Deep Electron Redistributions Induced by Dual Junctions Facilitating Electroreduction of Dilute Nitrate to Ammonia.

The electronic states of metal catalysts can be redistributed by the rectifying contact between metal and semiconductor e.g., N-doped carbon (NC), while the interfacial regulation degree is very limited.

Deep Electronic State Regulation through Unidirectional Cascade Electron Transfer Induced by Dual Junction Boosting Electrocatalysis Performance.

Unidirectional cascade electron transfer induced by multi-junctions is essential for deep electronic state regulation of the catalytic active sites, while this advanced concept has rarely been investigated in the field of electrocatalysis. In the present work, a dual junction heterostructure (FePc/L-R/CN) is designed by anchoring iron phthalocyanine (FePc)/MXene (L-Ti C -R, R═OH or F) heterojunction on g-C N nanosheet substrates for electrocatalysis. The unidirectional cascade electron transfer (g-C N → L-Ti C -R → FePc) induced by the dual junction of FePc/L-Ti C -R and L-Ti C -R/g-C N makes the Fe center electron-rich and therefore facilitates the adsorption of O in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR).

Enhanced electrochemical CO reduction performance of cobalt phthalocyanine with precise regulation of electronic states.

Herein, we report a facile strategy for constructing hybrid coordination configurations by combining functionalized graphene quantum dots (GQDs) with CoPc (CoPc/R-GQDs, with R being -NH or -OH) for electrochemical CO reduction. Benefiting from the high density of functional groups that can be provided by GQDs and the strong electron-donating property of -NH, the examined CoPc/NH-GQDs achieved a 100% faradaic efficiency for CO formation (FE) at -0.8 to -0.

Tuning the Hydroxyl Density of MXene to Regulate the Electrochemical Performance of Anchored Cobalt Phthalocyanine for CO Reduction.

Precise electronic state regulation through coordination environment optimization by metal-support interaction is a promising strategy to facilitate catalysis reaction, while the limited density of functional groups in the bulk substrate restricts the regulation degree. Herein, different sizes of TiCT MXene with hydroxyl (-OH) terminal including the MXene layer (ML-OH, 3 μm), the MXene nanosheet (MNS-OH, 600 nm), and the MXene quantum dot (MQD-OH, 8 nm) were prepared to anchor CoPc, and the effect of -OH density on the performance of electrochemical CO reduction was systematically investigated. Notably, a linear relationship was established by plotting reactivity vs hydroxyl density.

Dopant-Induced Electronic States Regulation Boosting Electroreduction of Dilute Nitrate to Ammonium.

Electrochemically converting NO into NH offers a promising route for water treatment. Nevertheless, electroreduction of dilute NO is still suffering from low activity and/or selectivity. Herein, B as a modifier was introduced to tune electronic states of Cu and further regulate the performance of electrochemical NO reduction reaction (NO RR) with dilute NO concentration (≤100 ppm NO -N).

Recent Advances of the Confinement Effects Boosting Electrochemical CO Reduction.

Powered by clean and renewable energy, electrocatalytic CO reduction reaction (CO RR) to chemical feedstocks is an effective way to mitigate the greenhouse effect and artificially close the carbon cycle. However, the performance of electrocatalytic CO RR was impeded by the strong thermodynamic stability of CO molecules and the high susceptibility to hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in aqueous phase systems. Moreover, the numerous reaction intermediates formed at very near potentials lead to poor selectivity of reaction products, further preventing the industrialization of CO RR.

Creating Hybrid Coordination Environment in Fe-Based Single Atom Catalyst for Efficient Oxygen Reduction.

Tailoring the local chemistry environment to optimize the geometric and electronic properties of single atom catalysts has received much attention recently. Yet, most efforts have been devoted to establishing the preferable binding between the solid support and the single metal atom. In this work, a hybrid coordination environment was created for Fe-based single atom catalysts, comprising inorganic anchoring site from the support and organic ligands from the precursor.

Boosting Electrochemical Oxygen Reduction Performance of Iron Phthalocyanine through Axial Coordination Sphere Interaction.

Precise regulation of the electronic states of catalytic sites through molecular engineering is highly desired to boost catalytic performance. Herein, a facile strategy was developed to synthesize efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, based on mononuclear iron phthalocyanine supported on commercially available multi-walled carbon nanotubes that contain electron-donating functional groups (FePc/CNT-R, with "R" being -NH , -OH, or -COOH). These functional groups acted as axial ligands that coordinated to the Fe site, confirmed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and synchrotron-radiation-based X-ray absorption fine structure.

Development and preliminary testing of a probe-based duplex real-time PCR assay for the detection of African swine fever virus.

An outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in China in 2018 caused substantial economic losses to the swine industry. To accurately diagnose clinical infection with ASF virus (ASFV), we developed a TaqMan probe-based duplex real-time PCR that simultaneously detected two discontinuous genes in the virus genome, thereby preventing the inaccurate results obtained with only one reaction. Two sets of ASFV gene-specific primers, along with two fluorescent TaqMan probes were designed to target conserved regions of the B646L and B438L genes.

A Tandem Strategy for Enhancing Electrochemical CO Reduction Activity of Single-Atom Cu-S N Catalysts via Integration with Cu Nanoclusters.

We developed a tandem electrocatalyst for CO -to-CO conversion comprising the single Cu site co-coordinated with N and S anchored carbon matrix (Cu-S N ) and atomically dispersed Cu clusters (Cu ), denoted as Cu-S N /Cu . The as-prepared Cu-S N /Cu composite presents a 100 % Faradaic efficiency towards CO generation (FE ) at -0.65 V vs.

TRIM24 promotes stemness and invasiveness of glioblastoma cells via activating Sox2 expression.

Background: Glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) are a subpopulation of glioblastoma (GBM) cells that are critical for tumor invasion and treatment resistance. However, little is known about the function and mechanism of tripartite motif-containing 24 (TRIM24) in GSCs.

Methods: Immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and western blot analyses were used to evaluate TRIM24 and cluster of differentiation (CD)133 expression profiles in GBM surgical specimens and GSC tumorspheres.

Nanocarbon Catalysts: Recent Understanding Regarding the Active Sites.

Although carbon itself acts as a catalyst in various reactions, the classical carbon materials (e.g., activated carbons, carbon aerogels, carbon black, carbon fiber, etc.

Base-enhanced electrochemical water oxidation by a nickel complex in neutral aqueous solution.

A nickel complex, [Ni(TMC)(CH3CN)](NO3)2 (TMC = 1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane, 1), was found to be an efficient water oxidation catalyst in pH 7 phosphate buffer. It exhibits pseudo first order kinetics in electrochemical water oxidation with a catalytic rate of 9.95 s-1, the highest rate for nickel WOCs at neutral pH.

A novel prognostic six-CpG signature in glioblastomas.

Aims: We aimed to identify a clinically useful biomarker using DNA methylation-based information to optimize individual treatment of patients with glioblastoma (GBM).

Methods: A six-CpG panel was identified by incorporating genome-wide DNA methylation data and clinical information of three distinct discovery sets and was combined using a risk-score model. Different validation sets of GBMs and lower-grade gliomas and different statistical methods were implemented for prognostic evaluation.

Thermoregulated Phase-Transition Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Carbon Nanoplates Rich in sp Carbon and Unimodal Ultramicropores for Kinetic Gas Separation.

The development of highly selective, chemically stable and moisture-resistant adsorbents is a key milestone for gas separation. Porous carbons featured with random orientation and cross-linking of turbostratic nanodomains usually have a wide distribution of micropores. Here we have developed a thermoregulated phase-transition-assisted synthesis of carbon nanoplates with more than 80 % sp carbon, unimodal ultramicropore and a controllable thickness.

Using hollow carbon nanospheres as a light-induced free radical generator to overcome chemotherapy resistance.

Under evolutionary pressure from chemotherapy, cancer cells develop resistance characteristics such as a low redox state, which eventually leads to treatment failures. An attractive option for combatting resistance is producing a high concentration of produced free radicals in situ. Here, we report the production and use of dispersible hollow carbon nanospheres (HCSs) as a novel platform for delivering the drug doxorubicine (DOX) and generating additional cellular reactive oxygen species using near-infrared laser irradiation.

The predictive but not prognostic value of MGMT promoter methylation status in elderly glioblastoma patients: a meta-analysis.

Background: The clinical implication of O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter status is ill-defined in elderly glioblastoma patients. Here we report a meta-analysis to seek valid evidence for its clinical relevance in this subpopulation.

Methods: Literature were searched and reviewed in a systematic manner using the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases.

A meta-analysis of temozolomide versus radiotherapy in elderly glioblastoma patients.

Temozolomide (TMZ) alone has been proposed as a promising alternative to radiotherapy (RT) in elderly glioblastoma (GBM) patients. We report a meta-analysis to systematically evaluate TMZ monotherapy in older GBM patients. A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE and the Cochrane database.

Radiotherapy plus concurrent or sequential temozolomide for glioblastoma in the elderly: a meta-analysis.

Background: Many physicians are reluctant to treat elderly glioblastoma (GBM) patients as aggressively as younger patients, which is not evidence based due to the absence of validated data from primary studies. We conducted a meta-analysis to provide valid evidence for the use of the aggressive combination of radiotherapy (RT) and temozolomide (TMZ) in elderly GBM patients.

Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted using the PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases.