Tuning the crystallinity of the MnO catalysts to promote toluene catalytic oxidation.

In this paper, the MnO catalysts with excellent toluene oxidation performance were prepared by a simple precipitation method. The physicochemical properties of the prepared MnO catalysts were investigated by XRD, BET, H-TPR, O-TPD and XPS. The obtained results revealed that the crystallinity of the prepared MnO catalysts could be effectively regulated by changing the (NH)CO/Mn(NO) molar ratio, and thus affecting the oxygen vacancy concentration of the prepared MnO catalysts.

Proteomic analysis of Biliverdin protected cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.

Biliverdin, a heme metabolite, has been previously reported to alleviate cerebral ischemic reperfusion injury (CIRI). However, the alterations of brain proteome profiles underlying this treatment remain elusive. The objective of this study is to analyze the differential protein expression profile in cerebral cortex of rats involved in anti-CIRI effects of Biliverdin, providing experimental foundation for searching specific marker proteins.

Activated carbon with high mesopore ratio derived from waste Zanthoxylum bungeanum branches by KNO-assisted HPO staged activation for toluene adsorption.

Waste Zanthoxylum bungeanum branches were used to prepare activated carbon adsorbents with high mesopore ratio by HPO staged activation method with adding KNO additive. The prepared activated carbon adsorbents were characterized by SEM, BET, FT-IR, and XRD. The adsorption properties of the prepared activated carbon adsorbents were evaluated by the toluene adsorption/desorption in air.

Biliverdin modulates the Nrf2/A20/eEF1A2 axis to alleviate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by inhibiting pyroptosis.

This study aimed to examine whether Biliverdin, which is a common metabolite of haem, can alleviate cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury (CIRI) by inhibiting pyroptosis. Here, CIRI was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (MCAO/R) in C57BL/6 J mice and modelled by oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in HT22 cells, it was treated with or without Biliverdin. The spatiotemporal expression of GSDMD-N and infarction volumes were assessed by immunofluorescence staining and triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), respectively.

Biliverdin modulates the long non-coding RNA H19/microRNA-181b-5p/endothelial cell specific molecule 1 axis to alleviate cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury.

Injuries caused by cerebral ischemia reperfusion (CIR) can worsen neurological outcomes, Biliverdin (BV) is an antioxidant and anti-apoptotic agent that was shown to affect CIR, although the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the role of BV and its potential underlying mechanism in CIR injury. CIR rat models and primary cortical neurons were established and treated with and without BV.

Recent advances in the conversion of furfural into bio-chemicals through chemo- and bio-catalysis.

Furfural is a promising renewable platform molecule derived from hemi-cellulose, which can be further converted to fossil fuel alternatives and valuable chemicals due to its highly functionalized molecular structure. This mini-review summarizes the recent progress in the chemo-catalytic and/or bio-catalytic conversion of furfural into high-value-added chemicals, including furfurylamine, C carboxylic acid, , furandicarboxylic acid, furfural alcohol, aromatics, levulinic acid, maleic acid, succinic acid, furoic acid, and cyclopentanone, particularly the advances in the catalytic valorization of furfural into useful chemicals in the last few years. The possible reaction mechanisms for the conversion of furfural into bio-chemicals are summarized and discussed.

Hierarchical porous activated carbon from waste Zanthoxylum bungeanum branches by modified HPO activation for toluene removal in air.

Activated carbon adsorbents were prepared by chemical activation with waste Zanthoxylum bungeanum branches as raw materials and HPO/HSO as composite activator under different dosages of the auxiliary activator HSO. The prepared samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) specific surface area test, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The adsorption/desorption performances of low concentration toluene in the air were evaluated, and its reusability was evaluated by the adsorption/desorption cycle.

Insight into the effects of oxygen vacancy on the toluene oxidation over α-MnO catalyst.

In order to clarify the role of oxygen vacancy (OV), five α-MnO catalysts with abundant OVs are fabricated via a novel and facile redox-precipitation approach and employed to the toluene oxidation in air. The concentration of OVs in α-MnO catalysts is regulated via the alkyl chain length of alcohols, and its correlation with catalytic performances is scientifically investigated based on various characterization technologies and density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The α-MnO-C2 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity (T = 217 °C), stability, and water resistance for toluene oxidation in air.

Virus-inspired surface-nanoengineered antimicrobial liposome: A potential system to simultaneously achieve high activity and selectivity.

Enveloped viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 frequently have a highly infectious nature and are considered effective natural delivery systems exhibiting high efficiency and specificity. Since simultaneously enhancing the activity and selectivity of lipopeptides is a seemingly unsolvable problem for conventional chemistry and pharmaceutical approaches, we present a biomimetic strategy to construct lipopeptide-based mimics of viral architectures and infections to enhance their antimicrobial efficacy while avoiding side effects. Herein, a surface-nanoengineered antimicrobial liposome (SNAL) is developed with the morphological features of enveloped viruses, including a moderate size range, lipid-based membrane structure, and highly lipopeptide-enriched bilayer surface.

Efficient Ni-based catalysts for low-temperature reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction.

CO hydrogenation for syngas can alleviate the pressure of un-controlled emissions of CO and bring enormous economic benefits. Advantageous Ni-catalysts have good CO hydrogenation activity and high CO selectivity merely over 700 °C. Herein, we introduced Cu into Ni catalysts, which were evaluated by H -TPR, XRD, BET, in-situ XPS and CO -TPD, and their CO hydrogenation activity and CO selectivity were significantly affected by the Ni/Cu ratios, which was rationalized by the synergistic effect of bimetallic catalysts.

A high-efficiency bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated nanogenerator.

Currently, the key challenge in triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) is how to efficiently enhance the surface charge density. Here, a new strategy is proposed to increase the surface charge density by comprehensively utilizing solar energy and tidal energy, and a bioinspired photoelectric-electromechanical integrated TENG (Pem-iTENG) is developed. This enhancement of output performance is greatly attributed to the accumulation of photoelectrons from photocatalysis and the triboelectric negative charges from contact electrification.

Control of pore structure and surface chemistry of activated carbon derived from waste Zanthoxylum bungeanum branches for toluene removal in air.

Activated carbon adsorption has been considered the most efficient technology toward VOC removal. The waste biomass as alternates solved the problems of high price and nonrenewable of traditional raw materials. The waste Zanthoxylum bungeanum branches were firstly selected as raw materials to prepare activated carbons.

Structural Superiority of Guanidinium-Rich, Four-Armed Copolypeptides: Role of Multiple Peptide-Membrane Interactions in Enhancing Bacterial Membrane Perturbation and Permeability.

The development of novel antimicrobials is a top priority to address the growing epidemic of multidrug-resistant pathogens. Since cationic nonamphiphilic star-shaped antimicrobials are promising molecular scaffolds that provide a high charge density in binding anionic bacterial bilayers, this research aimed to further increase their membrane perturbation capability by introducing guanidinium groups to the antimicrobials enhancing membrane insertion. In particular, computational simulation and experimental investigations revealed that our designed guanidinium-rich alternating copolypeptide, four-armed poly(arginine--glycine), can interact with both the headgroups and unsaturated tails of phospholipids in bacterial membranes through multiple interactions, including electrostatic, cation-π, and T-shaped π-π interactions, allowing it to penetrate deeper inside the biologically inaccessible high-energy barrier of the hydrophobic lipid bilayer interior to cause membrane permeabilization and precipitation of the bacterial cytoplasm.

CuO-modified activated carbon for the improvement of toluene removal in air.

We used an impregnation method to prepare CuO/AC (activated carbon) composite materials of different CuO content and characterized them via scanning electron microscope (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The effect of CuO content on toluene adsorption/desorption was evaluated. We explored the reusability of AC and AC03 (CuO modified AC with CuO loading 0.

CeCu composite oxide for chlorophenol effective removal by heterogeneous catalytic wet peroxide oxidation.

CeCu solid solution oxide catalysts were prepared by the complex method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). And its activity in the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) and 2,4-dichlorophenol (2,4-DCP) in water was investigated. The results showed that the Cu ions dissolved into the CeO lattice to form CeCu solid solution oxide with a coarse, interconnected, porous, and cotton-like morphology.

Degradation of Bisphenol A by CeCu Oxide Catalyst in Catalytic Wet Peroxide Oxidation: Efficiency, Stability, and Mechanism.

The CeCu oxide catalyst CC450 was prepared by citric acid complex method and the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) reaction system was established with bisphenol A (BPA) as the target pollutant. By means of characterization, this research investigated the phase structure, surface morphology, reducibility, surface element composition, and valence of the catalyst before and after reuse. The effects of catalyst dosage and pH on the removal efficiency of BPA were also investigated.

Tuning the amphiphilicity of terpyridine-based fluorescent probe in water: Assembly and disassembly-controlled H g sensing, removal, and adsorption of HS.

A water-soluble terpyridine-based cationic fluorescent probe (SP-TPy) was synthesized, which emerged with pH-dependent amphiphilicity, resulting in self-assembly and disassembly in aqueous media with the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property. In neutral water (pH 7.4), a moderate sensing response to Hg ions was given by the self-assembly of SP-TPy.

Involvement of an alternative oxidase in the regulation of hyphal growth and microsclerotial formation in Nomuraea rileyi CQNr01.

Mitochondria of Nomuraea rileyi contain an alternative oxidase (Aox), which reduces oxygen to water by accepting electrons directly from ubiquinol. Furthermore, through a transcriptional analysis, we found that an alternative oxidase (Nraox) was up-regulated during microsclerotial formation. To study the function of NrAox, Nraox was cloned from N.

RacA and Cdc42 regulate polarized growth and microsclerotium formation in the dimorphic fungus Nomuraea rileyi.

Small GTPases, RacA and Cdc42, act as molecular switches in fungi, regulating cell signaling, cytoskeletal organization, polar growth and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the latter by influencing the activity of the NADPH oxidase complex. In this study, the racA and cdc42 genes from Nomuraea rileyi were cloned and shown to encode 218 and 184 amino acid proteins, respectively. To determine the functions of racA and cdc42, gene-silencing mutants (racARM, cdc42RM and racA&cdc42RM, respectively) were generated using RNA silencing technology.

Fine mapping a major QTL for flag leaf size and yield-related traits in rice.

Leaf size is a major determinant of plant architecture and yield potential in crops. A previous study showed that the genomic region of chromosome 1 contains a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) for flag leaf size in a set of backcross recombinant inbred lines derived from two elite parental lines (Zhenshan 97 and 93-11). In the present study, the QTL (qFL1) was shown to explain a large proportion of the variation in flag leaf size (leaf length, width and area) in derived populations (BC(2)F(3) and BC(3)F(2)) in multiple environments.