Epitaxial Cubic Silicon Carbide Photocathodes for Visible-Light-Driven Water Splitting.

Cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) material feature a suitable bandgap and high resistance to photocorrosion. Thus, it has been emerged as a promising semiconductor for hydrogen evolution. Here, the relationship between the photoelectrochemical properties and the microstructures of different SiC materials is demonstrated.

Synergistic Effect of Segregated Pd and Au Nanoparticles on Semiconducting SiC for Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes.

Efficient catalytic hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines with molecular hydrogen at room temperature is still a challenge. In this study, this transformation was achieved by using a photocatalyst of SiC-supported segregated Pd and Au nanoparticles. Under visible-light irradiation, the nitrobenzene hydrogenation reached a turnover frequency as high as 1715 h at 25 °C and 0.

Visible-Light-Driven Selective Photocatalytic Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde over Au/SiC Catalysts.

Highly selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamyl alcohol with 2-propanol was achieved using SiC-supported Au nanoparticles as photocatalyst. The hydrogenation reached a turnover frequency as high as 487 h(-1) with 100% selectivity for the production of alcohol under visible light irradiation at 20 °C. This high performance is attributed to a synergistic effect of localized surface plasmon resonance of Au NPs and charge transfer across the SiC/Au interface.

Mesoporous NiCoO Nanoplates on Three-Dimensional Graphene Foam as an Efficient Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction.

Catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are highly important in fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Cheap ORR catalysts with ultrahigh electrochemical activity, selectivity, and stability are extremely desirable but still remain challenging. Herein, mesoporous NiCoO nanoplate (NP) arrays on three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam are shown to be a highly economical ORR catalyst.

INPP4B is upregulated and functions as an oncogenic driver through SGK3 in a subset of melanomas.

Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type II (INPP4B) negatively regulates PI3K/Akt signalling and has a tumour suppressive role in some types of cancers. However, we have found that it is upregulated in a subset of melanomas. Here we report that INPP4B can function as an oncogenic driver through activation of serum- and glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 3 (SGK3) in melanoma.

Visible-light-driven Photocatalytic N-arylation of Imidazole Derivatives and Arylboronic Acids on Cu/graphene catalyst.

N-aryl imidazoles play an important role as structural and functional units in many natural products and biologically active compounds. Herein, we report a photocatalytic route for the C-N cross-coupling reactions over a Cu/graphene catalyst, which can effectively catalyze N-arylation of imidazole and phenylboronic acid, and achieve a turnover frequency of 25.4 h(-1) at 25°C and the irradiation of visible light.

Low expression of microRNA-146b-5p and microRNA-320d predicts poor outcome of large B-cell lymphoma treated with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone.

Although diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) encompasses a biologically and clinically diverse set of diseases, increasing evidence has pointed to an important role of microRNAs (miRs) in the pathogenesis of DLBCL. We report here that low expression of miR-146b-5p and miR-320d is associated with poor prognosis of DLBCL patients treated with the standard cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone (CHOP) regimen and that this is related to the inhibitory effect of these miRs on DLBCL cell proliferation. Analysis of a retrospective cohort of 106 primary nodal DLBCL samples from patients who were treated with CHOP showed that, when the median survival period (40.

[Review of dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs)].

Dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) is an important and efficient tool for study on the terrestrial carbon circle processes and vegetation dynamics. This paper reviewed the development history of DGVMs, introduced the basic structure of DGVMs, and the outlines of several world-widely used DGVMs, including CLM-DGVM, LPJ, IBIS and SEIB. The shortages of the description of dynamic vegetation mechanisms in the current DGVMs were proposed, including plant functional types (PFT) scheme, vegetation competition, disturbance, and phenology.

Copper nanoparticles on graphene support: an efficient photocatalyst for coupling of nitroaromatics in visible light.

Copper is a low-cost plasmonic metal. Efficient photocatalysts of copper nanoparticles on graphene support are successfully developed for controllably catalyzing the coupling reactions of aromatic nitro compounds to the corresponding azoxy or azo compounds under visible-light irradiation. The coupling of nitrobenzene produces azoxybenzene with a yield of 90 % at 60 °C, but azobenzene with a yield of 96 % at 90 °C.

In situ grafted carbon on sawtooth-like SiC supported Ni for high-performance supercapacitor electrodes.

A novel C-Ni-SiC composite using sawtooth-like SiC as support and carbon as modified material was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and thermochemical pyrolysis. As a supercapacitor electrode, it exhibits very high specific capacitance (1780 F g(-1)) and excellent cycling performance (>96% for 2500 cycles).

Carbon coated Co-SiC nanocomposite with high-performance microwave absorption.

A carbon coated Co-SiC nanocomposite was fabricated via in situ pyrolysis of methane on a hierarchical Co3O4-SiC nanostructure, which was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis. By the reduction of methane, the Co3O4 was in situ converted to cobalt nanoparticles, and coated by carbon or filled in the CNTs. The as-prepared composite exhibits excellent microwave absorption performance in the frequency range of 2-18 GHz.

Cuprous oxide nanoparticles dispersed on reduced graphene oxide as an efficient electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

Cuprous oxide (Cu(2)O) nanoparticles dispersed on reduced graphene oxide (RGO) were prepared by reducing copper acetate supported on graphite oxide using diethylene glycol as both solvent and reducing agent. The Cu(2)O/RGO composite exhibits excellent catalytic activity and remarkable tolerance to methanol and CO in the oxygen reduction reaction.

Preparation of a carbon-based solid acid catalyst by sulfonating activated carbon in a chemical reduction process.

Sulfonated (SO(3)H-bearing) activated carbon (AC-SO(3)H) was synthesized by an aryl diazonium salt reduction process. The obtained material had a SO(3)H density of 0.64 mmol·g-1 and a specific surface area of 602 m2·g-1.

Avoiding Loss of Catalytic Activity of Pd Nanoparticles Partially Embedded in Nanoditches in SiC Nanowires.

Nanoditches from selective etching of periodically twinned SiC nanowires were employed to hinder the migration and coalescence of Pd nanoparticles supported on the nanowires, and thus to improve their catalytic stability for total combustion of methane. The results show that the etched Pd/SiC catalyst can keep the methane conversion of almost 100% while the unetched one has an obvious decline in the catalytic activity from 100 to 82% after ten repeated reaction cycles. The excellent catalytic stability originates from the limitation of the nanoditches to the migration and growth of Pd nanoparticles.

Periodically twinned SiC nanowires.

Twinning has been recognized to be an important microstructural defect in nanoscale materials. Periodically twinned SiC nanowires were largely synthesized by the carbothermal reduction of a carbonaceous silica xerogel prepared from tetraethoxysilane and biphenyl with iron nitrate as an additive. The twinned β-SiC nanowires, with a hexagonal cross section, a diameter of 50-300 nm and a length of tens to hundreds of micrometers, feature a zigzag arrangement of periodically twinned segments with a rather uniform thickness along the entire growth length.

[Effect of bitumen fume on neurotransmitter and ultrastructure in mice brain].

Objective: To observe the effects of bitumen fume on neurotransmitter and ultrastructure of mice brain and to investigate the toxicity of bitumen fume on nerve system of mice brain.

Methods: The experimental mice were forced to inhale the bitumen fume at different exposure level and in different time periods. The contents of the three transmitters dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in mice brain were measured by the fluorescence meanwhile ultrastructure of mice brain was observed by electronic microscope.

[Experimental study on lung injury and cell cycle changes in mice induced by bitumen fume].

Objective: To investigate the carcinogenic and mutagenic mechanism of bitumen fume.

Methods: The experimental mice were forced to inhale the bitumen fume at different exposure level (55 mg/m(3), 165 mg/m(3)) and in different time (30 days, 60 days). The pathological changes of the lung tissue in mice were observed with H.

Formation mechanism of Si3N4 nanowires via carbothermal reduction of carbonaceous silica xerogels.

Si3N4 nanowires prepared from the carbothermal reduction of carbonaceous silica xerogels with metal salt additives usually contain a small amount of nanotubes. This paper is devoted to the investigation of the formation mechanism of the Si3N4 nanowires. As-prepared samples heated at 1300 degrees C for different reaction times (1, 5, 10, and 30 h) were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy.