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The photocatalytic CO2 conversion efficiency of semiconductor materials still suffers from the faint CO2 surface adsorption capacity and sluggish reaction kinetics. Among the modification strategies, defect engineering is considered as a promising approach for ameliorating the catalytic performance of the bulk materials. Herein, an ionic liquid 1-dodecyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride-assisted alkali solvothermal method was employed for the synthesis of ultrathin Bi24O31Cl10 nanosheets with abundant surface oxygen vacancies (Bi24O31Cl10-OV). The existence of the surface oxygen vacancy provided sufficient catalytic sites and greatly strengthened the CO2 adsorption and activation capacity. Furthermore, a newly created energy level in the forbidden band of the Bi24O31Cl10-OV sample facilitated the photogenerated charge separation and transfer, boosting the reaction rate. Under the conditions of pure water and high-purity CO2, the total CO yield of the Bi24O31Cl10-OV sample was achieved up to 330 μmol/g after irradiation with a 300 W Xe lamp for 10 h, which was 3 and 7 times higher than the bulk counterpart and partial oxygen-repaired Bi24O31Cl10-OV sample, respectively. Furthermore, isotope labeling experiments also verified that the actual carbon source in the product CO was from CO2 molecules. These results reveal that surface oxygen vacancy engineering is an effective approach for developing high-performance bismuth-based solar fuel generation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sulfate-reducing bacteria （SRB） was a class of bacteria that use organic matter to reduce SO42- to produce sulfides. SRB can be used to treat wastewater containing SO42-，but the desulfurization effect is limited by temperature，environmental pH，S2- concentration，m（COD）/m（SO42-） and other factors. Based on this，this study used batch experiments to comprehensively analyze the effects of temperature，environmental pH，S2- mass concentration and m（COD）/m（SO42-） on the growth of SRB，and explored the desulfurization performance of SRB in different environments. The results showed that SRB was in the logarithmic phase when cultured for 14-86 h，and the activity was the highest. The optimum growth temperature of SRB was 35 ℃. The S2- in the system would affect the growth of SRB. When the mass concentration of S2- increased，it would not only inhibit the metabolic activity of SRB，but also lead to apoptosis of SRB cells. SRB could survive under the condition of pH 5-8. When the pH of the environment was 7-8，the metabolism of SRB was the most vigorous. The optimum m（COD）/m（SO42-） for SRB growth was 2. Under the optimal conditions of temperature 35 ℃，pH=7，and m（COD）/m（SO42-）=2，SRB in logarithmic phase was cultured on Starkey medium for 8 days，the OD600，pH，ORP，EC，and SO42- removal rates of the solution were 1.33，8.78，-393 mV，2.90 mS/cm，and 84.77%，respectively.

Pseudorabies virus (PRV) belongs to Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily that causes huge economic loss in pig industry worldwide. It has been recently demonstrated that many herpesviruses encode microRNAs (miRNAs), which play crucial roles in viral life cycle. However, the knowledge about PRV-encoded miRNAs is still limited. Here, we report a comprehensive analysis of both viral and host miRNA expression profiles in PRV-infected porcine epithelial cell line (PK-15). Deep sequencing data showed that the ∼4.6 kb intron of the large latency transcript (LLT) functions as a primary microRNA precursor (pri-miRNA) that encodes a cluster of 11 distinct miRNAs in the PRV genome, and 209 known and 39 novel porcine miRNAs were detected. Viral miRNAs were further confirmed by stem-loop RT-PCR and northern blot analysis. Intriguingly, all of these viral miRNAs exhibited terminal heterogeneity both at the 5' and 3' ends. Seven miRNA genes produced mature miRNAs from both arms and two of the viral miRNA genes showed partially overlapped in their precursor regions. Unexpectedly, a terminal loop-derived small RNA with high abundance and one special miRNA offset RNA (moRNA) were processed from a same viral miRNA precursor. The polymorphisms of viral miRNAs shed light on the complexity of host miRNA-processing machinery and viral miRNA-regulatory mechanism. The swine genes and PRV genes were collected for target prediction of the viral miRNAs, revealing a complex network formed by both host and viral genes. GO enrichment analysis of host target genes suggests that PRV miRNAs are involved in complex cellular pathways including cell death, immune system process, metabolic pathway, indicating that these miRNAs play significant roles in virus-cells interaction of PRV and its hosts. Collectively, these data suggest that PRV infected epithelial cell line generates a diverse set of host miRNAs and a special cluster of viral miRNAs, which might facilitate PRV replication in cells.

Gallbladder atrophy (GBA) is characterised by a reduction in the size and volume of the gallbladder. In human medicine, it is well-established that GBA frequently occurs together with pathologies affecting the gallbladder and pancreas. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is currently a dearth of reported cases of GBA in dogs within the veterinary field. In this study, we present a case report of GBA in a 7-year-old Yorkshire Terrier. The diagnosis of GBA was confirmed using abdominal ultrasonography and advanced imaging techniques, including computed tomography, which were performed over a 4-year period. The patient initially presented with predominantly gastrointestinal symptoms, which were subsequently diagnosed and treated as pancreatitis. Concurrently, a gallbladder nodule and an anomalous structure suspected to be cholelithiasis were identified. However, during the 4-year follow-up, the gallbladder structure regressed, leaving only the presence of the gallbladder nodule. Notably, cholecystectomy was not performed, and apart from pancreatitis-related symptoms, the patient did not show any gallbladder-related problems throughout the spontaneous atrophic process. Based on these findings, we propose that the observed GBA was likely induced by cholecystitis associated with pancreatitis. This case underscores the significance of considering GBA as a potential diagnosis in canine patients presenting with pancreatitis and gastrointestinal symptoms. Furthermore, it highlights the value of comprehensive diagnostic imaging in accurately determining the underlying cause of these symptoms.

NASICON-type Na3V2(PO4)3 with three-dimensional network structure is regarded as a promising electrode material for sodium ion batteries (SIBs) anode due to its stable voltage platform and high theoretical capacity (117 mA⋅h/g). In this work, the graphene wrapped Na3V2(PO4)3 composite [Na3V2(PO4)3/G] was obtained by using a solvothermal method and heat treatment, which can effectively improve the electronical conductivity of Na3V2(PO4)3. The as-obtained Na3V2(PO4)3/G composite in SIBs exhibited a stable specific capacity of 100.9 mA⋅h/g with a capacity retention of 68.4% after 230 cycles at 0.2 C in the voltage range of 0.01 - 3.00 V. Even at 5 C, its discharge capacity still reached to 65.2 mA⋅h/g. While the pure Na3V2(PO4)3 displayed a low specific capacity of 47.4 mA⋅h/g with an only 44.7% capacity retention at 0.2 C. At 5 C, it only delivered a discharge capacity of 25.1 mA·h/g. It proved that the graphene wrapped structure can significantly improve the cycling stability and rate performance of Na3V2(PO4)3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commercialization of high‐energy‐density alkali metal (Li, Na, and K)–chalcogen (S, Se, and Te) batteries (AMCBs) has been primarily hindered by the volume expansion of chalcogen cathodes during repeated charging/discharging cycles, the shuttling effect of intermediates in the electrolytes, and unstable alkali metal anodes. Owing to their unique structural and physicochemical characteristics, including high specific surface areas, self‐doped N atoms, open pore structure, versatile compositions, and favorable chemical stability, zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) and their derivatives have been widely used in different battery components, such as cathodes, anodes, separators, and interlayers, to resolve these issues simultaneously. This review discusses recent advances in ZIFs and their derivatives for cathode construction, anode protection, and interlayer/separator design in AMCBs. The processing methods, structure and morphology engineering, composition tuning, and electrochemical performance of various ZIFs and their derivatives are systematically examined. More importantly, the remaining challenges and future research directions are summarized and discussed. This review is expected to offer new approaches for the rational design of ZIFs and their derivatives for emerging energy storage devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Preoperative risk assessment can predict adverse outcomes following hip fracture surgery, helping with decision-making and management strategies. Several risk adjustment models based on coded comorbidities such as Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), modified Elixhauser's Comorbidity Measure (mECM), and modified frailty index (mFI-5) are currently prevalent for orthopedic patients, but there is no consensus regarding which is optimal. The primary purpose was to identify the risk factors of CCI, mECM, and mFI-5, as well as patient characteristics for predicting (1) 1-month, 3-month, 1-year, and 2-year mortality, (2) perioperative complications, and (3) extended length of stay (LOS) following hip fractured surgery. The secondary aim was to compare the best-performing comorbidity index combined with characteristics identified in terms of their discriminative ability for adverse outcomes. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 3,379 consecutive patients presenting with intertrochanteric fractures at our Level I trauma center from 2013 to 2018. After eliminated by exclusion criteria, 2,241 patients undergoing hip fracture surgery by PFNA, with age ≥65 years, were included. Three main multivariate logistic regression models were constructed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to calculate hazard ratios for mortality. A base model included age, BMI, surgical delay, anesthesia type, hemoglobin record at admission, and American Society of Anesthesiologists grade (ASA) also was constructed and assessed. Results: Base model + mECM outperformed other models for the occurrence of major complications including severe complications, cardiac complications, and pulmonary complications [the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), 0.647; 95% CI, 0.616–0.677; AUC, 0.637; 95% CI, 0.610–0.664; AUC, 0.679; 95% CI, 0.642–0.715, respectively], while base model + CCI provided better prediction of minor complications of neurological complications and hematological complications (AUC, 0.659; 95% CI, 0.609, 0.709; AUC, 0.658; 95% CI, 0.635, 0.680). In addition, BMI, surgical delay, anesthesia type, and ASA were found highly relevant to extended LOS. Age-group (with a 10-year interval) was indicated to be mostly associated with all-cause mortality with fully adjusted hazard ratio of 1.35 and 95% CI range 1.20–1.51. Conclusions: In comparison with mFI-5 and CCI, mECM so far may be the best comorbidity index combined with the base model for predicting major complications following hip fracture. The base model already achieved good discrimination for all-cause mortality and extended LOS, further addition of risk adjustment indices led to only 1% increase in the amount of variation explained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inefficient charge separation and lack of active sites have been regarded as the main obstacles limiting the CO2 photoreduction efficiency. It is highly desirable but challenging to create a local polarization field to accelerate charge separation and build reactive sites for CO2 reduction dynamics. Herein, atomic level bismuth‐oxygen vacancy pairs are engineered into Bi24O31Br10 (BOB) atomic layers to create a local polarization field. It facilitates photogenerated electrons to migrate from BOB to vacancy pair sites and favors the activation of CO2 molecules. Simultaneously, it works as reactive sites to tune the non‐covalent interaction of intermediates and optimizes the reaction process. The vacancy pairs tuned surface atomic structures enable the formation of a highly stable Bi−C−O−Bi intermediate state and consecutive Bi−C−O intermediate, thus changing the rate‐determining step from CO* formation to COOH* formation. Benefiting from these features, the VBiO‐BOB delivers a 20.9‐fold CO2 photoreduction activity enhancement relative to highly crystalline BOB in pure water with highly stability. This work provides new insights for the design of a vacancy pair to create local polarization and tune the non‐covalent interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]