Online Self-Disclosure and Self-Concept Clarity Among Chinese Middle School Students: A Longitudinal Study.

The relationship between online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity has been previously examined through cross-sectional studies. This study examined causal connections between online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity among Chinese middle school students using longitudinal data collected over 18 months. Participants were 535 seventh-grade students aged 12-14 years (Mage = 12.93, SD = 0.54, 43.18% girls), assessed four times, six months apart. In a random intercept cross-lagged panel model, self-concept clarity significantly predicted online self-disclosure. Latent growth mixture modeling identified two distinct growth trajectories for both online self-disclosure (Rapid change, 7%; Slow change, 93%) and self-concept clarity (Rapid change, 8%; No change, 92%). Multiple logistic regression analysis suggested that changes in self-concept clarity influenced the developmental trajectory profile of online self-disclosure. Although male and female students differed in online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity, gender differences in the developmental trajectory profiles of online self-disclosure and self-concept clarity were not significant. Supporting adolescents in developing a clear self-concept to mitigate risks associated with excessive online self-disclosure is important.

Pt single atoms meet metal-organic frameworks to enhance electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity.

The electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) effectively produces clean, renewable, and sustainable hydrogen; however, the development of efficient electrocatalysts is required to reduce the high energy barrier of the HER. Herein, we report two excellent single-atom (SA)/metal-organic framework (MOF) composite electrocatalysts (PtSA-MIL100(Fe) and PtSA-MIL101(Cr)) for HER. The obtained PtSA-MIL100(Fe) and PtSA-MIL101(Cr) electrocatalysts exhibit overpotentials of 60 and 61 mV at 10 mA cm-2, respectively, which are close to that of commercial Pt/C (38 mV); they exhibit overpotentials of 310 and 288 mV at 200 mA cm-2, respectively, which are comparable to that of commercial Pt/C (270 mV). Theoretical simulations reveal that Pt SAs modulate the electronic structures of the MOFs, leading to the optimization of the binding strength for H* and significant enhancement of the HER activity. This study describes a novel strategy for preparing desirable HER electrocatalysts based on the synergy between SAs and MIL-series MOFs. Using MIL-series MOFs to support SAs could be valuable for future catalyst design.

Soluble ORF2 protein enhances HEV replication and induces long-lasting antibody response and protective immunity in vivo.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The HEV is a small positive-sense RNA virus that encodes a cytoplasmic form of the capsid protein (ORF2c), essential for virion structure, and a secreted glycosylated form (ORF2s) that accumulates at high titer in serum and can mask neutralizing epitopes. We explored the contribution of ORF2s to HEV replication and its role in generating antibodies against ORF2 in a nonhuman primate model. APPROACH AND RESULTS: We used a recombinant HEV genotype 3 variant that does not express ORF2s due to the introduction of stop codons (ORF2s mut ). Rhesus macaques (RMs) were given intrahepatic injections of infectious wildtype HEV (ORF2s wt ) RNA or a variant lacking ORF2s expression (ORF2s mut ). The replication of the ORF2s mut virus was delayed by ~2 weeks compared with ORF2s wt , and peak titers were nearly tenfold lower. Reversions of the 3 mutations that blocked ORF2s expression were not detected in the ORF2s mut genomes, indicating genetic stability. However, serum antibodies against ORF2 were transiently detected in RMs infected with ORF2s mut , whereas they were long-lasting in RMs infected with ORF2s wt . Moreover, RMs infected with ORF2s mut were more susceptible to reinfection, as evidenced by the viral RNA detected in fecal samples and the expansion of HEV-specific CD8 + T cells. CONCLUSIONS: These findings indicate that ORF2s may be dispensable for viral replication in vivo but is required for long-lived antibody-mediated responses that protect against HEV re-exposure.

Keggin-type SiW12 encapsulated in MIL-101(Cr) as efficient heterogeneous photocatalysts for nitrogen fixation reaction.

The incorporation of polyoxometalates (POMs) in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) with host-guest structure have proven to be effective strategy to rational design of heterogeneous catalysis. In this study, the Keggin-type POM@MIL-101(Cr) composite catalysts (PMo12, PW12 and SiW12) are synthesized for nitrogen fixation reaction without sacrificial agents at room temperature in the first time. The SiW12 molecules are encapsulated in smaller cavities of MIL-101(Cr) by solvothermal method and in larger cavities by impregnation method, respectively. Solvothermal synthesized catalyst has a performance of 75.56 µmol·h-1·g-1cat and TOF value of 1.95 h-1, which are about 10 and 88 times than that of Na4SiW12O40. The excellent performance is ascribed to the synergistic effect of SiW12 and MIL-101(Cr). The MIL-101(Cr) adsorbs a large amount of N2 and generates sufficiently photogenerated electrons under sunlight irradiation, and electrons quickly transfer to the SiW12 through hydrogen bonds. Moreover, the agglomeration effect of the homogeneous catalyst SiW12 is weakened due to encapsulation with more exposed active sites. This work provides a feasible route to design and synthesize nanocomposite materials with exceptional performance for photocatalytic nitrogen fixation.

Defect-Assisted Anchoring of Pt Single Atoms on MoS2 Nanosheets Produces High-Performance Catalyst for Industrial Hydrogen Evolution Reaction.

Pt-based catalysts are currently the most efficient electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), but the scarcity and high cost of Pt limit industrial applications. Downsizing Pt nanoparticles (NPs) to single atoms (SAs) can expose more active sites and increase atomic utilization, thus decreasing the cost. Here, a solar-irradiation strategy is used to prepare hybrid SA-Pt/MoS2 nanosheets (NSs) that demonstrate excellent HER activity (the overpotential at a current density of 10 mA cm-2 (η10 ) of 44 mV, and Tafel slope of 34.83 mV dec-1 in acidic media; η10 of 123 mV, and Tafel slope of 76.71 mV dec-1 in alkaline media). Defects and deformations introduced by thermal pretreatment of the hydrothermal MoS2 NSs promote anchoring and stability of Pt SAs. The fabrication of Pt SAs and NPs is easily controlled using different Pt-precursor concentrations. Moreover, SA-Pt/MoS2 produced under natural sunlight exhibits high HER performance (η10 of 55 mV, and Tafel slope of 43.54 mV dec-1 ), which indicates its viability for mass production. Theoretical simulations show that Pt improves the absorption of H atoms and the charge-transfer kinetics of MoS2 , which significantly enhance HER activity. A simple, inexpensive strategy for preparing SA-Pt/MoS2 hybrid catalysts for industrial HER is provided.

The Viral ORF3 Protein Is Required for Hepatitis E Virus Apical Release and Efficient Growth in Polarized Hepatocytes and Humanized Mice.

Hepatitis E virus (HEV), an enterically transmitted RNA virus, is a major cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. Additionally, HEV genotype 3 (gt3) can frequently persist in immunocompromised individuals with an increased risk for developing severe liver disease. Currently, no HEV-specific treatment is available. The viral open reading frame 3 (ORF3) protein facilitates HEV egress in vitro and is essential for establishing productive infection in macaques. Thus, ORF3, which is unique to HEV, has the potential to be explored as a target for antiviral therapy. However, significant gaps exist in our understanding of the critical functions of ORF3 in HEV infection in vivo. Here, we utilized a polarized hepatocyte culture model and a human liver chimeric mouse model to dissect the roles of ORF3 in gt3 HEV release and persistent infection. We show that ORF3's absence substantially decreased HEV replication and virion release from the apical surface but not the basolateral surface of polarized hepatocytes. While wild-type HEV established a persistent infection in humanized mice, mutant HEV lacking ORF3 (ORF3null) failed to sustain the infection despite transient replication in the liver and was ultimately cleared. Strikingly, mice inoculated with the ORF3null virus displayed no fecal shedding throughout the 6-week experiment. Overall, our results demonstrate that ORF3 is required for HEV fecal shedding and persistent infection, providing a rationale for targeting ORF3 as a treatment strategy for HEV infection. IMPORTANCE HEV infections are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. HEV gt3 additionally can cause persistent infection, which can rapidly progress to liver cirrhosis. Currently, no HEV-specific treatments are available. The poorly understood HEV life cycle hampers the development of antivirals for HEV. Here, we investigated the role of the viral ORF3 protein in HEV infection in polarized hepatocyte cultures and human liver chimeric mice. We found that two major aspects of the HEV life cycle require ORF3: fecal virus shedding and persistent infection. These results provide a rationale for targeting ORF3 to treat HEV infection.

Treatment induced clearance of hepatitis E viruses by interferon-lambda in liver-humanized mice.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis E viruses (HEV) are an underestimated global cause of enterically transmitted viral hepatitis, which may persist in immunocompromised hosts, posing a risk for progressive liver fibrosis with limited treatment options. We previously established liver-humanized mice as a model for chronic HEV infections, which can be cleared by a 2-week pegylated (peg)-Interferon(IFN)α treatment course. However, severe side effects may hamper the use of IFNα in immunocompromised transplant recipient patients. IFNλ may be a valuable alternative, as its receptor is less ubiquitously expressed. AIMS: In this study, we assess the in vitro and in vivo potency of pegIFNλ to induce innate immune signalling in liver cells and to clear a persistent HEV infection in liver-humanized mice. METHODS & RESULTS: We found that human liver cells expressed the IFNλ receptor (IFNLR1) and are responsive to pegIFNλ. Treatment with pegIFNλ of liver-humanized mice persistently infected with HEV genotype 3 showed that pegIFNλ was well tolerated. Dose escalation studies showed that although HEV was not cleared at pegIFNλ doses up to 0.12 mg/kg for a maximum of 8 weeks, a dose of 0.3 mg/kg pegIFNλ treatment resulted in complete clearance of HEV antigen and HEV RNA from the liver in 8 out of 9 liver-humanized mice. CONCLUSIONS: PegIFNλ is well tolerated in mice and leads to clearance of a persistent HEV infection in liver-humanized mice.

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution Activity in Single-Atom Pt-Decorated VS2 Nanosheets.

Enhancing catalytic activity by decorating noble metals in catalysts provides an opportunity for promoting the electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) application. However, there are few systematic studies on regulating the structures of noble metals in catalytic materials and investigating their influence on HER. Herein, Pt catalysts with different structures including single atoms (SAs), clusters, and nanoparticles well-controllably anchored on VS2 nanosheets through a cost-effective optothermal method are reported, and their HER performance is studied. The most efficient Pt-decorated VS2 catalyst (with both Pt SAs and clusters) delivers an overpotential of 77 mV at 10 mA cm-2, close to that of Pt/C (48 mV). However, the optimal mass activity of Pt (normalizing to Pt content) is obtained from only SA Pt-decorated VS2 (i.e., 22.88 A mgPt-1 at 200 mV) and is 12 times greater than that of the Pt/C (1.87 A mgPt-1), attributed to the greatly enhanced Pt utilization. Additionally, the theoretical simulations reveal that Pt SA decoration makes the adsorption free energy of H* closer to the thermoneutral value and improves the charge-transfer kinetics, significantly enhancing HER activity. This work offers a pathway to prepare the desired catalyst based on synergy of Pt structures and VS2 and reveals the intrinsic mechanism for enhancing catalytic activity, which is important for HER applications.

Autophagy Induced by Simian Retrovirus Infection Controls Viral Replication and Apoptosis of Jurkat T Lymphocytes.

Autophagy and apoptosis are two important evolutionarily conserved host defense mechanisms against viral invasion and pathogenesis. However, the association between the two pathways during the viral infection of T lymphocytes remains to be elucidated. Simian type D retrovirus (SRV) is an etiological agent of fatal simian acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (SAIDS), which can display disease features that are similar to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in humans. In this study, we demonstrate that infection with SRV-8, a newly isolated subtype of SRV, triggered both autophagic and apoptotic pathways in Jurkat T lymphocytes. Following infection with SRV-8, the autophagic proteins LC3 and p62/SQSTM1 interacted with procaspase-8, which might be responsible for the activation of the caspase-8/-3 cascade and apoptosis in SRV-8-infected Jurkat cells. Our findings indicate that autophagic responses to SRV infection of T lymphocytes promote the apoptosis of T lymphocytes, which, in turn, might be a potential pathogenetic mechanism for the loss of T lymphocytes during SRV infection.

Defect-induced nucleation and epitaxial growth of a MOF-derived hierarchical Mo2C@Co architecture for an efficient hydrogen evolution reaction.

The 3D hierarchical structure in catalysts not only the preserves intrinsic characteristics of each component, but also achieves increased specific surface area and active sites for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Herein, we report a new strategy to synthesize efficient 3D hierarchical catalysts composed of Mo2C nanosheets and Co nanoparticles (H-Mo2C@Co). It was realized by using raw materials, defect-rich MoO x , Co(NO3)2·6H2O and 2-methylimidazole, to design Mo/Co bimetallic metal-organic frameworks (BMOFs), followed by pyrolysis at 800 °C. The defects in MoO x induced preferential nucleation and growth of the BMOFs so that they can ensure the construction of a stable 3D hierarchical structure. Mo2C and Co have a synergistic effect in improving the HER via providing large surface areas (351.5 m2 g-1), more active sites and optimizing charge transfer. It can achieve 10 mA cm-2 at low overpotential over a wide pH range (144 mV in 0.5 M H2SO4 and 103 mV in 1.0 M KOH) and the properties can be well maintained in both acid and alkaline electrolyte after 2000 cycles. The hierarchical catalyst contains no noble metal, can be synthesized on a large scale and recycled by magnetic stirring, demonstrating great potential in water splitting, wastewater treatment, dye adsorption and other fields.

Topological Characterization of Human and Mouse m5C Epitranscriptome Revealed by Bisulfite Sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Compared with the well-studied 5-methylcytosine (m5C) in DNA, the role and topology of epitranscriptome m5C remain insufficiently characterized. RESULTS: Through analyzing transcriptome-wide m5C distribution in human and mouse, we show that the m5C modification is significantly enriched at 5' untranslated regions (5'UTRs) of mRNA in human and mouse. With a comparative analysis of the mRNA and DNA methylome, we demonstrate that, like DNA methylation, transcriptome m5C methylation exhibits a strong clustering effect. Surprisingly, an inverse correlation between mRNA and DNA m5C methylation is observed at CpG sites. Further analysis reveals that RNA m5C methylation level is positively correlated with both RNA expression and RNA half-life. We also observed that the methylation level of mitochondrial RNAs is significantly higher than RNAs transcribed from the nuclear genome. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides an in-depth topological characterization of transcriptome-wide m5C modification by associating RNA m5C methylation patterns with transcriptional expression, DNA methylations, RNA stabilities, and mitochondrial genome.

High Performance and Enhanced Durability of Thermochromic Films Using VO2@ZnO Core-Shell Nanoparticles.

For VO2-based thermochromic smart windows, high luminous transmittance (Tlum) and solar regulation efficiency (ΔTsol) are usually pursued as the most critical issues, which have been discussed in numerous researches. However, environmental durability, which has rarely been considered, is also so vital for practical application because it determines lifetime and cycle times of smart windows. In this paper, we report novel VO2@ZnO core-shell nanoparticles with ultrahigh durability as well as improved thermochromic performance. The VO2@ZnO nanoparticles-based thermochromic film exhibits a robust durability that the ΔTsol keeps 77% (from 19.1% to 14.7%) after 103 hours in a hyperthermal and humid environment, while a relevant property of uncoated VO2 nanoparticles-based film badly deteriorates after 30 h. Meanwhile, compared with the uncoated VO2-based film, the VO2@ZnO-based film demonstrates an 11.0% increase (from 17.2% to 19.1%) in ΔTsol and a 31.1% increase (from 38.9% to 51.0%) in Tlum. Such integrated thermochromic performance expresses good potential for practical application of VO2-based smart windows.

Fast Fabrication of a Stable Perovskite Solar Cell with an Ultrathin Effective Novel Inorganic Hole Transport Layer.

With the aim of fabricating simple, reproducible, and scalable perovskite solar cells (PSCs) with least time consumption, a novel CoOx hole transport layer (HTL) was first proposed and introduced in this work. The CoOx HTL thickness was minimized to about 10 nm with complete coverage on the FTO substrate (F-doped SnO2) by direct current magnetron sputtering. The ultrathin HTL could minimize the incident light loss caused by cobalt ion absorption and reduce the carrier transport loss by shortening the transport path. Copper was incorporated into the CoOx lattice to address the low conductivity of the CoOx film and the energy-level mismatch between CoOx and the perovskite material. On the basis of cobalt-copper binary oxide (Co1-yCuyOx), the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) of about 10% was achieved, which was acceptable for mass production. Moreover, the deposition of such Co1-yCuyOx films takes only 2 min without size limitation of substrates. A well-functioned device based on the Co1-yCuyOx HTL could hence be fabricated within 100 min. Excellent stability was demonstrated as well, with over 90% of the initial PCE remaining after being stored in a dark and humid environment (relative humidity 60%) for 12 days.

Achieving High Current Density of Perovskite Solar Cells by Modulating the Dominated Facets of Room-Temperature DC Magnetron Sputtered TiO2 Electron Extraction Layer.

The short circuit current density of perovskite solar cell (PSC) was boosted by modulating the dominated plane facets of TiO2 electron transport layer (ETL). Under optimized condition, TiO2 with dominant {001} facets showed (i) low incident light loss, (ii) highly smooth surface and excellent wettability for precursor solution, (iii) efficient electron extraction, and (iv) high conductivity in perovskite photovoltaic application. A current density of 24.19 mA cm-2 was achieved as a value near the maximum limit. The power conversion efficiency was improved to 17.25%, which was the record value of PSCs with DC magnetron sputtered carrier transport layer. What is more, the room-temperature process had a great significance for the cost reduction and flexible application of PSCs.

One step spray-coated TiO2 electron-transport layers for decent perovskite solar cells on large and flexible substrates.

Spray-coating as a facile and quantitative method was introduced to prepare thin and continuous TiO2 compact layers on different substrates for perovskite solar cells. The as-prepared film is highly transparent and smooth, which is of significance in perovskite solar cells to decrease incident light loss and facilitate the film cast and electric contact. The compact TiO2 layer shows excellent performance when coated with perovskite and assembled into a device. Since it provides unlimited substrate size, patterning function and the TiO2 used for spray-coating is well crystallized, this method has huge potential for mass production and great adaptability for a variety of applications.

Mesostructured perovskite solar cells based on highly ordered TiO2 network scaffold via anodization of Ti thin film.

An anodized TiO2 interconnected network was fabricated and utilized as a mesoporous scaffold and electron transporter in perovskite solar cells. By modifying the synthesis parameters, the morphological features of the interconnected TiO2 nanostructures can be widely tuned and precisely controlled. The functional properties of the anodized TiO2 network are found to be severely influenced by morphology as well as the extent of oxidation. The device with the optimized TiO2 network exhibits superior electron extraction and transferability, resulting in conspicuous enhancement of the photocurrent and power conversion efficiency (PCE). This work proposes a promising and facile method for improving the performance of perovskite solar cells.

Composite Film of Vanadium Dioxide Nanoparticles and Ionic Liquid-Nickel-Chlorine Complexes with Excellent Visible Thermochromic Performance.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2), as a typical thermochromic material used in smart windows, is always limited by its weaker solar regulation efficiency (ΔTsol) and lower luminous transmittance (Tlum). Except for common approaches such as doping, coating, and special structure, compositing is another effective method. The macroscopic thermochromic (from colorless to blue) ionic liquid-nickel-chlorine (IL-Ni-Cl) complexes are selected in this paper to be combined with VO2 nanoparticles forming a composite film. This novel scheme demonstrates outstanding optical properties: ΔTsol = 26.45% and Tlum,l = 66.44%, Tlum,h = 43.93%. Besides, the addition of the IL-Ni-Cl complexes endows the film with an obvious color change from light brown to dark green as temperature rises. This splendid visible thermochromic performance makes the composite film superior in function exhibiting and application of smart windows.

Vanadium Dioxide Nanoparticle-based Thermochromic Smart Coating: High Luminous Transmittance, Excellent Solar Regulation Efficiency, and Near Room Temperature Phase Transition.

An annealing-assisted preparation method of well-crystallized VxW1-xO2(M)@SiO2 core-shell nanoparticles for VO2-based thermochromic smart coatings (VTSC) is presented. The additional annealing process reduces the defect density of the initial hydrothermally prepared VxW1-xO2(M) nanoparticles and enhances their crystallinity so that the thermochromic film based on VxW1-xO2(M)@SiO2 nanoparticles can exhibit outstanding thermochromic performance with balanced solar regulation efficiency (ΔTsol) of 17.3%, luminous transmittance (Tlum) up to 52.2%, and critical phase transition temperature (Tc) around 40.4 °C, which is very promising for practical application. Furthermore, it makes great progress in reducing Tc of VTSC to near room temperature (25.2 °C) and simutaneously maintaining excellent optical properties (ΔTsol = 14.7% and Tlum = 50.6%). Such thermochromic performance is good enough to make VTSC applicable to practical architecture.

Plant-Derived Tick Repellents Activate the Honey Bee Ectoparasitic Mite TRPA1.

We have identified and characterized the TRPA1 channel of Varroa destructor (VdTRPA1), a major ectoparasitic mite of honey bee. One of the two VdTRPA1 isoforms, VdTRPA1L, was activated by a variety of plant-derived compounds, including electrophilic compounds, suggesting that chemical activation profiles are mostly shared between arthropod TRPA1 channels. Nevertheless, carvacrol and α-terpineol activated VdTRPA1L but not a honey bee noxious-stimuli-sensitive TRPA, AmHsTRPA, and Drosophila melanogaster TRPA1. Activation of VdTRPA1L in D. melanogaster taste neurons by the above compounds was sufficient to modify the gustatory behaviors. Carvacrol and α-terpineol repelled V. destructor in a laboratory assay, and α-terpineol repressed V. destructor entry for reproduction into the brood cells in hives. Understanding the functions of parasite TRP channels not only gives clues about the evolving molecular and cellular mechanisms of parasitism but also helps in the development of control methods.