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Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) can directly convert renewable biogas into electricity with high efficiency at high temperature, however the long-term stability of SOFCs is significantly affected by the carbon deposition on the anode during cell operation. Herein, we report a novel carbon removal approach by high temperature infrared light driven photocatalytic oxidation. Upon the comparison of electrochemical performance of Ni-YSZ anode and TiO2 modified Ni-YSZ anode in the state-of-the-art single cell (Ni-YSZ/YSZ/LSCM), the modified anodes exhibit markedly improved peak powder density with simulated biogas fuel (70% CH4+ 30% CO2) at 850 °C with less coking after 40 h operation. The high activity and carbon deposition resistance of the modified anode is possibly attributed to the in situ generated hydroxyl radical from the reduced TiOx powder under high temperature infrared light excitation, which is supported by detailed analysis of microstructural information of anodes and the powder-based thermo-photocatalytic experiments.

Magnetic nanoparticle clusters composed of primary magnetic nanoparticles can not only significantly enhance the magnetic properties of the assembly but also retain the superparamagnetic properties of the individual primary nanoparticle, which is of great significance for promoting the development of multifunctional advanced materials. Herein, water-soluble biocompatible and superparamagnetic europium-doped iron oxide nanoparticle clusters (EuIO NCs) were directly synthesized by a simple one-pot method. The obtained EuIO NCs have excellent water solubility, colloidal stability, and biocompatibility. Europium doping significantly improved the contrast enhancement effect of EuIO NCs in T1-weighted MR imaging. In addition, EuIO NCs can be functionalized by active molecules, and the rhodamine123-functionalized EuIO NCs have long circulation time and excellent fluorescence imaging performance in vivo. This study provides a simple strategy for the design and construction of a novel multifunctional magnetic nanoplatform and provides solutions for the development of multimodal imaging probes and the diagnosis of disease.

Zika virus (ZIKV), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, can cause severe eye disease and even blindness in newborns. However, ZIKV-induced retinal lesions have not been studied in a comprehensive way, mechanisms of ZIKV-induced retinal abnormalities are unknown, and no therapeutic intervention is available to treat or minimize the degree of vision loss in patients. Here, we developed a novel mouse model of ZIKV infection to evaluate its impact on retinal structure. ZIKV (20 plaque-forming units) was inoculated into neonatal wild type C57BL/6J mice at postnatal day (P) 0 subcutaneously. Retinas of infected mice and age-matched controls were collected at various ages, and retinal structural alterations were analyzed. We found that ZIKV induced progressive neuronal and vascular damage and retinal inflammation starting from P8. ZIKV-infected retina exhibited dramatically decreased thickness with loss of neurons, initial neovascular tufts followed by vessel dilation and degeneration, increased microglia and leukocyte recruitment and activation, degeneration of astrocyte network and gliosis. The above changes may involve inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated cell apoptosis and necroptosis. Moreover, we evaluated the efficacy of preclinical drugs and the safety of ZIKV vaccine candidate in this mouse model. We found that ZIKV-induced retinal abnormalities could be blocked by a selective flavivirus inhibitor NITD008 and a live-attenuated ZIKV vaccine candidate could potentially induce retinal abnormalities. Overall, we established a novel mouse model and provide a direct causative link between ZIKV and retinal lesion in vivo, which warrants further investigation of the underlying mechanisms of ZIKV-induced retinopathy and the development of effective therapeutics. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40478-021-01195-6.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a complication of herpes zoster viral infection. Its main manifestations are continuous or intermittent burning-like and electroshock-like pain in the affected nerves. Electroacupuncture (EA) is widely used in clinical treatment and exerts effects in alleviating neuropathic pain. In this study, we investigated the effect and underlying mechanism of EA on PHN. Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with resiniferatoxin (RTX) to establish a PHN model and subjected to EA and/or miR-223-3p overexpression (OV) or interference. Mechanical withdrawal latency was measured as an indication of pain sensitivity. Hematoxylin-eosin staining and transmission electron microscopy were performed to observe neuron cell morphology and autophagic vacuoles, respectively. ELISA was performed to detect reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and the levels of tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin- (IL-) 6, and IL-10. Changes in autophagy and apoptosis-related miRNAs were detected by immunofluorescence and qRT-PCR, respectively. In RTX-treated rats, OV and EA reduced pain sensitivity, decreased the number of eosinophils, and increased that of nerve cells. ROS generation and the levels of TNF-α and iNOS were significantly reduced, while those of IL-6 and IL-10 were increased. OV and EA induced fewer autophagic vacuoles than those in the model group. The expression of autophagy-related protein microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3-II, ATG9, and Rab1 was decreased by OV and EA, whereas that of P62 was increased. qRT-PCR revealed that miR-223-3p expression in the model group decreased but was increased by EA. EA inhibits neuron cell autophagy in PHN by increasing miR-223-3p expression.

Background/aims MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play critical regulatory roles in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis. The aim of this study was to explore whether miRNA antagomirs could serve as potential therapeutic agents in interstitial lung diseases. Methods A mouse model of pulmonary fibrosis was established by intratracheal injection of bleomycin (BLM). Using microarray analysis, up-regulated miRNAs were identified during the development of pulmonary fibrosis. miR-155 was chosen as the candidate miRNA. Fifteen mice were then randomized into the following three groups: BLM + antagomiR-155 group, treated with BLM plus intravenously injected with antagomiR-155; BLM group, treated with intratracheal BLM plus phosphate-buffered saline (PBS); and a control group, treated with PBS only. Lung tissues were collected for histopathological analysis, hydroxyproline measurement, and Western blotting. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used for the measurement of cytokines associated with pulmonary fibrosis. Results Histological changes and hydroxyproline levels induced by BLM were significantly inhibited by antagomiR-155. The levels of interleukin 4 (IL-4) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) expression were increased after BLM treatment. However, miR-155 silencing decreased the expression of IL-4, TGF-β, and interferon-γ. TGF-β-activated kinase 1/mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 7 (MAP3K7)-binding protein 2 (TAB2) of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway, was activated by BLM and inhibited by in vivo silencing of miR-155 via antagomiR-155. Conclusion In vivo treatment with antagomiR-155 alleviated the pathological changes induced by BLM and may be a promising therapeutic strategy for pulmonary fibrosis.

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) have received intense attention owing to their maximum utilization efficiency of metal atoms and high catalytic activity. Although SACs possess many merits, such as high activity, selectivity and stability in photocatalysis, the difficulty of fabricating atomically dispersed atom catalysts with a high level of metal loading limits their practical applications. Here, a sulphur-doping strategy was proposed to enhance the incorporation of single Pt atoms in monolayer graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), and the structural, electronic and optical properties were investigated through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. This work verified that SACs based on sulphur-doped monolayer g-C3N4 (S-g-C3N4) exhibit a lower band gap energy, higher photocatalytic oxidation ability, easier charge separation, lower oxidation state of Pt atoms and wider light absorption range. This work provides a promising path for fabricating efficient g-C3N4-based photocatalytic SACs.

Acute lung injury (ALI) and the subsequent acute respiratory distress syndrome remain devastating diseases with high mortality rates and poor prognoses among patients in intensive care units. The present study is aimed at investigating the role and underlying mechanisms of microRNA-31-5p (miR-31-5p) on lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced ALI. Mice were pretreated with miR-31-5p agomir, antagomir, and their negative controls at indicated doses for 3 consecutive days, and then they received a single intratracheal injection of LPS (5 mg/kg) for 12 h to induce ALI. MH-S murine alveolar macrophage cell lines were cultured to further verify the role of miR-31-5p in vitro. For AMP-activated protein kinase α (AMPKα) and calcium-binding protein 39 (Cab39) inhibition, compound C or lentiviral vectors were used in vivo and in vitro. We observed an upregulation of miR-31-5p in lung tissue upon LPS injection. miR-31-5p antagomir alleviated, while miR-31-5p agomir exacerbated LPS-induced inflammation, oxidative damage, and pulmonary dysfunction in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, miR-31-5p antagomir activated AMPKα to exert the protective effects that were abrogated by AMPKα inhibition. Further studies revealed that Cab39 was required for AMPKα activation and pulmonary protection by miR-31-5p antagomir. We provide the evidence that endogenous miR-31-5p is a key pathogenic factor for inflammation and oxidative damage during LPS-induced ALI, which is related to Cab39-dependent inhibition of AMPKα.

Major depression disorder is one of the most common psychiatric disorders that greatly threaten the mental health of a large population worldwide. Previous studies have shown that endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress plays an important role in the pathophysiology of depression, and current research suggests that brain-derived neurotrophic factor precursor (proBDNF) is involved in the development of depression. However, the relationship between ER and proBDNF in the pathophysiology of depression is not well elucidated. Here, we treated primary hippocampal neurons of mice with corticosterone (CORT) and evaluated the relationship between proBDNF and ERS. Our results showed that CORT induced ERS and upregulated the expression of proBDNF and its receptor, Follistatin-like protein 4 (FSTL4), which contributed to significantly decreased neuronal viability and expression of synaptic-related proteins including NR2A, PSD95, and SYN. Anti-proBDNF neutralization and ISRIB (an inhibitor of the ERS) treatment, respective ly, protected neuronal viabilities and increased the expression of synaptic-related proteins in corticosterone-exposed neurons. ISRIB treatment reduced the expression of proBDNF and FSTL4, whereas anti-proBDNF treatment did not affect ERS markers (Grp78, p-PERK, ATF4) expression. Our study presented evidence that CORT-induced ERS negatively regulated the neuronal viability and the level of synaptic-related protein of primary neurons via the proBDNF/FSTL4 pathway.

Ru-Fe bimetallic alloy nanoparticle catalyst (Ru-Fe/GO) was prepared by chemical reduction method on graphene oxide prepared using Hummers modified method. The structure and morphology of both GO a...

Background: The detection of glutamic acid decarboxylase 65 (GAD65) autoantibodies is essential for the prediction and diag nosis of latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA). The aim of the current study was to compare a newly developed electro chemiluminescence (ECL)-GAD65 antibody assay with the established radiobinding assay, and to explore whether the new assay could be used to define LADA more precisely. Methods: Serum samples were harvested from 141 patients with LADA, 95 with type 1 diabetes mellitus, and 99 with type 2 dia betes mellitus, and tested for GAD65 autoantibodies using both the radiobinding assay and ECL assay. A glutamic acid decarbox ylase antibodies (GADA) competition assay was also performed to assess antibody affinity. Furthermore, the clinical features of these patients were compared. Results: Eighty-eight out of 141 serum samples (62.4%) from LADA patients were GAD65 antibody-positive by ECL assay. Com pared with ECL-GAD65 antibody-negative patients, ECL-GAD65 antibody-positive patients were leaner (P

The sensitivity of endolymphatic hydrops (EH) to the glycerol test varies in patients with Menière's disease (MD).To explore the features of EH and its glycerol-induced dynamics in MD.Case-control study.Twenty patients with MD (24 affected ears) were included.3.0T 3D-FLAIR (fluid-attenuated inversion recovery) MRI and late gadolinium enhancement.Intratympanic gadolinium-enhanced MRI was performed in the MD-affected ears before and after the glycerol test. The borders of the endolymphatic and total lymphatic space were contoured on the axial MRI slices to evaluate the volume of hydrops in both the cochlear and vestibular regions.Paired and unpaired t-tests, the Mann-Whitney U-test, linear discriminant analysis, Pearson's correlation, and linear regression.After glycerol ingestion, vestibular EH decreased in all patients, whereas cochlear EH significantly decreased only in patients with positive glycerol test results (all P 0.01). At baseline, cochlear EH in the positive result group was greater than in the negative result group (P = 0.007). Unexpectedly, in the positive result group a drastic glycerol-induced dehydrating effect was observed in patients whose pretest cochlear EH ratio was16% (P = 0.011). Moreover, the dehydrating role of glycerol was positively correlated with the baseline cochlear hydrops level (r = 0.7691, P 0.001).MRI provides evidence that glycerol administration improves the hearing threshold via dehydrating the EH. In the cochlear region, the baseline level of cochlear EH is a closely related factor for the validity of the glycerol test, whereas EH is consistently dehydrated in the vestibular component.2 TECHNICAL EFFICACY STAGE: 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2020;52:1066-1073.

Oral bacteria colonize the oral cavity, surrounding complex and variable environments. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) are an efficient biochemical mechanism across all domains of life. Oral bacteria could depend on PTMs to quickly regulate their metabolic processes in the face of external stimuli. In recent years, thanks to advances in enrichment strategies, the number and variety of PTMs that have been identified and characterized in oral bacteria have increased. PTMs, covalently modified by diverse enzymes, occur in amino acid residues of the target substrate, altering the functions of proteins involved in different biological processes. For example, Ptk1 reciprocally phosphorylates Php1 on tyrosine residues 159 and 161, required for Porphyromonas gingivalis EPS production and community development with the antecedent oral biofilm constituent Streptococcus gordonii, and in turn Php1 dephosphorylates Ptk1 and rapidly causes the conversion of Ptk1 to a state of low tyrosine phosphorylation. Protein acetylation is also widespread in oral bacteria. In the acetylome of Streptococcus mutans, 973 acetylation sites were identified in 445 proteins, accounting for 22.7% of overall proteins involving virulence factors and pathogenic processes. Other PTMs in oral bacteria include serine or threonine glycosylation in Cnm involving intracerebral hemorrhage, arginine citrullination in peptidylarginine deiminases (PADs), leading to inflammation, lysine succinylation in P. gingivalis virulence factors (gingipains, fimbriae, RagB, and PorR), and cysteine glutathionylation in thioredoxin-like protein (Tlp) in response to oxidative stress in S. mutans. Here we review oral bacterial PTMs, focusing on acetylation, phosphorylation, glycosylation, citrullination, succinylation, and glutathionylation, and corresponding modifying enzymes. We describe different PTMs in association with some examples, discussing their potential role and function in oral bacteria physiological processes and regulatory networks. Identification and characterization of PTMs not only contribute to understanding their role in oral bacterial virulence, adaption, and resistance but will open new avenues to treat oral infectious diseases.

Different scintillators have different x-rays attenuation characteristics. Many researchers are committed to developing scintillators with strong x-rays stopping power for industrial x-rays computed tomography (CT) imaging. But scintillators with strong x-rays stopping power may not always be the best choice. In this paper, we study the scintillator selection for improving material separation ability of low attenuation samples in x-rays imaging. Digital radiography (DR) experiments using cerium-doped lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO: Ce, strong x-rays stopping power), cerium-doped gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG: Ce, medium x-rays stopping power) and aluminum-doped zinc selenide (ZnSe: Al, weak x-rays stopping power) scintillators are implemented based on an optical coupling detection system. Material separation ability using DR images at 40-130 kVp x-rays sources are compared. Besides, CT imaging experiments of a Chinese herbal medicine using the three scintillators are completed. Material separation results of images obtained using ZnSe: Al is better than that using GAGG: Ce and LYSO: Ce. Thus ZnSe: Al is the best choice for material separation in x-rays CT imaging of low attenuation samples among the three scintillators.

Remdesivir (RDV; GS-5734, Veklury), the first FDA-approved antiviral to treat COVID-19, is a single-diastereomer monophosphoramidate prodrug of an adenosine analogue. RDV is taken up in the target cells and metabolized in multiple steps to form the active nucleoside triphosphate (TP) (GS-443902), which, in turn, acts as a potent and selective inhibitor of multiple viral RNA polymerases. In this report, we profiled the key enzymes involved in the RDV metabolic pathway with multiple parallel approaches: (i) bioinformatic analysis of nucleoside/nucleotide metabolic enzyme mRNA expression using public human tissue and lung single-cell bulk mRNA sequence (RNA-seq) data sets, (ii) protein and mRNA quantification of enzymes in human lung tissue and primary lung cells, (iii) biochemical studies on the catalytic rate of key enzymes, (iv) effects of specific enzyme inhibitors on the GS-443902 formation, and (v) the effects of these inhibitors on RDV antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture. Our data collectively demonstrated that carboxylesterase 1 (CES1) and cathepsin A (CatA) are enzymes involved in hydrolyzing RDV to its alanine intermediate MetX, which is further hydrolyzed to the monophosphate form by histidine triad nucleotide-binding protein 1 (HINT1). The monophosphate is then consecutively phosphorylated to diphosphate and triphosphate by cellular phosphotransferases. Our data support the hypothesis that the unique properties of RDV prodrug not only allow lung-specific accumulation critical for the treatment of respiratory viral infection such as COVID-19 but also enable efficient intracellular metabolism of RDV and its MetX to monophosphate and successive phosphorylation to form the active TP in disease-relevant cells.

The effect of Ca treatment on the modification of inclusions in Al-killed GCr18Mo bearing steel was studied and a thermodynamic and kinetic model was established. The experimental results showed that oxygen content in the steel could be reduced from 120 μg/g to the range 5.5–21.6 μg/g by Al-Ca complex deoxidization at 1 873 K. An appropriate increase in Ca/Al mass ratio is beneficial to reduce the total oxygen content in steel. When the content of dissolved aluminum was in the range of 0.03%–0.3%, with the increase of Ca/Al mass ratio from 0.8–1.6 to 2.4–3.2, the number of inclusions per unit area significantly reduced. In addition, the main types of inclusions were modified from large-sized Al2O3 clusters to plastic or semi-plastic liquid phase calcium aluminates. The experimental results matched well with the thermodynamic analysis.

A series of substituted 4,6-dihydrospiro[[1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-b]pyridine-7,3'-indoline]-2',5(3H)-dione analogues were synthesized and evaluated as potent dengue virus inhibitors. Throughout a structure-activity relationship exploration on the amide of the indolone moiety, a wide range of substitutions were found to be well tolerated for chemical optimization at this position. Among these compounds, 15 (JMX0254) displayed the most potent and broad inhibitory activities, effective against DENV-1 to -3 with EC50 values of 0.78, 0.16, and 0.035 μM, respectively, while compounds 16, 21, 27-29, 47, and 70 exhibited relatively moderate to high activities with low micromolar to nanomolar potency against all four serotypes. The biotinylated compound 73 enriched NS4B protein from cell lysates in pull-down studies, and the findings together with the mutation investigations further validated dengue NS4B protein as the target of this class of compounds. More importantly, compound 15 exhibited good in vivo pharmacokinetic properties and efficacy in the A129 mouse model, indicating its therapeutic potential against the dengue virus infection as a drug candidate for further preclinical development.

This study jointly conducted a field investigation and thermodynamic model simulation in three nonferrous metal smelters (NFMS) to identify sulfur oxides (SOX) formation, transformation, and emissions in the flue gas. Most of SOX was released as sulfur dioxides (SO2) at the outlet of the furnace with the molar proportion of sulfur trioxides (SO3) of 1.0-4.1%. The formation of SO3 in smelters depended on temperature, material composition, and flue gas components. These factors were relatively certain once the production was designed. During the use of air pollution control devices (APCDs), SO3 removal alternated with its formation in the APCDs of the smelting/roasting step. Deep clean measures could not ensure standard emissions of SO3 in all smelters. Under the strict production and emission requirements, we recommended the combined effort of production design, parameter optimization, and deep clean measures to control SO3 pollution. In addition, recognizing the underestimation of the national inventory (10% at the most) due to the lack of emissions from NFMS, we suggested the attention on SOX emissions from sectors using high-sulfur raw materials in the pyroprocess. Besides, the higher potential of SO3 on secondary particle formation highlighted the distinction of SO3 and SO2 emissions in inventories for better evaluation of their environmental impact.

To develop a quantitative analysis of multicomponent by single-marker method for the simultaneous determination of fourteen components in Zhilou lotion, emodin was selected as an internal reference, and the relative correction factors of gallic acid, caffeic acid, polydatin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, homoplantaginin, resveratrol, hispidulin, aloe emodin, rhein, chrysophanol and emodin methyl ether were established. The accuracy of quantitative analysis of multicomponent by single-marker method was verified by comparing the contents of the fourteen components calculated by the external standard method with those of the quantitative analysis of multicomponent by single-marker method. In a certain linear range, the correction factor of gallic acid, caffeic acid, polydatin, hyperoside, isoquercitrin, quercitrin, homoplantaginin, resveratrol, hispidulin, aloe emodin, rhein, chrysophanol and emodin methyl ether relative to emodin is good. The contents of the 14 components in 10 batches Zhilou lotion were measured. No significant difference was found in the quantitative results between the established quantitative analysis of multicomponent by single-marker method and external standard method. The established quantitative analysis of multicomponent by single-marker method could act as an accurate and convenient method to determine the 14 components in Zhilou lotion and could be used to control the quality of Zhilou lotion.

Accurate next generation sequencing (NGS) is critical for understanding genetic predisposition to human disease and thus aiding clinical diagnosis and personalized precision medicine. Recent breakthroughs in massively parallel sequencing, especially when coupled with sample multiplexing, have driven sequencing cost down and made clinical genetic tests broadly affordable. However, intractable index mis-assignment (commonly exceeds 1%) has been reported on some widely used sequencing platforms. Burdensome unique dual indexing is now used to reduce this problem. Here, we investigated this quality issue on BGI sequencers using three major library preparation methods: whole genome sequencing (WGS) with PCR, PCR-free WGS, and two-step targeted PCR. BGI sequencers utilize a unique DNA nanoball (DNB) technology that is based on rolling circle replication (RCR) for array preparation; this linear amplification is PCR free and can avoid error accumulation. We demonstrate here that single index mis-assignment from free indexed oligos on these sequencers occurs at a rate of only one in 36 million reads, suggesting virtually no index hopping during DNB creation and arraying, as expected for the RCR process. Furthermore, the DNB-based NGS applications have achieved an unprecedentedly low sample-to-sample mis-assignment rate of 0.0001% to 0.0004% using only single indexing. Therefore, single indexing with DNB sequencing technology provides a simple but effective method for sensitive research and clinical genetic assays that require the detection of low abundance sequences in a large number of samples.

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-catalyzed hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) oxidation could degrade a variety of organic pollutants, but the intrinsic drawback of slow degradation rate limited its widespread application. In this study, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) was introduced into HRP/H2O2 system as an electron shuttle to enhance diclofenac degradation under neutral pH conditions. The green-colored ABTS radical (ABTS•+), generated by the oxidation of ABTS with HRP-catalyzed H2O2 oxidation, was proved to be the main reactive species for the rapid degradation of diclofenac in HRP/H2O2/ABTS system. There was no destruction of ABTS/ABTS•+ in HRP/H2O2/ABTS system, and ABTS was verified as an ideal electron shuttle. The reaction conditions including solution pH (4.5–10.5), HRP concentration (0–8 units mL−1) and H2O2 concentration (0–500 μM) would impact the formation of ABTS•+, and affect the degradation of diclofenac in HRP/H2O2/ABTS system. Moreover, compared with Fenton and hydroxylamine/Fenton systems, HRP/H2O2/ABTS system had better diclofenac degradation efficiency, higher H2O2 utilization efficiency and stronger anti-interference capacity in actual waters. Overall, the present study provided a meaningful and promising way to enhance the degradation of organic pollutants in water with HRP-catalyzed H2O2 oxidation.

Development of a system for direct lactose to ethanol fermentation provides a market for the massive amounts of underutilized whey permeate made by the dairy industry. For this system, glucose and galactose metabolism were uncoupled in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by deleting two negative regulatory genes, GAL80 and MIG1, and introducing the essential lactose hydrolase LAC4 and lactose transporter LAC12, from the native but inefficient lactose fermenting yeast Kluyveromyces marxianus. Previously, integration of the LAC4 and LAC12 genes into the MIG1 and NTH1 loci was achieved to construct strain AY-51024M. Low rates of lactose conversion led us to generate the Δmig1Δgal80 diploid mutant strain AY-GM from AY-5, which exhibited loss of diauxic growth and glucose repression, subsequently taking up galactose for consumption at a significantly higher rate and yielding higher ethanol concentrations than strain AY-51024M. Similarly, in cheese whey permeate powder solution (CWPS) during three, repeated, batch processes in a 5L bioreactor containing either 100 g/L or 150 g/L lactose, the lactose uptake and ethanol productivity rates were both significantly greater than that of AY-51024M, while the overall fermentation times were considerably lower. Using the Cre-loxp system for deletion of the MIG1 and GAL80 genes to relieve glucose repression, and LAC4 and LAC12 overexpression to increase lactose uptake and conversion provides an efficient basis for yeast fermentation of whey permeate by-product into ethanol.

GBF1 [Golgi brefeldin A (BFA) resistance factor 1] is a member of the guanine nucleotide exchange factors Arf family. GBF1 localizes at the cis-Golgi and endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-Golgi intermediate compartment where it participates in ER-Golgi traffic by assisting in the recruitment of the coat protein COPI. However, the roles of GBF1 in oocyte meiotic maturation are still unknown. In the present study, we investigated the regulatory functions of GBF1 in mouse oocyte organelle dynamics. In our results, GBF1 was stably expressed during oocyte maturation, and GBF1 localized at the spindle periphery during metaphase I. Inhibiting GBF1 activity led to aberrant accumulation of the Golgi apparatus around the spindle. This may be due to the effects of GBF1 on the localization of GM130, as GBF1 co-localized with GM130 and inhibiting GBF1 induced condensation of GM130. Moreover, the loss of GBF1 activity affected the ER distribution and induced ER stress, as shown by increased GRP78 expression. Mitochondrial localization and functions were affected, as the mitochondrial membrane potential was altered. Taken together, these results suggest that GBF1 has wide-ranging effects on the distribution and functions of Golgi apparatus, ER, and mitochondria as well as normal polar body formation in mouse oocytes.

Summary Background Hyperglycemia can induce the heart to enter an oxygen-restricted environment, which results in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). Microbiota-derived short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) affect O2 consumption and play crucial roles in modulating metabolic and cardiovascular health. The epigenetic regulation of the hypoxia-inducible factor 3A (HIF3A) gene is implicated in oxidative metabolism in the pathogenesis of diabetes. Identifying the associations between plasma SCFA levels and intronic DNA methylation of HIF3A may reveal useful predictors or provide insights into the disease processes of DCM. Methods In this cross-sectional study, we analyzed plasma SCFA levels, HIF3A expression, and CpG methylation of HIF3A intron 1 in peripheral blood from patients with type 2 diabetes presenting with (n = 92) and without (n = 105) cardiomyopathy. Results Plasma butyric acid levels and HIF3A mRNA expression in peripheral blood were decreased in DCM patients, whereas 3 CpGs in HIF3A intron 1 (CpG 6, CpG 7 and CpG 11) were highly methylated in DCM patients. Interestingly, butyric acid levels positively correlated with HIF3A levels, while a negative association was identified between butyric acid levels and the methylation rates of HIF3A intron 1 at CpG 6. Butyric acid levels also correlated with several clinical/echocardiographic factors in DCM patients. Additionally, the combination of plasma butyric acid levels and HIF3A intron 1 methylation at CpG 6 discriminated DCM patients from type2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. Conclusions The novel associations between plasma butyric acid levels and HIF3A intron 1 methylation at CpG 6 may highlight an underlying mechanism by which the “microbial-myocardial” axis and host–microbe interactions may participate in the pathogenesis of DCM.

We have developed a cyanide-free strategy for the synthesis of glycosyl carboxylic acids, which can provide 1,2-trans or 1,2-cis glycosyl carboxylic acids and is compatible with common protecting g...

Background To assess the diagnostic efficacy of optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography (OCTA) in Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods OCT was used to obtain macular parameters and peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. The macular superficial retinal vessel and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) were quantified with OCTA. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) indicated the diagnostic efficacy of the parameters. Results Thirty-five eyes from 35 PD patients and 35 eyes from 35 age-matched healthy subjects who served as controls were evaluated. The mean RNFL thickness overall and the thicknesses of the other three quadrants were similar in PD patients compared with controls (P≥0.358). The RNFL thickness at the temporal quadrant, total macular volume (TMV), macular retinal thickness (MRT), and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer complex (GCL-IPL) thickness were reduced in the eyes of PD patients (P≤0.046). There was no difference between the CMT of PD patients compared with control subjects (P=0.163). The vessel length density (VLD) in the central, inner and full regions; vessel perfusion density (VPD) in all regions; and the FAZ circularity index in PD patients were significantly lower than in controls (P≤0.049). The AUC of the VLD in PD in the central, inner and full regions were 0.712, 0.728, and 0.650, respectively; The VPD in the central, inner and full region were 0.711, 0.756, and 0.682, respectively. The mean RNFL thickness in the temporal quadrant, TMV and MRT revealed an AUC of 0.718, 0.693 and 0.699, respectively. The VPD in the outer region, FAZ circularity and GCL-IPL thickness did not have diagnostic ability in distinguishing PD from normal eyes (P≥0.05). The AUCs of a combination of the VLD in the inner region and TMV, the VLD in the inner region and MRT, the VPD in the inner region and TMV, and the VPD in the inner region and MRT, were 0.843, 0.849, 0.849, and 0.848, respectively (P≤0.001). Conclusions Decreased OCT and OCTA parameters were detected in the eyes of PD patients. Combined non-invasive measurements of OCT and OCTA had better diagnostic ability than either alone, and may provide an additional biomarker for PD progression.

A spectrophotometric method for the rapid measurement of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in aqueous solutions was developed in this study. This method is based on a reaction catalyzed by peroxidase (POD) in which potassium iodide (KI) is oxidized to generate the stable yellow-colored I3− within 15 s. The absorbance of the generated I3− at both 350 nm and 400 nm had good linear relationships with H2O2 concentration in the range of 0–70 μM (R2 > 0.999) with sensitivities of 2.34 × 104 M−1 cm−1 and 5.30 × 103 M−1 cm−1 respectively. Meanwhile, through calculation, the detection limits of the proposed POD-KI method at 350 nm and 400 nm were 0.09 μM and 0.33 μM, respectively. Even when the concentration of H2O2 was up to 350 μM, the absorbance of the generated I3− at 350 nm did not decrease observably. The generated I3− was found to be stable enough in ultrapure water, underground water, reservoir water and samples containing the strong reducing agent hydroxylamine. Moreover, the proposed POD-KI method was successfully used to analyze trace H2O2 in rainwater, and to monitor the change of H2O2 concentration in the Fenton, hydroxylamine/Fenton and hydroxylamine/Cu(II)/H2O2 systems. Overall, the POD-KI method could be adopted as a candidate method to determine H2O2 in Fenton and Fenton-like systems, and especially in those involving hydroxylamine.

Background: Ovarian cancer causes high mortality rate worldwide, and despite numerous attempts, the outcome for patients with ovarian cancer are still not well improved. Microarray-based gene expressional analysis provides with valuable information for discriminating functional genes in ovarian cancer development and progression. However, due to the differences in experimental design, the results varied significantly across individual datasets. Methods: In the present study, the data of gene expression in ovarian cancer were downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and 16 studies were included. A meta-analysis based gene expression analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The most differentially expressed genes in our meta-analysis were selected for gene expression and gene function validation. Results: A total of 972 DEGs with P-value < 0.001 were identified in ovarian cancer, including 541 up-regulated genes and 431 down-regulated genes, among which 92 additional DEGs were found as gained DEGs. Top five up- and down-regulated genes were selected for the validation of gene expression profiling. Among these genes, up-regulated CD24 molecule (CD24), SRY (sex determining region Y)-box transcription factor 17 (SOX17), WFDC2, epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EPCAM), innate immunity activator (INAVA), and down-regulated aldehyde oxidase 1 (AOX1) were revealed to be with consistent expressional patterns in clinical patient samples of ovarian cancer. Gene functional analysis demonstrated that up-regulated WFDC2 and INAVA promoted ovarian cancer cell migration, WFDC2 enhanced cell proliferation, while down-regulated AOX1 was functional in inducing cell apoptosis of ovarian cancer. Conclusion: Our study shed light on the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of ovarian cancer, and facilitated the understanding of novel diagnostic and therapeutic targets in ovarian cancer.

In this study, iodometric spectrophotometry, the most-used method for detecting peroxydisulfate (PDS), was modified by increasing the concentration of potassium iodide (KI) for realizing the immediate PDS determination and avoiding the interference of hydroxylamine. Kinetic studies showed that the reaction between PDS and I− to generate the yellow-colored I3− followed the kinetic equation as - d P D S d t = d I 3 - d t = 1 . 995 × 10 - 2 M - 2 · s - 1 · P D S 1 · I - 2 . Detection time of the iodometric spectrophotometry was shortened from 15 min to 15 s when KI concentration was increased from 0.6 M to 4.8 M. Different with the previous iodometric spectrophotometry, the modified method using 4.8 M KI as the indicator was well tolerable to the interference of hydroxylamine at acidic pH conditions. The calibration curve of the modified method showed a well linear relationship (R2 = 0.999) between the absorbance of I3− at 352 nm and PDS concentration in the range of 0–80 μM. The modified method was highly sensitive with the absorptivity of 2.5 × 104 M−1 cm−1 and the limit of detection of 0.11 μM. Moreover, the modified method was successfully applied for monitoring the change of PDS concentration during the degradation of diclofenac with four different PDS-based AOPs, the calculated reaction stoichiometric efficiency ( R S E ( % ) = D i c l o f e n a c d e g r a d e d P D S c o n s u m e d × 100 % ) followed the order as heat/PDS system > hydroxylamine/Fe2+/PDS system > hydroxylamine/Cu2+/PDS system > Fe2+/PDS system.

The inactivation of bacteriophage MS2 by sodium hypochlorite was investigated to understand the effect of solution chemistry on the disinfection efficacy in the presence of particles. Kaolinite and Microcystis aeruginosa (M. aeruginosa) were used as the models of inorganic and organic particles to simulate high turbidity and algal cells, respectively, in drinking water sources. In both particle-containing solutions, lower pH, the presence of cations (di-valent Ca2+) and natural organic matters (NOM) were regarded as the main factors to influence the aggregation and inactivation of MS2. The results showed that MS2 aggregated in all solutions at pH 3.0, protecting the inner viruses. At pH 7.0, the presence of Na+ cations (0–200 mmol/L) did not affect the inactivation efficacy of MS2, which always followed the order of particles-free ≈ kaolinite > M. aeruginosa. The inactivation efficacy of MS2 in the presence of Ca2+ cations followed the order of kaolinite > particles-free > M. aeruginosa at 0–50 mmol/L Ca2+ cations, while the inactivation efficacy remained almost constant in the range of 100–200 mmol/L Ca2+ cations. By contrast, kaolinite offered not enough protection to adsorbed MS2, but MS2 aggregation decreased disinfection efficacy at a high concentration of Ca2+ cations. Moreover, the presence of humic acid as NOM decreased the inactivation of MS2 more significantly than M. aeruginosa due to the more consumption of free chlorine from humic acids. Therefore, the co-existence of NOM and di-valent Ca2+ cations are potential challenges for the inactivation of viruses by sodium hypochlorite in safe drinking water.

A high-throughput platform would greatly facilitate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) serological testing and antiviral screening. Here we present a high-throughput nanoluciferase severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2-Nluc) that is genetically stable and replicates similarly to the wild-type virus in cell culture. SARS-CoV-2-Nluc can be used to measure neutralizing antibody activity in patient sera within 5 hours, and it produces results in concordance with a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT). Additionally, using SARS-CoV-2-Nluc infection of A549 cells expressing human ACE2 receptor (A549-hACE2), we show that the assay can be used for antiviral screening. Using the optimized SARS-CoV-2-Nluc assay, we evaluate a panel of antivirals and other anti-infective drugs, and we identify nelfinavir, rupintrivir, and cobicistat as the most selective inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2-Nluc (EC50 0.77 to 2.74 µM). In contrast, most of the clinically approved antivirals, including tenofovir alafenamide, emtricitabine, sofosbuvir, ledipasvir, and velpatasvir were inactive at concentrations up to 10 µM. Collectively, this high-throughput platform represents a reliable tool for rapid neutralization testing and antiviral screening for SARS-CoV-2., A high-throughput platform would greatly facilitate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) serological testing and antiviral screening. To address this, Shi and colleagues present a high-throughput nanoluciferase severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2-Nluc), and show that it has potential for large-scale vaccine evaluation and neutralizing antibody testing.

Phytohormones are key factors in plant responsiveness to abiotic and biotic stresses, and maintaining hormone homeostasis is critically important during stress responses. Cut rose (Rosa hybrida) flowers experience dehydration stress during postharvest handling, and jasmonic acid (JA) levels change as a result of this stress. However, how JA is involved in dehydration tolerance remains unclear. We investigated the functions of the JA- and dehydration-induced RhHB1 gene, which encodes a homeodomain-leucine zipper I γ-clade transcription factor, in rose flowers. Silencing RhHB1 decreased petal dehydration tolerance and resulted in a persistent increase in JA-Ile content and reduced dehydration tolerance. An elevated JA-Ile level had a detrimental effect on rose petal dehydration tolerance. RhHB1 was shown to lower the transient induction of JA-Ile accumulation in response to dehydration. In addition to transcriptomic data, we obtained evidence that RhHB1 suppresses the expression of the lipoxygenase 4 (RhLOX4) gene by directly binding to its promoter both in vivo and in vitro. We propose that increased JA-Ile levels weaken the capacity for osmotic adjustment in petal cells, resulting in reduced dehydration tolerance. In conclusion, a JA feedback loop mediated by an RhHB1/RhLOX4 regulatory module provides dehydration tolerance by fine-tuning bioactive JA levels in dehydrated flowers.

Recently, increasing attention has been paid for using commercial peracetic acid (PAA) solution as an efficient disinfectant or a strong oxidant in water treatment. Simultaneous determination of PAA and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is vital because PAA solution is commonly available as a mixed solution containing the peroxides PAA and H2O2. In this study, a simple, rapid and reliable spectrophotometric method for the simultaneous determination of PAA and H2O2 was developed. This method was based on the rapid oxidation of excess potassium iodide by PAA and H2O2 in the presence of ammonium molybdate to yield yellow-colored triiodide ions (I3−) that could be quantitatively measured using an UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The absorption of generated I3− at 350 nm increased linearly (R2 > 0.999) with the concentrations of total peroxides and PAA in the range of 0–70 μM. The sensitivities were respectively measured to be as high as 2.596 × 104 M−1 cm−1 for total peroxides and 2.616 × 104 M−1 cm−1 for PAA, while the corresponding limits of detection were calculated to be as low as 0.19 μM and 0.18 μM. The concentration of the H2O2 coexisting in PAA solution was obtained by subtracting the concentration of PAA from the concentration of total peroxides. The concentrations of total peroxides, PAA and H2O2 in practical water samples measured with this proposed method were in good agreement with the values measured with the earlier reported spectrophotometric method using N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine as the indicator. Therefore, this proposed spectrophotometric method could be considered as an alternative method for the simultaneous determination of PAA and H2O2 coexisting in PAA solution.

Magnesium silicate hydrate (M&ndash, S&ndash, H) cement, formed by reacting MgO, SiO2, and H2O, was used to encapsulate strontium (Sr) radionuclide. Samples were prepared using light-burned magnesium oxide and silica fume, with sodium hexametaphosphate added to the mix water as a dispersant. The performance of the materials formed was evaluated by leach testing and the microstructure of the samples was also characterized. The stabilizing/solidifying effect on Sr radionuclide in the MgO&ndash, SiO2&ndash, H2O system with low alkalinity is demonstrated in the study. The leaching rate in a standard 42-day test was 2.53 &times, 10&minus, 4 cm/d, and the cumulative 42-day leaching fraction was 0.06 cm. This meets the relevant national standard performance for leaching requirements. Sr2+ was effectively incorporated into the M&ndash, H hydration products and new phase formation resulted in low Sr leaching being observed.

A sensitive spectrophotometric method (the N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) method) was established for the determination of trace permanganate concentration (0–10 μM) in water. The DPD method was based on the oxidative coloration reaction where permanganate could oxidize DPD to form the red colored DPD radical (DPD•+) with a second-order rate constant of 2.96 × 104 M−1 s−1 at pH 6 (50 mM phosphate buffer). The generated DPD•+ could be quantitatively measured at 551 nm using an UV–Vis spectrophotometer. There was a good linear relationship (R2 = 0.999) between the absorbance of DPD•+ and permanganate concentration. The DPD method was highly sensitive, and the absorbance of generated DPD•+ at 551 nm was as high as 5.70 × 104 cm−1 per M (mol L−1) of permanganate. The reaction of permanganate with DPD in the pH range of 4.0–8.0 had a stoichiometric coefficient of 1:2.71. The residual absorbance of DPD•+ in ultrapure water and natural waters was fairly stable for 30 min. Limits of detection of the proposed DPD method in ultrapure water and natural waters were calculated to be as low as 0.010 μM and 0.017 μM, respectively. Moreover, trace permanganate concentrations of 0.04 and 0.10 μM were found in natural waters and wastewater by the proposed DPD method. Additionally, the DPD method could be applied to measure the second-order rate constants of the reaction of permanganate with phenol at pH 7.0 (28.2 M−1 s−1).

Advanced oxidation processes offer effective solutions in treating wastewater from various industries. The process of alkali-activated hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was superior for the treatment of alkaline dye wastewater because no additional reagents were required except H2O2. However, an important and interesting phenomenon had been observed that the primary reactive species were found different for degrading organic pollutants with the process of alkali-activated H2O2. Azo dye of Orange G (OG) and triphenylmethane dye of Rhodamine B (RhB) were chosen as the target organic pollutants. The influences of various parameters on OG and RhB degradation by alkali-activated H2O2 were evaluated. Furthermore, different scavengers, including ascorbic acid, methanol, t-butanol, isopropyl alcohol, furfuryl alcohol, and nitro blue tetrazolium, have been tested to identify the active species involved in dye degradation, and it was found that O2·- was mainly responsible for degrading OG, while HO2- anion was the primary oxidant for degrading RhB.

Ternary heterojunctions g-C3N4/ZnS/CuS with different morphologies were constructed. The g-C3N4/ZnS/CuS (hexagonal-nanosheets) exhibited the largest photocurrent, the best photocatalytic and electrochemical activity, which revealed the influence discipline of different morphologies on photoconductivity, photo/electro-catalytic activity. It indicated that this heterojunction can be used as an excellent photoconductor device, a high-efficiency photo/electro-catalyst.

Temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) is a chronic neurological disease characterized by recurrent spontaneous seizures. MicroRNAs are dysregulated in various pathological conditions including epilepsy. Therefore, we hypothesized that the dysregulation of these microRNAs might also be associated with the pathogenesis of TLE. In this study, we found that a microRNA, hsa-miR-155-5p, was upregulated in patients with TLE post-surgery, and hence associated with clinical and pathological manifestations and seizure outcomes. We then used a rat model of experimental epilepsy induced by pilocarpine and revealed that the rat homologue was upregulated as well. Importantly, injection of an antagomiR of rno-miR-155-5p in vivo resulted in a reduction of the pathophysiological features associated with the status epilepticus, which was accompanied by decrease of apoptosis in the hippocampus. This effect was correlated with an increase in rat Sestrin-3 expression, which was a gene known to counteract oxidative stress. This rescue was also observed after injection of a lentivirus carrying the small interfering RNA of rat Sestrin-3 gene in the hippocampus. In addition, rno-miR-155-5p as well as rat Sestrin-3 mRNA and protein expression were partly dependent on oxidative stress induced by H2O2 in PC12 cells. Taken together, our data suggest that rno-miR-155-5p is a potent post-transcriptional regulator of rat Sestrin-3 and it may be one of the molecular links between brain damage and increased risk for seizures during damage by oxidative stress.

Mn-substituted double perovskites, PrBaCo2-xMnxO5+δ (x = 0, 0.5, 1), are evaluated as cathode materials for intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cells. The effects of Mn substitution content on their structural and electrochemical properties including crystal structure, thermal expansion coefficient, and cathodic interfacial polarization resistance are investigated. The PrBaCo2-xMnxO5+δ samples exhibit structural changes with increasing Mn contents from tetragonal (x = 0) to cubic (x = 0.5 and 1.0) symmetry. The thermal expansion coefficient decreases with the increasing Mn content while the cathodic performance increases with the increment of Mn content from x = 0 to x = 0.5 then decreases with the further increment of Mn content from x = 0.5 to x = 1.0. When using La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.15Co0.05O3 with 300 μm thickness as electrolyte and Sr2Fe1.4Ni0.1Mo0.5O6-δ as anode, the maximum powder density of the x = 0.5 composite is 0.638 W cm−2, which is higher than that of the other two samples with x = 0 (0.474 W cm−2) and x = 1.0 (0.371 W cm−2) at 800 °C.

Novel cathode material Bi 1.91 Sr 2 Co 1.96 O 7.08 (BSCO) was synthesized by ethylene glycol assisted sol-gel method for intermediate temperature solid oxide fuel cells (IT-SOFCs). In addition to its good thermal stability, it shows chemical and thermal compatibility with Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 2− γ electrolyte. Thermal expansion coefficient of BSCO is found to be approximately 11.2 × 10 −6 K −1 from 100 °C to 800 °C, which is the main merit of this material compared with other cobaltite based perovskite cathodes. Electrical conductivity of BSCO is about 8–9 S cm −1 between 600 and 700 °C, and polarization resistance of BSCO cathode on Ce 0.9 Gd 0.1 O 2− γ electrolyte are 0.1, 0.3 and 1.3 Ω·cm 2 at 800, 748 and 695 °C, respectively. Maximum power density based on BSCO/GDC/NiO-GDC cell is 495 mW·cm −2 at 700 o C. Given that the thermal compatibility with the electrolyte and the encouraging electrochemical performance, BSCO could be considered as an alternative cathode material for IT-SOFCs.

The Co3O4/g-C3N4 heterojunctions were prepared by a facile one-pot thermal decomposition technique. Compared with g-C3N4, it was found that Co3O4/g-C3N4 heterojunctions possessed a higher Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area, which was beneficial to the diffusion of aim molecules on the electrode surfaces. And the optimal Co3O4/g-C3N4 heterojunctions exhibited a narrower band gap and a higher donor density, resulting in an excellent electrocatalytic activity for environmental phenolic hormones. Moreover, the Co3O4/g-C3N4 heterojunctions were used for the electrochemical sensing of environmental phenolic hormones such as bisphenol A, pentachlorophenol, p-nitrophenol and octylphenol. All detection ranges reached three orders of magnitude, showing a lower limit of detection of 10−9 mol L−1. So, sensitivity and accurate determination of environmental phenolic hormones in real water samples may use this Co3O4/g-C3N4 heterojunctions modified electrode.

In this study, a new spectrophotometric method was proposed for the measurement of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in aqueous solutions. The method was based on the peroxidase (POD)-catalyzed reaction in which 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) was oxidized to form the stable green radical (ABTS +). The generated ABTS + could be determined spectrophotometrically. The absorbance of the generated ABTS + at 415 nm, 650 nm, 732 nm and 820 nm were linear with H2O2 concentrations in the range of 0–40 μM. The sensitivities of the proposed ABTS method for H2O2 determination at 415 nm, 650 nm, 732 nm and 820 nm were 6.29 × 104 M−1 cm−1, 2.00 × 104 M−1 cm−1, 2.54 × 104 M−1 cm−1 and 1.89 × 104 M−1 cm−1, respectively. The oxidation of ABTS to generate ABTS + in POD-catalyzed H2O2 system at pH 6.0 was so fast that the determination time of the ABTS method was as short as 0.5 min. The stoichiometry of the reaction of H2O2 and ABTS in the presence of POD was calculated as nearly 1:2 (1:1.92). The residual absorbance of the generated ABTS + was also found to be stable within 30 min in natural waters. Low H2O2 concentration in rainwater could be both measured by the ABTS method and the DPD method with high accuracy, however, H2O2 concentration in wastewater contained rhodamine B could only be accurately measured with the ABTS method at 732 nm. Moreover, waste solutions after H2O2 analysis with the proposed ABTS method were non-hazardous towards E. coli.

The construction of high-quality graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4)-based heterojunctions remains a grand challenge. Herein, the ternary heterojunctions of g-C3N4/ZnS/CuS has been fabricated via a facile three-step process: the polymerization of melamine, the loading of ZnS nanoparticles (NPs), and further deposition of hexagonal CuS nanosheets. Compared with pure g-C3N4, there is an extended visible-light absorption over 500–800 nm for g-C3N4/ZnS/CuS, which enables the possible utilization of low-energy visible light. Moreover, ZnS NPs interface layers and hexagonal CuS nano-sheets can be both utilized as electron co-catalysts to markedly improve the separation efficiency of the photo-generated electrons and holes and decrease interface transfer resistance, resulting in highly efficient photocatalytic activity for degradation of Rhodamine B (RhB) and significantly enhanced photoconductivity in an all-solid-state device. This work can be helpful for developing other effective hetero-structured photocatalysts and photoelectrical devices.

In this study, a multi-wavelength spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of peracetic acid (PAA) and coexistent hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was presented. This method was based on the oxidation of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) with the assistance of Fe2+/KI to produce a stable green radical (ABTS●+), which could be determined at four characteristic peaks (i.e., 415 nm, 650 nm, 732 nm, and 820 nm). The absorbances of ABTS●+ at four peaks were well linear (R2 > 0.999) with concentrations of both total peroxides (PAA + H2O2) and PAA in the range of 0–40 μM under optimized conditions. The sensitivities for determining total peroxides at 415 nm, 650 nm, 732 nm and 820 nm were determined to be 4.248 × 104 M−1 cm−1, 1.682 × 104 M−1 cm−1, 2.132 × 104 M−1 cm−1, and 1.928 × 104 M−1 cm−1, respectively. For determining PAA, the corresponding sensitivities were 4.622 × 104 M−1 cm−1, 1.895 × 104 M−1 cm−1, 2.394 × 104 M−1 cm−1 and 2.153 × 104 M−1 cm−1, respectively. The concentration of coexistent H2O2 was gained by deducting PAA concentration from total peroxides concentration. The ABTS method was accurate enough to determine PAA concentration in natural water samples. Moreover, the ABTS method was successfully used to determine the changes of PAA and coexistent H2O2 and to distinguish their role on naproxen degradation in heat-activated PAA process. Overall, the ABTS method could be used as an alternative method for the convenient, rapid and sensitive determination of PAA and the coexistent H2O2 in water samples.

In this study, a commonly used reducing agent, hydroxylamine (HA), was introduced into Fe(II)/PAA process to improve its oxidation capacity. The HA/Fe(II)/PAA process possessed high oxidation performance for diclofenac degradation even with trace Fe(II) dosage (i.e., 1 μM) at pH of 3.0 to 6.0. Based on electron paramagnetic resonance technology, methyl phenyl sulfoxide (PMSO)-based probe experiments and alcohol quenching experiments, FeIVO2+ and carbon-centered radicals (R-O•) were considered as the primary reactive species responsible for diclofenac elimination. HA accelerated the redox cycle of Fe(III)/Fe(II) and itself was gradually decomposed to N2, N2O, NO2- and NO3-, and the environmentally friendly gas of N2 was considered as the major decomposition product of HA. Four possible degradation pathways of diclofenac were proposed based on seven detected intermediate products. Both elevated dosages of Fe(II) and PAA promoted diclofenac removal. Cl-, HCO3- and SO42- had negligible impacts on diclofenac degradation, while humic acid exhibited an inhibitory effect. The oxidation capacity of HA/Fe(II)/PAA process in natural water matrices and its application to degrade various micropollutants were also investigated. This study proposed a promising strategy for improving the Fe(II)/PAA process and highlighted its potential application in water treatment.

Heterogeneous catalytic dinitrogen reduction to produce ammonia at ambient pressure and temperature is a challenging task when attempting to mimic the natural dinitrogen fixation process because the N2 molecule hardly binds with solid catalytic materials and the generation of high energy intermediates is required. Energetic solvated electrons, as highly reactive species, can directly react in solution and thus can overcome such limitations in ammonia synthesis. Although solvated electrons are commonly generated by high energy radiation, a facile approach for generation of solvated electrons is of increasing importance. Previous literature reported that photo-illuminated hydrogen-terminated diamond yields solvated electrons for reduction of N2. In this study, the solvated electrons were produced by direct emission of stabilized electrons from heavily reduced TiO2 into water under thermal or infrared light excitation. The structural change of the reduced TiO2 was characterized to understand the process of stabilization and release of excess electrons. Furthermore, the conversion of N2 into NH3 at different conditions under thermal excitation was tested to evaluate the reduction activity of solvated electrons. The thermal energy-controlled electron emission from the reduced TiO2 particles into solution has great application potentials in areas of energy conversion, chemical synthesis, and medical treatment.

Nowadays, a number of spectrophotometric methods for Cr(VI) determination have been developed. Whereas most of them are sensitive to pH, metallic ions, temperature, etc, which render them out of feasibility and may result in erroneous measurement. Therefore, to overcome these drawbacks, a new spectrophotometric method with rapid detection, high accuracy and strong anti-interference ability was established. This method is based on the oxidative coloration of N,N-diethyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) and Cr(VI) to generate pink-colored DPD•+ radicals which showed maximum absorbance at 551 nm. Accordingly, different reaction parameters were optimized, the calibration curves (linear range 0.85–60 µM) were established with a high sensibility of (3.05 ± 0.02) × 104 M−1 cm−1. The LOD and LOQ were determined to be 0.26 µM and 0.85 µM respectively, accompanied with a stoichiometric coefficient of near 1:3 (1:2.78). The DPD method exerted a satisfactory accuracy in natural water samples and a pretty good anti-interference performance towards various common co-existing metallic ions. Moreover, this method was successfully applied in the Cr(VI)-sulfite and Cr(VI)-hydroxylamine systems. Overall, the study highlights the DPD method as a promising approach for the Cr(VI) determination and provides a new perspective for the practices of spectrophotometry.

Fe(II)/peracetic acid (Fe(II)/PAA) process exhibits a great potential in abatement of micropollutants because of the fast reaction between Fe(II) and PAA. Similar to Fenton system, the slow reduction from Fe(III) to Fe(II) leads to the high dosage of Fe(II) in Fe(II)/PAA process. This study introduced 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenz- -othiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) as electron shuttle to improve the oxidation capacity of Fe(II)/PAA process by accelerating the redox cycle of Fe(III)/Fe(II). ABTS/Fe(II)/PAA process possessed high elimination efficiency of diclofenac in acidic conditions. Alcohols quenching experiments confirmed that ABTS•+ was the primary reactive species responsible for diclofenac elimination, although FeIVO2+ and carbon-centered radicals (R-O•) also existed in ABTS/Fe(II)/PAA process. ABTS•+ was generated via various pathways, including the reactions of ABTS with Fe(III), FeIVO2+ and R-O•. ABTS was not an ideal electron shuttle because R-O• could decompose partial ABTS•+ to sulfoxides and sulfones. Two possible degradation pathways of diclofenac were proposed based on the detected transformation products. ABTS/Fe(II)/PAA process was highly-efficient for diclofenac elimination in underground water and reservoir water, while high concentration of humic acid had inhibition effect on diclofenac degradation. The present study provides a promising way to alleviate the intrinsic drawbacks of Fe(II)/PAA process and might advance its potential application in water treatment.

Development of low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) is crucially important for their stable and continuous operation as a reliable power source. With Ni nanoparticles impregnated into the thick anode support, Sr and Mg doped LaGaO3 (LSGM) based electrolyte has been demonstrated to be adept at reducing the ohmic resistance for high performance at low temperatures (450–650 °C). In this study, 55-μm LSGM-electrolyte-based SOFCs are prepared via the impregnation for both cathode and anode, and high performance is obtained at low temperatures. The durability and reduction-oxidation (redox) stability are examined in terms of the calcination temperature of LSGM/Ni(O) anode that determines the thermal growth of NiO crystals and interfacial reaction between NiO and LSGM. We find that the cell with anode calcined at 1100 °C does contain larger NiO grains and more secondary phases, but it shows similar power density comparing to the one calcined at 800 °C. Both cells are stable at 650 °C and no damage on the electrolyte is found during the redox cycle, but the performance of the former is more sensitive to the redox cycle due to the high ohmic resistance arisen from the possible discontinuous connection between the large Ni grains.

Bifunctional materials having both good catalytic and adsorptive performances are promising in the field of wastewater treatment. Cobalt-encapsulated and nitrogen-doped bamboo-like carbon nanotubes (Co/N-CNTs) were prepared by a simple method of calcination and acid treatment with Co3[Co(CN)6]2 as a precursor. Based on a series of characterization and performance studies, Co/N-CNTs were confirmed to be able to function as both a catalyst and an adsorbent for oxidative degradation of organic pollutants in the presence of peroxymonosulfate (PMS). When rhodamine B was used as a typical dye pollutant, it was found that all the added pollutant (10 mg L−1) was completely removed in 7 min by using 0.1 g L−1 Co/N-CNTs and 0.2 g L−1 PMS. The fast and efficient degradation of the pollutant was attributed to the synergistic effect between adsorption and catalysis on the surface of Co/N-CNTs. It was confirmed that this bifunctional material provided good performances in a wide range of operation conditions, such as a wide temperature range and a wide pH range. Co/N-CNTs also exhibited a good recyclability. A mechanism study indicated that the main active species in the catalytic oxidation process was surface-bound SO4 − and OH.

University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Human Infections & Immunity. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Translational Science. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Galveston, TX, USA / Minist?rio da Sa?de. Secretaria de Vigil?ncia em Sa?de. Instituto Evandro Chagas. Ananindeua, PA, Brasil. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Galveston, TX, USA . University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Human Infections & Immunity. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Translational Science. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Human Infections & Immunity. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Pathology and Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Pathology and Center for Biodefense & Emerging Infectious Diseases. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Sealy Center for Vaccine Development. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Human Infections & Immunity. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Institute for Translational Science. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Microbiology & Immunology. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Sealy Center for Vaccine Development. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Sealy Center for Structural Biology & Molecular Biophysics. Galveston, TX, USA. University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Sealy Center for Vaccine Development. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology. Galveston, TX, USA / University of Texas Medical Branch. Sealy Center for Structural Biology & Molecular Biophysics. Galveston, TX, USA. Zika virus (ZIKV) infection causes devastating congenital abnormities and Guillain-Barre? syndrome. The ZIKV envelope (E) protein is responsible for viral entry and represents a major determinant for viral pathogenesis. Like other flaviviruses, the ZIKV E protein is glycosylated at amino acid N154. To study the function of E glycosylation, we generated a recombinant N154Q ZIKV that lacks the E glycosylation and analyzed the mutant virus in mammalian and mosquito hosts. In mouse models, the mutant was attenuated, as evidenced by lower viremia, decreased weight loss, and no mortality; however, knockout of E glycosylation did not significantly affect neurovirulence. Mice immunized with the mutant virus developed a robust neutralizing antibody response and were completely protected from wild-type ZIKV challenge. In mosquitoes, the mutant virus exhibited diminished oral infectivity for the Aedes aegypti vector. Collectively, the results demonstrate that E glycosylation is critical for ZIKV infection of mammalian and mosquito hosts.