Search

The rich oxygen vacancies in porous Co3O4 were generated in solution combustion, offering high room-temperature activity for formaldehyde oxidation.

Acknowledgements: We thank the municipality of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for supporting this research study and facilitating fieldwork and sampling operations which allowed us to have access and build wild mosquito colonies. We thank Nancy Endersby-Harshman for facilitating the import of mosquito populations into the quarantine insectary. We thank Meng-Jia Lau for advice on primers and Véronique Paris for assistance with colony maintenance. We thank Kim R Blasdell for providing lab assistance at ACDP. The authors acknowledge the capabilities of the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness in undertaking this research, including infrastructure funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy., Funder: CSIRO; Grant(s): WBS: R-91040-11, Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying self-spreading, virus-blocking Wolbachia bacteria are being deployed to suppress dengue transmission. However, there are challenges in applying this technology in extreme environments. We introduced two Wolbachia strains into Ae. aegypti from Saudi Arabia for a release program in the hot coastal city of Jeddah. Wolbachia reduced infection and dissemination of dengue virus (DENV2) in Saudi Arabian mosquitoes and showed complete maternal transmission and cytoplasmic incompatibility. Wolbachia reduced egg hatch under a range of environmental conditions, with the Wolbachia strains showing differential thermal stability. Wolbachia effects were similar across mosquito genetic backgrounds but we found evidence of local adaptation, with Saudi Arabian mosquitoes having lower egg viability but higher adult desiccation tolerance than Australian mosquitoes. Genetic background effects will influence Wolbachia invasion dynamics, reinforcing the need to use local genotypes for mosquito release programs, particularly in extreme environments like Jeddah. Our comprehensive characterization of Wolbachia strains provides a foundation for Wolbachia-based disease interventions in harsh climates.

Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carrying self-spreading, virus-blocking Wolbachia bacteria are being deployed to suppress dengue transmission. However, there are challenges in applying this technology in extreme environments. We introduced two Wolbachia strains into Ae. aegypti from Saudi Arabia for a release program in the hot coastal city of Jeddah. Wolbachia reduced infection and dissemination of dengue virus (DENV2) in Saudi Arabian mosquitoes and showed complete maternal transmission and cytoplasmic incompatibility. Wolbachia reduced mosquito heat tolerance and egg viability, with the Wolbachia strains showing differential thermal stability. Wolbachia effects were similar across mosquito genetic backgrounds but we found evidence of local adaptation, with Saudi Arabian mosquitoes having lower egg viability but higher adult desiccation tolerance than Australian mosquitoes. Genetic background effects will influence Wolbachia invasion dynamics, reinforcing the need to use local genotypes for mosquito release programs, particularly in extreme environments like Jeddah. Our comprehensive characterization of Wolbachia strains provides a foundation for Wolbachia-based disease interventions in harsh climates.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) including acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is an inflammatory and metabolic disease mainly caused by atherosclerosis. Dysfunctional autophagy has been associated with abnormal lipid metabolism and inflammation. In previous studies, we have reported altered autophagic activity in AMI patients. As autophagy-related protein 5 (ATG5) is a core protein in autophagy, we speculated that altered ATG5 level may contribute to CAD and AMI development. In this study, the promoter of the ATG5 gene was genetically and functionally investigated in large groups of AMI patients (n = 378) and ethnic-matched healthy controls (n = 386). The results showed that a total of 15 genetic variants including 6 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ATG5 gene promoter were found in this study population. A novel deletion variant (g.106326168_70delTCT) and an SNP [g.106325757C > G (rs190825454)] were found in one 66-year-old male patient with non-ST-segment elevated AMI, but in none of controls. In cultured HEK-293 and H9c2 cells, the deletion variant significantly decreased the transcriptional activity of the ATG5 gene promoter (P<0.01). In contrast, the genetic variants either identified only in controls or found in both AMI patients and controls did not affect the transcriptional activity of the ATG5 gene promoter (P>0.05). Furthermore, an electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that the deletion variant evidently affected the binding of a transcription factor. Therefore, the genetic variant identified in AMI may affect the activity of the ATG5 gene promoter and change the ATG5 level, contributing to AMI as a rare risk factor.

We proposed a prototype which can directly be powered by portable electricity for the catalytic removal of formaldehyde and CO. A compact air cleaner equipped with a conductive Ag–SnO2 catalyst and the corresponding reaction system were assembled, featuring a circuit to allow electric current to pass through the catalyst with Joule heating. The removal performances were superior to the thermal heating counterpart and the electricity was found to suppress CO poisoning, which was preliminarily attributed to the electron transport between Ag and SnO2.

The self-etherification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 5,5′(oxy-bis(methylene))bis-2-furfural (OBMF) was investigated on ZSM-5, MCM-22, beta and hierarchical micro–mesoporous ZSM-5 (HMZ) catalysts. The hierarchically structured zeolites exhibited a superior intrinsic activity and good resistance to carbonaceous deposit; the latter could be ascribed to the lower mass transfer barrier in the mesopores of the HMZ catalysts. The structure–activity correlation showed that the catalytic activity mainly originated from one or several specific Bronsted acid sites, providing key clues to design efficient zeolite catalysts for producing OBMF.

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) return signal generation technology applied in the LiDAR indoor test and simulation is significant to design, develop, test, and validate a LiDAR’s capability and performance. To generate a target’s information carried by the return signal, the dimensional decomposition and equivalent generation method of the LiDAR return signal are proposed. The target four-dimensional (4D) information is decomposed into one-dimensional (1D) intensity information, 1D range information, and two-dimensional (2D) angle–angle spatial information. The 1D intensity information is simulated by the absorption of prism pairs, while the 1D range information is simulated by the combination of electrical and optical time delay. The 2D angle–angle spatial information is implemented by the stack of segmented digital mirror array device slice images in sequence. Moreover, a LiDAR return scene projector (LRSP) prototype is developed and its performance is measured. The results show that its energy dynamic range is 51.25 dB. The distance simulation range is 240.15 m to 22.5 km (1.601 to 150 μs). The simulation accuracy of the target’s depth is

Embodied theories of semantic cognition predict that brain regions involved in motion perception are engaged when people comprehend motion concepts expressed in language. Left lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC) is implicated in both motion perception and motion concept processing but prior studies have produced mixed findings on which parts of this region are engaged by motion language. We scanned participants performing semantic judgements about sentences describing motion events and static events. We performed univariate analyses, multivariate pattern analyses (MVPA) and psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses to investigate the effect of motion on activity and connectivity in different parts of LOTC. In multivariate analyses that decoded whether a sentence described motion or not, the middle and posterior parts of LOTC showed above-chance level performance, with performance exceeding that of other brain regions. Univariate ROI analyses found the middle part of LOTC was more active for motion events than static ones. Finally, PPI analyses found that when processing motion events, the middle and posterior parts of LOTC (overlapping with motion perception regions), increased their connectivity with cognitive control regions. Taken together, these results indicate that the more posterior parts of LOTC, including motion perception cortex, respond differently to motion vs. static events. These findings are consistent with embodiment accounts of semantic processing, and suggest that understanding verbal descriptions of motion engages areas of the occipitotemporal cortex involved in perceiving motion.

Activity and immobilization of catalysts in liquid-phase reactions seem not to coexist. We report here the excellent activity of an MoOx nanoparticle (NP) catalyst for d-glucose epimerization to d-mannose and the electrical immobilization of NPs in a flow reaction. Prior to that, a green and one-pot method to synthesize the MoOx NPs (3.05 nm) via oxidizing metal Mo by hydrogen peroxide was presented. The NPs overwhelmed the reported catalysts including epimerase for d-glucose epimerization, originating from a strong interaction between the NPs and the reactant that was demonstrated by ex situ and in situ characterizations and theoretical calculations. The electrically charged feature of NPs inspired us to find a convenient way to "immobilize" them inside an activated carbon bed, and thereby, a flow reactor was assembled. The continuous epimerization was run under 24 V for 16 days with an almost unchanged activity, and only 3.2% of total Mo was lost.

Background Coronary artery disease (CAD), including acute myocardial infarction (AMI), is a common complex disease. Although a great number of genetic loci and variants for CAD have been identified, genetic causes and underlying mechanisms remain largely unclear. Epidemiological studies have revealed that CAD incidence is strikingly higher in patients with congenital heart disease than that in normal population. T-box transcription factors play critical roles in embryonic development. In particular, TBX5 as a dosage-sensitive regulator is required for cardiac development and function. Thus, dysregulated TBX5 gene expression may be involved in CAD development. Methods TBX5 gene promoter was genetically and functionally analysed in large groups of AMI patients (n = 432) and ethnic-matched healthy controls (n = 448). Results Six novel heterozygous DNA sequence variants (DSVs) in the TBX5 gene promoter (g.4100A > G, g.4194G > A, g.4260 T > C, g.4367C > A, g.4581A > G and g.5004G > T) were found in AMI patients, but in none of controls. These DSVs significantly changed the activity of TBX5 gene promoter in cultured cells (P G, g.4260 T > C and g.4581A > G) evidently modified the binding sites of unknown transcription factors. Conclusions The DSVs identified in AMI patients may alter TBX5 gene promoter activity and change TBX5 level, contributing to AMI development as a rare risk factor.

The fact that metallic nanostructures are an excellent light receiver and transmitter connects the underlying principles of two widely applied optical processes: surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF). A comparative study of SERS and SEF can eliminate the typical unknown quantities of the system and reveal important parameters that cannot be accessed by conventional techniques. Here, we use this simultaneous SERS and SEF technique in a monolayer MoSe2 coupled plasmonic nanocavity. After optimizing the spatial and the spectral overlaps between excitonic and plasmonic resonances, the SERS and SEF enhancement factors can exceed 107 and 6000, respectively, at the same time on the same nanocube. The comparison of the SERS and SEF enhancements allows the estimation of the ultrafast total decay rate of the bright exciton in monolayer MoSe2 in the nanocavity down to tens of femtoseconds, which is otherwise hard to realize using time-resolved techniques.

A group of CuAPO-5 molecular sieves with trace Cu were successfully synthesized via an ionothermal method and used for fructose dehydration to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in [BMIM]Br ionic liquid. The 0.06-CuAPO-5 sample displayed excellent performance and a HMF yield of 93.8% was obtained, which could be ascribed to the balance between acid strength and mass transfer efficiency. This work demonstrates that the ionothermal synthesized CuAPO-5 molecular sieve was also a good candidate for the efficient production of HMF.

Autophagy is involved in many physiological processes. Transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master regulator of autophagy and coordinates the expression of autophagic proteins, lysosomal hydrolases, and lysosomal membrane proteins. Though autophagy has been implicated in several human diseases, little is known regarding TFEB gene expression and regulation in the process. Since dysfunctional autophagy plays critical roles in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), dysregulated TFEB gene expression may be associated with AMI by regulating autophagy. In this study, the TFEB gene promoter was genetically and functionally analyzed in AMI patients (n= 352) and ethnic-matched controls (n= 337). A total of fifteen regulatory variants of the TFEB gene, including eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), were identified in this population. Among these, six regulatory variants [g.41737274T>C (rs533895008), g.41737144A>G, g.41736987C > T (rs760293138), g.41736806C > T (rs748537297), g.41736635T > C (rs975050638), and g.41736544C > T] were only identified in AMI patients. These regulatory variants significantly altered the transcriptional activity of the TFEB gene promoter. Further electrophoretic mobility shift assay revealed that three of the variants evidently affected the binding of transcription factors. Therefore, this study identified novel TFEB gene regulatory variants which affect the gene expression. These TFEB gene regulatory variants may contribute to AMI development as a rare risk factor.

Background Coronary artery disease including acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is mainly caused by atherosclerosis, an inflammatory and metabolic disease. Autophagy has been demonstrated to play critical roles in lipid metabolism and inflammation. Altered autophagic activity has been reported in AMI patients. However, molecular basis for dysfunctional autophagy in AMI remains unexplained. Methods In this study, the promoter of the ATG7 gene, encoding a core protein for autophagy, was genetically and functionally analyzed in large cohorts of AMI patients (n = 355) and ethnic‐matched healthy controls (n = 363). Related molecular mechanisms were also explored. Results A total of 19 DNA sequence variants (DSVs) including single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found in the ATG7 gene promoter. Two novel DSVs and five SNPs were only identified in AMI patients group. These DSVs and SNPs, except one SNP, significantly altered the transcriptional activity of the ATG7 gene promoter in both HEK‐293 and H9c2 cells (p

Coronary artery disease (CAD) including acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is a common complex disease. To date, genetic causes for atherosclerosis remain largely unknown. It has recently been proposed that low frequency and rare genetic variants may be the main causes. Mitochondrial sirtuins, SIRT3, SIRT4 and SIRT5, function as critical regulators of mitochondrial metabolism, oxidative stress and cell survival. We speculated that altered SIRT5 level resulting from DNA sequence variants (DSVs) within SIRT5 gene regulatory regions may contribute to the CAD and AMI development. In this study, the SIRT5 gene promoter was genetically and functionally analyzed in large cohorts of AMI patients (n = 381) and healthy controls (n = 391). A total of eleven DSVs and SNPs were found. Two novel heterozygous DSVs (g.13574131CA and g.13574287GC) and three heterozygous SNPs [g.13573450AG (rs573515169), g.13574110GA (rs2804924) and g.13574259GC (rs112443954)] were identified only in AMI patients. The DSVs and SNPs significantly decreased the transcriptional activity of the SIRT5 gene promoter in both HEK-293 and H9c2 cells (P 0.05). Further electrophoretic mobility shift assay indicated that the SNPs significantly affected the binding of transcription factors. In contrast, the DSVs and SNPs found only in controls or in both AMI patients and controls did not significantly change the SIRT5 gene promoter activity (P 0.05). Therefore, our data suggested that the DSVs and SNPs identified in AMI patients may change SIRT5 level by affecting activity of SIRT5 gene promoter, contributing to the AMI development as a risk factor.

Yeast strain plays a central role in the formation of aroma and flavour of fruit wine. The effect of four commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains (D254, VIC, BV818 and CECA) on volatile compounds of fermented pineapple (Ananas comosus L. Merr.) juice was investigated. Alcohols and esters were the most abundant groups in terms of the amounts of identified volatiles in four pineapple wines, followed by acids and sulphur compounds. Different S. cerevisiae strains possess various capacities to release or synthesize volatiles during pineapple wine fermentation. For global aroma, strain D254 yielded the highest total number and concentration of volatiles and could be used as a starter culture for the making of intense pineapple wine. Strain BV818 produced wine with the highest amounts of volatiles with OAVs > 1 and scored the highest in global aroma. Thus, BV818 might be the appropriate strain that could impart characteristic aromas and enhance wine complexity. The relative content of esters formed by strain VIC was higher than that yielded by the other strains. Strain CECA produced the highest relative contents of alcohols, aldehydes and ketones. However, VIC and CECA were not ideal starter cultures because of their low sense scores. This study provided a foundation for the production of pineapple wine with the desired flavour profile.

N-doped ordered mesoporous carbon (N-OMC) has been one of the most promising choices as the electrode for supercapacitors due to its large surface area and uniform mesoporous structure. However, there is still a big challenge to prepare N-OMC using a relatively simple method. Here, a straightforward preparation of N-OMC was reported in which the precursor zeoliticimidazolate framework was in situ grown in the SBA-15 template by a fast, solvent-free, and atom economic solid–solid grinding strategy. After pyrolysis and removing of the template, the N-OMC was obtained with ordered mesoporous structure, rich oxygen and nitrogen, and a large specific surface area of 1004 m2/g. As the electrode material for supercapacitors, N-OMC displayed an excellent specific capacitance of 228 F/g at 0.2 A/g and superb charge/discharge cycling stability, which is promising for high-performance energy storage. This solid–solid grinding strategy may offer a low-cost and scalable method to produce high-performance N-OMC for the electrode from the zeoliticimidazolate framework.

The eastern Nanhui mudflat (ENM), located in the southern flank of the Changjiang (Yangtze River) Estuary, plays a key role in storm protection, defense against sea level rise, and land resource provision for Shanghai, China's largest city. Recently, there has been a great deal of concern for its evolutionary fate, since a drastic reduction in the Changjiang sediment discharge rate and an increased number of estuarine enclosures might negatively impact the environmental protection functions that this mudflat provides. In this paper, a novel method, which employed the envelope lines of instantaneous shoreline positions identified in 436 Landsat satellite images from 1975 to 2016, was used to demonstrate the evolution of the mudflat high and low tide lines in a detailed, quantitative way. Our study reveals the southeast progradation rate of the mudflat doubled from 24 m/yr in 713–1974 CE to 49 m/yr in 1975–1995 CE, probably due to the influence of the estuarine turbidity maximum zone shifting to the ENM. Under the ample sediment input directly from the turbidity maximum zone, the spatial evolution of the ENM was governed predominantly by the changing morphology of the South Passage due to the quick progradation of the ENM, which narrowed the South Passage by pushing the South Passage Trumpet southeastward. Therefore, the ENM experienced rapid accretion during 1975–2016. The accretion rate of the high tide line increased 2–13 times due to vegetation and intertidal enclosures, resulting in the rapid reduction of the intertidal area. The area decreased from 97 km2 in 1976 to 66 km2 in 1995, mainly due to vegetation, and continued decreasing to 12 km2 in 2006 due to the intertidal enclosures. In contrast, the accretion rate of the low tide line increased by 25 times due to subtidal enclosures and caused the intertidal area increased to 78 km2 in 2015. The almost disappeared intertidal zones in 2006 reappeared. However, this reappearance might be a temporary transitional state, and once the subtidal enclosures are completed, most of the intertidal zones will be replaced by enclosure land. Our study reveals that the drastic reduction in the Changjiang sediment flow to the sea has not caused a decline in the ENM. In contrast, the ENM has experienced rapid accretion in the past 40 years, resulting in the strengthening of its functional abilities to protect Shanghai, an unexpected outcome.

In this study, 364 Landsat satellite images were utilized to study the spatial and temporal shoreline changes of the southern Yellow River Delta in 1976–2016, and a new method revised and improved after Zhang et al. (2016) was proposed. By employing that method, the calculated sea levels calculated from simulated tidal heights and instantaneous shoreline positions rather than simulated tidal heights were used to correct fluctuations in instantaneous shoreline positions caused by tidal height and seasonal sea level changes and other random sea level fluctuations. When calculating the shoreline erosion rates and beach slopes, a statistical analysis of a large number of corrected shoreline positions was used to reduce the influence of random errors that were mainly caused by waves and other casual factors. The shoreline erosion rates and beach slopes presented in this paper are therefore more precise and reliable than those derived in previous studies, which only used two satellite images. The results of this study show that the shoreline of the southern Yellow River Delta primarily experienced gradual erosion during 1976–2016, with an average erosion rate of 26.9 m/year. The average shoreline erosion rate increased from 24.9 m/year in 1976–1996 to 34.9 m/year in 1996–2016—an increase of 40%—probably due to the reduction in sediment discharge and shifting northward course of the Yellow River after 1996. The shoreline erosion rate of the central coast decreased from 50.2 m/year in 1976–1996 to 27.1 m/year in 1996–2016—a decrease of 46%—probably due to the protection offered by coastal hard structures. The average shoreline erosion rate caused by relative sea level rise was 8.5 m/year or 32% of the total average shoreline erosion rate. Relative sea level rise plays an important role in the erosion of the southern Yellow River Delta due to its flat beach. The beach slope of the southern Yellow River Delta was flat and stable in 1976–2016, and the average slope over most of the beach was 0.043%.

The dipole moments of alkali metal chlorides were found to be responsible for their catalysis of the oxidation of diesel soot, by strengthening the interaction of the catalysts with the surface C–O complexes of soot and rendering the valence electrons of soot transferrable for the oxidation.

Human exposure risks to airborne pollutants, bacteria and viruses in confined spaces have attracted tremendous attention. It is a challenge to degrade these harmful materials over a single device by electrical method other than conventional thermal method. We fabricated an air cleaning device based on a conductive Ag-Co3O4 coating with Ag nanoparticles on a glass fibre cloth (GFC). The device possessed good flexibility and high permeability of the GFC. Powered by low-voltages ( 90% were achieved. The electrically treated device completely killed Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus within a few minutes at a low surface temperature of

Cobalt-doped manganese octahedral molecular sieves with an ordered cryptomelane structure (OMS-2) were synthesized by a one-step hydrothermal method. The cobalt precursor was directly added into the solution before crystallization to allow its incorporation into the mixed-valent framework of K-OMS-2. The structure, redox properties, and surface hydrophobicity of Co-doped K-OMS-2 were examined by X-ray diffraction, FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, TEM, N2 sorption, temperature-programmed reduction by H2, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and water contact-angle system. The incorporation of Co induced a morphological change in K-OMS-2 from nanorods to nanofibers and an increase in the specific surface area from 70.6 to 188.3 m2 g−1. Co-doped K-OMS-2 was shown to be able to completely convert CO at 100 °C in the presence of approximately 3 % water vapor. The promotion effect of Co on the catalytic activity is believed to originate from the enhanced redox capacity and surface area of K-OMS-2, whereas the improved surface hydrophobicity may induce superior water-tolerant performance.

Activity and immobilization of catalysts in liquid-phase reactions seem not to coexist. We report here the excellent activity of an MoO

The fact that metallic nanostructures are an excellent light receiver and transmitter connects the underlying principles of two widely applied optical processes: surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and surface-enhanced fluorescence (SEF). A comparative study of SERS and SEF can eliminate the typical unknown quantities of the system and reveal important parameters that cannot be accessed by conventional techniques. Here, we use this simultaneous SERS and SEF technique in a monolayer MoSe

The recently developed event cameras can directly sense the motion in the scene by generating an asynchronous sequence of events, i.e., event streams, where each individual event (x, y, t) corresponds to the space-time location when a pixel sensor captures an intensity change. Compared with RGB cameras, event cameras are frameless but can capture much faster motion, therefore have great potential for recognizing gestures of fast motions. To deal with the unique output of event cameras, previous methods often treat event streams as time sequences, thus do not fully explore the space-time sparsity of the event stream data. In this work, we treat the event stream as a set of 3D points in space-time, i.e., space-time event clouds. To analyze event clouds and recognize gestures, we propose to leverage PointNet, a neural network architecture originally designed for matching and recognizing 3D point clouds. We further adapt PointNet to cater to event clouds for real-time gesture recognition. On the benchmark dataset of event camera based gesture recognition, i.e., IBM DVS128 Gesture dataset, our proposed method achieves a high accuracy of 97.08% and performs the best among existing methods.