A CRISPR/Cas13a-based and hybridization chain reaction coupled evanescent wave biosensor for SARS-CoV-2 gene detection.

Timely and accurate diagnosis of RNA viruses, represented by the SARS-CoV-2, is the foundation for protecting people from health threats. Currently, direct detection of viral RNA genes remains the most accurate method. Herein, a rapid, ultrasensitive, and no heating equipment required CRISPR/Cas13a based evanescent wave fluorescence biosensing platform for quantitative detection of the SARS-CoV-2 gene is reported.

Dual-Functional Benzotrithiophene-Based Covalent Organic Frameworks for Photocatalytic Detoxification of Mustard Gas Simulants and Antibacterial Defense.

The persistent threats posed by toxic chemical warfare agents (CWAs) such as mustard gas (bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, HD) and bacterial contaminants demand the development of innovative, sustainable mitigation strategies. Photocatalytic processes that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) offer a promising dual-functional approach for both chemical detoxification and antibacterial defense. In this study, two structurally analogous covalent organic frameworks (COFs), BPY-COF and BD-COF, are synthesized using benzotrithiophene as the donor unit paired with bipyridine and biphenyl, respectively.

Pt position determining efficiency and stability for photocatalytic toluene degradation over Pt decorated TiO.

Highly durable photocatalytic degradation of gas toluene pollutants is a great challenge due to the easy deactivation of photocatalysts. Herein, we synthesized the Pt embedded at interface of TiO nanocomposites (TiO/Pt/TiO) and Pt exposed on the surface of TiO nanocomposites (Pt/TiO/TiO) to investigate the effect of Pt position on the photocatalytic performance of toluene degradation. It was found that the Pt-exposed samples showed inactivation as the reaction progressed because carbonaceous intermediates such as phenol and benzoic acid were observed to be deposited on the exposed Pt to restrain the role of Pt in electron transfer for the production of reactive oxygen species.

Cooperation of Strong Electric Field and HO Dissociation on CoO-Decorated SiC Rods for Photodriven CO Methanation with 100% Selectivity.

Solar-driven methanation of carbon dioxide (CO) with water (HO) has emerged as an important strategy for achieving both carbon neutrality and fuel production. The selective methanation of CO was often hindered by the sluggish kinetics and the multiple competition of other C byproducts. To overcome this bottleneck, we utilized a biomass synthesis method to synthesize SiC rods and then constructed a direct Z-scheme heterojunction CoO/SiC catalyst.

Detection of SARS-CoV-2 S protein based on FRET between carbon quantum dots and gold nanoparticles.

The COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus brings nasty crisis for public health in the world. Until now, the virus has caused multiple infections in many people. Detecting antigen to SARS-CoV-2 is a powerful method for the diagnosis of COVID-19 and is helpful for controlling and stopping the pandemic.

Decontamination of 2-Chloroethyl ethyl sulfide on the surface by atmospheric pressure plasma jet.

Atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) were used to decontaminate the surface's 2-Chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES), a kind of sulfur mustard (HD) simulant. The power of the APPJ device didn't exceed 7.77 W.

Plasma-assisted in-situ preparation of graphene-Ag nanofiltration membranes for efficient removal of heavy metal ions.

Graphene-based membranes have been considered as promising separation membranes for water treatments due to their unique two-dimensional confined channels. However, subject to the preparation technology, the effective construction of graphene-based filtration membranes with suitable separation ability on heavy metal ions still face considerable challenges. Herein, we have successfully constructed a kind of graphene-based (reduced graphene oxide, rGO) nanofiltration membranes by adopting a plasma-assisted in-situ photocatalytic reduction method.

Degradation of aniline in water with gaseous streamer corona plasma.

This paper demonstrated the effects and influencing factors in degrading aniline by gaseous streamer corona plasma along water surface under different discharging gas atmospheres. For aniline with an initial concentration of 100 mg l, the degradation was fastest when the reactor was not ventilated, and the degradation rate is 98.5% under 7.

Simple, rapid, and sensitive on-site detection of Hg in water samples through combining portable evanescent wave optofluidic biosensor and fluorescence resonance energy transfer principle.

Rapid and sensitive detection of Hg in the environment and drinking water is vital because of its non-degradability, bioaccumulation, and high toxicity. Herein, we report a portable evanescent wave optofluidic biosensor (EWOB) for simple sensitive detection of Hg using fluorescence labeled poly-A DNA strand (CY-A14) and quencher labeled poly-T DNA strand (BQ-T14) as signal reporter and biorecognition element, respectively. Both CY-A14 and Hg can competitively bind with BQ-T14 based on DNA hybridization and the specifical binding of Hg and T bases of DNA to form T-Hg-T mismatch structure, respectively.

A turn-on fluorescent probe based on -(rhodamine-B)-thiolactam-2--butane with ionic liquids for selective and sensitive detection of mustard gas stimulant.

Sulfur mustard (SM) is recognized as one of the most lethal warfare agents. It has the potential to seriously affect public health and safety. To employ appropriate medical countermeasures and treat victims as quickly as possible, the development of a rapid and simple SM detection technique is crucial.

Graphene Oxide Incorporated Forward Osmosis Membranes With Enhanced Desalination Performance and Chlorine Resistance.

In this work, grapheme oxide (GO) nano-sheets were synthesized and dispersed in the aqueous phase for the interfacial polymerization (IP) process to develop a new type of thin-film composite (TFC) membranes for forward osmosis (FO) applications. The effects of the GO concentrations on the membrane surfaces and cross-sectional morphologies and FO desalination performances of the as-prepared TFC membranes were investigated systematically. Compared with the control membrane, the optimal GO-incorporated TFC membrane displayed higher water flux, less specific reverse solute flux (SRSF) and lower structure parameter.

Rapid activation of basic hydrogen peroxide by borate and efficient destruction of toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and chemical warfare agents (CWAs).

The activation process of the B(OH)-activated HO solution and its performance toward toxic industrial chemicals (TICs) and chemical warfare agents (CWAs) were investigated to find an efficient way to destroy TICs and CWAs. B NMR analysis proved that B(OH) reacted rapidly with basic HO to produce peroxoborates ([B(OH)(OOH)]), and the proportional contents were closely related to the pH and temperature. O and ·O were generated, and their production increased exponentially with pH.

Reusable split-aptamer-based biosensor for rapid detection of cocaine in serum by using an all-fiber evanescent wave optical biosensing platform.

A rapid, facile, and sensitive assay of cocaine in biological fluids is important to prevent illegal abuse of drugs. A two-step structure-switching aptasensor has been developed for cocaine detection based on evanescent wave optical biosensing platform. In the proposed biosensing platform, two tailored aptamer probes were used to construct the molecular structure switching.

Practical, highly sensitive, and regenerable evanescent-wave biosensor for detection of Hg(2+) and Pb(2+) in water.

A "turn-on" evanescent-wave fiber biosensor based on functional nucleic acids was developed for on-site detection of Hg(2+) and Pb(2+) in environmental water samples. A two-step strategy was conducted to take advantage of the rapid binding of T-T mismatches with Hg(2+) and the cleavage of a substrate by 8-17 DNAzyme with Pb(2+) in solution, as well as sensitive DNA detection on a liquid-solid interface based on evanescent wave. The biosensor demonstrated high sensitivity (with a detection limit of 22 pM for Hg(2+) and 20 nM for Pb(2+)) and selectivity without any signal amplification, rapid detection (within 13 min per test), low cost (10-20 Chinese yuan per sample), and multiple-cycle regeneration (at least 18 times).

[In vivo identification of the interaction between var intron and an ApiAP2 transcription factor in Plasmodium falciparum].

Objective: To investigate the potential interaction between the ApiAP2 protein family member, PF3D7_1107800, and var intron of Plasmodium falciparum in vivo.

Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from Plasmodium falciparum (3D7 strain), 5' end gene fragment of PF3D7_1107800 was amplified by PCR, and cloned into pGEX-4T-1 vector. The constructed pGEX-4T-1-PF3D7_1107800N was transformed into E.

Distinctive origin and spread route of pyrimethamine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum in southern China.

Southeast Asia (the Thailand-Cambodia border) has been considered the primal epicenter for most antimalarial drug resistance; however, numerous molecular epidemiological studies have successively reported multiple independent origins of sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) resistance-associated Plasmodium falciparum dhfr (pfdhfr) and pfdhps alleles in other areas. To better understand the origin and evolutionary pathway of the SP resistance in Southeast Asia, a total of 374 P. falciparum field isolates from the Yunnan-Burma border and Hainan Island in southern China have been collected for comprehensive investigations on the mutation patterns of the pfdhfr/pfdhps genes as well as their microsatellite haplotypes.

Photocatalytic decomposition of acephate in irradiated TiO2 suspensions.

In the present study, the photocatalytic degradation of acephate (O,S-dimethyl acetyl phosphoramidothioate ((CH(3)O)(CH(3)S)P(O)NHCOCH(3))) in aqueous TiO2 suspensions is extensively investigated, pertaining to the concentration of photocatalyst and substrate on degradation rate of acephate. It is found that the acephate can be degradated and mineralized. The high-degradation rate is obtained with 4 g/L concentration of TiO2.

[Photocatalytic removing of a mustard gas analogue 2-CEES vapor over SO4(2-)/TiO2].

Disinfection with photocatalysis, compared to with the conventional cleanout, is both high efficient and non contaminative, but the simple TiO2 photocatalyst is showing to be of low activity and low active stability so to be hardly practical application. In the paper, SO4(2-)/TiO2 were papered by surface modification of TiO2 with dilute H2SO4, and the photocatalytic degradation of 2-chloroethyl ethyl sulfide (2-CEES) on the samples was examined in a fixed-bed microreactor. The examination show that the acidic modification enhanced both the activity and the active stability of TiO2, and the sample ST200 prepared by calcination at 200 degrees C was better than ST400 by calcination at 400 degrees C.