TiN/anatase/rutile phase junction obtained by in-situ thermal transformation for efficient photothermal-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen generation.

Phase junctions exhibit great potential in photocatalytic energy conversion, yet the narrow light response region and inefficient charge transfer limit their photocatalytic performance. Herein, an anatase/rutile phase junction modified by plasmonic TiN and oxygen vacancies (TiN/(A-R-TiO-Ov)) is prepared through an in-situ thermal transformation from TiN for efficient photothermal-assisted photocatalytic hydrogen production for the first time. The content of TiN, oxygen vacancies, and phase components in TiN/(A-R-TiO-Ov) hybrids can be well-adjusted by tuning the heating time.

Soil differentiation and soil comprehensive evaluation of in wild and cultivated Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrenk.

Few studies have focused on the growth, soil quality and sustainability of medicinal plants under different soil conditions. In this study, the spatial heterogeneity of soil physical and chemical properties, the diversity of rhizosphere soil microbial community structure, and the characteristics of growth of the wild and cultivated medicinal plant, Siberian fritillary (Fritillaria pallidiflora Schrek) were analyzed, and the soil quality and ecosystem sustainability were comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that there was significant spatial variability of soil nutrients in the different habitats.

An ensemble LSTM-based AQI forecasting model with decomposition-reconstruction technique via CEEMDAN and fuzzy entropy.

Air quality affects people's daily life. Air quality index (AQI) is an essential indicator for controlling air pollution and ensuring public health, whose accurate forecasting can provide timely air pollution warnings and remind people to take protective measures against air pollution in advance. To address this issue, this paper developed a new ensemble learning model for AQI forecasting.

Great gerbil burrowing-induced microbial diversity shapes the rhizosphere soil microenvironments of in temperate deserts.

In the Gurbantunggut Desert of northwest China, the main habitat of (great gerbil) is under the thickets of , the main construction species. In the long-term coexistence, continuous gerbil activities (burrowing, defecating, and gnawing) limited the growth of , affected the root microenvironment under the forest, and weakened the desert ecosystem. However, there is a lack of general understanding about the response of desert soil microhabitats to such gerbil disturbance.

Appeal: the protection of ancient tree species around the world, taking qilian juniper () as an example.

(the Qilian juniper) is a dominant species in the northeast region of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. As such, it is of great significance for maintaining the balance and long-term stability of the ecosystem in this biodiversity hotspot. In this paper, we review the literature related to published in the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science.

Toroidal dipole-modulated dipole-dipole double-resonance in colloidal gold rod-cup nanocrystals for improved SERS and second-harmonic generation.

Unlabelled: Colloidal metal nanocrystals (NCs) show great potential in plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy owing to their attractive and structure-depended plasmonic properties. Herein, unique Au rod-cup NCs, where Au nanocups are embedded on the one or two ends of Au nanorods (NRs), are successfully prepared for the first time via a controllable wet-chemistry strategy. The Au rod-cup NCs possess multiple plasmon modes including transverse and longitudinal electric dipole (TED and LED), magnetic dipole (MD), and toroidal dipole (TD) modulated LED resonances, producing large extinction cross-section and huge near-field enhancements for plasmon-enhanced spectroscopy.

Nutrient variation induced by rodent disturbance in as a target transfer strategy.

Nutrients form a link between herbivores and plant. This study explored the physiological and ecological response mechanism of population to rodent disturbance in Gurbantunggut Desert from the perspective of nutrient cycle. Through field investigation, we quantified rodent disturbance intensity (DI) to and analyzed the ecological response mechanism of population to rodent disturbance from the perspective of plant and soil nutrient cycling and changes.

Strong Visible Light Absorption and Abundant Hotspots in Au-Decorated WO Nanobricks for Efficient SERS and Photocatalysis.

Metal/semiconductor hybrids show potential application in fields of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) and photocatalysis due to their excellent light absorption, electric field, and charge-transfer properties. Herein, a WO-Au metal/semiconductor hybrid, which was a WO nanobrick decorated with Au nanoparticles, was prepared via a facile hydrothermal method. The WO-Au hybrids show excellent visible light absorption, strong plasmon coupling, high-performance SERS, and good photocatalytic activity.

Dual Plasmon Resonances and Tunable Electric Field in Structure-Adjustable Au Nanoflowers for Improved SERS and Photocatalysis.

Flower-like metallic nanocrystals have shown great potential in the fields of nanophononics and energy conversion owing to their unique optical properties and particular structures. Herein, colloid Au nanoflowers with different numbers of petals were prepared by a steerable template process. The structure-adjustable Au nanoflowers possessed double plasmon resonances, tunable electric fields, and greatly enhanced SERS and photocatalytic activity.

Plasmon-Mediated 2D/2D Phase Junction for Improved Photocatalytic Hydrogen Generation Activity.

A phase junction fabricated by two crystalline phases of the same semiconductor is a promising photocatalyst with efficient charge transfer and separation. However, the weak light absorption and uncontrolled phase junction interface limit the generation and separation of photogenerated carriers. Herein, a two-dimensional (2D)/2D phase junction was prepared by growing orthorhombic WO ultrathin nanosheets on hexagonal WO nanosheets through a one-step hydrothermal method.

Differences in the endophytic fungal community and effective ingredients in root of three species in Xinjiang, China.

Background: Endophytic fungi influence the quality and quantity of the medicinal plant's bioactive compounds through specific fungus-host interactions. Nevertheless, due to the paucity of information, the composition of endophytic fungal communities and the mechanism by which effective ingredients regulate endophytic fungal communities in roots remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, we collected root and soil samples (depth range: 0-20, 20-40, and 40-60 cm) of three species (, and ).

Succession of endophytic fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi associated with the growth of plant and their correlation with secondary metabolites in the roots of plants.

Background: To decipher the root and microbial interaction, secondary metabolite accumulation in roots and the microbial community's succession model during the plant's growth period demands an in-depth investigation. However, till now, no comprehensive study is available on the succession of endophytic fungi and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) with roots of medicinal licorice plants and the effects of endophytic fungi and AMF on the secondary metabolite accumulation in licorice plant's root.

Results: In the current study, interaction between root and microbes in 1-3 years old medicinal licorice plant's root and rhizospheric soil was investigated.

Future N deposition and precipitation changes will be beneficial for the growth of Haloxylon ammodendron in Gurbantunggut Desert, northwest China.

Evaluation of precipitation and nitrogen (N) deposition in desert ecosystems helps to elucidate the reaction of desert ecosystems to future environmental changes. An in-situ field experiment was established to examine the influence of a long-term enhanced precipitation and N deposition on the photosynthetic traits and physiological characteristics of Haloxylon ammodendron in the Gurbantunggut Desert, northwest China, throughout the growing season in 2014-2016. Results showed a significant interaction between precipitation and N applications.