Surface Reconstruction of Single-Twinned AgPdIr Nanoalloy during the Formate Oxidation and Dehydrogenation Reactions.

Formate has emerged as a promising energy carrier to generate electrons via formate oxidation reaction (FOR) and hydrogen via formate dehydrogenation reaction (FDR), and it is desirable but difficult to design a novel bifunctional (electro)catalyst to improve reaction kinetics. Herein, we construct the single-twinned AgPdIr (t-AgPdIr) nanoalloy to improve the catalytic activity and stability for the formate oxidation and dehydrogenation processes. The t-AgPdIr nanoalloy, characterized by a distinctive twinned structure with strains and a downshift of the d-band center, demonstrates an improved peak current density of 4.

Female-Biased Odorant Receptor MmedOR48 in the Parasitoid Broadly Tunes to Plant Volatiles.

Odorant receptors (ORs) play a crucial role in insect chemoreception. Here, a female-biased odorant receptor MmedOR48 in parasitoid was fully functionally characterized. The qPCR analysis suggested that the expression level of 48 increased significantly after adult emergence and was expressed much more in the antennae.

Volatiles of different resistant cotton varieties mediate the host preference of Mirid bug .

Cotton, a crucial economic crop, is also the preferred host plant of the mirid bug . In our previous field experiments, we found that cotton cultivars Kelin 08-15 and BR-S-10 (healthy and herbivore-damaged plants) exhibit distinct attraction and repellence to , respectively. However, the key plant volatiles determining attraction or repulsion effects remain unknown.

Revealing the reconstruction mechanism of AgPd nanoalloys under fluorination based on a multiscale deep learning potential.

The design of heterogeneous catalysts generally involves optimizing the reactivity descriptor of adsorption energy, which is inevitably governed by the structure of surface-active sites. A prerequisite for understanding the structure-properties relationship is the precise identification of real surface-active site structures, rather than relying on conceived structures derived from bulk alloy properties. However, it remains a formidable challenge due to the dynamic nature of nanoalloys during catalytic reactions and the lack of accurate and efficient interatomic potentials for simulations.

Knockout of the delta11-desaturase SfruDES1 disrupts sex pheromone biosynthesis, mating and oviposition in the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda.

Moth insects rely on sex pheromones for long distance attraction and searching for sex partners. The biosynthesis of moth sex pheromones involves the catalytic action of multiple enzymes, with desaturases playing a crucial role in the process of carbon chain desaturation. However, the specific desaturases involved in sex pheromone biosynthesis in fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, have not been clarified.

n-octyl acrylate is a candidate sex pheromone component involved in courtship in parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator.

Sex pheromones are considered to play critical roles in partner communication of most parasitic Hymenoptera. However, the identification of sex pheromone components remains limited to a few families of parasitoid wasps. In this study, we functionally characterized a candidate sex pheromone component in Microplitis mediator (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a solitary parasitoid of Noctuidae insects.

Loss of Binding Capabilities in an Ecologically Important Odorant Receptor of the Fall Armyworm, , by a Single Point Mutation.

Olfaction plays a crucial role in locating food sources, mates, and spawning sites in the fall armyworm (FAW), (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). In the current study, SfruOR14, a highly conserved odorant receptor (OR) in lepidopteran species, was newly uncovered in . In two-electrode voltage clamp recordings, the SfruOR14/Orco complex was narrowly tuned to six volatile compounds including phenylacetaldehyde (PAA), benzaldehyde, heptaldehyde, ()-2-hexen-1-al, cinnamaldehyde, and 2-phenylethanol, among which PAA showed the strongest binding affinity.

Structural transformations in single-crystalline AgPd nanoalloys from multiscale deep potential molecular dynamics.

AgPd nanoalloys often undergo structural evolution during catalytic reactions; the mechanism underlying such restructuring remains largely unknown due to the use of oversimplified interatomic potentials in simulations. Herein, a deep-learning potential is developed for AgPd nanoalloys based on a multiscale dataset spanning from nanoclusters to bulk configurations, exhibits precise predictions of mechanical properties and formation energies with near-density functional theory accuracy, calculates the surface energies closer to experimental values compared to those obtained by Gupta potentials, and is applied to investigate the shape reconstruction of single-crystalline AgPd nanoalloys from cuboctahedron (Oh) to icosahedron (Ih) geometries. The Oh to Ih shape restructuring is thermodynamically favorable and occurs at 11 and 92 ps for Pd55@Ag254 and Ag147@Pd162 nanoalloys, respectively.

Long-term influence of chloroxylenol on anaerobic microbial community: Performance, microbial interaction, and antibiotic resistance gene behaviors.

The use of antibacterial and disinfection products is increasing in recent years. Para-chloro-meta-xylenol (PCMX), a widely used antimicrobial agent, has been detected in various environments. Herein, the impacts of PCMX with long-term exposure on anaerobic sequencing batch reactors were investigated.

Atomic strain and catalytic properties of formate oxidation and dehydrogenation in AgPd nanoalloys.

Formate is a promising hydrogen carrier for safe storage and transport and a fuel for direct formate fuel cells. However, the sluggish kinetics of catalysts for formate dehydrogenation (FDH) and oxidation reactions (FORs) significantly limit the potential applications of formate. Strain effects can effectively modulate catalytic properties by altering the electronic structure.

Development and Assessment of Acyclovir Gel Plaster Containing Sponge Spicules.

Acyclovir is an acyclic purine nucleoside analog that is highly effective in inhibiting the herpes simplex virus. However, topical acyclovir has poor efficacy because of its low skin permeability. This study aimed to develop an acyclovir gel plaster containing sponge spicules (AGP-SS) to achieve synergistic improvements in skin absorption and deposition of acyclovir.

In situ formation of injectable organogels for punctal occlusion and sustained release of therapeutics: design, preparation, in vitro and in vivo evaluation.

The treatment of dry eye mainly includes instillation of cyclosporine A (CsA) nanoemulsion or the use of punctal plugs. Therefore, in this study, a novel injectable in situ organogel plug was developed using CsA as a model drug, stearic acid, injectable soybean oil, and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) (1.25:10:0.

Nickel -supported PdM (M = Au and Ag) nanodendrites as formate oxidation (electro)catalytic anodes for direct fuel cells and hydrogen generation at room temperature.

The study provides a proof of concept for the first time that unique palladium-gold (PdAu) and palladium-silver (PdAg) nanodendrites are bifunctional catalytic active sites for formate oxidation reactions (FORs) and formate dehydrogenation reactions (FDRs). The unique nanodendritic structure was developed a simple galvanic displacement reaction for the direct growth of PdAu and PdAg nanodendrites on a nickel foam (PdAu/NiNF and PdAg/NiNF). These PdAu/NiNF and PdAg/NiNF electrodes exhibited 2.

A female-biased odorant receptor tuned to the lepidopteran sex pheromone in parasitoid Microplitis mediator guiding habitat of host insects.

Introduction: The parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator is an important natural enemy of the turnip moth Agrotis segetum and other Noctuidae pests. In our field observation, it was fortuitously discovered that sex pheromone traps used for A. segetum also attract female wasps, verified by a simulated field condition dual-choice laboratory assay.

Ciclopirox drives growth arrest and autophagic cell death through STAT3 in gastric cancer cells.

Ciclopirox (CPX), an antifungal drug, has recently been identified as a promising agent for cancer treatment. However, the effects and underlying mechanism of CPX as an antitumor agent of gastric cancer (GC) remain largely unknown. Here, we found that CPX dramatically suppresses GC xenograft growth in vitro via inhibiting proliferation and stimulating autophagic cell death rather than apoptosis.

Plant volatile ligands for male-biased MmedOBP14 stimulate orientation behavior of the parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator.

As an important class of chemosensory-associated proteins, odorant binding proteins (OBPs) play a key role in the perception of olfactory signals for insects. Parasitoid wasp Microplitis mediator relies on its sensitive olfactory system to locate host larvae of Noctuidae and Geometridae. In the present study, MmedOBP14, a male-biased OBP in M.

The microRNAs in the antennae of Apolygus lucorum (Hemiptera: Miridae): Expression properties and targets prediction.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression and contribute to numerous physiological processes. However, little is known about the functions of miRNAs in insect chemosensation. In this study, nine small RNA libraries were constructed and sequenced from the antennae of nymphs, adult males, and adult females of Apolygus lucorum.

Expressional and functional comparisons of five clustered odorant binding proteins in the brown marmorated stink bug Halyomorpha halys.

Odorant-binding proteins (OBPs) play essential roles in the functioning of insect peripheral olfactory systems. To fully understand the olfactory roles of OBPs in Halyomorpha halys, an important invasive pest found worldwide, we studied the expression and functional characterization of five OBP-associated genes from H. halys that are clustered in the genome.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Quantitative Real-Time PCR Normalization in (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Under Different Conditions.

Reference genes are the key to study gene expression patterns using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). No studies on the reference genes of , an important agricultural pest, have been reported. In order to determine the reference genes for qRT-PCR normalization in under different conditions, 10 candidate genes [18S ribosomal protein (), 28S ribosomal protein (), arginine kinase (), elongation factor 1 alpha (), glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (), ribosomal protein L32 (), ribosomal protein L40 (), alpha-tubulin (), beta-actin (), and beta-tubulin ()] of were selected to evaluate their stability as reference genes under different biotic and abiotic conditions by using five tools, geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, ΔCt, and RefFinder.

High-Performance Hydrogel Adsorbent Based on Cellulose, Hemicellulose, and Lignin for Copper(II) Ion Removal.

Cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are three kinds of biopolymer in lignocellulosic biomass, and the utilization of the three biopolymers to synthesize hydrogel adsorbent could protect the environment and enhance the economic value of the biomass. A novel hydrogel adsorbent was prepared using cellulose, lignin, and hemicellulose of wheat straw by a one-pot method, and the adsorbent showed excellent adsorption performance for copper(II) ions. Scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis showed that the prepared straw-biopolymer-based hydrogel had porous structure, and cellulose fibrils had crosslinked with lignin and hemicellulose by poly(acrylic acid) chains.

Expression Profiles and Functional Characterization of Chemosensory Protein 15 (HhalCSP15) in the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug .

Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) have been identified in the sensory tissues of various insect species and are believed to be involved in chemical communication in insects. However, the physiological roles of CSPs in , a highly invasive insect species, are rarely reported. Here, we focused on one of the antennal CSPs () and determined whether it was involved in olfactory perception.

Functional Characterization of a Candidate Sex Pheromone Receptor AlinOR33 Involved in the Chemoreception of .

Sex pheromones are deemed to play a significant role in sexual communication of most insects. Although many sex pheromone components in mirid bugs have been identified, the roles of odorant receptors in sex pheromone perception in (Hemiptera: Miridae) remain unknown so far. Here, AlinOR33, a candidate sex pheromone receptor in was functionally characterized.

Fenton-like reaction driving the degradation and uptake of multi-walled carbon nanotubes mediated by bacterium.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been widely studied because of their potential applications. The increasing applications of CNTs and less known of their environmental fates rise concerns about their safety. In this study, the biotransformation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) by Labrys sp.

Prior Experience with Food Reward Influences the Behavioral Responses of the Honeybee and the Bumblebee to Tomato Floral Scent.

Bee responses to floral scent are usually influenced by both innate biases and prior experience. Honeybees are less attracted than bumblebees to tomato flowers. However, little is known about how tomato floral scent regulates the foraging behaviors of honeybees and bumblebees.

Broadly Tuned Odorant Receptor AlinOR59 Involved in Chemoreception of Floral Scent in .

Plant volatiles such as floral scent compounds play a crucial role in mediating insect host locating, mate search, and oviposition sites selection. The alfalfa plant bug, (Goeze), is a seriously polyphagous herbivore of alfalfa and cotton that has an obvious preference for flowering host plants. In this study, we focused on the role of an odorant receptor AlinOR59 in the perception of plant volatiles in .