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The wide dissemination of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria poses a significant global health and security concern. As developing new antibiotics is generally costly, fastidious, and time-consuming, there is an urgent need for alternative therapeutic strategies to address the gap in antibiotic discovery void. This study aimed to investigate the activity of colistin (CS) in combination with a natural product, rutin (RT), to combat against SalmonellaTyphimurium (S.Tm) in vitro and in vivo. The results showed that a combination with RT enabled the potentiation of CS efficacy. Further mechanistic analysis indicated that RT disrupted iron homeostasis to inactivate the PmrA/PmrB system, thereafter reducing the bacterial membrane modifications for enhancing CS binding. Besides enhancing bactericidal activity of CS, RT was also observed to mitigate the CS-induced nephrotoxicity, by which the dosing limitation of CS was overcome for better pathogen clearance. The animal trial eventually confirmed the in vivo synergistic interaction of RT with CS to treat the bacterial infection. To sum up, the present study uncovered the potential of RT as a viable adjuvant of CS to eradicate the infection and protect the hosts, which might serve as a promising alternative to combat infections caused by MDR Gram-negative bacteria.

The critical role of boron doping in regulating closed pore size, Na+diffusion and SEI chemistry of hard carbon is identified, leading to superior rate and cycling performance.

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are a kind of self-organizing network by deploying a large number of wireless sensor nodes in the monitoring area. To satisfy various restricted monitoring requirements of actual applications, WSNs are always used to collect the precise information. However, the batteries cannot be recharged once the nodes are deployed, which limits the network lifetime of WSNs. In order to prolong the lifetime of WSNs in this study, we propose a multihop routing algorithm based on semifixed clustering and improved ant colony optimization (SFC-IACO) algorithm. First, in the initial phase of the network, the network is divided into several fixed areas, and then, we make adjustments to each cluster and achieve the load balancing by evenly adjusting the number of nodes in the cluster. Next in the data transmission phase, we design an adjacency matrix related to the energy and distance. Aiming at avoiding the local optimal when searching for the optimal routing, we improve the ant colony algorithm (ACO) and present a multihop routing selection algorithm based on the IACO. Finally, in order to achieve energy balancing of the network when the network runs a certain number of rounds, a dynamic cluster head rotation mechanism and an energy consumption balance mechanism between clusters are adopted in this study, which balances the energy consumption of nodes in each cluster. Simulations demonstrate the strong performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of network lifetime compared with the existing algorithms. The simulation results show that compared with centralized energy-efficient clustering (CEEC), multi-hop routing protocol based on game theory and coverage optimization (MRP-GTCO), and low power and low latency (LPLL)-low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy (LEACH) algorithms, SFC-IACO can effectively extend the network’s lifetime by 41%, 80%, and 221%, respectively.

In the typical wet flue gas denitration technology using sulfite solutions, the rapid free radical chain reaction of SO3•–oxidation by O2is the main reason for the significant consumption of absorbents and inefficient denitration. The study utilizes l-ascorbic acid (VC) to inhibit the free radical chain reaction. VC combined with SO3•–to form stable compounds, which hindered the oxidation of SO3•–to SO5•–by O2, leading to an 80.7 mol % decrease in Na2SO3consumption by adding millimolar-level VC. Compared to the sulfite solution, the best denitration efficiency of the VC/Na2SO3mixture solution increased from 94.4 to 99.2 vol %, and the absorption time for absorption efficiency above 90 vol % was extended from 7 to 72 min. Additionally, a macro absorption model describing the rates of macro absorption was established based on various operating conditions.

A novel approach to the dearomative allylboration of ketones with benzo[b]thiophenylmethyl boronic acids has been developed. By leveraging the inherent reactivity of the boronic acid unit, this process occurs under mild reaction conditions without the need for a catalyst, leading to the efficient formation of homoallylic tertiary alcohols accompanied by the construction of three-dimensional sulfur-containing alicyclic scaffolds in high yields with excellent stereoselectivities.

Currently, achieving higher carbon dioxide (CO2) removal efficiencies in industry means greater regeneration and energy consumption. The high regeneration energy of most absorbents hinders the commercial capture of CO2from industrial flue gas. Although sterically hindered amine 2-amino-2-methylpropanol (AMP) has a low desorption energy consumption, its absorption performance hardly meets the requirements for industrial flue gas decarbonization, especially at low CO2pressure. In this work, a novel sterically hindered ionic liquid [N1111+][AMPA–] (tetramethylammonium aminoisobutyrate) was synthesized to address the regeneration energy challenge through a simple AMP anionization strategy. Compared with AMP, [N1111+][AMPA–] demonstrated a 30% increase in equilibrium CO2loadings at 40 °C and 1.5 kPa. Meanwhile, the anionized product still showed favorable regeneration performance. Quantum chemical calculations revealed that anionization enhances the electron density of active site N atoms, thereby facilitating the nucleophilic CO2absorption reaction. In addition, the steric hindrance effect ensured that the product predominantly exists in the form of bicarbonate without requiring a high regeneration energy. In this work, an anionization strategy is proposed to balance the conflict between absorption performance and regeneration energy by artificially modulating the intermolecular forces between CO2and amine.

Fully grown oocytes have the natural ability to transform 2 terminally differentiated gametes into a totipotent zygote representing the acquisition of totipotency. This process wholly depends on maternal-effect factors (MFs). MFs stored in the eggs are therefore likely to be able to induce cellular reprogramming to a totipotency state. Here we report the generation of totipotent-like stem cells from mESCs using 4MFs Hsf1, Zar1, Padi6, and Npm2, designated as MFiTLSCs. MFiTLSCs exhibited a unique and inherent capability to differentiate into embryonic and extraembryonic derivatives. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that MFiTLSCs are enriched with 2-cell-specific genes that appear to synergistically induce a transcriptional repressive state, in that parental genomes are remodeled to a poised transcriptional repression state while totipotency is established following fertilization. This method to derive MFiTLSCs could help advance the understanding of fate determinations of totipotent stem cells in a physiological context and establish a foundation for the development of oocyte biology-based reprogramming technology.Graphical Abstract

Fungal infection possesses the characteristics of high invasion depth and easy formation of a biofilm under the skin, which greatly hinders the treatment process. Here, traditional Chinese medicine moxa is carbonized and modified with zinc oxide (ZnO) nanosheets to synthesize carbonized moxa@ZnO (CMZ) with the dual response properties of yellow light (YL) and ultrasound (US) for synergistic antifungal therapy. CMZ with narrow bandgap can respond to long-wavelength YL that is highly safe and helpful for skin repair. Simultaneously, CMZ with a piezoelectric effect can further enhance the photocatalytic efficiency under the stimulation of US with high tissue penetration. Gene mechanism investigation indicates that when exposed to US and YL irradiation, CMZ-based therapy can adjust the expression of genes associated with fungal virulence, metabolic activity, mycelial growth and biofilm development, thus efficaciously eradicating planktonic Candida albicans(C. albicans) and mature biofilm. Importantly, despite the 1.00 cm thick tissue barrier, CMZ can rapidly eliminate 99.9% of C. albicanswithin 4 min, showing a satisfactory deep fungicidal efficacy. The in vivotherapeutic effect of this strategy is demonstrated in both open wound and deep cutaneous infection tests, speaking of dramatically better efficacy than the traditional fungicide ketoconazole (KTZ).

Enhancing the CO2mass transfer and proton supply in the photocatalytic reduction of CO2with H2O into CH3OH (PRC-M), while avoiding the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), remains a challenge. Herein, we propose an approach to control the surface coverage of CO2and H2O by modifying interfacial wettability, which is achieved by modulating the core–shell structure to expose either hydrophobic melamine-resorcinol-formaldehyde (MRF) or hydrophilic NiAl-layered double hydroxides (NAL). Characterizations reveal that an insufficient proton supply leads to the production of competing CO, while excessive coverage of H2O results in undesired HER. The NAL-MRF integrates hydrophobic and hydrophilic interfaces, contributing to the CO2mass transfer and H2O adsorption, respectively. This combination forms a microreactor that facilitates the triphase photocatalysis of CO2, H2O, and catalyst, allowing for high local concentrations of both *CO and *H without competing binding sites. Importantly, the formation of covalent bonds and a Z-type heterojunction between hydrophilic NAL and hydrophobic MRF layers accelerates the charge separation. Furthermore, the density functional theory results indicate that the NAL linking promotes the continuous hydrogenation of *CO. As a result, an enhanced CH3OH yield of 31.41 μmol g–1h–1, with selectivity of 93.62%, is achieved without hole scavengers or precious metals.

• g-C 3 N 4 with N defects provided adsorption and active sites for CO 2. • A possible photoreduction mechanism over InVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 composite was studied. • A Z-scheme charge migration was induced by built-in electric field and proper energy band. Indium vanadate (InVO 4) possesses excellent potential in photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO 2) reduction, but further modifications of reducing charge recombination and increasing active sites are still needed. Herein, InVO 4 /g-C 3 N 4 (InVO-CN) heterojunction composite photocatalysts were prepared via in situ formation of InVO 4 nanoparticles on the lamellar structure of graphite carbon nitride (g-C 3 N 4) containing nitrogen (N) defects. Among these composites, 30% InVO-CN showed the best photoreduction performance for CO 2 at normal temperature and pressure without sacrificial agent (carbon monoxide, CO: 20.14 μmol g–1 h–1; methane, CH 4 : 3.46 μmol g–1 h–1), which were 1.8 and 2.8 times higher than these of pure g-C 3 N 4 and InVO 4. The excellent performance could be attributed to the enhancement of CO 2 adsorption, and most importantly, the enhanced charge carrier separation and reduction capacity induced by the formation of Z-scheme heterojunction between InVO 4 and g-C 3 N 4. In this work, intimate heterojunction interfaces between materials were formed by introducing g-C 3 N 4 with defects in InVO 4 , which provides a promising modification scheme. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pumped storage power plants (PSPPs) are among the most efficient and practical large-scale energy storage systems. In recent years, several transformer failures have occurred in PSPPs, and transient overvoltage is considered a potential reason for failure. However, there is a lack of field measurement results for transient analysis. In this paper, a switching transient measurement system and multipoint synchronous triggering system were developed. Field measurements were carried out in three PSPPs. According to the measurement results, the maximum amplitude of the switching overvoltage was 630.6±46.5 kV. The shortest front time was 76±7.6 ns. The largest steepness was 1130±140.8 kV/μs. A simulation model was built to analyze three phenomena in the transient, including multistep waveform, overvoltage peak, and power transformer demagnetization. The measurement and analysis results are beneficial for the improvement of simulation modeling. It is helpful to pinpoint potentially damaging transients for equipment manufacturers and designers of PSPPs.

Rapid and full recovery is the major challenge for the commercialization and further growth of textile-based wearable supercapacitors. Herein, reversibly stretchable and rapidly reboundable textile supercapacitors (TSCs) are developed via the utilization of NiCu2Se3/Cu–Ni alloy-plated cotton cloth (CNAPCC) textile as the cathode and Fe2CuSe3/CNAPCC textile as the anode. Both NiCu2Se3/CNAPCC and Fe2CuSe3/CNAPCC are obtained by a simple in situ oxidation reaction, followed by an ion exchange strategy. Meanwhile, a stable double-network (DN) structure is constructed, covering the knitted cotton cloth (KCC) and Cu–Ni alloy-plated layer (CNAPL). The DN textile structure significantly endows the NiCu2Se3/CNAPCC stretchable electrode with superior mechanical properties, exhibiting high elongation at a break of 470% with a stress of 7.19 MPa and full recovery after 100% strain with almost no residual deformation left after merely 0.2 s. Moreover, the assembled TSC provides a large energy density of 82 Wh kg–1at a power density of 750 W kg–1. Besides, 50,000 charge/discharge cycle tests under static stretching are performed. The supercapacitor exhibits rapid recovery and excellent cycling stability of 92.2% capacitance retention under different strains (from 0 to 200%).

In this study, Kx-Mn-Ce catalysts prepared by sol–gel method were investigated for toluene oxidation. Compared with Mn–Ce, the catalytic performance of Kx-Mn-Ce was further improved. X-ray diffraction (XRD), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and Raman analyses demonstrate that K ions enter the lattice of CeO2and disperse uniformly. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), H2-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), and O2-temperature programmed desorption (O2-TPD) analyses indicate that there is a strong interaction between K, Mn and Ce; the charge compensation effect would be induced when K ions enter the lattice of CeO2, which leads to more oxygen vacancies due to the generation of more Ce3+. Toluene-TPD shows that K-doping enhances the activation ability of toluene. Among all catalysts, K0.1-Mn-Ce shows the highest concentration of Mn4+, Ce3+, Osur, and redox ability, resulting in higher low-temperature catalytic activity. Additionally, the results of stability and water resistance also prove that K0.1-Mn-Ce catalyst possesses excellent stability and water resistance.

Solid oxide cell (SOC) is a typical multi-layer thin film ceramic device consisting of oxygen electrodes, electrolytes, and hydrogen electrodes. The currently widely used structure is a single cell supported by a Ni-YSZ (Nickel-Yttria Stabilized Zirconia) hydrogen electrode, with YSZ (Yttria Stabilized Zirconia) serving as the electrolyte. This configuration achieves electrolyte filmization, while also reducing the operating temperature of the cell. However, it introduces significant diffusion resistance within the hydrogen electrode, which is considered the main reason for the electrochemical asymmetry in reversible solid oxide cell (R–SOC). This study prepared hydrogen electrodes with varying porosity and investigated the impact of diffusion resistance of hydrogen electrodes on R–SOC asymmetry. On this basis, in-situhydrothermal growth technology was employed to prepare ultra-thin and dense GDC (Gd2O3doped CeO2) barrier layers, compared with conventional screen-printed barrier layers to explore the effect of electrolyte ohmic resistance on electrochemical asymmetry. Experimental findings revealed that the electrolyte ohmic resistance is also a significant factor affecting the electrochemical asymmetry of reversible SOC, and the synergistic mechanism of the diffusion resistance of hydrogen electrodes and the ohmic resistance of thin film electrolytes on this asymmetry was elucidated. The experimental results show that increasing the hydrogen electrode porosity and reducing the electrolyte ohmic resistance can both enhance the R–SOC performance, particularly improving SOEC electrolysis performance, and both have the effect of reducing asymmetry. At 750 °C, 50 % H2O, and ±0.3 V bias conditions, the single cell with a large-pore hydrogen electrode and a thin film barrier layer exhibited a discharge current density of 0.752 A cm−2and an electrolysis current density of 0.635 A cm−2. Compared to the single cell with a small pore hydrogen electrode and an ordinary screen-printed barrier layer, the discharge and electrolysis performance of the cell have been improved by ∼37 % and ∼140 %, respectively. At the same time, the current density asymmetry of the cell (Δj) under these conditions was only 0.117 A cm−2, reduced by 58 % compared to a small porosity hydrogen electrode single cell and 24 % compared to a large ohmic resistance single cell. In addition, the study noted that R–SOC asymmetry increases with operating temperature and decreases with higher steam content in the fuel on the hydrogen electrode side. These findings hold significant reference value the design, preparation, and reversible operation of high-performance hydrogen electrode supported thin film electrolyte SOC single cell structures.

Chloroaluminic acid ionic liquids (ILs), e.g., 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride-aluminium chloride (EMIC-AlCl3), are recognized as promising green and low-carbon solvent for aluminium (Al) electrodeposition, because of their relatively high conductivity, low viscosity, and good stability. Nevertheless, electrodeposition of Al must be carried out under dry conditions with inert gas shielding, limited by the hygroscopic behavior of ILs in air atmosphere. Otherwise, the electrolyte will be a failure, thus impeding the development of Al electrodeposition from the ILs. To explore a possible method for the electrolyte regeneration, herein, the effect of water content on Al electrodeposition in the EMIC-AlCl3ILs was investigated systematically. The results demonstrated that the electrical conductivity was gradually reduced with the increase of water content, leading to the elevated cell voltage and decreased current efficiency during Al electrodeposition. In addition, water adsorption may also change the coordination structure of electrochemical active species in EMIC-AlCl3, thereby influencing the electrodeposition behavior of Al along with deposit properties. All of these have a negative impact on Al electrodeposition. Detailed spectroscopic analysis combined with density functional theory calculation were conducted to clarify the failure mechanism of ILs electrolyte in humid environment, and meanwhile an effective strategy was proposed for the electrolyte regeneration.

Inspired by natural nitrogen fixation, we constructed a metal–S mimetic biocatalyst using vanadium-doped iron polysulfide as the active center combined with g-C3N5, which is rich in nitrogen vacancies. While iron in polysulfide tends to act as the active site for nitrogen adsorption, the doped vanadium tends to act as the protonation center for adsorption of active water, and the two metals act synergistically to facilitate the photocatalytic nitrogen fixation process. The construction and addition of the vanadium-doped polysulfide active center resulted in a composite catalyst with superior structural stability and excellent visible light-driven performance relative to pure g-C3N5, with NH3yields of up to 1916.5 μmol h−1gcat−1at the reaction temperature of 35 °C, 6.81 times higher than that of pure g-C3N5(245.3 μmol h−1gcat−1). We believe that the construction of the vanadium-doped polysulfide iron bimetallic active center not only provides new ideas and directions for the study of environmentally friendly catalysts for biomimetic nitrogen fixation enzymes, but also for exploration of low energy consumption and green methods for mild nitrogen fixation.

Due to its distinctive structure and properties, MFe2O4has been extensively investigated in catalytic oxidation. In this study, we synthesized a ternary metal composite Fe-based spinel catalyst using the sol-gel method for toluene oxidation. The catalytic performance assessments showed that the catalytic performance of Cu0.7Co0.3Fe2O4(T90 = 262 °C, 100,000 mL·g−1·h−1) was superior to that of CuFe2O4(T90 = 270 °C) and CoFe2O4(T90 = 310 °C), compared to binary metal spinel catalysts. The characterization results indicate that the strong interactions among Cu, Co, and Fe in the ternary metal composite structure increased the content of oxygen vacancy at lower temperatures, thereby increasing the content of surface reactive oxygen species and improving catalytic performance. This study highlights the potential application of Fe-based spinel structures to develop more efficient spinel catalysts.

An innovative strategy to control nitrogen oxide emission from flue gas was developed using the wet flue gas denitrification technology. The use of cyclodextrin (CD) as an additive facilitated NO2absorption by the sulfite absorbent. Compared with absorption by a sulfite solution (59.12%), the instantaneous absorption efficiencies employing CD improved to 94.57%. Moreover, 48 h of continuous absorption indicated cyclic utilization of CD. The favorable role of CD was ascribed to facilitating the limiting step for the entire NO2absorption–dissolution process which included both water solubility and gas–liquid mass transfer. Furthermore, we propose a potential mechanism of CD/sulfite mixed solution absorbing NO2, among which the favorable role of the additive is related to its amphiphilic behavior toward gas and liquid phases. Additionally, a kinetic model describing the rates of gas–liquid transfer and macro absorption was established based on various operating conditions. This model explains the absorption improvement in the kinetic aspect and provides theoretical guidance for practical applications.

Photocatalytic reduction of CO2with light and H2O to form CH3OH is a promising route to mitigate carbon emissions and climate changes. Although semiconducting metal oxides are potential photocatalysts for this reaction, low photon efficiency and leaching of environmentally unfriendly toxic metals limit their applicability. Here, we report metal-free, core–shell photocatalysts consisting of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4, CN) covalently linked to melamine–resorcinol–formaldehyde (MRF) microsphere polymers for this reaction. Covalent linkage enabled efficient separation of photo-generated carriers and photocatalysis. Using 100 mg of a photocatalyst containing 15 wt % CN, a CH3OH yield of 0.99 μmol·h–1was achieved at a reaction temperature of 80 °C and 0.5 MPa with external quantum efficiencies ranging from 5.5% at 380 nm to 1.7% at 550 nm. The yield was about 20 and 10 times higher than that of its components CN and MRF, respectively. Characterization with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and bulk and surface elemental analyses supported the formation of a core–shell structure and the charge transfer in the C–N bond at the CN–MRF interface between the methoxy group in the 2,4-dihydroxylmethyl-1,3-diphenol part of MRF and the terminal amino groups in CN. This enhanced ligand-to-ligand charge transfer resulted in 67% of the photo-excited internal charge transferred from CN to the hydroxymethylamino group in MRF, whose amino group was the catalytic site for the CO2photocatalytic reduction to CH3OH. This study provides a series of new metal-free photocatalyst designs and insights into the molecular-level structure-mediated photocatalytic response.

Triage management plays important roles in hospitalized patients for disease severity stratification and medical burden analysis. Although progression risks have been extensively researched for numbers of diseases, other crucial indicators that reflect patients’ economic and time costs have not been systematically studied. To address the problems, we developed an automatic deep learning based Auto Triage Management (ATM) Framework capable of accurately modelling patients’ disease progression risk and health economic evaluation. Based on them, we can first discover the relationship between disease progression and medical system cost, find potential features that can more precisely aid patient triage in resource allocation, and allow treatment plan searching that has cured patients. Applying ATM in COVID-19, we built a joint model to predict patients’ risk, the total length of stay (LoS) and cost when at-admission, and remaining LoS and cost at a given hospitalized time point, with C-index 0.930 and 0.869 for risk prediction, mean absolute error (MAE) of 5.61 and 5.90 days for total LoS prediction in internal and external validation data.

Typically, the more intrinsic defects of carbon materials are unfavorable to conductivity, while they are considered to be the active sites of carbon materials in the field of electrocatalysis. Therefore, seeking a balance between conductivity and active sites is the key to improve the catalytic performance of unadulterated carbon materials. Herein, the hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) prepared by the soft-templating approach is accurately adjusted viathe facile hydrothermal method using H3BO3and H3PO3as structural modulators. The structural characterization indicates that both H3BO3and H3PO3reagents can drive the carbon catalyst to produce more intrinsic defects, and H3PO3can reduce the amount of oxygen-containing groups in the carbon surface to improve conductivity. The structurally optimized HPC used as a counter electrode in polysulfide electrolytes exhibits a charge transfer resistance as low as 2.25 Ω, and the CdS/CdSe quantum dot sensitized solar cell (QDSSC) has a power conversion efficiency of 4.62%. These confirm that the reduction activity towards Sn2−ions in QDSSCs can be effectively improved by adjusting the degree of carbon defects. This report provides a new perspective on intrinsic defects for improving the electrocatalytic activity of the unadulterated carbon material.

Perovskite oxides, with the general formula of ABO3, are considered as one of the promising candidates of electroactive materials for supercapacitors (SCs) as a result of their stable structure, rich oxygen vacancies, and highly reversible redox capability. According to the oxygen ion intercalation mechanism, the concentration of oxygen vacancy in perovskite oxides is proportional to the capacitance of SCs. Meanwhile, various strategies, e.g., doping, compositing, and specific synthesis processes, are proposed to increase the capacitance for perovskite oxide electrodes. Herein, this review mainly emphasizes the relationship between the energy storage mechanism and the key role of oxygen vacancies in perovskite. In terms of structural design, preparation methods, and various approaches to improve the electrochemical performance of the latest reported perovskite-type oxides for SCs, we give a detailed discussion and summarize the characteristics of them, which is expected to have impact on the fields of perovskite oxide science. Furthermore, we pointed out the challenges and perspectives of perovskite-oxide-based SCs.

As we advocate green chemistry, more and more environmental problems have been concerned. Considering the conditions of scarcity of oil and plenty of coal, we need to find out a feasible and efficient route in coal chemical industry rather than oil. For instance, many studies have pointed out that dimethyl oxalate produced by the gas-phase CO coupling reaction can be selectively hydrogenated to methyl glycolate (MG), deeply hydrogenated to ethylene glycol (EG) and ethanol (EtOH). The reviews that currently exist mainly focus on the structural design of catalysts and lack a systematic classification of catalysts along the lines of reaction pathways. This work provides readers with a new perspective by focusing on reaction pathways. Silver-based catalysts are the best catalysts for catalyzing the generation of MG from DMO due to their moderate activity, while copper-based catalysts are more inclined to generate EG or EtOH due to their higher catalytic activity. Secondly, this article also discusses several factors that affect product selectivity, such as temperature (MG: 180–200 ℃, EG: 200–230 ℃, EtOH: 230–280 ℃), element doping (Au, Ni, B, etc.), supports (SiO2, activated carbon, TiO2, ZrO2, etc.), etc. In addition, this article proposes for the first time a discussion on the active sites of silver-based catalysts in the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate.

In this work, LaNi0.6Fe0.4O3is prepared and applied as cathode current contact layer on anode supported SOFC. The conducting property of both thin (~7?m) and thick LNF film (~1mm) are tested using lateral Van der Pauw DC conductivity test method and direct DC conductivity test method. Results show that the LNF layer prominently improves electrochemical performance of industrial sized anode supported single cell by ~29% at voltage of 0.7V at 800 and 750?. During long-term annealing, 950? pre-fired LNF film performs more stable conducting property than 900? prepared sample. While the area specific resistance of LNF thick film shows a small increasing by ~0.272% per 1000 hours at 750?, under constant current load. Suggesting good application prospects in planar solid oxide fuel cell stack.

N-doped Ce0.2Zr0.8O2catalysts for NO oxidation were successfully fabricated viaNH3treatment at high temperature, and the N doping amount could be controlled viaadjusting the conditions of various NH3concentrations and treatment times. The optimal 10N700-5 catalyst revealed the sensational oxidation efficiency at low temperature, which surpassed 50% at 180 °C and reached up to 82.82% at 270 °C. The excellent activity was ascribed to the numerous generations of O2–and the accompanied vast formation of Cr6+, caused by N doping. N atoms were doped in Ce0.2Zr0.8O2in the structure of Ce–O–N–O–Zr viathe O–N–O bond between N and O. The analysis of affecting factors elucidated that cation ratios played a more significant role than the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area, and Cr6+ratios acted mostly. Additionally, the conceivable promotion mechanism by N doping for NO oxidation was examined via in situDRIFTS. This work propelled denitration with the selective catalytic oxidation technique for industrial application and lent a novel perspective for the design of catalysts with satisfied oxidation efficiency at low temperature.

Exploring highly active centers for NN triple-bond activation and the suppression of the competing H2evolution reaction (HER) are key considerations for photocatalytic N2fixation. As a novel 2D transition-metal carbide, Ti3C2nanosheets (MXenes) have been recently considered as a promising N2reduction reaction (NRR) active center. However, little of the expected progress in the use of Ti3C2for photocatalytic N2fixation has been achieved. Herein, we report a novel 2D/2D Ti3C2/N-defect g-C3N4heterostructure photocatalyst exhibiting highly enhanced photocatalytic nitrogen fixation activity, with an NH3yield of 5.792 mg h−1g−1. This study demonstrates that the heterostructure was constructed by filling the oxygen-terminals of Ti3C2in the N-defects of g-C3N4to form C–O–Ti interactions. Together, the construction of the hetero-interface and the introduction of N-defects contribute to rapid interfacial charge transfer to the active sites. Importantly, the exposed edge Ti of Ti3C2was confirmed to be the active site for N2adsorption and activation, and these active Ti sites exhibit desirable NRR selectivity viasuppressing the competing HER. Finally, a mechanism for photocatalytic N2fixation was proposed to reveal the evolution of the redox circle that originated from the multi-valence Ti species during the N2adsorption, activation, and dissociation process.

Doping of specific boron species in carbon frameworks plays an important role in enhancing the electrochemical properties of carbon. Herein, we prepared a tailored boron species-doped carbon nanotube (CNT) catalyst as the counter electrode (CE) of quantum dot sensitized solar cells (QDSSCs) by hydrothermal post-treatment of pre-oxidized CNTs. X-ray photoemission spectroscopy results show that boron is mainly present as oxygen-containing (C–O–B) and oxygen-free (C–B) boron in the sp2carbon framework, so different levels of pre-oxidation treatments can control the content of oxygen-containing boron species and thus achieve controlled doping of boron species. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy shows that the optimized boron-doped CNTs (BCNT1) obtained a charge transfer resistance (Rct) as low as 2.17 Ω, indicating excellent reduction activity to Sn2−at the CE/electrolyte interface. The QDSSC based on the BCNT1 CE and CdS/CdSe photoanode achieves a power conversion efficiency of up to 4.55%, which is 3.10 times that of the pristine CNT CE. Our report confirms that tailorable boron doping is an effective strategy to enhance the activity of CNTs for Sn2−reduction.

In this study, we described a novel S-doped V2O5–WO3/TiO2(VWTiS) catalyst that showed superior low-temperature NH3-selective catalytic reduction (SCR) activity in comparison with the VWTi catalyst. These catalysts were extensively studied by a series of characterizations and density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Results revealed that the impregnated WO3and V2O5species were preferentially interacting with the doped S site, which improved the electron transfer from WO3to V2O5and promoted the formation of reduced vanadium species. The reduced vanadium could induce large amounts of superoxide ions, which was proved as important species for NOxreduction by a benzoquinone experiment. Finally, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform (DRIFT) showed that S doping could promote the adsorption and activation of NH3and NO on the VWTiS catalyst simultaneously; thus, the VWTiS catalyst exhibited superior SCR catalytic activity at low temperatures.

One of the key tasks in solid oxide fuel cell research is to develop cost-competitive electrodes that work efficiently in wide range of air and fuel utilizations. Herein, we promote our study to a series of Cobalt and Titanium substituted La0.4Sr0.6Fe0.7Ti0.3-xCoxO3-δ(LSFTC, x = 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2) perovskite oxides. It is shown that Cobalt doping effectively improves the electrical conductivity and oxygen electrochemical reduction activity, yielding decreased cathode polarization resistance and lower dependence of pO2change. For example, σ600°C = 81 S/cm and Rp,C750°C = 0.1 Ω cm2for LSFTC-5 are obtained in pO2=0.21atm. In anode conditions of wet H2, the LSFTC cubic perovskites are partially reduced to hybrid structure of ABO3-A2BO4-metal with Cobalt doping amount less than 10% and are fully decomposed to A2BO4-metal with 20% doping. The higher Cobalt substitution generates more nano particles exsolution, which promotes anode processes at low temperatures. However, the generated AO-rich compositions are shown detrimental to anode performance in both conducting property and anode catalytic activity under low H2partial pressures. In current study, the electrodes are evaluated under practical working conditions with broad pO2and pH2, which provides guidelines for industrial-applicable SrFeO3based symmetrical electrode development.

Olanzapine is an antipsychotic drug used to treat patients with schizophrenia due to its lower incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms. Previous studies have shown that olanzapine activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and induce autophagy in SH-SY5Y cell line. In this study, we investigated whether olanzapine protected against rotenone-induced neurotoxicity in PC12 cells. We showed that treatment with olanzapine increased the phosphorylation of AMPK in both dose- and time-dependent manners in PC12 cells. In addition, olanzapine activated autophagy and increased autophagic vacuoles. Furthermore, olanzapine pretreatment could protect PC12 cells from rotenone-induced apoptosis. Besides, olanzapine pretreatment could suppress the rotenone-induced depolarization of mitochondrial potential and thus protect the cells. Moreover, pretreatment with specific AMPK inhibitor compound C or with autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine impaired the protective effect of olanzapine on rotenone-treated PC12 cells. In summary, our results show for the first time that olanzapine ameliorates rotenone-induced injury by activating autophagy through AMPK pathway.

This review mainly summarizes the latest developments in the internal flow field and external characteristics of centrifugal pumps. In particular, the latest findings of centrifugal pumps focused on turbulence and cavitation models, flow visualization methods, and fault detection based on noise and vibration. The external characteristics, cavitation, and vibration of the centrifugal pump were extensively discussed. In addition, advanced multi-objective optimization methods for improving impeller’s efficiency and reducing net positive suction head (NPSH) were briefed. Although some progress was made in this field, there remain many unsolved problems, such as monitoring and modeling of cavitation, rotational stall phenomenon, and discrepancies between simulation and measurement. In the future, researchers are encouraged to employ multi-dimensional flow visualization technologies and high-performance computing facilities to advance existing understandings on these issues and create new research directions.

Cathepsin L (CTSL), a cysteine protease, is responsible for the degradation of a variety of proteins. It is known to participate in neuronal apoptosis associated with abnormal cell cycle. However, the mechanisms underlying CTSL-induced cell apoptosis remain largely unclear. We reported here that rotenone caused an activation of CTSL expression in PC-12 cells, while knockdown of CTSL by small interfering RNAs or its inhibitor reduced the rotenone-induced cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Moreover, elevation of CTSL and increased-apoptosis were accompanied by induction of B-Myb, a crucial cell cycle regulator. We found that B-Myb was increased in rotenone-treated PC-12 cells and knockdown of B-Myb ameliorated rotenone-stimulated cell apoptosis. Further analysis demonstrated that CTSL influenced the expression of B-Myb as suppression of CTSL activity led to a decreased B-Myb expression, whereas overexpression of CTSL resulted in B-Myb induction. Reduction of B-Myb in CTSL-overexpressing cells revealed that regulation of cell cycle-related proteins, including cyclin A and cyclin B1, through CTSL was mediated by the transcription factor B-Myb. In addition, we demonstrated that the B-Myb target, Bim, and its regulator, Egr-1, which was also associated with CTSL closely, were both involved in rotenone-induced apoptosis in PC-12 cells. Our data not only revealed the role of CTSL in rotenone-induced neuronal apoptosis, but also indicated the involvement of B-Myb in CTSL-related cell cycle regulation.

•Z-scheme α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4composites were rationally fabricated.•The α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4showed highly efficient photoreduction performance of CO2.•The introduction of α-Fe2O3enhanced the absorption of visible light.•The possible photoreduction mechanism over α-Fe2O3/g-C3N4composite was discussed.•The Z-scheme heterostructure promoted photogenerated electron and hole separation.•The Z-scheme heterostructure suppressed the recombination of photoexcited electron-hole pairs.

Constructing heterostructured photocatalysts is an efficient method to improve photocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction. Herein, holey g-C3N4(HGN) with rich amino groups (−NHx) was hybridized with NH2-UiO-66 (NUZ) via a facile in situ growth method. NUZ nanocrystals were anchored on HGN via NHx–Zr–O chemical bonding, leading to the uniform dispersion and avoiding the leaching of NUZ, thus showing excellent stability in photocatalysis. The chemically bonded interfacial charge transfer effect originated from the NHx–Zr–O formation efficiently accelerated the separation and migration of charge carriers, improving the photoactivity. Benefiting from the NHx–Zr–O formation, the optimized NUZ/HGN-35% heterojunctions exhibited outstanding activity in the photoreduction of CO2to CO (31.6 μmol g–1h–1), which was about 2 and 3 times higher than that of pure NUZ and HGN under visible-light irradiation. This study is expected to provide useful insights for constructing composites with strong interaction for CO2reduction, H2production, and N2reduction.

Herein, we present the synthesis and electrochemical properties of Ni substituted Sr1-xTi0.3Fe0.6Ni0.1O3-d (STFN, x=0; STFN-5, x=0.05) as solid oxide fuel cell cathodes. First, the results suggest a Ni solubility limit in SrTi0.3Fe0.7O3-d, lower than ~14 at% in B-site. Second, the conductivities increase first with temperature increasing and then decrease; STFN shows a maximum conductivity of 23.9 S/cm at 700 oC, while STFN-5 shows similar peak value but at much lower temperature of ~600-650 oC. Third, the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy tests are conducted in a wide range of oxygen partial pressures below 0.21 atm, using symmetrical cells. The A-site deficient STFN-5 cathode shows smaller polarization resistance values compared with A-site stoichiometric composition. The polarization resistance of STFN-5 is ~0.11 O*cm2 at 750 oC in oxygen partial pressure of 0.21 atm and shows a relative stable operation during long term test in air.

DNA and amino acids are important biomolecules in living organisms. Probing such biomolecules with structural characters can provide valuable information for life study. Here, gold plasmonic nanopores (GPNs) with high SERS activity (a local enhancement factor higher than 109) are synthesized at the tip of a glass nanopipette. An electric field drives individual molecules to translocate through the GPNs, which enables in situ collection of the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Nonresonant biomolecules, including nucleobases, amino acids, and oligonucleotides (DNA), with single nucleobase differences can be distinguished. The intensity of SERS is tunable by modulating the affinity between DNA and the GPNs. The present study shows the feasibility of applying a plasmonic nanopore to DNA and protein detection, which may also provide an easy way for tracking single molecule translocation by developing a well-defined single plasmonic nanopore.

Aspergillus niger, which is a fungal pathogen, causes rot in a variety of fruits. In this study, the cystathionine β-synthase cbsAgene was deleted by homologous recombination to study its role in sulfur metabolism and pathogenicity of A. niger.The results showed that ΔcbsAstrain maintained normal mycelia growth and sporulation compared with the control strain A. nigerMA 70.15, whereas the contents of cysteine and glutathione (GSH) increased significantly after cbsAdeletion. However, ΔcbsAstrain showed reduced endogenous H2S production. Further results showed that cbsAgene deletion induced higher resistance to cadmium stress and stronger infectivity to pears. It was also found that a stronger response of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production was induced in ΔcbsAmutant-infected pear compared with the control strain. In all, the present research suggested the important role of cbsAin sulfur metabolism and pathogenicity of A. nigerin pear fruit.

Abstract In this work, a multi-layer anode supported solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) is designed and successfully prepared through sequential tape casting and co-firing. The single cell is consisted of NiO-3YSZ (3YSZ: 3 mol.% yttria doped zirconia) anode support, NiO-8YSZ (8YSZ: 8 mol.% yttria stabilized zirconia) anode functional layer, dense 8YSZ electrolyte layer, and porous 3YSZ cathode scaffold layer with infiltrated La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3- δ cathode. The clear interfaces and good contacts between each layer, without element inter-diffusion being observed, suggest that this sequential tape casting and co-firing is a feasible and successful route for anode supported single cell fabrication. This cell exhibits remarkable high open circuit voltage of 1.097 V at 800°C under room temperature humidified hydrogen, with highly dense and gastight electrolyte layer. It provides a power density of 360 mW/cm2 under operation voltage of 0.75 V at 800°C and a stable operation of ∼110 h at 750°C under current density of −300 mA/cm2. Furthermore, this cell also presents encouraging electrochemical responses under various anode hydrogen partial pressures and maintains high power output at low fuel concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Catalysts with core–shell structure are particularly attractive because nanoparticles (NPs) can be protected against sintering by a thin zeolite shell. Titanium silicalite-1 coated with silicalite-1 shell to support nanogold (labeled as Au/S-1/TS-1) is reported to exhibit excellent performance for direct propylene epoxidation. However, owing to the internal diffusion, it is difficult for reactants to access some Au–Ti active sites inside TS-1. To investigate the effect of diffusion, we designed S-1/TS-1 with different S-1 coating thicknesses and found an inverse linear relationship between PO formation rate and the thickness of S-1 coating. Furthermore, Au NPs inside TS-1 nanopores made a major contribution. Inspired by the above conclusion, TS-1 with only one thinner S-1 shell to support Au NPs [labeled as Au/S-1/TS-1(0.26)] was prepared successfully and showed higher PO formation rate of ∼410 gPOh–1kgTS-1–1. The results help guide us to design the Au–Ti core–shell catalyst more reasonably.

Urea oxidation reaction (UOR) is an attractive alternative anodic reaction to oxygen evolution reaction (OER) for its low thermodynamic potential (0.37 V vs RHE). A major challenge that prohibits its practical application is the six-electron transfer process during UOR, demanding enhancements in the catalytic activity. Herein, a Fe-doped Ni3S2catalyst with a uniform flower-like structure is synthesized in situon nickel foam via a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The electrochemical properties of Fe-Ni3S2are significantly improved since a current density of 10 mA cm–2only requires a 1.33 V potential and remains stable for 60 h. The structural characterization demonstrates a strong interaction between Fe and Ni3S2. After Fe doping, the active site increases, which promotes the formation of NiOOH on the catalyst surface, thus speeding up the UOR process. These changes are beneficial to charge transfer and optimize the adsorption energy of the intermediates. In situEIS further confirms that Fe promotes electron transfer during the UOR process, reduces the interface resistance between the catalyst and the electrolyte, and lowers the driving voltage.

The nature of gold active sites on Au–Ti catalysts dictates the reactivity and selectivity during propylene epoxidation reactions. The type of the sites and the location of Au clusters on the external surfaces of TS-1 or inside the TS-1 nanopores have remained the topic of interest. We synthesized and characterized dispersed Au clusters on titanium silicate-1 (Au/TS-1), uncalcined TS-1 (Au/un TS-1), and TS-1 coated with silicalite-1 (Au/S-1/TS-1) to probe the nature of gold active sites for gas-phase epoxidation of propylene. The results of Au/TS-1 and Au/S-1/TS-1 show the importance of Au nanoclusters (<1.0 nm) inside TS-1 nanopores. Propylene oxide (PO) rate of Au/un TS-1 suggests Au nanoclusters (<1.0 nm) on the external surfaces also play an important role. On the basis of this conclusion, better performance for direct propylene epoxidation can be developed over Au–Ti catalysts with Au nanoclusters (<1.0 nm) either inside TS-1 nanopores or on the external surfaces.