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A series of novel binary CuCo-SAPO-34 catalyst were developed and applied for selective catalytic reduction of nitrogen oxides from diesel emission exhaust and showed enhanced denitration performance, hydrothermal stability and SO 2 tolerance. [Display omitted] • A novel binary CuCo-SAPO-34 deNO x catalyst was designed and prepared. • CuCo-SAPO-34 exhibited enhanced high temperature deNO x activity. • CuCo-SAPO-34 exhibited enhanced SO 2 tolerance and superior hydrothermal stability. • The role Co promotion and reaction mechanism was studied in detail. It is well known that Cu-SAPO-34 catalyst has high activity for nitrogen oxides (NO x) abatement from diesel vehicle emission. However, its low sulfur resistance and hydrothermal stability still retard its reality application. Herein, a series of novel binary CuCo-SAPO-34 catalysts were designed and prepared through a simple one-pot method and applied for NO x selective catalytic reduction with ammonia. Compared with Cu-SAPO-34, the binary CuCo-SAPO-34 catalysts exhibited enhanced activity and SO 2 tolerance. To investigate the effects of Co addition and the reaction mechanism, various characterizations including X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping, physical and chemical adsorption, the in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (in situ DRIFTs), etc., were adopted. The results reveal that the Co 3 O 4 nanoclusters existing in CuCo-SAPO-34 could efficiently accelerate the oxidation of NO to NO 2 , and the addition of Co is conducive to improving its sulfur resistance. In addition, CuCo-SAPO-34 also displayed superior high- and low-temperature hydrothermal stability. The binary CuCo-SAPO-34 developed in this work may be a good candidate for Cu-SAPO-34 based catalysts in practical diesel vehicle emission control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Appropriate mechanical stimulation favors fracture healing. • PIEZO1 of macrophage is essential for mechanical stimulation-induced bone repair. • PIEZO1-activated macrophages secrete extracellular vesicles to promote osteogenesis. • Extracellular vesicles enriched microRNAs regulate adrenergic receptor signaling. • Adrb2 of osteoblast could be a target to promote fracture healing. Appropriate mechanical loading (ML) accelerates fracture healing. Macrophages, being the primary mechanosensitive immune cells, play a pivotal role in the regulation of bone formation. However, the exact mechanism through which macrophages respond to ML during the fracture healing process remains unclear. The current study revealed that conditional knockout of Piezo1 in macrophages impairs the infiltration and alternative activation of macrophages during fracture healing. In addition, ML activates PIEZO1 in macrophages to release small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) to foster osteogenesis. sEVs deriving from ML-treated macrophages (ML-Mφ-sEVs) enriched miRNAs in regulating adrenergic receptor signaling pathway. We next discovered that selected miRNAs within ML-Mφ-sEVs could target the expression of Adrb2 , thereby impeding β2 -adrenergic receptor signaling in osteoblasts during fracture healing. Conditional knockout of Adrb2 in osteoblasts increased mineralization in the callus, indicating that ML-Mφ-sEVs promote fracture healing through confining ADRB2 of osteoblasts. Based on these discoveries, we introduced engineered sEVs in the treatment of bone fracture, revealing that the osteoblasts targeting sEVs accelerated bone formation and ameliorated mechanical unloading-induced fracture delayed union. Collectively, our results reveal the relationship between ML-induced Mφ-sEVs and osteogenesis, which provides a potential therapeutic strategy for fracture management via targeting Adrb2 in osteoblasts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The absorption and refraction of light by water made high-precision 3D (three-dimensional) reconstruction of underwater concrete a challenging task. This paper proposed a 3D reconstruction method combining line structured light and stereo vision. To improve the reconstruction accuracy, the epipolar constraint was introduced in the light plane calibration process to limit the fringe noise data during calibration matching. A color camera and a monochrome camera were used simultaneously to characterize the real underwater 3D environment. After matching the left and right images, the color information of the color image was retained, and the color information of the point cloud was enhanced. Finally, experiments were conducted in a water tank, and the results indicated that the 3D reconstruction error for underwater concrete was 4.48 %. Moreover, the color enhancement of the point cloud achieved the highest overall scores across the four no-reference underwater image quality assessment metrics. • The relationship between underwater image degradation and factors was investigated. • A multi-media refraction imaging model for underwater environments was established using ray tracing, and a refraction distortion correction algorithm was proposed. • The window size for image enhancement was adaptively selected based on the contrast level of pixel neighborhoods. • The error in reconstructing underwater concrete using the 3D reconstruction method that combines laser and stereo vision was 4.48 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Elderly patients with femoral neck fractures (FNFs) undergoing hemiarthroplasty usually have poor physical condition. The main aim of this study was to identify risk factors for blood transfusion in these patients and construct a nomogram to intuitively predict the requirement of transfusion. The secondary purpose was to examine the relationship between blood transfusion and complications within 30 days post-operatively. Our hypothesis was that chronic kidney disease (CKD) and hypoalbuminemia may increase the requirement of transfusion. Methods: Data of 414 elderly patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty for FNFs were retrospectively collected. Univariate and multiple regression analysis were performed to identify independent risk factors for blood transfusion, which were used to construct a nomogram subsequently. The discrimination and calibration of the nomogram model were assessed with concordance index (C-index), the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), and calibration curve. Furthermore, the complications of blood transfusion within 30 days post-operatively were also analyzed. Results: Out of 414 patients, 127 (30.7%) received a blood transfusion. Independent risk factors for blood transfusion included CKD, hypoalbuminemia, pre-operative anaemia, general anaesthesia, higher American Society of Anesthesiologists score, more intraoperative blood loss, and longer surgical time. Increased hidden blood loss, deep vein thrombosis, superficial wound infection, and prolonged hospital stays were more common in transfused patients. The C-index of the nomogram model was 0.848 (95% CI = 0.811–0.885), and the AUC value was 0.859. The calibration curve showed a good consistency between the actual transfusion and the predicted probability. Discussion: We observed a transfusion rate of 30.7% in elderly FNF patients undergoing hemiarthroplasty. CKD and hypoalbuminemia were firstly identified as independent risk for blood transfusion. In addition, blood transfusion can increase the occurrence of early post-operative complications. Conclusion: Targeted pre-operative intervention, such as optimizing CKD and correcting hypoalbuminemia is essential and highly regarded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Beta Zeolite's large specific surface area increases the contact area for catalytic reaction. • The combination of Beta zeolite and MnFeO x broadens the temperature window of the reaction. • Acid sites in Beta zeolite act as sacrificial sites to capture K. The practical application of MnFeO x catalyst is limited due to its narrow temperature window and poor resistance to alkali metal poisoning, such as K and Na. Alkali metal poisoning has always been a major factor in the deactivation of fixed-source denitration (de NO x) catalysts. Despite high activity at around 200 °C , the catalyst's susceptibility to alkali metal poisoning hinders its effectiveness. In this study, a novel MnFeO x /H-Beta composite catalyst was prepared by the simple wet impregnation method. Beta zeolite, known for its large specific surface area compared to MnFeO x , special twelve-membered ring channel, and abundant acid sites, was introduced to adjust the acid and redox active sites. This resulted in MnFeO x /H-Beta having a wider temperature window and excellent resistance to K poisoning. Notably, the NO x conversion rate exceeded 80% between 180 and 460 °C. K poisoning significantly reduces the acidity of the catalyst, as confirmed by various characterizations such as NH 3 -TPD and NH 3 adsorption in situ DRIFTs. After K poisoning, the total acid content of MnFeO x /H-Beta decreased from 14.99 to 9.47 mmol g−1. The low acid content of MnFeO x allows the active sites to be easily covered by K, resulting in a reduction of the SCR performance, which can be attributed to the reduction of active nitrate species. The abundant acid sites of MnFeO x /H-Beta act as sacrificial sites and can coordinate with alkali metal K, thereby alleviating the poisoning of the catalyst to some extent. DFT calculations confirmed K binding to Brønsted acid sites on H-Beta zeolite, mitigating the detrimental impact of K on catalyst activity and lifetime. This research offers a pathway for designing efficient and alkali metal-resistant de NO x catalysts for real-world industrial applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A confinement strategy was adopted to design and synthesize a novel Mn-Ce based deNO x catalyst • The confined MnCeO x @Z5 catalyst was assembled by a mesoporous zeolite (ZSM-5) as shell and Mn-Ce oxides as core • MnCeO x @Z5 displayed enhanced water and SO 2 resistance for NH 3 -SCR of NO x • The enhanced performances should be attributed to the shielding and synergy effects over MnCeO x @Z5 Nitrogen oxides (NO x) are a primary source of air pollutants from combustion of fossil fuels. Though Mn-Ce based catalysts exhibit superior low temperature activities, their water and SO 2 tolerance is inferior to other metal oxide catalysts, due to their strong water adsorption and sulfate species formation tendency at low reaction temperatures. Herein, a confinement strategy was adopted to design and synthesize a novel Mn-Ce based catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NO x with NH 3. The confined MnCeO x catalyst was assembled with a simple one pot method, using a mesoporous zeolite (ZSM-5) as the shell and Mn-Ce oxides as the active core (MnCeO x @Z5). Owing to the zeolite shell's shielding effect and the synergy between the alumina-silica zeolite shell's acidic properties and the mixed oxide cores' redox properties, the novel MnCeO x @Z5 catalyst displayed enhanced water and SO 2 resistance as compared to the MnCeO x supported on ZSM-5 (MnCeO x /Z5) and its precursor (MnCeO x @Al-SiO 2). Evidently, the zeolite sheath hinders sulfate species formation, and this phenomenon was further investigated by in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (In situ DRIFTS). The novel shielding and acid-redox synergy effect/strategy adopted in this work can be applied to design other high performance deNO x catalysts for air pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sorafenib is the only approved first line systemic therapy for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the last decade. Tumour resistance to sorafenib has been of major obstacles to improve HCC patient survival.Methods: We polarised THP-1 cells to M1 and M2 macrophages, performed various in vitro assays and developed sorafenib-resistant xenograft models to investigate the role of tumour-associated macrophages (TAM)-secreted molecules in HCC resistance to the targeted therapy.Results: We demonstrated M2, but not M1, macrophages not only promote proliferation, colony formation and migration of hepatoma cells but also significantly confer tumour resistance to sorafenib via sustaining tumour growth and metastasis by secreting hepatocyte growth factor (HGF). HGF activates HGF/c-Met, ERK1/2/MAPK and PI3K/AKT pathways in tumour cells. Tumour-associated M2 macrophages were accumulated in sorafenib-resistance tumours more than in sorafenib-sensitive tumours in vivo and produced abundant HGF. HGF chemoattracts more macrophages migrated from surrounding area, regulates the distribution of M2 macrophages and increases hepatoma resistance to sorafenib in a feed-forward manner.Conclusions: Our results provide new insights into the mechanisms of sorafenib resistance in HCC and rationale for developing new trials by combining sorafenib with a potent HGF inhibitor such as cabozantinib to improve the first line systemic therapeutic efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To solve the privation of crack information during feature transmission, we propose an automatic concrete infrastructure crack semantic segmentation method using deep learning. Initially, based on the statistical analysis results of crack images, a multi-stage feature extraction network is created with multi-resolution parallel transmission to extract the crack features. Then, the extracted features are aggregated according to the correlation between segmentation classes and pixels to enhance the localization performance of the model for cracks. Moreover, using statistical analysis results as constraints construct the loss function to optimize the model and overcome the data imbalance issue. Experiments are conducted on a self-made manual annotation dataset, which contains 2000 images from the dam, the bridge, and the spillway tunnel, and our method reach 94.51% Precision, 86.39% Recall, 82.26% Intersection-over-Unions, and 90.27% F1_measure on the dataset. The experimental results show that the proposed method is optimal for the semantic segmentation of crack images. • Automatic segmentation of crack images in multiple concrete scenes using the convolutional neural network. • The multi-stage feature extraction network and the class-based feature augmentation network. • Optimization of model training process based on statistical results of crack images. • The model's Precision and Intersection-over-Unions for crack pixels reach to 94.51% and 82.26%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Basic metal oxides promoted confinement Ni-based catalysts were developed and applied for dry reforming of methane and the role of basic metal oxides was unraveled in detail. [Display omitted] • Basic metal oxides promoted Ni@DMS catalysts were designed and prepared. • The basic metal oxides promoted Ni-based confinement catalyst enhanced CO 2 adsorption and activation. • Ni-MgO@DMS and Ni-La 2 O 3 @DMS exhibited enhanced low temperature coking resistance for methane dry reforming. • DRM reaction on alkaline metal oxide promoted catalysts obey the L-H mechanism. Methane and carbon dioxide reforming (dry reforming of methane, DRM) is one of the promising methods to utilize these two main greenhouse gases, which make great contribution to the global carbon neutrality strategy. It is well known that the uppermost obstacle of DRM reaction is the carbon deposition, especially at low reaction temperature. Herein, the ultrafine nickel nanoparticles (NPs) promoted by two basic metal oxides (MgO and La 2 O 3) and enveloped in dendritic mesoporous silica (DMS) were designed and prepared (noted as Ni-MgO@DMS and Ni-La 2 O 3 @DMS). The results exhibit that the conversion of CH 4 and CO 2 is up to 35% and 40% in the DRM reaction over the two modified Ni@DMS catalysts at low temperature (550 °C), and no obviously carbon deposition observed during the 8 h stability test, which could be attributed to the alkaline oxides can promoting adsorption and activation of CO 2 and generate more active oxygen species to activate the hydrocarbon species (CH x). Furthermore, even the reaction time extended to 50 h, the spent Ni-La 2 O 3 @DMS catalyst just has negligible amount of carbon formation. The in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy result reveals that the reaction mechanism over the basic metal promoted catalyst is the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. The alkaline promoted Ni-based catalysts developed in this work could be a good candidate to the industrialization of the DRM reaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A nano-sized SSZ-13 was prepared via a green trans-crystallization strategy. • Cu-SSZ-13-Nano showed enhanced performance for NH 3 -SCR of NO x. • Cu-SSZ-13-Nano could efficiently decrease the limitation of mass transportation. Small pore zeolites with chabazite structure have been commercialized for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of nitrogen oxides (NO x) with ammonium (NH 3) from diesel exhaust. However, conventional zeolite synthesis processes detrimental effects on the environment due to the consumption of large amount of water, organic templates. Thus, this study proposed a green synthesis process with addition of minimal amount of water, structure directing agent and shortened steps to prepare nano-sized SSZ-13 (0.12 μm) using trans-crystallization strategy and exhibited enhanced performance for NO x removal after copper ion-exchange. The operation temperature window (NO x conversion >90 %) as well as the SO 2 and H 2 O resistance over the green-route prepared nano-sized SSZ-13 (178−480 °C) outperformed the conventional SSZ-13 (29.8 μm, 211−438 °C) mainly due to the much shorter diffusion path. This clearly implied that the mass transportation was key for NH 3 -SCR of NO x on such small pore zeolite catalysts, which was further confirmed via an in-depth mass transportation calculation process. These results demonstrate that the Cu-nano-sized SSZ-13 prepared by the environmental benign route has great potential to act as a new generation of deNO x catalyst for diesel exhaust and provided a guideline for researchers to develop new methods to synthesize nano-catalysts for air pollution control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An innovative gas-solid activation technology for FT catalyst was successfully developed. • A much better synthesis performance of catalyst was obtained by the innovative activation process. • The optimized activation parameters is of 260 °C, H 2 /CO = 12.5 and duration = 6 h. • The suitable content of active phase FexC is in the range of 20%–50%. A gas-solid fluidized bed process was developed to activate the iron-based F-T synthesis catalyst. The experiment system was built and the influence of activation parameters (H 2 /CO of activating gas, activation temperature and duration) on synthesis performance of the catalyst was investigated and the crystal phase composition of activated catalyst was characterized by Mössbauer spectrum. The synthesis performance of activated catalyst was evaluated in the stirred tank under the condition of H 2 /CO = 2.0, pressure = 2.3 MPa, space velocity (sv) = 6000 Nml·g−1·h−1 with temperature = 250 °C and 260 °C. The results indicated that the activity increases and selectivity decreases with increasing H 2 /CO of activating gas, and the activity and selectivity increase with increasing activation temperature. Activation duration had a complex effect. Under the activation condition of 260 °C and H 2 /CO = 20, the catalyst was activated completely in 6 h and little effect was found for increasing activation time further. Under the activation condition of 280 °C and H 2 /CO = 12.5, the activity and CH 4 selectivity increase with increasing the activation time. The optimized activation condition are 260 °C, H 2 /CO = 12.5 and duration = 6.0 h. The synthesis performance of the catalyst activated by this innovative process is much better than that activated by traditional gas-liquid-solid slurry bed process. The yield of C3+ and C5+ increases 4.5% and 8.6% respectively under the evaluating condition of 260 °C, H 2 /CO = 2.0, pressure = 2.3 MPa and sv = 6000 Nml·g−1·h−1. The main crystal phase components of the activated catalyst are Fe 5 C 2 , Fe 2.2 C, Fe3+(spm), Fe2+(spm) and α-Fe. The activated catalyst with 20%–50% active phase (Fe 5 C 2 , Fe 2.2 C and α-Fe) will give better performance with high CO conversion, low selectivity of CO 2 and CH 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Deuterium labeling is a highly valuable yet challenging subject of research in various scientific fields. Conventional deuteration methods often involve harsh reaction conditions and suffer from limited reactivity and selectivity. Herein, we report a visible light-driven C-X (X = halogen) to C-D (D = deuterium) exchange strategy over copper-doped cadmium sulfide quantum dots (Cu-CdS QDs) under mild conditions, eliminating the need for noble metal catalysts and expensive deuterium sources. The conversion of aryl halides into deuterated products using Cu-CdS QDs reaches up to 99%, which is four times higher than that achieved using pristine CdS QDs. The substantial enhancement in the photocatalytic activity of the QDs can be primarily attributed to the generation of long-lived charge carriers (approximately 6 μs) induced by Cu doping. Mechanistic studies reveal that the Cu dopants considerably retard the recombination of photoinduced carriers by creating intermediate energy levels that serve as hole trapping centers in CdS QDs, thereby improving the electron utilization efficiency in energetically demanding photoreduction reactions. Additionally, the introduction of Cu increases the energy offset between the conduction band of CdS QDs and molecular acceptors, facilitating the electron transfer process. Upon visible light irradiation, a series of aryl halides can be efficiently converted into the desired deuterated compounds using D 2 O as the deuterium source. This work demonstrates that regulating charge carrier dynamics in ultrasmall QD-based photocatalysts is a promising strategy for promoting organic transformations., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Dual-atom catalysts (DACs) have garnered significant interest due to their high atom utilization and synergistic catalysis. However, developing a precise synthetic method for DACs and comprehending the underlying catalytic mechanisms remain challenging. In this study, we employ a photoinduced anchoring strategy to precisely synthesize PtCo DAC on graphitic carbon nitride (CN). A Co atom was anchored on CN through the lone-pair electrons of nitrogen. Upon light irradiation, photoelectrons gathering at the Co site can anchor Pt metal ions nearby, accurately facilitating the formation of heteronuclear DACs. The PtCo DAC demonstrates a remarkably high H 2 generation rate from ammonia borane (AB) hydrolysis, with a TOF of 3130 mol H2 mol Pt -1 min -1 at 298 K. This TOF value is approximately 3.2 times higher than that of the Pt single-atom photocatalyst. Importantly, the PtCo DAC shows good stability, achieving a turnover number as high as 307,982 mol H2 mol Pt -1 at room temperature. The experimental and theoretical calculation results demonstrate that the synergy between Pt and Co optimizes the adsorption energy of AB and H 2 molecules while reducing the energy barrier of the rate-determining step, thus accelerating H 2 evolution from AB hydrolysis. Additionally, the introduced Co species stabilize the Pt active sites by enhancing the stability of the Pt-N bond, preventing leaching, aggregation, and deactivation. The excellent catalytic performance, good stability, and low cost of the catalysts in this work open new prospects for their practical application in hydrogen production.

Introduction: Gelidocalamus Wen is a small yet taxonomically challenging genus within the Arundinarieae tribe. Recent molecular studies have suggested it may not be monophyletic. However, limited species sampling and insufficient molecular marker information have resulted in poorly resolved phylogenetic relationships within this genus., Methods: The complete chloroplast genomes covering all 16 species and one variant of Gelidocalamus were sequenced, and comparative analyses were conducted. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using different molecular markers, including chloroplast data, the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) repeats region, and 29 mitochondrial protein-coding genes. Additionally, the divergence times of Gelidocalamus were estimated to reveal their evolutionary history., Results: The plastomes of Gelidocalamus ranged in size from 139,500 bp to 139,801 bp, with a total of 137 identified genes, including 90 protein-coding genes, 39 tRNA genes, and 8 rRNA genes. The size of the nrDNA repeats ranged from 5,802 bp to 5,804 bp. Phylogenetic analysis based on chloroplast data revealed that Gelidocalamus is polyphyletic, with different subclades distributed within the IV and V clades. However, phylogenetic analysis based on nrDNA and mitochondrial genes did not effectively resolve the relationships within the genus., Discussion: Comparative analysis of chloroplast genomes indicated that Gelidocalamus shares a high degree of similarity with closely related genera in terms of chloroplast genome collinearity, codon usage bias, and repetitive sequences. Divergence time estimation suggests that it is a relatively young group, with all members appearing successively over the past four million years. The complex phylogenetic patterns may arise from the rapid radiation of Arundinarieae. This study provides a preliminary foundation for further in-depth research on the phylogeny, genomic structural features, and divergence times of this genus., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Wang, Li, Yang, Zhang and Guo.)

Energetic carriers generated by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) provide an efficient way to drive chemical reactions. However, their dynamics and impact on surface reactions remain unknown due to the challenge in observing hot holes. This makes it difficult to correlate the reduction and oxidation half-reactions involving hot electrons and holes, respectively. Here we detect hot holes in their chemical form, Ag(I), on a Ag surface using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) of SO 3 2- as a hole-specific label. It allows us to determine the dynamic correlations of hot electrons and holes. We find that the equilibrium of holes is the key factor of the surface chemistry, and the wavelength-dependent plasmonic chemical anode refilling (PCAR) effect plays an important role, in addition to the LSPR, in promoting the electron transfer. This method paves the way for visualizing hot holes with nanoscale spatial resolution toward the rational design of a plasmonic catalytic platform.

Perovskite quantum dots (QDs) have shown attractive prospects in the field of visible photocatalysis, especially in the synthesis of high value-added chemicals. However, under aerobic conditions, the stable operation of QD catalysts has been limited by the reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated by photoexcitation, especially superoxide species O 2 ⋅ - . Here, we propose a strategy of Ce 3+ doping in perovskite QDs to guide superoxide species for photocatalytic oxidation reactions. In C(sp 3 )-H bond oxidation of hydrocarbons, superoxide species were rapidly generated and efficiently utilized on the surface of perovskite QDs, which achieves the stable operation of the catalytic system and obtains a high product conversion rate (15.3 mmol/g/h for benzaldehydes). The mechanism studies show that the strong Ce-oxygen affinity accelerates the relaxation process of photoinduced exciton transfer to superoxide species and inhibits the radiative recombination pathway. This work provides a new idea of utilizing oxygen species on perovskite surface and broadens the design strategy of high-performance QD photocatalysts., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Aim: In 2019, to examine the functions of METTL3 in liver and underlying mechanisms, we generated mice with hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous knockout (METTL3Δhep) by simultaneously crossing METTL3fl/fl mice with Alb-iCre mice (GPT) or Alb-Cre mice (JAX), respectively. In this study, we explored the potential reasons why hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous disruption by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), resulted in acute liver failure (ALF) and then postnatal lethality., Main Methods: Mice with hepatocyte-specific METTL3 knockout were generated by simultaneously crossing METTL3fl/fl mice with Alb-iCre mice (GPT; Strain No. T003814) purchased from the GemPharmatech Co., Ltd., (Nanjing, China) or with Alb-Cre mice (JAX; Strain No. 003574) obtained from The Jackson Laboratory, followed by combined-phenotype analysis. The publicly available RNA-sequencing data deposited in the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database under the accession No.: GSE198512 (postnatal lethality), GSE197800 (postnatal survival) and GSE176113 (postnatal survival) were mined to explore the potential reasons why hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous deletion by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), leads to ALF and then postnatal lethality., Key Findings: Firstly, we observed that hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous deficiency by Alb-iCre mice (GPT) or by Alb-Cre mice (JAX) caused liver injury, abnormal lipid accumulation and apoptosis. Secondly, we are surprised to find that hepatocyte-specific METTL3 homozygous deletion by Alb-iCre mice (GPT), but not by Alb-Cre mice (JAX), led to ALF and then postnatal lethality. Our findings clearly demonstrated that METTL3Δhep mice (GPT), which are about to die, exhibited the severe destruction of liver histological structure, suggesting that METTL3Δhep mice (GPT) nearly lose normal liver function, which subsequently contributes to ALF, followed by postnatal lethality. Finally, we unexpectedly found that as the compensatory growth responses of hepatocytes to liver injury induced by METTL3Δhep (GPT), the proliferation of METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (GPT), unlike METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (JAX), was not evidenced by the significant increase of Ki67-positive hepatocytes, not accompanied by upregulation of cell-cycle-related genes. Moreover, GO analysis revealed that upregulated genes in METTL3Δhep livers (GPT), unlike METTL3Δhep livers (JAX), are not functionally enriched in terms associated with cell cycle, cell division, mitosis, microtubule cytoskeleton organization, spindle organization, chromatin segregation and organization, and nuclear division, consistent with the loss of compensatory proliferation of METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (GPT) observed in vivo . Thus, obviously, the loss of the compensatory growth capacity of METTL3Δhep hepatocytes (GPT) in response to liver injury might contribute to, at least partially, ALF and subsequently postnatal lethality of METTL3Δhep mice (GPT)., Significance: These findings from this study and other labs provide strong evidence that these phenotypes (i.e., ALF and postnatal lethality) of METTL3Δhep mice (GPT) might be not the real functions of METTL3, and closely related with Alb-iCre mice (GPT), suggesting that we should remind researchers to use Alb-iCre mice (GPT) with caution to knockout gene in hepatocytes in vivo .

Plasmonic catalysis has emerged as a promising approach to solar-chemical energy conversion. Notably, hot carriers play a decisive role in plasmonic catalysis since only when their energy matches with the LUMO or HOMO energy of the reactant molecule, can the reaction be activated. However, the hot carrier energy depends on the intrinsic physicochemical properties of the plasmonic metal substrate and the interaction with incident light. Tuning the hot carrier energy is of great significance for plasmonic catalysis but remains challenging. Here, we demonstrate that the energy of hot electrons can be significantly elevated to an unprecedented level through the coordination of amines on Ag surface. The bonding of amines and Ag reduces the work function of nanoparticles, leading to the increase of hot electron energy by 0.4 eV. This enhancement of energy promotes the cleavage of C-X (X=Cl, F) bonds upon excitation by visible light. This study provides new insights for promoting plasmonic charge transfer and enhancing the photocatalytic performance of plasmon-mediated systems., (© 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Introduction: Currently, cannulated screws (CSs) and dynamic hip screws (DHSs) are widely used for the treatment of femoral neck fractures, but the postoperative complications associated with these internal fixations remain high. In response to this challenge, our team proposes a new approach involving triangular-supported fixation and the development of the proximal femoral bionic nail (PFBN). The primary objective of this study is to investigate the biomechanical differences among CSs, DHSs, and the PFBN in their capacity to stabilize femoral neck fractures. Methods: A normal proximal femur model was constructed according to the CT data of a normal healthy adult. A femoral neck fracture model was constructed and fixed with CSs, DHSs, and the PFBN to simulate the fracture fixation model. Abaqus 6.14 software was used to compare the biomechanical characters of the three fracture fixation models. Results: The maximum stresses and displacements of the normal proximal femur were 45.35 MPa and 2.83 mm, respectively. Under axial loading, the PFBN was more effective than DHSs and CSs in improving the stress concentration of the internal fixation and reducing the peak values of von Mises stress, maximum principal stress, and minimum principal stress. The PFBN fixation model exhibits superior overall and fracture section stability in comparison to both the DHS fixation model and the CS fixation model under axial loading. Notably, the maximum stress and peak displacement of the PFBN and bone were lower than those of the DHS and CS fixation models under bending and torsional loading. Conclusion: The PFBN shows considerable improvement in reducing stress concentration, propagating stress, and enhancing the overall stability in the femoral neck fracture fixation model compared to DHSs and CSs. These enhancements more closely correspond to the tissue structure and biomechanical characteristics of the proximal femur, demonstrating that the PFBN has great potential for therapeutic purposes in treating femoral neck fractures., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Ding, Zhu, Zhang, Li, Wang, Li, Chen, Zhang and Zhang.)

Cadmium (Cd) is a severe heavy metal pollutant globally. Zoysia japonica is an important perennial warm-season turf grass that potentially plays a role in phytoremediation in Cd-polluted soil areas; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying its Cd stress response are unknown. To further investigate the early gene response pattern in Z. japonica under Cd stress, plant leaves were harvested 0, 6, 12, and 24 h after Cd stress (400 μM CdCl 2 ) treatment and used for a time-course RNA-sequencing analysis. Twelve cDNA libraries were constructed and sequenced, and high-quality data were obtained, whose mapped rates were all higher than 94%, and more than 601 million bp of sequence were generated. A total of 5321, 6526, and 4016 differentially expressed genes were identified 6, 12, and 24 h after Cd stress treatment, respectively. A total of 1660 genes were differentially expressed at the three time points, and their gene expression profiles over time were elucidated. Based on the analysis of these genes, the important mechanisms for the Cd stress response in Z. japonica were identified. Specific genes participating in glutathione metabolism, plant hormone signal and transduction, members of protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, transporter proteins, transcription factors, and carbohydrate metabolism pathways were further analyzed in detail. These genes may contribute to the improvement of Cd tolerance in Z. japonica . In addition, some candidate genes were highlighted for future studies on Cd stress resistance in Z. japonica and other plants. Our results illustrate the early gene expression response of Z. japonica leaves to Cd and provide some new understanding of the molecular mechanisms of Cd stress in Zosia and Gramineae species.

Dihalogenation of alkenes to the high-added value vicinal dihalides is a prominent process in modern synthetic chemistry. However, their effective conversion still requires the use of expensive and hazardous agents, sacrificial half-reaction coupling or primary energy input. Here, we show a photocatalytically assisted shuttle (p-shuttle) strategy for redox-neutral and reversible vicinal dihalogenation using low-cost and stable 1,2-dihaloethane under visible light illumination. Energetic hot electrons from metal-halide perovskite QDs enable the challenging photocatalytic reactions. Ultrafast laser transient absorption spectroscopy have unveiled the energy matching of the hot electrons with the high reduction potential of 1,2-dihaloethane, via two consecutive photoexcitation process. Powered by the sustainable energy as the only energy input, our new catalytic system using metal-halide perovskite QDs for dibromination, dichlorination and even unexplored hetero-dihalogenation, shows good tolerance with a wide range of alkenes at room temperature. In contrast to homogeneous photocatalysts, chalcogenide QDs and other semiconductor catalysts, perovskite QDs deliver previously unattainable performance in photoredox shuttle vicinal dihalogenation with the turnover number over 120,000. This work provides new opportunities in visible-light-driven heterogeneous catalysis for unlocking novel chemical transformations., (© 2023. Springer Nature Limited.)

Aims: N6-methyladenosine (m 6 A), the most abundant and conserved epigenetic modification of mRNA, participates in various physiological and pathological processes. However, the roles of m 6 A modification in liver lipid metabolism have yet to be understood entirely. We aimed to investigate the roles of the m 6 A "writer" protein methyltransferase-like 3 (Mettl3) in liver lipid metabolism and the underlying mechanisms., Main Methods: We assessed the expression of Mettl3 in liver tissues of diabetes (db/db) mice, obese (ob/ob) mice, high saturated fat-, cholesterol-, and fructose-induced non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) mice, and alcohol abuse and alcoholism (NIAAA) mice by quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR (qRT-PCR). Hepatocyte-specific Mettl3 knockout mice were used to evaluate the effects of Mettl3 deficiency in mouse liver. The molecular mechanisms underlying the roles of Mettl3 deletion in liver lipid metabolism were explored by multi-omics joint analysis of public data from the Gene Expression Omnibus database and further validated by qRT-PCR and Western blot., Key Findings: Significantly decreased Mettl3 expression was associated with NAFLD progression. Hepatocyte-specific knockout of Mettl3 resulted in significant lipid accumulation in the liver, increased serum total cholesterol levels, and progressive liver damage in mice. Mechanistically, loss of Mettl3 significantly downregulated the expression levels of multiple m 6 A-modified mRNAs related to lipid metabolism, including Adh7, Cpt1a, and Cyp7a1, further promoting lipid metabolism disorders and liver injury in mice., Significance: In summary, our findings demonstrate that the expression alteration of genes related to lipid metabolism by Mettl3-mediated m 6 A modification contributes to the development of NAFLD.

Light, as a powerful energy source, has motivated the many endeavors of chemists in photochemical transformations. We were delighted to find that light has an inhibition effect on hydrogenation reactions. Exploring this previously unperceived effect will bring renewed understanding of interactions of light and matter. This work provides a breakthrough in ways to remotely control chemical reactions by light.

Background: Glanders is a rare zoonotic disease caused by Burkholderia mallei. Humans can be infected by B. mallei, which causes cutaneous lymphadenitis and pneumonia, leading to sepsis and death in severe cases., Case Presentation: We report a case of a 60-year-old male who was diagnosed with glanders. The patient who had a history of diabetes presented with cough, expectoration, and fever. Computed tomography (CT) imaging showed B. mallei infection in the right upper lobe of the lung with mediastinal lymph node involvement and the lingual segment of the left lung. Moreover, the posterior basal segment of the lower lobe of both lungs had inflammation. Subsequently, B. mallei infection was confirmed by lymph node biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage multiplex PCR-based targeted gene sequencing. After meropenem treatment, the patient was discharged, and CT imaging showed reduced absorption of pulmonary inflammatory lesions., Conclusions: Glanders is a rare disease that can cause skin infection, lymphadenitis, and pneumonia, and in severe cases, it can be life-threatening. The diagnosis of this disease mainly relies on microbiological culture and pathological biopsy. Diagnosis is also facilitated by multiplex PCRbased targeted gene sequencing. Glanders is treated with cephalosporins, carbapenems, and other sensitive antibiotics., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

With the development of microelectronic technology, the integration of electronic systems is increasing continuously. Electronic systems are becoming more and more sensitive to external electromagnetic environments. Therefore, to improve the robustness of radio frequency (RF) microwave circuits, it is crucial to study the reliability of semiconductor devices. In this paper, the temporary failure mechanism of a gallium arsenide (GaAs) pseudomorphic high electron mobility transistor (pHEMT) in a navigation low-noise amplifier (LNA) under the jamming of ultra-wideband (UWB) electromagnetic pulses (EMP) is investigated. The failure process and failure mechanism of pHEMT under UWB EMP are elaborated by analyzing the internal electric field, current density, and temperature distribution. In detail, as the amplitude of UWB EMP increases, the output current, carrier mobility, and transconductance of pHEMT decrease, eventually resulting in gain compression. The injection experiment on LNA, which effectively verified the failure mechanism, indicates that the gain of pHEMT is suppressed instantaneously under the jamming of UWB EMP and the navigation signal cannot be effectively amplified. When UWB EMP amplitude increases to nearly 10 V, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) carrier signal is suppressed by nearly 600 ns. Experimental results accord well with the simulation of our model. UWB EMP jamming is a new and efficient type of electromagnetic attack system based on the device saturation effect. The performance degradation and failure mechanism analysis contribute to RF reinforcement design.

Autophagy is crucial for maintaining cellular energy homeostasis and for cells to adapt to nutrient deficiency, and nutrient sensors regulating autophagy have been reported previously. However, the role of eiptranscriptomic modifications such as m 6 A in the regulation of starvation-induced autophagy is unclear. Here, we show that the m 6 A reader YTHDF3 is essential for autophagy induction. m 6 A modification is up-regulated to promote autophagosome formation and lysosomal degradation upon nutrient deficiency. METTL3 depletion leads to a loss of functional m 6 A modification and inhibits YTHDF3-mediated autophagy flux. YTHDF3 promotes autophagy by recognizing m 6 A modification sites around the stop codon of FOXO3 mRNA. YTHDF3 also recruits eIF3a and eIF4B to facilitate FOXO3 translation, subsequently initiating autophagy. Overall, our study demonstrates that the epitranscriptome regulator YTHDF3 functions as a nutrient responder, providing a glimpse into the post-transcriptional RNA modifications that regulate metabolic homeostasis., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Development of floral organs exhibits complex molecular mechanisms involving the co-regulation of many genes specialized and precisely functioning in various tissues and developing stages. Advance in spatial transcriptome technologies allows for quantitative measurement of spatially localized gene abundance making it possible to bridge complex scenario of flower organogenesis with genome-wide molecular phenotypes. Here, we apply the 10× Visium technology in the study of the formation of floral organs through development in an orchid plant, Phalaenopsis Big Chili. Cell-types of early floral development including inflorescence meristems, primordia of floral organs and identity determined tissues, are recognized based on spatial expression distribution of thousands of genes in high resolution. In addition, meristematic cells on the basal position of floral organs are found to continuously function in multiple developmental stages after organ initiation. Particularly, the development of anther, which primordium starts from a single spot to multiple differentiated cell-types in later stages including pollinium and other vegetative tissues, is revealed by well-known MADS-box genes and many other downstream regulators. The spatial transcriptome analyses provide comprehensive information of gene activity for understanding the molecular architecture of flower organogenesis and for future genomic and genetic studies of specific cell-types., (© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.)

Pd/Al 2 O 3 catalysts modified by different chemical elements (Mg, Si, Ce, and Zr) were tested for methane (CH 4 ) catalytic combustion, and PdO nanoparticles loaded on modified Al 2 O 3 were systematically studied. These conditions assess the carrier effects of Pd/Al 2 O 3 and acid strength influences on CH 4 combustion. We observed carrier effects on activation energy through tuning Pd 3d binding energies (BEs) and on pre-exponential factors (A) through Pd dispersion and acidity on supports. When the BE of Pd 3d 5/2 is 337.3 eV, PdO nanoparticles loaded on modified Al 2 O 3 have excellent activity in cracking the C-H bond of CH 4 , which leads to the lowest activation energy ( E a ), regardless of the size effect of the PdO nanoparticle. Furthermore, a theoretical construction that acid sites on catalysts promote the reversible elementary step (2Pd-OH ↔ Pd-O* + Pd* + H 2 O) right shifts improving the A dependency on the quantity of exposed Pd* and Pd-O*. As a result, Al 2 O 3 , as the carrier, not only modifies the electronic characteristics and size of supported PdO nanoparticles but also participates in the reaction process via acid sites on the surface of Al 2 O 3 ., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. The handling editor TZ declared a past co-authorship with the author BW., (Copyright © 2022 Peng, Ma, Ma, Wang, Chen, Wei, Li, Ao and Wang.)

Nitrogen oxides (NO x ) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) are major air pollutants, so simultaneously removing them from gases emitted during fossil fuel combustion in stationary systems is important. Wet denitrification using urea is used for a wide range of systems. Additives have strong effects on wet denitrification using urea, and different mechanisms are involved and different effects found using different additives. In this study, the effects of different additives, initial urea concentrations, reaction temperatures, initial pH values, gas flow rates, and reaction times on the simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification efficiencies achieved using wet denitrification using urea were studied in single factor experiment. The optimum reaction conditions for desulfurization and denitrification were found. Desulfurization and denitrification efficiencies of 97.5% and 96.3%, respectively, were achieved at a KMnO 4 concentration 5 mmol/L, a reaction temperature of 70°C, initial urea solution pH 8, a urea concentration of 9%, and a gas flow rate of 40 L/h. The concentrations of the desulfurization and denitrification reaction products in the solution were determined. NO x was mainly transformed into N 2 , and the NO 3 - and NO 2 - concentrations in the solution became very low. The reactions involved in SO 2 and NO x removal using urea were analyzed from the thermodynamic viewpoint. Increasing the temperature was not conducive to the reactions but increased the rate constant, so an optimum temperature was determined. The simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification kinetics were calculated. The urea consumption and NO 2 - , NO 3 - , and SO 4 2 - generation reactions were all zero order. The NO 3 - generation rate was greater than the NO 2 - generation rate. The simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification process and mechanism were studied. The results provide reference data for performing flue gas desulfurization and denitrification in factories.

Bifunctional Au@Ni core-satellite nanostructures synthesized by a one-step assembly method were employed for in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic (SERS) monitoring of Ni-catalyzed C-C bond-forming reactions. Surprisingly, the reaction that was thought to be an Ullmann-type self-coupling reaction, was found to be a cross-coupling reaction proceeding by photoinduced aromatic C-H bond arylation. In situ SERS monitoring enabled the discovery, and a series of biphenyl compounds were synthesized photocatalytically, and at room temperature, using cheap Ni nanoparticle catalysts., (© 2019 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.)

In order to construct recombinant baculovirus carrying Schistosoma japonicum 26 ku glutathione S-transferase gene (Sj26), and observe the expression of Sj26 in mammalian cells, the Sj26 gene was amplified with plasmid pGEX-3X as template by PCR, and then recombined into T vector for sequencing. Sj26 gene was inserted into the downstream of CMV promoter of donor plasmid pFBDGC, and the recombinant donor plasmid pFBDGC-Sj26 transformed into DH10Bac, then the recombinant bacmid AcCMVSj26 was isolated and transfected into Sf9 cells. The recombinant baculovirus was harvested and final titer of vAcCMVSj26 was measured. BHK cells were transducted with recombinant baculovirus in vitro. By using Western blot, the expression of 26 ku glutathione S-transferase (GST) was detected. The results showed that after enzyme digestion and sequencing, the donor plasmid was successfully constructed. PCR confirmed that pFBDGC-Sj26 and Bacmid homologous recombination occurred in E. coli. After transfection of Sf9 cells with recombinant Bacmid, recombinant baculovirus was replicated in Sf9 cells and expressed green fluorescent protein. PCR further revealed recombinant baculovirus contained Sj26. The titer of the harvested baculovirus was 1.24 x 10(8). Western blot demonstrated that recombinant baculovirus could express 26 ku GST in BHK cells. It was concluded that Sj26 recombinant baculovirus was successfully constructed, and the 26 ku GST was expressed in mammalian cells.