Recycling of spent alkaline Zn-Mn batteries directly: Combination with TiO to construct a novel Z-scheme photocatalytic system.

Recycling of spent alkaline Zn-Mn batteries (S-AZMB) has always been a focus of attention in environmental and energy fields. However, the current research mostly concentrated in the recovery of purified materials, and ignores the direct reuse of S-AZMB. Herein, we propose a new concept for the first time that unpurified S-AZMB can be used as raw materials for preparation of Z-scheme photocatalytic system in combination with TiO.

Identification of Halogen-Associated Active Sites on Bismuth-Based Perovskite Quantum Dots for Efficient and Selective CO-to-CO Photoreduction.

All-inorganic Pb-free bismuth (Bi) halogen perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) with distinct structural and photoelectric properties provide plenty of room for selective photoreduction of CO. However, the efficient conversion of CO-to-CO with high selectivity on Bi-based PQDs driven by solar light remains unachieved, and the precise reaction path/mechanism promoted by the surface halogen-associated active sites is still poorly understood. Herein, we screen a series of nontoxic and stable CsBiX (X = Cl, Br, I) PQDs for selective photocatalytic reduction of CO-to-CO at the gas-solid interface.

Mechanisms of Interfacial Charge Transfer and Photocatalytic NO Oxidation on BiOBr/SnO p-n Heterojunctions.

In this work, hydrothermally prepared p-n heterojunction BiOBr/SnO photocatalysts were applied to eliminate NO in visible light. The as-synthesized BiOBr/SnO photocatalysts exhibit superior photocatalytic activity and stability through the establishment of a p-n heterojunction, resulting in a significant improvement in charge separation and transfer properties. The morphological structure and optical property of the BiOBr/SnO heterojunction were also investigated comprehensively.

Regional transport and urban emissions are important ammonia contributors in Beijing, China.

Measuring ammonia (NH) is important for understanding the role of NH in secondary aerosol formation and the atmospheric deposition of reactive N. In this study, NH was measured in an urban area, a background region, and a tunnel in Beijing. The average NH concentrations between September 2017 and August 2018 were 24.

Dual Functions of O-Atoms in the g-CN/BON Interface: Oriented Charge Flow In-Plane and Separation within the Interface To Collectively Promote Photocatalytic Molecular Oxygen Activation.

The photocatalytic performance of two-dimensional materials is largely limited by the fast recombination of photogenerated charges. Herein, we design and fabricate a novel g-CN/BON van der Waals heterostructure to realize oriented charge flow in-plane and separation within the interface. On one hand, a B-C bond forms within the g-CN/BON interface after the introduction of O atoms.

Biology of Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3), and Its Therapeutic Implications in Cardiovascular Pathology.

Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3) is unique among the four TIMPs due to its extracellular matrix (ECM)-binding property and broad range of inhibitory substrates that includes matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), a disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs), and ADAM with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTSs). In addition to its metalloproteinase-inhibitory function, TIMP3 can interact with proteins in the extracellular space resulting in its multifarious functions. TIMP3 mRNA has a long 3' untranslated region (UTR) which is a target for numerous microRNAs.

Involvement of Two Paralogous Methoprene-Tolerant Genes in the Regulation of Vitellogenin and Vitellogenin Receptor Expression in the Rice Stem Borer, .

Besides the function of preventing metamorphosis in insects, the juvenile hormone (JH) plays a role in female reproduction; however, the underlying mechanism is largely unknown. The methoprene-tolerant (Met) protein belongs to a family of basic helix-loop-helix-Per-Arnt-Sim (bHLH-PAS) transcription factors and functions as the JH intracellular receptor. In this study, two full length cDNAs encoding ( and ) were isolated from the rice stem borer, Structural analysis revealed that both and exhibited typical bHLH, PAS-A, PAS-B, and PAC (PAS C terminal motif) domains.

La-doping induced localized excess electrons on (BiO)CO for efficient photocatalytic NO removal and toxic intermediates suppression.

Photocatalysis technology has been extensively adopted to abate typical air pollutants. Nevertheless, it is a challenge to develop photocatalysts aiming to simultaneously improve photocatalytic selectivity and efficiency. In this study, to improve the photocatalytic selectivity and the performance of (BiO)CO in the oxidation of NO to target products (NO /NO), we developed a novel method to construct La-doped (BiO)CO (La-BOC) for forming localized excess electrons (Ex) on (BiO)CO surface.

Two-dimensional tetragonal transition-metal carbide anodes for non-lithium-ion batteries.

Searching for high-performance anode materials with high energy-density, fast kinetics, and good stability is a key challenge for non-lithium-ion batteries (NLIBs), such as Na+, K+, Mg2+, Ca2+, Zn2+ and Al3+ ion batteries. Here, we systematically investigated the performance of a new class of two-dimensional tetragonal transition-metal carbides (tetr-MCs) using first-principles calculations, as anodes for NLIBs. The results show that tetr-MCs are ideal anode materials with good stabilities, favorable mechanical properties, intrinsic metallic properties, high theoretical capacities, and fast ion diffusion rate for NLIBs.

Controlled hydrogenation into defective interlayer bismuth oxychloride via vacancy engineering.

Hydrogenation is an effective approach to improve the performance of photocatalysts within defect engineering methods. The mechanism of hydrogenation and synergetic effects between hydrogen atoms and local electronic structures, however, remain unclear due to the limits of available photocatalytic systems and technical barriers to observation and measurement. Here, we utilize oxygen vacancies as residential sites to host hydrogen atoms in a layered bismuth oxychloride material containing defects.

Surface modification to control the secondary pollution of photocatalytic nitric oxide removal over monolithic protonated g-CN/graphene oxide aerogel.

Recently, photocatalytic NO treatment has attracted great attention on account of the use of environmental-friendly and tremendous energy source. However, the difficult recovery of most reported powdery photocatalysts and the high generation rate of toxic NO byproduct limit its application. Here, we designed a novel monolithic protonated g-CN/graphene oxide aerogel through a direct frozen-drying method.

A Bottom-Up Strategy for the Synthesis of Highly Siliceous Faujasite-Type Zeolite.

High-silica zeolite Y is a desired catalytic material for oil refining and the petrochemical industry. However, its direct synthesis remains a symbolic challenge in the field of zeolite synthesis, with a limited improvement of the framework SiO /Al O ratio (SAR) from ≈5 to 9 over the past 60 years. Here, the synthesis of highly siliceous zeolite Y with tunable SAR up to 15.

Highly Stable Two-Dimensional Iron Monocarbide with Planar Hypercoordinate Moiety and Superior Li-Ion Storage Performance.

Stable planar hypercoordinate motifs have been recently demonstrated in two-dimensional (2D) confinement systems, while perfectly planar hypercoordinate motifs in 2D carbon-transition metal systems are rarely reported. Here, by using comprehensive computations, we discover two new iron monocarbide (FeC) binary sheets stabilized at 2D confined space, labeled as tetragonal-FeC (t-FeC) and orthorhombic-FeC (o-FeC), which are energetically more favorable compared with the previously reported square and honeycomb lattices. The proposed t-FeC is the global minimum configuration in the 2D space, and each carbon atom is four-coordinated with four ambient iron atoms, considered as the quasi-planar tetragonal lattice.

TiC MXene modified g-CN with enhanced visible-light photocatalytic performance for NO purification.

As for photocatalytic oxidation of nitric oxide (NO), the low NO oxidation activity and generation of by-products (cf. NO) are the urgent challenge. To tackle these issues, a simple in-situ growing stragegy was employed to constructe TiC/g-CN system.

Liver extracellular volume fraction values obtained with magnetic resonance imaging can quantitatively stage liver fibrosis: a validation study in monkeys with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Objectives: This study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of liver extracellular volume (LECV) for the staging of liver fibrosis in a cynomolgus monkey model of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Methods: Forty-eight cynomolgus monkeys were enrolled in this prospective study. There are 17 healthy monkeys and 31 monkeys with NASH.

Highly Efficient MnO/AlOOH Composite Catalyst for Indoor Low-Concentration Formaldehyde Removal at Room Temperature.

Indoor formaldehyde from substandard furniture and decorative materials seriously endangers human health. How to remove effectively indoor formaldehyde with low concentration at room temperature is a challenging problem. Using a MnO/AlOOH composite by the MnO modification as a catalyst provides an effective approach to solve this challenge.

Synergistic effects of crystal structure and oxygen vacancy on BiO polymorphs: intermediates activation, photocatalytic reaction efficiency, and conversion pathway.

This work unraveled the synergistic effects of crystal structure and oxygen vacancy on the photocatalytic activity of BiO polymorphs at an atomic level for the first time. The artificial oxygen vacancy is introduced into α-BiO and β-BiO via a facile method to engineer the band structures and transportation of carriers and redox reaction for highly enhanced photocatalysis. After the optimization, the photocatalytic NO removal ratio on defective β-BiO was increased from 25.

The chemical transformations for Radix Astragali via different alkaline wash conditions by quantitative and qualitative analyses.

Radix Astragali is a famous Chinese traditional and folk medicine with a wide range of medicinal values in clinic. In this study, an analytical efficient strategy based on UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS and UHPLC-LTQ-Orbitrap-MS/MS was established to explore and reveal the chemical transformations for Radix Astragali under different alkaline wash conditions for analytical sample preparation. Firstly, a rapid and sensitive UHPLC-QQQ-MS/MS method for the quantification of 14 main constituents in Radix Astragali has been developed and validated.

Chitin deacetylase: A potential target for Mythimna separata (Walker) control.

Chitin deacetylase (CDA) is a hydrolytic enzyme that modifies chitin into chitosan in the body of insects. In this study, we obtained a full-length complementary DNA sequence (MsCDA1) from the oriental armyworm Mythimna separata by high-throughput sequencing. MsCDA1 is 1,952 bp long and includes 1,620 bp open reading frame encoding 539 amino acids.

Theoretical design and experimental investigation on highly selective Pd particles decorated CN for safe photocatalytic NO purification.

Rational design of highly active and selective photocatalyst for NO removal is significant for the commercial application of photocatalytic technology because the secondary byproduct caused by insufficient and non-selective pollutant oxidation process is a major challenge. In this work, Pd nanoparticles decorated CN (PdCN) is designed by density functional theory (DFT) at first. The PdCN exhibits superiority to CN in terms of both kinetics and thermodynamics performances, as reflected in the lower activation barrier of rate-determining step and higher selectivity for the final product (nitrate) instead of toxic intermediate (NO).

Probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics for the treatment of dementia: Protocol for a systematic review.

Background: The number of dementia patients in the world is large, and the number of dementia patients will continue to rise in the future, which will bring a heavy social and economic burden. No interventions have been found to cure dementia. Medication can delay the progression of the disease and impose an economic burden.

Activating palladium nanoparticles via a Mott-Schottky heterojunction in electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination reaction.

This work exploited one novel power of the Mott-Schottky heterojunction interface in activating the palladium (Pd) in electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination reaction (EHDC, one reaction targeted for the abatement of chlorinated organic pollutants from water). By forming a Mott-Schottky contact with polymer carbon nitride (Pd-PCN), the Pd nanoparticles enable a relatively complete and pseudo-first-order conversion of 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) to phenol and Cl with the reaction rate constant (k) triple that of the conventional Pd-C (0.68 vs.

Strong pyrrolic-N-Pd interactions boost the electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination reaction on palladium nanoparticles.

We demonstrated that heteroatomic nitrogen (N) doping of graphene can significantly enhance the performance of the graphene-palladium nanoparticle composite catalyst (N/G-Pd) in the electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (EHDC) reaction. Specifically at -0.80 V (vs.

Light-Induced Generation and Regeneration of Oxygen Vacancies in BiSbO for Sustainable Visible Light Photocatalysis.

Oxygen vacancy (OV)-containing semiconductor photocatalysts have been extensively studied and applied in environmental and energy fields, but there are a few studies concerning the mechanisms of inactivation and regeneration of OVs to prevent the catalysts from deactivation. In this paper, we put forward a novel in situ method to introduce the OVs into BiSbO (BiSbO-OV) via UV-light-induced breaking down of Bi-O and Sb-O bonds. The formation of OVs could broaden the photoresponse range and improve the charge carrier separation as confirmed by density functional theory calculation and UV and photoluminescence spectroscopy.