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Harnessing photocatalysts to facilitate the visible-light-driven breakdown of water molecules is esteemed as a highly auspicious and ecologically sustainable approach for hydrogen production. This study aimed to improve the hydrogen production performance of single ZnO photocatalysts by preparing efficient Bi2Te3/ZnO and Bi2Se3/ZnO composite photocatalysts by microwave method. During the synthesis process, both Bi2Te3 and Bi2Se3 were fully fused and reacted with ZnO to form heterojunctions using magnetic stirring and microwave heating. The experimental results indicate a significant enhancement in the hydrogen production activity of the BT-Z and BS-Z composite photocatalysts. When the Bi2Te3 content is 5%, with a microwave temperature maintained at 135 °C and a microwave time of 90 min, the hydrogen production rate reaches 664.286 μmol∙h−1∙g−1 within 4 hr. On the other hand, when the Bi2Se3 content is 5%, with a microwave temperature maintained at 135 °C and a microwave time of 90 min, the hydrogen production rate reaches 515.306 μmol∙h−1∙g−1 within 4 hr. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SARS-CoV-2 has spread worldwide and poses a great threat to human health. Among COVID-19 patients, those with hypertension have been reported to have higher morbidity and mortality. This study was conducted to provide the international community with a deeper understanding of COVID-19 with hypertension.

The stability of tunnel surrounding rock is affected by many factors, and there are complex nonlinear relationships among various influencing factors. In order to accurately determine the surrounding rock stability category, five factors including rock quality index RQD, rock uniaxial saturated compressive strength Rw, integrity coefficient Kv, structural plane strength coefficient Kf and groundwater seepage ω are selected as the main factors affecting the stability of surrounding rock, through principal component analysis (PCA), we reduce the above influencing factors into two independent principal components, and use the relevance vector machine (RVM) to establish a nonlinear mapping relationship between the principal component variables and the surrounding rock stability categories. The results of the evaluation are entered into a “one-against-one” voter to determine the stability category. The PCA-RVM surrounding rock stability identification model is applied to actual projects, and 21 sets of samples are used to predict 6 sets of samples, of which 5 sets of prediction results are consistent with the actual category. The results show that the proposed recognition model is suitable for small sample problems. By setting an appropriate bandwidth and iteration times, the accuracy of the model can be effectively improved and the false positive rate can be reduced.

Objective To explore the correlation between the expression level of serum Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-Product (RAGE) and High-Mobility Group Protein B1 ( HMGB1 ) expression with the occurrence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and interferon-Y/interleukin-4 (IFN-y/IL-4) ratio in patients with severe pneumonia (SP). Methods A prospective investigation was carried out on one hundred children with SP admitted to our hospital from March 2020 to February 2022, and the participants were classified into ARDS group (n = 56) and control group (n = 44) based on the occurrence of secondary ARDS. General informations werec-ollected. The expression of RAGE, HMGB1, IFN-Y and IL-4 in peripheral blood was measured using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Then multivariate Logistic regression analysis was conducted to screen the influencing factors of secondary ARDS in SP children, and the correlation with IFN-y/IL-4 ratio was verified by pearson correlation analysis, moreover, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted to evaluate the value of RAGE and HMGB1 expression in predicting the occurrence of ARDS in SP children. Results There were no statistical difference in gender, age, body temperature and onset season between the two SP groups. The ARDS group had more types of pathogenic bacteria, larger ratio of the partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood to the inspired oxygen fraction (PaO2/FiO2), higher Acute Physiological Score (APS), and up-regulated expression of RAGE, HMGB1, IFN-7 and IL-4, as well as larger IFN-y/IL-4 ratio than those of control group, with statistical difference (all P < 0.05). Multivariate Logistic regression analysis revealed that pathogen type, PaO2/FiO2 ratio, RAGE, HMGB1, IFN-7, IL-4 and IFN-y/IL-4 were the influencing factors for the occurrence of ARDS in children with SP. Pearson correlation test denoted that the serum RAGE and HMGB1 expression levels of SP children were positively correlated with IFN-7, IL-4 and IFN-y/IL-4 ratio (P < 0.05). ROC curve found that the AUC of serum RAGE and HMGB1 in predicting the occurrence of ARDS in SP children was 0.707 and 0.750, with a sensitivity of 73.2% and 64.3%, and a specificity of 68.2% and 77.3%. The combined test of RAGE and HMGB1 in predicting the occurrence of ARDS in SP children reached an AUC of 0.848, providing a sensitivity and specificity of 80.4% and 81.8% respectively. Conclusions Serum RAGE and HMGB1 expression levels are elevated in SP children with ARDS, and the two are positively correlated with IFN-y/IL-4 ratio. Therefore, monitoring serum RAGE and HMGB1 expression in children with ARDS secondary to SP has predictive value for the risk of ARDS in SP children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herein, Cu3P was used as a co-catalyst to improve the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers in WSe2 photocatalysts. The metallic nature of Cu3P and its noble metal-like properties make it an affordable and efficient co-catalyst. The experimental results revealed that the photocatalytic activity of the WSe2/Cu3P (WP) sample was significantly higher under visible light with an average hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 616.50 μmol h−1 g−1 and a quantum yield of 23.75%. In contrast, the average HER of the pure WSe2 sample was only 298.46 μmol h−1 g−1. The preparation parameters were optimized by a single-factor test. The optimal preparation parameters were as follows. The loading of Cu3P was 8%, and the calcination time and temperature were 2.0 h and 300 °C, respectively. An innovative exploration of the photocatalytic memory effect of WP photocatalyst was carried out. The analysis of the experimental results displayed that the HER of the WP photocatalyst under dark conditions reached 418.50 μmol h−1 g−1 after 5.0 h post-illumination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing demand for electronic devices in the environmental and medical fields has attracted considerable attention regarding their fabrication. As a new type of passive nanoelectronic information device, memristors have been widely used in the fields of information storage, logic operation, and neural networks due to their special electrical properties. However, the selection of new materials, the device fabrication methods, and the improvement of memory performance need further research. In this work, Bi2Te3 memristors were prepared by the hydrothermal synthesis of Bi2Te3 as a resistive dielectric layer material. The properties of the sample were analyzed using SEM, XRD, and XPS characterization methods. The Bi2Te3 memristors were also tested for their performance and stability using an electrochemical workstation, and the results showed that the Bi2Te3 memristors had good performance. Further analysis of the memristive mechanism showed that the resistive mechanism of Bi2Te3 memristors is an interaction of the conducting wire mechanism and the space charge-limited current mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The sharp decline of laying performance and eggshell quality is a common problem in late period laying hens. Vitamin D3 (VD3) is a necessary micronutrient which plays an important role in mineral and skeletal homeostasis. With the rapid development of genetic selection, commercial laying hens have increased requirements for performance and nutrients. The commercial supplementary dose of VD3 (62.5 µg/kg) for late period laying hens may be not enough to satisfy the production. In addition, 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD3) as an active metabolite of VD3, is a viable alternative to replace VD3. Therefore, the objective of this study was to compare the effects of different supplementary doses and sources between VD3 and 25-OHD3 on the laying performance and eggshell quality in late period laying hens. The results showed that supplementary 125 µg/kg doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 had better effects in late period laying hens compared with 62.5 µg/kg doses of VD3. Additionally, there were no different effects on laying performance or eggshell quality in the hens fed dietary 125 µg/kg doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3. The objective of this study was to compare high supplementary doses (125 µg/kg) of vitamin D3 (VD3) or 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25-OHD3) with commercial supplementary doses (62.5 µg/kg) of VD3 on laying performance, eggshell quality and ultrastructure, and plasma calcium levels in late period laying hens. A total of 1512 Roman Gray (60-week-old) laying hens were allotted into three treatments with 12 replicates and 42 birds in each replicate. During the 12-week trial period, the layers were fed a basal diet supplemented with different doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 (62.5 µg/kg VD3 in control group, CON; 125 µg/kg VD3 in high level VD3 group, VD3; 125 µg/kg 25-OHD3 in high level 25-OHD3 group, 25-OHD3). The results showed that high supplementary doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 increased laying rate (p < 0.05). Moreover, the layers fed high doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 diets had decreased unqualified egg rate and mortality (p < 0.05). High supplementary doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 increased eggshell strength and eggshell thickness (p < 0.05). From observation in eggshell ultrastructure, high doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 diets increased the palisade layer thickness and mammillary knob density (p < 0.05). Furthermore, high doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 diets increased the calcium levels in plasma (p < 0.05). In summary, compared with 62.5 µg/kg doses of VD3, supplementary 125 µg/kg doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3 improved the laying performance, eggshell quality, and plasma calcium levels in late period laying hens. Additionally, there was an equal effect on laying performance and eggshell quality in the hens fed dietary 125 µg/kg doses of VD3 or 25-OHD3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction Methods Results Conclusion Bronchial asthma (BA) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by chronic airway inflammation. This study investigated the serum miR‐27a‐3p/activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) expression in children with BA and their correlations with airway inflammation.Children with BA (N = 120) and healthy children (N = 108) were enrolled. Serum levels of interleukin (IL)‐17, IL‐6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, immunoglobulin E (IgE), miR‐27a‐3p, ATF3, and the number of eosinophils (EOS) were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT‐qPCR), and an automatic hematology analyzer. The correlations between miR‐27a‐3p and ATF3 and between miR‐27a‐3p/ATF3 and inflammation‐related factors were analyzed by the Pearson method. The diagnostic values of miR‐27a‐3p and ATF3 in BA were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The influencing factors of BA were assessed using multivariate logistic regression. Finally, the targeting relation between miR‐27a‐3p and ATF3 was predicted and analyzed by TargetScan and Starbase databases, and dual‐luciferase assay.There were significant differences in forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1)% predicted and FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC)%, serum levels of IgE, IL‐17, IL‐6, and TNF‐α, and EOS numbers between healthy children and BA children. Serum miR‐27a‐3p was negatively correlated with ATF3 and positively correlated with inflammation‐related factors in BA children. Serum ATF3 mRNA levels were negatively correlated with inflammatory factors in BA children. miR‐27a‐3p and ATF3 had good diagnostic values in BA children. FEV% predicted, IL‐6, TNF‐α, miR‐27a‐3p, and ATF3 were independent risk factors for BA. miR‐27a‐3p targeted ATF3.Serum miR‐27a‐3p was highly expressed, whereas ATF3 was poorly expressed in BA children, and they were significantly correlated with airway inflammation, had good diagnostic values in BA children, and were independent risk factors for asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]