-dependent cell death, and resistance to M. oryzae containing AvrPiz-t. Taken together, these results indicate that OsVOZ1 and OsVOZ2 negatively regulate basal defense but contribute positively to Piz-t-mediated immunity. The E3 ligase APIP10 interacts with transcription factors OsVOZ1 and OsVOZ2 and promotes their degradation through the 26S proteasome pathway. OsVOZ1 and OsVOZ2 function synergistically to negatively regulate basal resistance but positively contribute to the NLR Piz-t-mediated immunity to the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid growth of economics and nanotechnology, a significant portion of the anthropogenic emissions of heavy metals and nanoparticles (NPs) enters wastewater streams and discharges to wastewater treatment plants, thereby potentially posing a risk to the bacteria that facilitate the successful operation of the enhanced biological phosphorus (P) removal (EBPR) process. Although some efforts have been made to obtain detailed insights into the effects of heavy metals and metal (oxide) nanoparticles [Me(O)NPs], many unanswered questions remain. One question is whether the toxicity of Me(O)NPs originates from the released metal ions. This review aims to holistically evaluate the effects of heavy metals and Me(O)NPs. The interactions among extracellular polymeric substances, P, and heavy metals [Me(O)NPs] are presented and discussed for the first time. The potential mechanisms of the toxicity of heavy metals [Me(O)NPs] are summarized. Additionally, mathematical models of the toxicity and removal of P, heavy metals, and Me(O)NPs are overviewed. Finally, knowledge gaps and opportunities for further study are discussed to pave the way for fully understanding the inhibition of heavy metals [Me(O)NPs] and for reducing their inhibitory effect to maximize the reliability of the EBPR process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Astroviruses (AstVs) are major causative agents of gastroenteritis in children and have been reported in many species. Canine astrovirus (CaAstV), as an enteric pathogen, has been widely detected worldwide, but little is known about their genetic diversity and evolution, partly owing to a lack of genomic data. Here, we sequenced 12 nearly full‐length CaAstV genomes to address the gap in knowledge. We found 14 (13.2%) and 7 (3.35%) CaAstV‐positive samples from pet dogs with and without diarrhoea, respectively. Co‐infections were with co‐infection with Torque teno canis virus (TTCaV) reported for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis of the ORF2 gene revealed four major lineages. In particular, lineage 4 might have evolved from a recombinant virus from lineage 2 and lineage 3. The strains sequenced here clustered with lineages 2, 3 and 4 in contrast with other Chinese strains identified previously that clustered with lineages 2 and 4. Amino acid sequence alignment within lineage revealed intralineage amino acid diversity and that the type of epidemic strains within lineages changes over time. Three amino acids substitutions located in predicted B‐cell epitopes, which might be involved escape of host immunity. Moreover, frequent inter‐clade ORF2 gene recombinants were identified. The identification of individual recombination events and a recombinant lineage indicated that recombination plays a crucial role in CaAstV genetic evolution and diversity by generating divergent viruses. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis of ORF1b, the most conserved gene of astrovirus, revealed a close relationship between CaAstV and California sea lion astroviruses. Overall, we report detailed information on the genetic evolution and diversity of CaAstV, which indicates that CaAstV may pose challenges for diagnostics and future control strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The core‐shell TiO2@g‐CN nanorods arrays were constructed directly on fluorine‐doped tin oxide grass using vacuum magnetic filtered arc ion plating. The unique structure combines both advantages from TiO2 as an effective electron‐transfer layer and graphic carbon nitride (g‐CN) with a proper band gap serving as visible light absorption layer. Under 100 mW/cm2 (AM 1.5G) light illumination, the optimal TiO2@g‐CN produces a photocurrent density of 0.91 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode, which is 2.1 times of the bare TiO2 (0.43 mA/cm2) obtained at the same potential. The improved photoelectrochemical performance is mainly attributed from the improved charge separation and transport within the heterojunction as well as the enhanced light absorption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Congenital bilateral absence of vas deferens (CBAVD) is an important disease of male infertility, which affects 1%–2% of infertile population. In addition to common mutations of CFTR, copy number variants (CNVs) have also been implicated as one of the pathogenesis of CBAVD. The present study aimed to investigate the genetic contribution of CFTR CNVs in Chinese Han population with CBAVD. Methods: Two hundred and sixty‐three CBAVD patients were recruited. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples. The Multiplex Ligation‐dependent Probe Amplification assay was performed which targets the region of the CFTR gene. Results: Among 263 Chinese men affected with CBAVD in this study, 5 (1.90%) patients were detected for copy number variants in the region of CFTR gene (4 of them carried partial deletions and 1 of them carried partial duplication of CFTR gene). Conclusions: The study showed that the rate of CFTR CNVs in Chinese population with CBAVD were basically consistent with the previous reports. And the study first revealed genetic risk of CNVs of CFTR on a large sample size of CBAVD patients in Chinese Han population, which prompted that it was necessary to detect CNVs of CFTR in Chinese Han people with CBAVD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alternaria species are mainly saprophytic fungi, but some pathotypes of Alternaria alternata infect economically important plants including cereal crops, vegetables and fruits. Specially, A. alternata generates toxins which contaminate food and feed. To date, management of A. alternata relies primarily on fungicides. However, the control efficacy in most cases is below expectation due to ubiquity of A. alternata and resistance to fungicides. To mitigate resistance and develop long-lasting fungicides, uncovering multiple rather than single target is a prerequisite. Membrane proteins are potential targets of fungicides owing to wide participation in myriad biochemical events especially material transport, signal transduction and pathogenicity. However, so far, little is known about the distribution and molecular structure of A. alternata membrane proteins (AAMPs). Herein we summarize AAMPs by data mining and subsequent structure prediction. We also outline the state-of-the-art research advances of AAMPs especially those closely related to pathogenicity. Overall, this review aims to portray a picture of AAMPs and provide valuable insights for future development of highly efficient fungicides towards A. alternata or beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Variations in many genes may lead to the occurrence of oocyte maturation defects. To investigate the genetic basis of oocyte maturation defects, we performed clinical and genetic analysis of a pedigree. Methods: The proband with oocyte maturation defect-2 receiving ovulation induction therapy and her parents were selected for clinical detection, whole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing. One unrelated healthy woman received ovulation induction therapy as control. Mutations were assessed after frequency screening of public exome databases. Then homozygous variants shared by the proband and her parents were selected. Results: Arrest of oocytes maturation was observed. A new missense mutation in TUBB8 (TUBB8: NM_177,987: exon 2: c. C161T: p. A54V) was identified, which was shown to be rare compared with public databases. The variant was highly conserved among primates, and was suggested to be deleterious by online software prediction. Conclusions: The homozygote of this variant (TUBB8: NM_ 177,987: exon 2:c.C161T: p.A54V) might affect spindle assembly, cause arrest of oocyte maturation and lead to oocyte maturation defect-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short chain fatty acid (SCFAs), such as butyrate, have shown promising therapeutic potential due to their immunomodulatory effects, particularly in maintaining immune homeostasis. However, the clinical application of SCFAs is limited by the need for frequent and high oral dosages. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is characterized by aberrant activation of peripheral T cells and myeloid cells. In this study, we aimed to deliver butyrate directly to the lymphatics using a polymeric micelle-based butyrate prodrug to induce long-lasting immunomodulatory effects. Notably, negatively charged micelles (Neg-ButM) demonstrated superior efficacy in targeting the lymphatics following subcutaneous (s.c.) administration and were retained in the draining lymph nodes, spleen, and liver for over one month. In the collagen antibody-induced arthritis (CAIA) mouse model of RA, only two s.c. injections of Neg-ButM successfully prevented disease onset and promoted tolerogenic phenotypes in T cells and myeloid cells, both locally and systemically. These results underscore the potential of this strategy in managing inflammatory autoimmune diseases by directly modulating immune responses via lymphatic delivery. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we demonstrate that monodispersed hollow mesoporous organosilica nanospheres (MONs) and yolk-shell MONs possessing controlled core cavity and mesoporous shell is successfully synthesized through a one-pot approach, which involves co-condensation of 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane and 1,2-bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane templated by lauryl sulfonate betaine and sodium dodecyl benzenesulfonate. The MONs present an open mesoporosity, hollow cavity with a morphology tailored by the various core templates, and high surface area (328 m2/g). In addition, the composition of the hollow MONs could be further tuned through the same approach. The as-prepared hollow MONs as adsorbent deliver an enormous adsorption capacity (414 mg/g) towards the removal of Pb2+ from water solution. Importantly, the prepared hollow MONs present acceptable recycling and stability, since the performance in Pb2+ removal from water remains above 80 % even after 5 consecutive cycles. The adsorption of Pb2+ on hollow MONs follows the pseudo-second-order mechanics and Langmuir isotherm models. The results confirm hollow MONs exhibit considerable promise for the remarkably efficient separation of Pb2+ ions in water solution. The hollow MONs with different compositions and yolk-shell structured MONs with different shapes are successfully synthesized via one-step dual-template synthetic approach. [Display omitted] • Hollow mesoporous organosilica nanospheres (MONs) were prepared by a simple one-step dual-template method. • The approach is applicable to the synthesis of hollow and yolk-shell MONs. • Different compositons and morphologies could be constructed on the MONs. • Hollow MONs reveal high adsorption performance for heavy metal ions Pb2+ and acceptable recycling and stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The photocurrent density of the photoanode got a great improvement. • The introduction of Bi 2 MoO 6 enhanced the charge separate efficiency and chemically active area. • Cobalt phosphate catalyst further improved the PEC performance of heterojunction. Three-dimensional Bi 2 MoO 6 /TiO 2 array was fabricated by decorating TiO 2 nanorods (NRs) with Bi 2 MoO 6 nanosheets (NSs). Compared with pristine TiO 2 NRs and Bi 2 MoO 6 NSs, the obtained Bi 2 MoO 6 /TiO 2 heterostructure showed an excellent photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance. The photocurrent density reached 0.54 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs.RHE, 61% higher than that of bare TiO 2 NRs array and almost tenfold higher than that of Bi 2 MoO 6 NSs array on FTO. The high performance of heterostructured Bi 2 MoO 6 /TiO 2 composite was mainly attributed to the expansion of absorption band edge and the enhancement of charge separation efficiency as well as the simultaneously increased chemically active area after introducing Bi 2 MoO 6 on TiO 2 arrays. Cobalt phosphate (Co-Pi) was further decorated on the surface of the Bi 2 MoO 6 /TiO 2 to accelerate the surface water oxidation reaction, and the photocurrent density increased to 0.72 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs.RHE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For electrospun silicon/carbon nanofiber composites, the surface precipitation of silicon nanoparticles can cause poor cycle stability. To solve this, a carbon-coated silicon/carbon nanofiber (Si/C@C) composite with a 'sandwich' structure is constructed by hydrothermal reaction of glucose and an electrospun silicon/carbon nanofiber, followed by high-temperature carbonization. The effects of the thickness of the carbon coating layer and calcining temperature on the electrochemical performance are studied. The results showed that carbon is uniformly and continuously coated on the surface of the composite fibers, which avoid direct exposure of precipitated silicon on the surface of the nanofibers to the electrolyte, reduce the occurrence of side reactions and is conducive to the stable formation of SEI films. At the same time, the carbon shell inhibit the volume expansion of silicon to a certain extent and improve the conductivity of the composites. Consequently, the obtained Si/C@C exhibit good rate performance and cycle stability. With the optimised carbon coating thickness and calcination temperature, the obtained electrodes deliver a reversible capacity of 1120 and 683 mA h g-1 at a current density of 0.1 and 2 A g-1 respectively, and a specific capacity of 602 mAh∙g-1 at a current density of 1 A g-1 after 100 cycles, a capacity retention rate of 80%. The facilely synthesised Si/C@C composite shows potential applications in high-capacity silicon-based anode materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract The high temperature asphalt was preoxidized and carbonized before acid oxidation to prepared graphene quantum dots. Stepwise, the graphene quantum dots was neutralized with ammonia and hydrothermal treated. The as-synthesized graphene quantum dots can emit bright yellow fluorescence, and it have fluorescent quenching effect while mixed with Fe3+ solution, hence, it was applied as an effective fluorescent sensing probe to detect Fe3+ ions. Highlights • Graphene quantum dots were firstly prepared using high -softening point asphalt. • Amino-functionalized graphene quantum dots were successfully synthesized. • Amination and amidation were found to be the underlying mechanisms of fluorescence enhancement in af-GQDs. • A superior detection limit of 0.51 nM was achieved by af-GQDs in Fe3+ detection. Abstract Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) are known to display tunable photoluminescence (PL) proprieties by functional modification. Here, yellow fluorescence amino-functionalized GQDs (af-GQDs) were synthesized using high-softening point asphalt as precursor and ammonia as nitrogen source, and the mechanism of fluorescence enhancement by nitrogen-containing functional groups is also discussed in detail. The photoluminescence quantum yield (QY) of the resultant GQDs increased from 4.7% to 13.8% after the amino-hydrothermal treatment. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images showed that the af-GQDs have more uniform size distribution than GQDs. PL and ultraviolet–visible spectrum (UV–Vis) suggested that two types of electron transitions namely π-π∗ and n-π∗ occurred intrinsically in GQDs, and n-π∗ transition of functional groups was more prominent in af-GQDs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses demonstrated that reduction reactions occurred on the surface of GQDs, and nitrogen functional groups were introduced into GQDs during the amino-hydrothermal treatment process. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) results confirmed that the energy level of the highest occupied molecular orbit increased from 6.98 to 7.26 eV. The amide and amino groups were considered to contribute to the fluorescence enhancement of GQDs. Furthermore, the af-GQDs were used as effective fluorescent sensing probes to detect Fe3+ ions, which have a high sensitivity, good selectivity, and superior detection limit of 0.51 nM, indicating their promising application in trace Fe3+ ion detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Activation of plant respiratory burst oxidase homologs (RBOHs) to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) is a crucial defense signaling event. RBOH activation occurs predominantly through N-terminal phosphorylation and the binding of a small GTPase. Two recent papers reported that C-terminal phosphorylation and ubiquitination modulates AtRBOHD activity, which extends our understanding of the fine-tuning of RBOH signaling in plant immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, BiVO 4 films are firstly synthesized, followed by electrodepositing of Cu 2 O to construct BiVO 4 /Cu 2 O heterojunction electrodes for photoelectrochemical water splitting. By regulating the electrodeposition potential, it is possible to control that Cu 2 O is deposited on the surface or inside of BiVO 4 , which enables them n-type or p-type semiconductivity behavior for oxygen and hydrogen evolution reactions, respectively. Due to the built-in electric field of p-n heterojunction and the Co-Pi co-catalyst layer, the anodic photocurrent density of optimized BiVO 4 /Cu 2 O/Co-Pi photoanode reaches 1.97 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE. In the meantime, the deposition of Cu 2 O inside BiVO 4 has reversed the arrangement of the BiVO 4 /Cu 2 O heterogeneous structure. The cathodic photocurrent density of the fabricated BiVO 4 /Cu 2 O-C photocathode shows − 2.9 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the unbiased solar tandem cell is fabricated using BiVO 4 /Cu 2 O-C photocathode and BiVO 4 /Cu 2 O/Co-Pi photoanode, which exhibits 0.1 mA cm−2 in the photoelectrochemical cell without applying any external voltage. [Display omitted] • BiVO4 decorated with Cu2O can be served as photoanodes. • By varying electrodeposition potential, the as-fabricated hybrid BiVO4/Cu2O photoelectrodes also exhibited photocathodes character. • The unique distribution location of Cu2O renders it to form anticipant heterojunctions with opposite conductive types. • The BVO/Cu2O/Co-Pi—BVO/Cu2O-C tandem cell exhibited 0.78 mA cm−2 of Jop. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) was simulated using ASM1 coupled to a dedicated aeration model. The influent component fractionation and key stoichiometric and kinetic parameters were obtained based on experiments. The coupled model was verified using a mass balance approach, and can predict the pollutant removal profile and DO concentration accurately. Furthermore, several control strategies were compared by simulating the aeration process in the WWTP. The control strategies were based on two main control structures: (1) feedback ammonia PI (proportional and integral) control structure, and (2) cascade feedforward and feedback ammonia PI control structure. A comprehensive approach was adopted to assess the optimal performance of each control strategy at different setpoints of effluent ammonia concentration and aeration volumes under control. Meanwhile, the interaction between the feedforward controller and the feedback controller was studied. The results show that the feedforward structure was more reliable and effective than the feedback structure in energy saving and effluent quality control. The feedforward controller had a significant effect on the performance of the feedback controller. However, the feedback structure alone could save up to 13.2% aeration energy without worsening the effluent quality under the proper control volume and ammonia load. Therefore, the feedback structure can be used as an upgrade alternative of the current aeration strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenylalanine ammonia lyases (PALs) are involved in resistance to plant pathogens, but the mechanism by which they contribute to plant immunity is unclear. Two recent studies provide direct evidence for PALs' contributions to rice broad-spectrum resistance (BSR) mediated by nucleotide-binding domain and leucine-rich repeat-containing (NLR) proteins and RNA-binding proteins (Zhai et al. , Mol. Cell , 2019; Zhou et al. , Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A. , 2018). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Hemibiotrophic pathogens are some of the most destructive plant pathogens, causing huge economic losses and threatening global food security. Infection with these organisms often involves an initial biotrophic infection phase, during which the pathogen spreads in host tissue asymptomatically, followed by a necrotrophic phase, during which host-cell death is induced. How hemibiotrophic pathogens trigger host necrosis and how plants inhibit the transition from the biotrophic stage to the necrotrophic stage in disease symptom expression are mainly unknown. The rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae spreads in rice biotrophically early during infection, but this biotrophic stage is followed by a pronounced switch to cell death and lesion formation. Here, we show that the M. oryzae effector AvrPiz-t interacts with the bZIP-type transcription factor APIP5 in the cytoplasm and suppresses its transcriptional activity and protein accumulation at the necrotrophic stage. Silencing of APIP5 in transgenic rice leads to cell death, and the phenotype is enhanced by the expression of AvrPiz-t . Conversely, Piz-t interacts with and stabilizes APIP5 to prevent necrosis at the necrotrophic stage. At the same time, APIP5 is essential for Piz-t stability. These results demonstrate a novel mechanism for the suppression of effector-triggered necrosis at the necrotrophic stage by an NLR receptor in plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anaerobic fermentation of the enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) sludge was investigated in terms of phosphate release and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production regarding polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) activity. PAOs decay rate during fermentation was determined as 0.35 ± 0.03 d −1 . Sludge lysis was enhanced with an increase in polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) content. Moreover, the phosphate release profiles and the VFAs production as well as the individual VFA fractions varied with different acetate concentrations added initially. Based on these observations, anaerobic digestion model No. 1 was extended and modified by introducing: (1) processes that PAOs store 4 VFA species as PHA, which can be degraded into varied fractions of individual VFA in dependence on PHA composition, (2) the effect of PHA content on disintegration rate, and (3) phosphorus precipitation. The proposed model adequately fitted a multi-experiment, multi-variable data set, indicating that it plays an important role in predicting phosphate and VFAs variations during EBPR sludge fermentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Energy band structure of BiOI-TiO 2 heterojunction helped to improve PEC performance. • The p-type semiconductor BiOI has visible light absorption. • The built-in electric field of p-n heterojunction, which provides a driving force promoting the separation of photoexcited carriers. • The concept of p-n heterojunction, and type-II energy structure were simultaneously applied for a synergetic effect. The construction of p-n heterojunction is one of the effective strategies to improve the spatial charge separation due to built-in electric field. In this study, the p-type BiOI ultrathin 2D nanoplates decorated n-type TiO 2 nanosheets arrays (TNS) heterojunction photoanode was successfully fabricated through hydrothermal methods. The photocurrent density achieved for optimized BiOI/TNS photoanode was 0.54 mA cm−2 at 1.23 V vs. RHE, which is 15 times higher than that of unmodified TNS photoelectrode (0.036 mA cm−2) under simulated sunlight irradiation without any cocatalyst. In addition, the onset potential of BiOI/TNS photoanodes has a certain negative shift from 0.5 to 0.3 V, which can demonstrate BiOI/TNS photoanodes possesses better catalytic activity and kinetics for water oxidation. The excellent photoelectrochemical activity of BiOI/TNS could be attributed to the type-II energy structure of BiOI/TiO 2 photoanode, the built-in electric field of p-n heterojunction, and TiO 2 nanosheets arrays with high exposed {0 0 1} facets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To gain insight regarding the orthophosphate influence on fatty acid dynamics and methane production during mesophilic anaerobic sludge digestion, batch experiments were conducted. The results showed that an orthophosphate concentration of 414 g P m −3 accelerated acetotrophic methanogenesis, acetogenesis and acidogenesis. Lower or higher concentrations slowed these processes down. Three modifications of the Anaerobic Digestion Model No. 1 (ADM1) were compared by simultaneously fitting them to a multi-experiment (7 batches), multi-variable (6 measured variables) data set. A modified ADM1 model including Haldane kinetics of orthophosphate inhibition gave the best description of the measured data while the model using non-competitive acetate inhibition showed the poorest results. It is notable that the multi-experiment, multi-variable data set could be fitted with a single parameter set. The model with Haldane kinetics of orthophosphate inhibition together with the proposed parameters can be considered as a first attempt to describe the observed orthophosphate inhibition of anaerobic digestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the study "A Layered Defense Strategy Mediated by Rice E3 Ubiquitin Ligases against Diverse Pathogens," by Xuetao Shi and colleagues is presented.

Abstract: A sub-microscopic mechanism model named Fully Coupled Activated Sludge Model (FCASM) about biological nutrient removal in the wastewater treatment process was developed in the present study. The functional organisms existing simultaneously in the activated sludge system were separated into eight groups, including aerobic heterotrophic organisms, nitrite reducing organisms, nitrate reducing organisms, ammonium oxidizing autotrophs, nitrite oxidizing autotrophs, non-denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (PAOs), denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating bacteria (DPB), and glycogen-accumulating organisms (GAOs). In FCASM, the interaction relationships of the eight functional microorganisms were taken fully into account. FCASM could model biological nitrogen removal via nitrite by splitting nitrification process and denitrification process into two-step reactions, and the autotrophs and denitrifying organisms were divided into two groups, respectively. What’s important, FCASM included the anaerobic maintenance processes of sequential utilization of polyphosphate followed by glycogen for PAOs and DPB and glycolysis of the intracellular stored glycogen for GAOs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays crucial roles in cellular processes including plant growth, development, and stress responses. In this study, we report that a pair of E3 ubiquitin ligases, AvrPiz-t-interaction protein 6 (APIP6) and IPA1-interaction protein 1 (IPI1), intricately target early flowering3 (ELF3) paralogous proteins to control rice immunity and flowering. APIP6 forms homo-oligomers or hetero-oligomers with IPI1. Both proteins interact with OsELF3-2, promoting its degradation to positively control resistance against the rice blast fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae). Intriguingly, overexpression of IPI1 in Nipponbare caused significantly late-flowering phenotypes similar to the oself3-1 mutant. Except for late flowering, oself3-1 enhances resistance against M. oryzae. IPI1 also interacts with and promotes the degradation of OsELF3-1, a paralog of OsELF3-2. Notably, IPI1 and APIP6 synergistically modulate OsELF3s degradation, finely tuning blast disease resistance by targeting OsELF3-2, while IPI1 controls both disease resistance and flowering by targeting OsELF3-1. This study unravels multiple functions for a pair of E3 ligases in rice. [Display omitted] • APIP6 forms homo-oligomers with itself and hetero-oligomers with IPI1 • Both APIP6 and IPI1 promote OsELF3-2 degradation to enhance rice immunity • IPI1 targets OsELF3-1 to enhance immunity but negatively controls flowering • APIP6/IPI1 hetero-oligomers facilitate the degradation of ELF3 proteins in rice The pair of E3 ubiquitin ligases, APIP6 and IPI1, positively control rice immunity by promoting the degradation of OsELF3-2, while IPI1 delays flowering by destabilizing OsELF3-1. By forming hetero-oligomers, APIP6 and IPI1 synergistically control ELF3-mediated development and immunity in rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether alterations in white matter topological networks are associated with focal to bilateral tonic–clonic seizures (FBTCS) in temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Additionally, we investigated the variables contributing to memory impairment in TLE. Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 88 unilateral people with TLE (45 left/43 right), and 42 healthy controls. Graph theory analysis was employed to compare the FBTCS (+) group (n = 51) with the FBTCS (−) group (n = 37). The FBTCS (+) group was subcategorized into current‐FBTCS (n = 31) and remote‐FBTCS (n = 20), based on the history of FBTCS within 1 year or longer than 1 year before scanning, respectively. We evaluated the discriminatory power of topological network properties by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Generalized linear models (GLMs) were employed to investigate variables associated with memory impairment in TLE. Results: Global efficiency (Eg) was significantly reduced in the FBTCS (+) group, especially in the current‐FBTCS subgroup. Greater disruption of regional properties in the ipsilateral occipital and temporal association cortices was observed in the FBTCS (+) group. ROC analysis revealed that Eg, normalized characteristic shortest path length, and nodal efficiency of the ipsilateral middle temporal gyrus could distinguish between FBTCS (+) and FBTCS (−) groups. Additionally, GLMs linked the occurrence of current FBTCS with poorer verbal memory outcomes in TLE. Interpretation: Our study suggests that abnormal networks could be the structural basis of seizure propagation in FBTCS. Strategies aimed at reducing the occurrence of FBTCS could potentially improve the memory outcomes in people with TLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An efficient approach to reach the controlled synergetic dual-metal active sites in the confined mesopore of silica. Catalytic results concerning styrene epoxidation together with DRIFTS experiments and calculated bond energy variation in expected reaction intermediates demonstrated the existed synergy derived from the formed neighboring Cu-Mn species. • The neighboring Cu-Mn bimetallic sites in mesopore were obtained by a two-step tactic. • The neighboring state of Cu-Mn triggers a satisfactory synergistic effect. • The synergistic effect modulates the bond energy of the metalloepoxy intermediate to form targeted styreneoxide. • The oxidation of styrene is greatly improved on the Mn sites owing to the neighboring Cu around Mn. Herein, we report an efficient controlled approach to reach the synergetic neighboring dual-metal active sites in the confined mesopore of silica. In this approach, Mn-bearing mesoporous molecular sieve was designed in advance via a metal-assisted in-situ assembly route and further employed as a starting carrier to accommodate more extraneous Cu by impregnation. Controlling copper loading (Cu/Mn = 0.2, 0.4, and 0.6), comparative catalysts were attained and precisely characterized by key physicochemical methods. Impressively, in-situ formed highly-dispersed MnO x covered on the mesopore become the prerequisite for producing interplayed active species with neighboring dual Cu-Mn sites. Catalytic results concerning styrene epoxidation together with DRIFTS experiments and calculated bond energy variation in expected reaction intermediates demonstrated the existed synergy derived from formed neighboring Cu-Mn species via weakening and reinforcing appointed chemical bonds in intermediates. This study provides the foreseeable possibility for attaining universal synergetic catalysts in industrial heterogeneous catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Viral canine diarrhea has high morbidity and mortality and is prevalent worldwide, resulting in severe economic and spiritual losses to pet owners. However, diarrhea pathogens have similar clinical symptoms and are difficult to diagnose clinically. Thus, fast and accurate diagnostic methods are of great significance for prevention and accurate treatment. In this study, we developed a one-step multiplex Taq Man probe-based real-time PCR for the differential diagnosis of four viruses causing canine diarrhea including, CPV (Canine Parvovirus), CCoV (Canine Coronavirus), CAstV (Canine Astrovirus), and CaKoV (Canine Kobuviruses). The limit of detection was up to 102 copies/μL and performed well with high sensitivity and specificity. This assay was optimized and used to identify possible antagonistic relationships between viruses. From this, artificial pre-experiments were performed for mixed infections, and a total of 82 canine diarrhea field samples were collected from different animal hospitals in Zhejiang, China to assess the method. The virus prevalence was significantly higher than what previously reported based on RT-PCR (Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction). Taken together, these results suggest that the method can be used as a preferred tool for monitoring laboratory epidemics, timely prevention, and effective monitoring of disease progression. • A multiplex Taq Man probe-based qPCR for the differential diagnosis of four viruses causing canine diarrhea was established. • The limit of detection was up to 102 copies/μL and performed well with high sensitivity and specificity. • A preferred tool was developed for monitoring laboratory epidemics, and effective monitoring of disease progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Vacuum magnetic filtered arc ion plating (VMFAIP) system was used. • Bimetallic NiMoO 4 nanosheets co-catalyst decorated on TiO 2 /g-CN heterojunction. • A high photocurrent density of 1.8 mA/cm2 was obtained. • The photocurrent density is 2 times higher than that of pristine TiO 2 NRs. TiO 2 /g-CN based photocatalyst has been widely studied for its easy synthesis and outstanding charge separation efficiency. However, the difficulty in obtaining a high photocurrent value limits its application in photoelectrocatalysis water splitting. In this article, bimetallic NiMoO 4 nanosheets co-catalyst was decorated onto TiO 2 /g-CN heterojunction to form TiO 2 /g-CN/NiMoO 4 3D nanostructure. We obtained a photocurrent density as high as 1.8 mA/cm2 under 1 sun illumination at 1.23 V versus RHE, which is 2 times higher than that of pristine TiO 2 nanorods arrays (NRs). The improved performance mainly comes from two aspects. One is g-CN expands the response range to visible light, and forms a heterojunction with TiO 2 , which improves the efficiency of charge separation at the same time. The other is that the addition of bimetallic NiMoO 4 nanosheets oxygen evolution co-catalyst increases the surface active sites, and reduces the surface reaction barrier to promote oxidation reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A detailed and comprehensive epidemiology and evolutionary analysis to understand the evolutionary history of TTSuVs. • At the nucleotide sequence level, TTSuVs ORF1 was confirmed to be a robust phylogenetic maker to study evolution comparably to full genomes. • We find extensive recombination within TTSuVk2b. Single stranded (ss) DNA viruses are increasingly being discovered due to the ongoing development of modern technologies in exploring the virosphere. Characterized by high rates of recombination and nucleotide substitutions, it could be comparable to RNA virus ones. Torque teno sus virus (TTSuV) is a standard ssDNA virus with a high population diversity, whose evolution is still obscure, further, it is frequently found in co-infections with other viruses threatening the porcine industry and therefore share the same host and epidemiological context. Here, we implement and describe approach to integrate viral nucleotide sequence analysis, surveillance data, and a structural approach to examine the evolution of TTSuVs, we collected samples from pigs displaying respiratory signs in China and revealed a high prevalence of TTSuV1 and TTSuVk2, frequently as part of co-infections with porcine circoviruses (PCVs), especially in spleen and lung. In addition, thirty six strains sequenced were obtained to investigate their genetic diversity in China. The evolutionary history of TTSuVs were unveiled as following: At the nucleotide sequence level, TTSuVs ORF1 was confirmed to be a robust phylogenetic maker to study evolution comparably to full genomes. Additionally, extensive recombination discovered within TTSuVk2a (also 5 out of the 36 sequenced strains in this study revealed to be recombination). Then, pairwise distance, phylogenetic trees, and amino acid analysis confirmed TTSuVs species, and allowed to define circulating genotypes (TTSuV1a-1, 1a-2, 1b-1, 1b-2, 1b-3, and k2a-1, k2a-2, k2b). Selection analysis uncovered seven and six positive selected sites in TTSuV1 and TTSuVk2, respectively. At the protein structure level, mapping of sites onto the three-dimensional structure revealed that several positive selected sites locate into potential epitopes, which might related to the potential escaping from host immune response. Our result could assist future studies on swine ssDNA virus classification, surveillance and control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• G protein-coupled estrogen receptor plays an important role in tamoxifen resistance. • Genistein has affinity with G protein-coupled estrogen receptor. • Tamoxifen and genistein can synergistically inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells. Tamoxifen (TAM) is a classical anti-estrogenic drug that antagonizes estrogen by competitively binding to estrogen receptor α (ERα). However, drug resistance to TAM remains a significant challenge in breast cancer treatment. In this study, we aimed to design an actively targeted drug delivery system to enhance the proliferation inhibitory effects of TAM on ER positive breast cancer cells. Herein, chitosan (CS) was modified with genistein (GEN) to obtain the actively targeted GEN-CS. The TAM-loaded nanoparticles (TAM-GEN-CS-NPs) were constructed using an ionic-crosslinking method, with GEN-CS as the carrier material and sodium tripolyphosphate (TPP) as the crosslinking agent. As a result, TAM-GEN-CS-NPs exhibited a spherical morphology with an average size of 299.8 nm. The encapsulation efficiency and drug loading content were 85.77% and 14.13 µg/mg, respectively. Compared with free TAM, TAM-GEN-CS-NPs displayed obvious slow-release performance. In vitro cellular assays demonstrated that TAM-GEN-CS-NPs had active targeting and proliferation inhibitory effects on MCF-7 cells. The IC 50 of TAM and TAM-GEN-CS-NPs were 10.25 µg/mL and 7.22 µg/mL, respectively. More importantly, the combination index (CI) value of TAM and GEN was less than 1, indicating synergistic effects. Therefore, TAM-GEN-CS-NPs hold the potential to enhance TAM therapy for breast cancer through active targeting and synergistic treatment strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Plants typically activate distinct defense pathways against various pathogens. Heightened resistance to one pathogen often coincides with increased susceptibility to another pathogen. However, the underlying molecular basis of this antagonistic response remains unclear.Here, we demonstrate that mutants defective in the transcription factor ETHYLENE‐INSENSITIVE 3‐LIKE 2 (OsEIL2) exhibited enhanced resistance to the biotrophic bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas oryzae pv oryzae and to the hemibiotrophic fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, but enhanced susceptibility to the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Rhizoctonia solani.Furthermore, necrotroph‐induced OsEIL2 binds to the promoter of OsWRKY67 with high affinity, leading to the upregulation of salicylic acid (SA)/jasmonic acid (JA) pathway genes and increased SA/JA levels, ultimately resulting in enhanced resistance.However, biotroph‐ and hemibiotroph‐induced OsEIL2 targets OsERF083, resulting in the inhibition of SA/JA pathway genes and decreased SA/JA levels, ultimately leading to reduced resistance. Our findings unveil a previously uncharacterized defense mechanism wherein two distinct transcriptional regulatory modules differentially mediate immunity against pathogens with different lifestyles through the transcriptional reprogramming of phytohormone pathway genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

F‐box protein is a subunit of the SCF (SKP1‐CUL1‐F‐box protein) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which plays a critical role in regulating different pathways in plant immunity. In this study, we identified the rice (Oryza sativa) F‐box protein OsFBX156, which targets the heat shock protein 70 (OsHSP71.1) to regulate resistance to the rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae. Overexpression of OsFBX156 or knockout of OsHSP71.1 in rice resulted in the elevation of pathogenesis‐related (PR) genes and an induction burst of reactive oxygen species (ROS) after flg22 and chitin treatments, thereby enhancing resistance to M. oryzae. Furthermore, OsFBX156 can promote the degradation of OsHSP71.1 through the 26S proteasome pathway. This study sheds lights on a novel mechanism wherein the F‐box protein OsFBX156 targets OsHSP71.1 for degradation to promote ROS production and PR gene expression, thereby positively regulating rice innate immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving the carrier separation efficiency plays a decisive role in designing and constructing a high‐efficiency photocatalysis reaction system. Derived from providing a directional transport channel for photogenerated carriers, three‐dimensional (3D) nanostructures greatly improve the charge separation efficiency. Herein, TiO2/ZnO (TZ)/g‐C3N4 3D hierarchical nanostructure was constructed to artificially simulate photosynthesis of green plants. The optimal TZ/g‐C3N4 photoanode exhibits a photocurrent density of 1.46 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode potential, 1.6 times that of pure TiO2 (0.9 mA/cm2). Moreover, under constant illumination (100 mW/cm2), the hydrogen production reached 80 μmol/cm2 within 180 min. It is worth noting that the TZ/g‐C3N4 photoanode shows surprising stability, which is an important indicator for the practical application of the photoelectrode. The excellent photoelectrochemical performance benefits from the following two aspects: TZ nanotree structure provides a directional transport channel for photogenerated carriers, and the modification of TZ by g‐C3N4 extends the response range to the visible region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary goal of this study is to solve a major challenge of reservoir rock typing in quantitatively understanding the relationship between geological and petrophysical properties of carbonate reservoir. This paper first presents an improved overlapping index based on the grid density to define the overlapping relationship between different clusters and a grid density overlapping hierarchical algorithm (GDOH) for clustering of carbonate reservoir rock types. GDOH clustering algorithm is a hybrid type which integrates the gird, density, overlapping index and the hierarchical clustering method using the number of grid divisions and the threshold value of the overlapping index as the key parameters. Taking the Mishrif Formation of West Qurna Oilfield-1 as a case, the GDOH clustering algorithm is employed for clustering of carbonate reservoir rock types. As a result, ten geological rock types are identified according to the lithological type and diagenetic type using the thin section data. We finally got four reservoir rock types using the GDOH clustering algorithm with the overlapping index of core porosity and the permeability data as the metric. These reservoir rock types are different in reservoir qualities and porosity-permeability relationships. Each reservoir rock type also shows a similar set of capillary pressure curves and a typical and unique set of pore throat size distribution. The clustering result gives us some clues to understand the control of depositional and diagenesis features on the variation of reservoir rock types in reservoir quality and porosity-permeability relationship. Compared with the model-based petrophysical rock-typing techniques such as Winland r 35 , FZI and FZI-Star (FZI*), GDOH algorithm shows some apparent advantages in the evaluation of reservoir quality and prediction of permeability in three dimensions based on geologic principles in addition to understanding the relationship between reservoir rock type and petrophysical static and dynamic rock type. • The geological rock types are quantitatively identified by granular content and dissolution pore relative content. • The overlapping index based on the grid and density is first introduced to represent overlapping relations of data clusters. • The grid density overlapping hierarchical algorithm is first employed for clustering of carbonate reservoir rock typing. • GDOH algorithm solves the challenge of understanding the relationship between the geological and petrophysical properties. • Reservoir quality and reservoir fluid flow behavior are two essential properties of petrophysical rock typing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• TiO 2 layer significantly enhances the conversion efficiency and stability of Al-ZnO/CdS photoanode. • The photogenerated holes of CdS can be captured and stored by protective TiO 2 layer. • The integrated Al-ZnO/CdS/TiO 2 photoanode exhibits a photocurrent of 11.7 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V vs RHE. • The optimum electrode retains 76.9% of the initial photocurrent after 8000 s continuous illumination. ZnO/ CdS based nanorod arrays is an excellent class of photoanode materials with high photoelectric response. However, the poor photostability of CdS in aqueous solution seriously prevents its practical application. Although efforts have been made, it still challengeable to improve stability while maintaining initial photocurrent. Herein, a highly efficient photoanode system consisting of Al-doped ZnO nanorod arrays (NRs) served as effective electron-transfer layer and CdS as a light harvesting layer was designed. At last, TiO 2 protective layer was deposited onto Al-ZnO/CdS photoanodes through atomic layer deposition (ALD) to enhance the photostability. The integrated Al-ZnO/CdS/TiO 2 photoanode exhibits a photocurrent of 11.7 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V versus reversible hydrogen potential (RHE) and conversion efficiency of 5.9 % at 0.48 V versus RHE for 60 ALD TiO 2 cycles. More importantly, the photostability of Al-ZnO/CdS/TiO 2 photoanode was significantly prolonged comparing with the untreated Al-ZnO/CdS photoanode. The strengthen stability is benefited from the triple functions of ALD TiO 2 layer, that is, isolating the direct contact between the photoanode with the surrounding liquid environment, passivating the surface state of the CdS, and capturing as well as storing the photogenerated hole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaf area index (LAI) assessment methods relying on physical and empirical models are considered to be the most commonly used method at present, but their estimation efficiency and accuracy are deficient. Although the hybrid model of these two methods can address these issues, a poor coupling mechanism can easily occur. Given that, a PROSAIL model coupling particle swarm optimization (PSO) neural network (NN) algorithm (PSO-NN-PROSAIL model) was introduced to invert the winter wheat LAI (WWLAI) at five distinct growth stages. The Xiangfu District in the east of Kaifeng City, Henan Province was served as the study region. Based on the measured WWLAI data at varying stages and GF-1 WFV satellite images, the initial analysis focused on assessing the PROSAIL model's sensitivity in simulating vegetation canopy reflectance. It then calculated six vegetation index models according to the wavelength reflectance of GF-1 WFV and analysed their correlation with LAI to select the input parameters that could be used in the model. Normalized differential vegetation Index (NDVI) and ratio vegetation Index (RVI) as well as vegetation canopy reflectance were employed as input parameters to invert the WWLAI by adopting the PSO-NN-PROSAIL model. The experimental results showed the following: (1) In the vegetation index model, the determination coefficient (R2) of NDVI and RVI was greater than 0.68, implying that NDVI and RVI might serve as input factors for the proposed model in this paper; (2) LAI and chlorophyll a + b content (Cab) were most sensitive to the PROSAIL model in near-infrared and visible light bands; and (3) the PSO-NN-PROSAIL model possessed better LAI inversion accuracy. In summary, the model proposed in this paper provided a technical reference for rapid and accurate remote sensing monitoring of WWLAI. The optimization technology of particle swarm optimization algorithm is integrated into the neural network, and the weight of the neural network is adjusted by its fitness function transformation and inertia weight. By integrating prior knowledge into the inversion of crop leaf area index constructed by machine learning and radiative transfer model, the ill-posed problem of physical model inversion has been improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Congenital aplasia of vas deferens (CAVD) is an atypical form of cystic fibrosis (CF) and causes obstructive azoospermia and male infertility. Compound heterozygous variants of CFTR are the main cause of CAVD. However, most evidence comes from genetic screening of sporadic cases and little is from pedigree analysis. In this study, we performed analysis in a Chinese pedigree with two CAVD patients in order to determine the genetic cause of this familial disorder. Methods: In the present study, we performed whole-exome sequencing and co-segregation analysis in a Chinese pedigree involving two patients diagnosed with CAVD. Results: We identified a rare frameshift variant (NM_000492.3: c.50dupT;p.S18Qfs*27) and a frequent CBAVD-causing variant (IVS9-TG13-5T) in both patients. The frameshift variant introduced a premature termination codon and was not found in any public databases or reported in the literature. Co-segregation analysis confirmed these two variants were in compound heterozygous state. The other male members, who harbored the frameshift variant and benign IVS9-7T allele, did not have any typical clinical manifestations of CF or CAVD. Conclusion: Our findings may broaden the mutation spectrum of CFTR in CAVD patients and provide more familial evidence that the combination of a mild variant and a severe variant in trans of CFTR can cause vas deferens malformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although SnO 2 is considered a desirable anode for lithium-ion batteries benefitting from its high theoretical capacity, yet the low electrical conductivity and associated volume expansion substantially hinder the commercialization. Here, urchin flower-like SnO 2 nanosheets were anchored on biomass porous carbon material converted from spent disposable bamboo chopsticks via a simple strategy. The prepared SnO 2 @carbon material could be regarded as a superior anode in lithium-ion batteries. The SnO 2 @carbon anode delivered an initial specific capacity of 1182.5 mAh g−1 under a current density of 0.1 A g−1 and maintained 275.8 mAh g−1 at 3 A g−1, suggesting the prominent rate capability. Notably, the SnO 2 @AC anode exhibited 570.5 mAh g−1 after 500 cycles at 0.5 A g−1. The remarkable performances are attributed to the nano-size of SnO 2 , which shortens the ion transport length and increases the active sites. Besides, the porous carbon material as anchoring substrate boosts the overall conductivity, promotes electrolyte penetration, and buffers volume expansion. Finally, a highly reversible conversion reaction between Li 2 O/Sn and SnO 2 , and mitigation of the agglomeration of SnO 2 could be realized. The work can provide potential inspiration for waste resource recovery and development of metal oxide-based conversion-type materials for energy storage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir characterization is one of the main engineering components to ensure the optimum exploration and development of oil and gas. Deep-learning-based approaches are effective and widely used in reservoir modeling in recent years. In this work, a novel reservoir characterization method based on variational auto-encoder and selective attention mechanism (SA-VAE) is proposed. We construct a new network architecture and improved loss functions to achieve conditional reservoir modeling. To improve the ability of extracting connectivity characteristics of variational auto-encoder, the selective attention mechanism is also applied in the proposed SA-VAE model. Besides, to accurate describe the spatial characteristics of connected structures, an innovative strategy by reconstructing the whole structures step by step according to the corresponding structure connectivity is used in SA-VAE. We validate the performance of SA-VAE by using both 2D and 3D datasets with different reservoir structures. The experimental results indicate that our method can reproduce geological structures accurately under the constraints of conditioning data both in morphology and geostatistics. These prove that SA-VAE is able to characterize heterogeneous reservoir structures effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]