B vitamins and bone health: a meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Our study showed that B vitamins did not have significant effect on fracture incidence, bone mineral density, and bone turnover markers. However, the research data of B vitamins on bone mineral density and bone turnover markers are limited, and more clinical trials are needed to draw sufficient conclusions. PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to identify the efficacy of B vitamin (VB) (folate, B6, and B12) supplements on fracture incidence, bone mineral density (BMD), and bone turnover markers (BTMs). METHODS: A comprehensive search was performed in PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane databases, and ClinicalTrials.gov up to September 4, 2023. The risk of bias was assessed according to Cochrane Handbook and the quality of evidence was assessed according to the GRADE system. We used trial sequential analysis (TSA) to assess risk of random errors and Stata 14 to conduct sensitivity and publication bias analyses. RESULTS: Data from 14 RCTs with 34,700 patients were extracted and analyzed. The results showed that VBs did not significantly reduce the fracture incidence (RR, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.95 - 1.18; p = 0.33; I2 = 40%) and did not affect BMD in lumbar spine and femur neck. VBs had no significant effect on bone specific alkaline phase (a biomarker for bone formation), but could increase the serum carboxy-terminal peptide (a biomarker for bone resorption) (p = 0.009; I2 = 0%). The TSA showed the results of VBs on BMD and BTMs may not be enough to draw sufficient conclusions due to the small number of sample data included and needed to be demonstrated in more clinical trials. The inability of VBs to reduce fracture incidence has been verified by TSA as sufficient. Sensitivity analysis and publication bias assessment proved that our meta-analysis results were stable and reliable, with no significant publication bias. CONCLUSIONS: Available evidence from RCTs does not support VBs can effectively influence osteoporotic fracture risk, BMD, and BTMs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration number: CRD42023427508.

Ultrastable Organic Anode Enabled by Electrochemically Active MXene Binder toward Advanced Potassium Ion Storage.

Conjugated carbonyl compounds are regarded as promising organic anode materials for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) due to their rich redox sites, excellent reversibility, and structural tunability, but their low electrical conductivity and severe solubility in organic electrolytes have substantially restricted their practical application. Herein, 2D MXene is utilized as an electrochemically active binder to fabricate perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) electrodes for high-performance PIBs. MXene, coupled with Super-P particles, served as a binder and conductive matrix to facilitate rapid ion and electron transport, restrain the solubility of PTCDA, promote potassium adsorption, and alleviate the volume expansion of PTCDA during potassiation. Consequently, the PTCDA electrode bonded by the MXene/Super-P system delivers excellent potassium storage performance in terms of a high capacity of 462 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1, superior rate capability of 116.3 mAh g-1 at 2000 mA g-1, and stable cycle performance over 3000 cycles with a low capacity decay rate of ∼0.0033% per cycle. When configured with the PTCDA@450 cathode, an all-PTCDA potassium ion full cell delivers a maximum energy density of 179.5 Wh kg-1, indicating the superiority of MXene as an electrochemically active binder to promote the practical application of organic anodes for PIBs.

Encapsulating Bi Nanoparticles in Reduced Graphene Oxide with Strong Interfacial Bonding toward Advanced Potassium Storage.

Bismuth (Bi) is regarded as a promising anode material for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) due to its high theoretical capacity, but the huge volume expansion during potassiation and intrinsic low conductivity cause poor cycle stability and rate capability. Herein, a unique Bi nanoparticles/reduced graphene oxide (rGO) composite is fabricated by anchoring the Bi nanoparticles over the rGO substrate through a ball-milling and thermal reduction process. As depicted by the in-depth XPS analysis, strong interfacial Bi-C bonding can be formed between Bi and rGO, which is beneficial for alleviating the huge volume expansion of Bi during potassiation, restraining the aggregation of Bi nanoparticles and promoting the interfacial charge transfer. Theoretical calculation reveals the positive effect of rGO to enhance the potassium adsorption capability and interfacial electron transfer as well as reduce the diffusion energy barrier in the Bi/rGO composite. Thereby, the Bi/rGO composite exhibits excellent potassium storage performances in terms of high capacity (384.8 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1 ), excellent cycling stability (197.7 mAh g-1 after 1000 cycles at 500 mA g-1 with no capacity decay) and superior rate capability (55.6 mAh g-1 at 2 A g-1 ), demonstrating its great potential as an anode material for PIBs.

Cd-Free Pure Sulfide Kesterite Cu2 ZnSnS4 Solar Cell with Over 800 mV Open-Circuit Voltage Enabled by Phase Evolution Intervention.

The Cd-free Cu2 ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cell is an ideal candidate for producing low-cost clean energy through green materials owing to its inherent environmental friendliness and earth abundance. Nevertheless, sulfide CZTS has long suffered from severe open-circuit voltage (VOC ) deficits, limiting the full exploitation of performance potential and further progress. Here, an effective strategy is proposed to alleviate the nonradiative VOC loss by manipulating the phase evolution during the critical kesterite phase formation stage. With a Ge cap layer on the precursor, premature CZTS grain formation is suppressed at low temperatures, leading to fewer nucleation centers at the initial crystallization stage. Consequently, the CZTS grain formation and crystallization are deferred to high temperatures, resulting in enhanced grain interior quality and less unfavorable grain boundaries in the final film. As a result, a champion efficiency of 10.7% for Cd-free CZTS solar cells with remarkably high VOC beyond 800 mV (63.2% Schockley-Queisser limit) is realized, indicating that nonradiative recombination is effectively inhibited. This strategy may advance other compound semiconductors seeking high-quality crystallization.

Materials Design and System Innovation for Direct and Indirect Seawater Electrolysis.

Green hydrogen production from renewably powered water electrolysis is considered as an ideal approach to decarbonizing the energy and industry sectors. Given the high-cost supply of ultra-high-purity water, as well as the mismatched distribution of water sources and renewable energies, combining seawater electrolysis with coastal solar/offshore wind power is attracting increasing interest for large-scale green hydrogen production. However, various impurities in seawater lead to corrosive and toxic halides, hydroxide precipitation, and physical blocking, which will significantly degrade catalysts, electrodes, and membranes, thus shortening the stable service life of electrolyzers. To accelerate the development of seawater electrolysis, it is crucial to widen the working potential gap between oxygen evolution and chlorine evolution reactions and develop flexible and highly efficient seawater purification technologies. In this review, we comprehensively discuss present challenges, research efforts, and design principles for direct/indirect seawater electrolysis from the aspects of materials engineering and system innovation. Further opportunities in developing efficient and stable catalysts, advanced membranes, and integrated electrolyzers are highlighted for green hydrogen production from both seawater and low-grade water sources.

Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) for Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction: Efficiency, Selectivity, and Stability.

Massive emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) have caused environmental issues like global warming, which needs to be addressed. Researchers have developed numerous methods to reduce CO2 emissions. Among these, photoelectrochemical (PEC) CO2 reduction is a promising method for mitigating CO2 emissions. Recently, Cu2ZnSnS4 (CZTS) has been recognized as good photocathode candidate in PEC systems for CO2 reduction due to its earth abundance and non-toxicity, as well as its favourable optical/electrical properties. The performance of PEC CO2 reduction can be evaluated based on its efficiency, selectivity, and stability, which are significantly influenced by the photocathode materials. As a result, researchers have applied various strategies to improve the performance of CZTS photocathodes, including band structure engineering and surface catalytic site engineering. This review provides an overview of advanced methods to enhance the PEC systems for CO2 reduction, focusing on CZTS.

Composition-driven morphological evolution of BaTiO3 nanowires for efficient piezocatalytic hydrogen production.

Hydrogen production from water by piezocatalysis is very attractive owing to its high energy efficiency and novelty. BaTiO3, a highly piezoelectric material, is particularly suitable for this application due to its high piezoelectric potential, non-toxic nature, and physicochemical stability. Owing to the critical role of morphology on properties, one-dimensional (1D) materials are expected to exhibit superior water-splitting performance and thus there is a need to optimise the processing conditions to develop outstanding piezocatalysts. In the present work, piezoelectric BaTiO3 nanowires (NWs) were hydrothermally synthesised with precursor Ba:Ti molar ratios of 1:1, 2:1, and 4:1. The morphology, defect chemistry, and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) efficiency of the as-synthesised BaTiO3 NWs were systematically investigated. The results showed that the morphological features, aspect ratio, structural stability and defect contents of the 1D morphologies collectively have a significant impact on the HER efficiency. The morphological evolution mechanism of the 1D structures were described in terms of ion exchange and dissolution-growth processes of template-grown BaTiO3 NWs for different Ba:Ti molar ratios. Notably, the BaTiO3 NWs synthesised with Ba:Ti molar ratio of 2:1 displayed high crystallinity, good defect concentrations, and good structural integrity under ultrasonication, resulting in an outstanding HER efficiency of 149.24 µmol h-1g-1 which is the highest obtained for nanowire morphologies. These results highlight the importance of synthesis conditions for BaTiO3 NWs for generating excellent piezocatalytic water splitting performance. Additionally, post-ultrasonication tested BaTiO3 NWs demonstrated unexpected photocatalytic activity, with the BTO-1 sample (1:1 Ba:Ti) exhibiting 56% photodegradation of RhB in 2 h of UV irradiation.

Real world practice of postoperative radiotherapy for patients with completely resected pIIIA-N2 non-small cell lung cancer: a national survey of radiation oncologists in China.

BACKGROUND: Results from Lung ART and PORT-C trials suggest that postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) cannot routinely be recommended as standard treatment in completely resected pIIIA-N2 NSCLC patients, but their effects on the real-world practice of PORT in China remain unclear. METHODS: A national cross-section survey was conducted by using an online survey service. Participants were voluntarily recruited using a river sampling strategy. A link to the survey was posted on websites of radiation oncologist associations and tweets from public WeChat accounts. The survey collected the real names of participants to ensure that they were board-certified radiation oncologists. RESULTS: A total of 484 radiation oncologists were included with a median age of 40 years (IQR, 35-47). A total of 377 (77.9%) participants were male, and 282 (58.1%) had more than 10 years of clinical experience practicing thoracic radiotherapy. Before Lung ART and PORT-C trials were published, 313 (64.7%) respondents recommended PORT, 11 (2.3%) did not recommend it, and 160 (33.1%) reported that they made decisions based on risk factors. After the presentation of two trials, only 42 (8.7%) did not recommend PORT, while 108 (22.3%) recommended it, and 334 (69.0%) made decisions based on risk factors. The five most commonly considered risk factors among these 334 respondents were as follows: nodal extracapsular extension, the highest lymph node (LN) station involved, the number of dissected mediastinal LN stations, the number of positive mediastinal LN stations, and surgical approaches. In addition, the majority of all 484 respondents recommended a total dose of 50 Gy, lung stump + ipsilateral hilus + regions containing positive LNs as the targeted region, lung V20 < 25%, and heart V30 < 40% as dose constraints for PORT. CONCLUSION: Most Chinese radiation oncologists recommended PORT for completely resected IIIA-N2 NSCLC patients based on risk factors, especially status of LN station.

TIGIT blockade enhances tumor response to radiotherapy via a CD103 + dendritic cell-dependent mechanism.

Blockade of the T cell immunoreceptor with the immunoglobulin and immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif domain (TIGIT) can enhance innate and adaptive tumor immunity and radiotherapy (RT) can enhance anti-tumor immunity. However, our data suggest that TIGIT-mediated immune suppression may be an impediment to such goals. Herein, we report on the synergistic effects of RT combined with anti-TIGIT therapy and the mechanism of their interaction. Treatment efficacy was assessed by measuring primary and secondary tumor growth, survival, and immune memory capacity. The function of CD103 + dendritic cells (DCs) under the combined treatment was assessed in wild-type and BATF3-deficient (BATF3-/-) mice. FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt3L) was used to confirm the role of CD103 + DCs in RT combined with anti-TIGIT therapy. TIGIT was upregulated in immune cells following RT in both esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients and mouse models. Administration of the anti-TIGIT antibody enhanced the efficacy of RT through a CD8 + T cell-dependent mechanism. It was observed that RT and the anti-TIGIT antibody synergistically enhanced the accumulation of tumor-infiltrating DCs, which activated CD8 + T cells. The efficacy of the combination therapy was negated in the BATF3-/- mouse model. CD103 + DCs were required to promote the anti-tumor effects of combination therapy. Additionally, Flt3L therapy enhanced tumor response to RT combined with TIGIT blockade. Our study demonstrated TIGIT blockade can synergistically enhance anti-tumor T cell responses to RT via CD8 + T cells (dependent on CD103 + DCs), suggesting the clinical potential of targeting the TIGIT pathway and expanding CD103 + DCs in RT.

A metal-organic framework derived approach to fabricate in-situ carbon encapsulated Bi/Bi2O3 heterostructures as high-performance anodes for potassium ion batteries.

Bismuth-based materials are regarded as promising anode materials for potassium ion batteries (PIBs) due to their high theoretical capacity and low working potential. However, the large volume expansion and sluggish kinetics during cycling are major limitations to their practical application. Herein, a unique Bi/Bi2O3-C heterostructure was designed through a simple Bi-metal-organic framework (MOF) modulation-pyrolysis process. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction revealed that the Bi and Bi2O3 can form hetero-particles, which were uniformly embedded in a plate-like carbon skeleton, constructing a Bi/Bi2O3-C heterostructure. The carbon skeleton and the formation of numerous hetero-interfaces between Bi, Bi2O3, and carbon can effectively promote the interfacial charge transfer, shorten the K+ diffusion pathway, and alleviate the volume expansion of Bi/Bi2O3 during potassiation. Consequently, the Bi/Bi2O3-C heterostructure exhibited a high reversible capacity of 426.0 mAh g-1 at 50 mA g-1, excellent cycle performance of 251.8 mAh g-1 after 350 cycles with a capacity retention of 76.6 %, and superior rate capability of 82.7 mAh g-1 at 1 A g-1, demonstrating its promising potential for the application of PIBs anode.

Transmission Pattern of Measles Virus Circulating in China During 1993-2021: Genotyping Evidence Supports That China Is Approaching Measles Elimination.

BACKGROUND: To provide useful insights into measles elimination progress in China, measles surveillance data were reviewed, and the transmission patterns of measles viruses circulating in China during 1993-2021 were analyzed. METHODS: Measles incidence data from the National Notifiable Disease Reporting System of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention were analyzed. A total of 17 570 strains were obtained from 30 of 31 provinces in mainland China during 1993-2021. The recommended genotyping window was amplified. Genotyping analysis was conducted for comparison with the reference strains. Phylogenetic analyses were performed to identify genetic relationships among different lineages within the genotypes. RESULTS: With high coverage of routine immunization and intensive supplementary immunization activities, measles incidence has shown a downward trend since 1993, despite 2 resurgences, reaching a historic low level in 2020-2021 (average 0.5 per million). During 1993-2021, 9 genotypes including domestic genotype H1; imported genotypes B3, D4, D8, D9, D11, G3, and H2; and vaccine-associated genotype A were identified. Among them, the genotype H1 strain circulated endemically in China for more than 25 years; the last strain was detected in Yunnan Province in September 2019. Multiple imported genotypes have been identified since 2009 showing different transmission patterns. Since April 2020, no imported strains have been detected, while vaccine-associated genotype A continues to be detected. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence of low incidence during 2020-2021 and virological surveillance data in this study confirm that China is currently approaching measles elimination.

Importation and circulation of rubella virus lineages 1E-L2 and 2B-L2c between 2018 and 2021 in China: Virus evolution and spatial-temporal transmission characteristics.

To better understand the importation and circulation patterns of rubella virus lineages 1E-L2 and 2B-L2c circulating in China since 2018, 3,312 viral strains collected from 27 out of 31 provinces in China between 2018 and 2021 were sequenced and analyzed with the representative international strains of lineages 1E-L2 and 2B-L2c based on genotyping region. Time-scale phylogenetic analysis revealed that the global lineages 1E-L2 and 2B-L2c presented distinct evolutionary patterns. Lineage 1E-L2 circulated in relatively limited geographical areas (mainly Asia) and showed geographical and temporal clustering, while lineage 2B-L2c strains circulated widely throughout the world and exhibited a complicated topology with several independently evolved branches. Furthermore, both lineages showed extensive international transmission activities, and phylogeographic inference provided evidence that lineage 1E-L2 strains circulating in China possibly originated from Japan, while the source of lineage 2B-L2c isolated since 2018 is still unclear. After importation into China in 2018, the spread of lineage 1E-L2 presented a three-stage transmission pattern from southern to northern China, whereas lineage 2B-L2c spread from a single point in western China to all the other four regions. These two transmission patterns allowed both imported lineages to spread rapidly across China during the 2018-9 rubella epidemic and eventually established endemic circulations. This study provides critical scientific data for rubella control and elimination in China and worldwide.

10.3% Efficient Green Cd-Free Cu2 ZnSnS4 Solar Cells Enabled by Liquid-Phase Promoted Grain Growth.

Small grain size and near-horizontal grain boundaries are known to be detrimental to the carrier collection efficiency and device performance of pure-sulfide Cu2 ZnSnS4 (CZTS) solar cells. However, forming large grains spanning the absorber layer while maintaining high electronic quality is challenging particularly for pure sulfide CZTS. Herein, a liquid-phase-assisted grain growth (LGG) model that enables the formation of large grains spanning across the CZTS absorber without compromising the electronic quality is demonstrated. By introducing a Ge-alloyed CZTS nanoparticle layer at the bottom of the sputtered precursor, a Cu-rich and Sn-rich liquid phase forms at the high temperature sulfurization stage, which can effectively remove the detrimental near-horizontal grain boundaries and promote grain growth, thus greatly improving the carrier collection efficiency and reducing nonradiative recombination. The remaining liquid phase layer at the rear interface shows a high work function, acting as an effective hole transport layer. The modified morphology greatly increases the short-circuit current density and fill factor, enabling 10.3% efficient green Cd-free CZTS devices. This work unlocks a grain growth mechanism, advancing the morphology control of sulfide-based kesterite solar cells.

Efficacy and safety of immune checkpoint inhibitors plus anlotinib in small cell lung cancer with brain metastases: a retrospective, multicentre study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies showed that both immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) and anlotinib have central nervous system (CNS) efficacy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ICIs combined with anlotinib in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients with brain metastases (BMs). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed SCLC patients with CNS metastases confirmed by brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors version 1.1 (RECIST 1.1) and Response assessment in neuro-oncology brain metastases (RANO-BM) were used to evaluate treatment response to ICIs plus anlotinib. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis were performed to determine patient's prognosis. RESULTS: Sixty-six patients with baseline BMs were included. For patients with measurable intracranial lesions, the intracranial objective response rate (ORR) was 29.2% based on RECIST 1.1 criteria and was 27.1% based on RANO-BM criteria. The median intracranial progression-free survival (PFS) was 9.0 months (95% confidence interval [CI], 6.5-11.5 months). The median overall survival (OS) was 13.4 months (95% CI, 10.7-20.5 months). Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that high disease burden (hazard ratio [HR] = 4.83, P < 0.001), multiple BMs (HR = 2.71, P = 0.036), and more than or equal to 3 prior lines of therapy (HR = 2.56, P = 0.023) were independent negative predictors of OS. The overall incidence of treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) was 75.8%, and grade 3-4 TRAEs were reported in 19.7% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that ICIs plus anlotinib had potent CNS efficacy with tolerable toxicity and could be a promising treatment option for SCLC patients with BMs.

Efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in EGFR mutation-positive patients with NSCLC and brain metastases who have failed EGFR-TKI therapy.

Background: Few treatment options are available for brain metastases (BMs) in EGFR-mutant non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) that progress with prior EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (EGFR-TKI) therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in these patients. Methods: NSCLC patients with confirmed sensitive EGFR mutations and BMs were retrospectively reviewed. All patients experienced failure of EGFR-TKI therapy and were divided into two cohorts based on subsequent treatment. Cohort 1 included patients who received ICI therapy, while cohort 2 included patients treated with chemotherapy. Overall and intracranial objective response rates (ORRs) were used to evaluate the treatment response. Overall and intacranial progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated by Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared with the log-rank test. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses were used to identify prognostic factors. Results: A total of 53 patients treated with ICI therapy and 40 patients treated with chemotherapy were included in cohorts 1 and 2, respectively. In cohort 1, the overall ORR was 20.8%, with a median overall PFS of 4.2 months. The median intracranial PFS was 5.1 months. Of the 38 patients with measurable intracranial lesions, the intracranial ORR was 21.0%. Patients who received ICI combined with chemotherapy had the highest intracranial ORR of 37.5%. Compared to patients treated with chemotherapy in cohort 2, patients receiving ICI combined with chemotherapy had both longer intracranial PFS (6.4 vs. 5.1 months, p = 0.110) and overall PFS (6.2 vs. 4.6 months, p = 0.054), and these differences approached statistical significance. Univariate and multivariate Cox analyses demonstrated that high disease burden (p = 0.019), prior third-generation EGFR-TKI therapy (p = 0.019), and a poor lung immune prognostic index (LIPI) (p = 0.012) were independent negative predicators of overall PFS and that multiple BMs were negatively correlated with intracranial PFS among patients treated with ICI therapy. Conclusions: Our results suggested that ICI combined with chemotherapy had potent intracranial efficacy and may be a promising treatment candidate in EGFR-mutant NSCLC patients with BMs for whom prior EGFR-TKI therapy failed.

Epidemiological investigation and prevention and control strategies of rubella in Anhui province, China, from 2012 to 2021.

Background: Rubella is a highly contagious viral infection with mild manifestations that occurs most often in children and young adults. Infection during pregnancy, especially during the first trimester, can result in an infant born with congenital rubella syndrome (CRS). The purpose of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of rubella epidemics in Anhui province from 2012 to 2021 and explore the prevention and control strategies of rubella. Methods: A descriptive epidemiological approach was used to examine the epidemiological characteristics of rubella in Anhui Province between 2012 and 2021. Results: From 2012 to 2021, a total of 4,987 cases of rubella were reported in Anhui province, with an average annual incidence of 8.11 per million, demonstrating an overall downward trend (χ2 trend =3141.06, P < 0.01). The average yearly incidence of rubella in southern Anhui, central Anhui, and northern Anhui were 9.99 per million, 11.47 per million, and 4.50 per million, respectively, with statistically significant differences (χ2 =792.50, P < 0.01). The male to female incidence ratio was 1.67:1, and the male incidence rate was higher than the female incidence rate. Most cases occurred among students, accounting for 56.59% of all cases, and the 10-34 age group accounted for ~73.71% of all cases. Regarding immunization history, 3.57% of cases had two doses or more, 6.62% had one dose, 16.40% had none, and the remainder were uncertain. Conclusion: The incidence of rubella in Anhui province from 2012 to 2021 continued to decline, with regional variations observed. The 10-34-year-old population without a history of rubella vaccination is at high risk for the disease. It is suggested to carry out rubella vaccination and congenital rubella syndrome monitoring according to the actual situation.

Photo-electrochemical oxidation herbicides removal in stormwater: Degradation mechanism and pathway investigation.

Although advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) such as photoelectrochemical oxidation (PECO), electrochemical oxidation (ECO) and photocatalytic oxidation (PCO), have shown potential for wastewater treatment, their application in urban stormwater has rarely been studied. This paper explored their major degradation mechanisms and possible degradation pathways of herbicides for stormwater applications (with treatment difficulty compared with wastewater). PECO and ECO showed excellent removal performance for diuron (100 %) and moderate for atrazine (around 35 %) under a relatively low potential (2 V). Superoxide radical (·O2-) has been found to be the dominant reactive species. Besides, there is evidence to indicate that hydroxyl radical (·OH) and free chlorine (·Cl) also support the degradation reactions. Up to 11 possible intermediate products have been identified during both diuron and atrazine degradation processes under PECO operation. Based on the proposed possible degradation pathways, the intermediates presented during PECO are species with further oxidation. As evidenced by the undetected species of more oxidized intermediates for ECO and PCO, some further degradation steps are missing, which demonstrate their lower oxidation capacity leading to incomplete decomposition of stormwater herbicides. Thus, PECO has a great potential to be developed into a passive stormwater degradation system due to its strong oxidation potential.

Engineering a Kesterite-Based Photocathode for Photoelectrochemical Ammonia Synthesis from NOx Reduction.

Ammonia is a key chemical feedstock for industry as well as future carbon-free fuel and transportable vector for renewable energy. Photoelectrochemical (PEC) ammonia synthesis from NOx reduction reaction (NOx RR) provides not only a promising alternative to the energy-intensive Haber-Bosch process through direct solar-to-ammonia conversion, but a sustainable solution for balancing the global nitrogen cycle by restoring ammonia from wastewater. In this work, selective ammonia synthesis from PEC NOx RR by a kesterite (Cu2 ZnSnS4 [CZTS]) photocathode through loading defect-engineered TiOx cocatalyst on a CdS/CZTS photocathode (TiOx /CdS/CZTS) is demonstrated. The uniquely designed photocathode enables selective ammonia production from NOx RR, yielding up to 89.1% Faradaic efficiency (FE) (0.1 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE)) with a remarkable positive onset potential (0.38 V vs RHE). By tailoring the amount of surface defective Ti3+ species, the adsorption of reactant NO3 - and * NO2  intermediate is significantly promoted while the full coverage of TiOx also suppresses NO2 - liberation as a by-product, contributing to high ammonia selectivity. Further attempts on PEC ammonia synthesis from simulated wastewater show good FE of 64.9%, unveiling the potential of using the kesterite-based photocathode for sustainably restoring ammonia from nitrate-rich wastewater.

Effects of the IQ1 motif of Drosophila myosin-5 on the calcium interaction of calmodulin.

In Drosophila compound eyes, myosin-5 (DmMyo5) plays a key role in organelle transportation, including transporting pigment granules from the distal end to the proximal end of the photoreceptor cells to regulate the amount of light reaching the photosensitive membrane organelle rhabdomere. It is generally accepted that, upon exposure to light, the dark-adapted compound eyes produce a rapid rise of free Ca2+ concentration, which in turn activates DmMyo5 to transport pigment granules. Considering the dynamic and compartmentation of Ca2+ signaling in photoreceptor cells during light exposure, it is necessary to understand the kinetics of Ca2+ interaction with DmMyo5. Here, we investigated the interaction of Ca2+ with Drosophila calmodulin (CaM) in complex with the IQ1 of DmMyo5 using steady-state and kinetic approaches. Our results show that IQ1 binding substantially increases the Ca2+ affinity of CaM and decreases the dissociation rate of Ca2+ from CaM. In addition, we found that Mlc-C, the light chain associated with the IQ2 of DmMyo5, has little effect on the Ca2+ kinetics of CaM in IQ1. We propose that, by decreasing the Ca2+ dissociation rate from CaM, IQ1 delays the deactivation of DmMyo5 after Ca2+ transition, thereby prolonging the DmMyo5-driven transportation of pigment granules.