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[Display omitted] Bi-functional electrocatalysts are desired for both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions (HER and OER). Herein, facile O 2 -plasma activation is introduced to improve the bi-functionality via constructing nickel sulfide-oxide heterostructures. Ni 3 S 2 -NiO x supported by nickel foam delivers obviously elevated HER and OER activity in comparison with pristine Ni 3 S 2 and recently reported NiS x -based electrocatalysts, featured by the low overpotentials for HER (104 mV) and OER (241 mV) at ±10 mA cm−2 in 1.0 M KOH, as well as a voltage of 1.52 V for overall water splitting. As revealed by in-situ Raman spectroscopy, on the one hand, Ni(OH) 2 generated from Ni 3 S 2 during alkaline HER accelerates water dissociation toward the gradually improved performance; on the other hand, this heterostructure undergoes extensive oxidation during OER, leading to excessive NiOOH covering on Ni 3 S 2 and thereby declining activity. These changes are interpreted by the distinct thermodynamic relationship under specific electrochemical conditions via density functional theory calculations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in intracellular Cl− concentration ([Cl−] i) may be a general response of airway epithelial cells to various stimuli and may participate in some basic cellular functions. However, whether the basic functional activities of cells, such as proliferation and wound healing, are related to Cl − activities remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects and potential mechanisms of [Cl−] i on the proliferation and wound healing ability of airway epithelial BEAS-2B cells. BEAS-2B cells were treated with four Cl− channel inhibitors (T16Ainh-A01, CFTRinh-172, CaCCinh-A01, and IAA-94), and the Cl− fluorescence probe N-(ethoxycarbonylmethyl)-6-methoxyquinolinium bromide was used. Results showed that all Cl− channel inhibitors could increase [Cl−] i in BEAS-2B cells. The increased [Cl−] i induced by Cl− channel inhibitors or clamping [Cl−] i at high levels enhanced the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and subsequently promoted the proliferation and wound healing ability of BEAS-2B cells. By contrast, the FAK inhibitor PF573228 abrogated these effects induced by the increased [Cl−] i. FAK also activated the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. In conclusion, increased [Cl−] i promotes the proliferation and wound healing ability of BEAS-2B cells by activating FAK to activate the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Intracellular Cl− may act as a signaling molecule to regulate the proliferation and wound healing ability of airway epithelial cells. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tetherin has been defined as a restriction factor of HIV-1 and several other enveloped viruses. However, the significance of tetherin in viral infection remains to be further addressed. Here, we investigated whether tetherin plays a role in HSV-2 infection. Our study revealed that overexpression of tetherin restricted the release of HSV-2 into the extracellular medium, while knockdown of tetherin by siRNA enhanced its release. We further demonstrated that HSV-2 infection and viral glycoproteins gB, gD, gH and gL but not gM significantly downregulated the endogenous expression of tetherin. Additional study indicated that tetherin likely physically interacted with gB, gD, gH and gL. This is the first time that tetherin has been shown to be counteracted by multiple viral components of a virus. Our findings inform the complexity of HSV-2-host interactions, providing basis for understanding the role of tetherin as a viral restriction factor and the mechanisms underlying viral countermeasures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protected areas (PAs) have been established worldwide to conserve biodiversity. However, the conservation effectiveness of different PA functional zones remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated National Nature Reserves (NNRs) in China to explore and quantify the conservation in their core, buffer, and experimental zones. We compared the area and proportion of forest loss for these functional zones during the period from 2001 to 2018. The results showed that the forest loss in NNRs showed a decreasing trend since 2011, indicating that NNRs reduced the forest loss. There was no significant difference of forest loss proportion (p = 0.42) between the core zones (0.60 ± 1.32%) and buffer zones (0.55 ± 0.88%), implying that their performance in forest conservation was similar. There was a significant difference between experimental and core zones as well as between experimental and buffer zones both in forest loss area and proportion (p ˂ 0.05). We confirmed that the proportion of functional zones significantly affects the conservation effectiveness, i.e., an improper proportion of core zones or buffer zones may lead to forest loss. Therefore, we suggest an optimal proportion of core and buffer zones at 30%–50% and 10%–40%, respectively. Overall, the effectiveness of functional zones in forest nature reserves was assessed on a national scale. The results of this study support the recent adjustment in the PA functional zoning system in China. • National Nature Reserves in China have reduced the forest loss trend. • Buffer zones performance is similar to that of core zones for forest conservation. • Buffer and core zones are more effective than experimental zones for conservation. • Proportion of functional zones significantly affects conservation effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]