Controllable construction of ZIF-derived Co9S8 hollow polyporous polyhedrons with Ru-doping for enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction.

Ru-doped Co9S8 hollow porous polyhedrons (Ru-Co9S8 HPPs) derived from zeolitic-imidazolate-frameworks were synthesized through hydrothermal coprecipitation and thermal decomposition methods. The results indicate that Ru-Co9S8-500 HPPs possess a strong Ru-Co synergistic effect, large electrochemical surface area, and sufficient active sites, endowing them with excellent hydrogen evolution reaction performance.

TGR5 deficiency in excitatory neurons ameliorates Alzheimer's pathology by regulating APP processing.

Bile acids (BAs) metabolism has a significant impact on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found that deoxycholic acid (DCA) increased in brains of AD mice at an early stage. The enhanced production of DCA induces the up-regulation of the bile acid receptor Takeda G protein-coupled receptor (TGR5), which is also specifically increased in neurons of AD mouse brains at an early stage. The accumulation of exogenous DCA impairs cognitive function in wild-type mice, but not in TGR5 knockout mice. This suggests that TGR5 is the primary receptor mediating these effects of DCA. Furthermore, excitatory neuron-specific knockout of TGR5 ameliorates Aß pathology and cognition impairments in AD mice. The underlying mechanism linking TGR5 and AD pathology relies on the downstream effectors of TGR5 and the APP production, which is succinctly concluded as a "p-STAT3-APH1-γ-secretase" signaling pathway. Our studies identified the critical role of TGR5 in the pathological development of AD.

Aggressive vertebral hemangiomas contain no adipose tissue resulting in thoracic spine kyphosis: A case report.

RATIONALE: Aggressive vertebral hemangiomas (AVHs) destroy continuous vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs and resulting in spinal kyphosis is extremely rare. The very aggressive behavior was attributable to its significant vascular component and contained no adipose tissue. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a case of thoracic spine kyphosis of AVHs with multiple vertebral bodies and intervertebral disc destruction in a 45-year-old woman. DIAGNOSES: Based on the imaging studies, the patient underwent surgical removal of this lesion and spinal reconstruction. Histopathology consistent with vertebral hemangioma and contained no adipose. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent surgical removal of the lesion and spinal reconstruction. After subperiosteal dissection of the paraspinal muscles and exposure of the laminae, the laminae of the T5-7 vertebrae were removed and exposing the lesion. The lesion was soft and showed cystic changes, completely curetted and autogenous bone was implanted. Vertebroplasty was performed through T3-T9 pedicles bilaterally. Pedicle screw fixation was performed for segmental fixation and fusion. OUTCOMES: After 9 days of operation, the incision healed cleanly and free of pain. She was discharged in good general condition. The patient remained asymptomatic after follow-up 6 months of postoperative. LESSONS: AVHs destroy multiple vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs and resulting in spinal kyphosis is extremely rare.

Telecoupling between urban expansion and forest ecosystem service loss through cultivated land displacement: A case study of Zhejiang Province, China.

Urbanization can either directly occupy forests or indirectly lead to forest loss elsewhere through cultivated land displacement, resulting in further forest fragmentation and ecosystem service (ES) loss. However, the effects of urban expansion on forest area and ESs are unknown, and this is especially true for indirect effects. Taking Zhejiang Province, China, a typical deforested province, as an example, this study quantified the direct and indirect effects of urban expansion on forest area and five ESs (timber yield, water yield, carbon sequestration, soil conservation, and biodiversity) from 2000 to 2020, explored the relationship between forest structure (forest proportion, mean patch area, edge density, and mean euclidean nearest neighbor distance) change and ESs, and revealed the telecoupling of urban expansion and forest loss and cascade effects among urbanization, deforestation, forest structure, and ESs. The results indicated that the indirect forest loss (4.30%-6.15%) caused by cultivated land displacement due to urban expansion was larger than the direct forest loss (2.42%). Urban expansion has a greater negative impact on carbon sequestration (6.40%-8.20%), water yield (6.08%-7.78%), and biodiversity (5.79%-7.44%) than on timber yield (4.77%-6.17%) and soil conservation (4.43%-5.77%). The indirect forest ES loss was approximately 2.83-4.34 times greater than the direct forest ES loss. Most forest ESs showed a nonlinear significant positive correlation with changes in forest proportion and mean patch area and a significant nonlinear negative correlation with changes in edge density and mean Euclidean nearest neighbor distance (p < 0.05). There is telecoupling between urban expansion in one region and forest ES loss in other distant regions. This study contributes to guiding sustainable forest conservation and management globally.

Pervasive soil phosphorus losses in terrestrial ecosystems in China.

Future phosphorus (P) shortages could seriously affect terrestrial productivity and food security. We investigated the changes in topsoil available P (AP) and total P (TP) in China's forests, grasslands, paddy fields, and upland croplands during the 1980s-2010s based on substantial repeated soil P measurements (63,220 samples in the 1980s, 2000s, and 2010s) and machine learning techniques. Between the 1980s and 2010s, total soil AP stock increased with a small but significant rate of 0.13 kg P ha-1 year-1 , but total soil TP stock declined substantially (4.5 kg P ha-1 year-1 ) in the four ecosystems. We quantified the P budgets of soil-plant systems by harmonizing P fluxes from various sources for this period. Matching trends of soil contents over the decades with P budgets and fluxes, we found that the P-surplus in cultivated soils (especially in upland croplands) might be overestimated due to the great soil TP pool compared to fertilization and the substantial soil P losses through plant uptake and water erosion that offset the P additions. Our findings of P-deficit in China raise the alarm on the sustainability of future biomass production (especially in forests), highlight the urgency of P recycling in croplands, and emphasize the critical role of country-level basic data in guiding sound policies to tackle the global P crises.

Self-Cascade Ce-MOF-818 Nanozyme for Sequential Hydrolysis and Oxidation.

Mimicking efficient biocatalytic cascades using nanozymes has gained enormous attention in catalytic chemistry, but it remains challenging to develop a nanozyme-based cascade system to sequentially perform the desired reactions. Particularly, the integration of sequential hydrolysis and oxidation reactions into nanozyme-based cascade systems has not yet been achieved, despite their significant roles in various domains. Herein, a self-cascade Ce-MOF-818 nanozyme for sequential hydrolysis and oxidation reactions is developed. Ce-MOF-818 is the first Ce(IV)-based heterometallic metal-organic framework constructed through the coordination of Ce and Cu to distinct groups. It is successfully synthesized using an improved solvothermal method, overcoming the challenge posed by the significant difference in the binding speeds of Ce and Cu to ligands. With excellent organophosphate hydrolase-like (Km = 42.3 µM, Kcat = 0.0208 min-1 ) and catechol oxidase-like (Km = 2589 µM, Kcat = 1.25 s-1 ) activities attributed to its bimetallic active centers, Ce-MOF-818 serves as a promising self-cascade platform for sequential hydrolysis and oxidation. Notably, its catalytic efficiency surpasses that of physically mixed nanozymes by approximately fourfold, owning to the close integration of active sites. The developed hydrolysis-oxidation self-cascade nanozyme has promising potential applications in catalytic chemistry and provides valuable insights into the rational design of nanozyme-based cascade systems.

High-sensitivity fiber optic Fabry-Perot ultrasonic sensor based on a grooved silicon diaphragm for partial discharge detection.

An extrinsic fiber optic Fabry-Perot interferometric (EFPI) ultrasonic sensor based on a grooved silicon diaphragm for partial discharge (PD) detection has been proposed. The size of the groove is determined by finite element simulation, which allows the resonant frequency of the sensor to meet the requirements of PD ultrasonic detection and improves the sensitivity of the sensor by 5.07 times compared with that based on a traditional circular diaphragm. The microelectro-mechanical system process is used to fabricate the diaphragm on a silicon-on-insulator wafer, and the prepared diaphragm has a grooved section with a diameter of 829.34 µm and a thickness of only 2.09 µm. At its resonant frequency of 61.5 kHz, the acoustic pressure sensitivity of the sensor is 172.42 mV/Pa. The ultrasonic signal detection capability of the sensor is verified in the PD experiment. Furthermore, the characteristics of the corona discharge are successfully manifested based on the ultrasonic waves detected by the EFPI sensor. It is demonstrated that the proposed sensor is suitable for PD detection due to its high sensitivity, simple production process, and good resistance to environmental interference.

Electrocatalytic Microdevice Array Based on Wafer-Scale Conductive Metal-Organic Framework Thin Film for Massive Hydrogen Production.

The synthesis of large-scale 2D conductive metal-organic framework films with tunable thickness is highly desirable but challenging. In this study, an Interface Confinement Self-Assembly Pulling (ICSP) method for in situ synthesis of 4-in. Ni-BHT film on the substrate surface is developed. By modulating the thickness of the confined space, the thickness of Ni-BHT films could be easily varied from 4 to 42 nm. To eliminate interference factors and evaluate the effect of film thickness on the catalytic performance of HER, an electrocatalytic microdevice based on the Ni-BHT film is designed. The effective catalytic thickness of the Ni-BHT film is found to be around 32 nm. Finally, to prepare the electrocatalytic microdevice array, over 100 000 microdevices on a 4-in. Ni-BHT film are integrated. The results show that the microdevice array has good stability and a high hydrogen production rate and could be used to produce large amounts of hydrogen. The wafer-scale 2D conductive metal-organic framework's fabrication greatly advances the practical application of microdevices for massive hydrogen production.

Novel ternary Cu0-coupled core-shell Fe0/C nanoparticles micro-electrolysis system toward degradation of organic pollutants: Synergistic effects and removal mechanism.

A ternary micro-electrolysis system consisting of carbon-coated metallic iron with Cu nanoparticles (Fe0/C@Cu0) was synthesized for the degradation of sulfathiazole (STZ). Fe0/C@Cu0 catalysts exhibited excellent reusability and stability owing to the inner tailored Fe0 with persistent activity. The connection between Fe and Cu elements in the Fe0/C-3@Cu0 catalyst prepared with iron citrate as iron source exhibited a tighter contact than the catalysts prepared with FeSO4·7H2O and iron(II) oxalate as iron sources. Especially, unique core-shell structure of Fe0/C-3@Cu0 catalyst is more conducive to promoting the degradation of STZ. A two-stage reaction with rapidly degradation followed by gradual degradation was revealed. The mechanism of STZ degradation could be explained by the synergistic effects of Fe0/C@Cu0. Carbon layer with remarkable conductivity allowed electrons from Fe0 transferred freely to the Cu0. The electron-rich Cu0 releases electrons, facilitating the degradation of STZ. Furthermore, the high potential difference between cathode (C and Cu0) and anode (Fe0) accelerate the corrosion of Fe0. Importantly, Fe0/C@Cu0 catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performance for sulfathiazole degradation in landfill leachate effluent. Results presented provide a new strategy for treatment of chemical wastes.

High reusability and adsorption capacity of acid washed calcium alginate/chitosan composite hydrogel spheres in the removal of norfloxacin.

Calcium alginate (CA) hydrogel spheres were widely used as adsorbents to remove organics, but their adsorption capacities and reusability to some antibiotics are unsatisfactory. In this study, calcium alginate/chitosan (CA/CTS) hydrogel spheres were prepared as precursors. Acid-washed CA/CTS (CA/CTS-M) hydrogel spheres (310.6 mg/g) behaved much better adsorption capacity of norfloxacin (NOR) than CA (69.5 mg/g) and CA/CTS (87.7 mg/g) hydrogel spheres. Astonishingly, after being reused for 15 cycles, CA/CTS-M has no loss of NOR adsorption capacity. In the original idea, acid wash was expected to remove the chitosan in CA/CTS hydrogel spheres for obtaining a larger specific surface area. Both scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller test showed that acid wash can remove CTS from CA/CTS hydrogel spheres to increase the specific surface area. However, part of the chitosan remained in CA/CTS-M, having a role to enhance the structural stability of the material, because the acid-washed CA (about 2 mm) has a significantly smaller diameter than CA/CTS-M (about 3 mm). According to the influence of pH and density functional theory calculations, electrostatic attraction is the key driving force of NOR adsorption. Importantly, acid wash led to more negative-charged surface characterized by Zeta potential, which is the main reason of the significantly enhanced adsorption capacity of CA/CTS-M in removal of NOR. In short, CA/CTS-M hydrogel spheres are environment friendly and highly stable adsorbents with high adsorption capacity in the removal of NOR.

Detection of the communicating accessory bile duct in laparoscopic resection of residual gallbladder by the combination of the indocyanine green fluorescence cholangiography and the intraoperative cholangiography: A case report.

BACKGROUND: The partial cholecystectomy may be performed while in complicated laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC). Biliary anomalies especially the accessory bile duct are established high risk of bile duct injury (BDI) in LC. Laparoscopic resection of residual gallbladder is a challenging procedure and extremely vulnerable to BDI. We report the execution of a laparoscopic resection of residual gallbladder with a communicating accessory bile duct using indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescence cholangiography and the intraoperative cholangiography (IOC). A case that has not been reported previously. PRESENTATION OF CASE: A 29-year-old female with history of laparoscopic partial cholecystectomy was admitted in our hospital. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP) revealed the residual gallbladder with an accessory bile duct. Considering the complexity of this patient, we performed a laparoscopic surgery using ICG fluorescence cholangiography. ICG was injected intravenously 1 h before the surgery, the residual gallbladder and the extrahepatic biliary structures including the accessory bile duct were imaged in green in fluorescence imaging that could be recognized clearly. IOC revealed that residual gallbladder communicated with intrahepatic bile duct through the accessory bile duct and drained into the common bile duct (CBD). The entire procedure was performed smoothly and successfully without bile duct injuries. DISCUSSION: Laparoscopic resection of residual gallbladder is a challenging procedure. Fluorescence cholangiography using ICG is regarded as a novel technique that could provide a real-time imaging intraoperative, which allowed to recognize and identify the residual gallbladder and the extrahepatic bile duct. IOC is also important in identifying a communicating accessory bile duct. Under the guidance of them, we completed this laparoscopic surgery. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of fluorescence cholangiography using ICG and IOC have profound significance in complicated LC.

The debatable role of singlet oxygen in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes.

Singlet oxygen (1O2) attracts much attention in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (PS-AOPs), because of its wide pH tolerance and high selectivity toward electron-rich organics. However, there are conflicts about the 1O2 role in PS-AOPs on several aspects, including the formation of different key reactive oxygen species (ROS) at similar active sites, pH dependence, broad-spectrum activity, and selectivity in the elimination of organic pollutants. To a large degree, these conflicts root in the drawbacks of the methods to identify and evaluate the role of 1O2. For example, the quenchers of 1O2 have high reactivity to other ROS and persulfate as well. In addition, electron transfer process (ETP) also selectively oxidizes organics, having a misleading effect on the identification of 1O2. Therefore, in this review, we summarized and discussed some basic properties of 1O2, the debatable role of 1O2 in PS-AOPs on multiple aspects, and the methods and their drawbacks to identify and evaluate the role of 1O2. On the whole, this review aims to better understand the role of 1O2 in PS-AOPs and further help with its reasonable utilization.

Vegetation restoration thresholds under different vegetation types and altitude gradients in the Sichuan-Yunnan ecological shelter, China.

Determining the threshold for the response of ecosystem services (ESs) to vegetation change is critical for ecological restoration, and once the threshold is exceeded, ESs may be inhibited. Vegetation type and altitude are important factors affecting ESs. However, the nonlinear effects of vegetation change on ESs and their threshold under different vegetation types and altitude gradients are not clear. This study selected the Sichuan-Yunnan ecological shelter as the study area. Four ESs (water yield (WY), carbon storage (CS), soil conservation (SC), and water purification (WP)) were quantified by using the Integrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services and Trade-offs model. The differences in ESs among different vegetation types were identified. Variance analysis was used to explore the spatial differences in ESs under different altitude gradients. The inflection point of the promoting effect of vegetation cover on ESs was taken as the threshold, and elastic analysis was used to determine the impact threshold of fractional vegetation cover (FVC) on ESs. The threshold represents the inflection point at which vegetation cover promotes ESs. The results showed that the CS, SC, and WP of the natural forest were higher than those of the plantation, while the WY was lower than that of the plantation. WY, CS, and SC remained higher in the high-altitude regions, while nitrogen export was higher in the low-altitude regions. FVC was positively correlated with nitrogen export in the low-altitude regions and negatively correlated with WY in the high-altitude regions. FVC had a promoting effect on ESs, and the promoting effect was weakened beyond the threshold. The thresholds of FVC promoting ESs were 0.86, 0.79, 0.85, and 0.83 in natural forest, shrub, plantation, and grassland, respectively. The threshold of FVC promoting ESs in low-altitude regions was larger than that in high-altitude regions. This study can provide a theoretical basis for large-scale ecological management and moderate restoration.

Overestimation of 1O2 role in N-doped carbon materials/peroxymonosulfate system: The misleading of furfuryl alcohol quenching effect.

Singlet oxygen (1O2) is frequently observed in persulfate-based advanced oxidation processes (PS-AOPs), however its significance in the removal of organic compounds is debatable. To evaluate the role of 1O2, some organic pollutants that have been proven to be successfully degraded by 1O2 in earlier research were selected as the targeted pollutants of this study. In the activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) using Co-BTC (a type of metal-organic framework)/melamine derived nitrogen-doped carbon material (Co-BTC/10MNC) as the catalyst, 1O2 and surface-bound SO4•- are discovered, however only surface-bound SO4•- was the dominant species. The degree of inhibition of furfuryl alcohol (FFA) on the removal of organics is reliant on the reaction rates of SO4•- and organics, rather than on the quenching impact of FFA on 1O2. The lower kSO4•- organics have, the easier it is for FFA to inhibit their removal. In short, the quenching effect of FFA is not solid evidence to identify 1O2. Besides, it is found that the influence of HCO3- is related to the second order reaction rate constant (kHCO3•) between HCO3• and organics, implying that the selective removal of some organics is due to that corresponding inorganic radicals (Cl•, NO3•, HCO3• or HPO4•-) have good ability to degrade these organics, rather than 1O2 as the key reactive oxygen species.

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials prepared using different organic precursors as catalysts of peroxymonosulfate to degrade sulfamethoxazole: First-time performance leading to the incorrect selection of the best catalyst.

Nitrogen-doped carbon materials are effective catalysts for peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activation to eliminate organic contaminants. In this research, the activity of nitrogen-doped carbon materials was significantly improved by optimizing the carbon source, and the reusability of the catalyst is used to select the best catalyst instead of depending on the performance in the first use, for avoiding the "short-life" catalyst with great initial activity. Fixing ferric nitrate nonahydrate and melamine as the metal and nitrogen sources, four catalysts were prepared using glucose, glucosamine hydrochloride, dopamine, and trimesic acid as the carbon sources, respectively. Based on the performance in PMS activation for sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal, in the first use, the activity was Fe-DA-CN (carbon source: dopamine) > Fe-BTC-CN (carbon source: trimesic acid) > Fe-GLU-CN (carbon source: glucosamine) > Fe-DGLU-CN (carbon source: glucose). With no washing for the second time use, the activity was Fe-BTC-CN (0.135 min-1) â‰« Fe-DA-CN (0.037 min-1) > Fe-GLU-CN (0.032 min-1) > Fe-DGLU-CN (0.017 min-1). The large specific surface area, superior graphitization, and high CO/C-N group content endow Fe-BTC-CN with high ability in PMS activity. Surface-bound radicals are responsible for SMX elimination, and most of the SMX degradation intermediates have lower ecotoxicity than SMX.

A combined method for human health risk area identification of heavy metals in urban environments.

Multi-medium heavy metals pollution is a crucial pathway to destroy the urban environmental resources cycle. In this study, Nanjing of China, a typical mega city, was taken as the study area. Compared with other cities or countries, Cr, Cu and Zn in human nails and hair in the study area have higher concentration characteristics, while Cd and Pb have lower concentration characteristics. By combining the health risk status of heavy metals in soil and dustfall, the spatial clustering characteristics of heavy metals in soil dustfall and the concentration information of heavy metals in humans in the study area, a potential toxic risk area identification method based on soil-dustfall-human (SDB-HR) was established. Through Monte Carlo analysis, it's found that the risk of Zn and Cr in soil-dustfall to human health is relatively high, with the probability of carcinogenesis reaching 51.2 % and 50.2 %, respectively. By the proposed method, different levels of heavy metal risk areas in urban environments can be more reasonably and effectively identified, which will provide important technical and theoretical support for the precise management of heavy metals in urban environments.

Impacts of land use/land cover and soil property changes on soil erosion in the black soil region, China.

Soil erosion (SE) is seriously threatening grain production and the ecological environment in the black soil region. Understanding the impact of changes in land use/land cover (LULC) and soil properties on SE is critical for agricultural sustainability and soil management. However, the contribution of soil property changes to SE is often ignored in existing studies. This study analyzed changes in LULC and soil properties from 1980 to 2020 in the black soil region, China. Then, the revised universal soil loss equation was used to explore the spatiotemporal changes of SE from 1980 to 2020. Finally, the contribution of LULC change and soil property change to SE was separated by scenario comparison. The results showed that cropland increased (by 24,157 km2) at the expense of grassland and forest from 1980 to 2020. Sand in cropland decreased by 21.95%, while the silt, clay, and SOC increased by 21.37%, 1.43%, and 15.38%, respectively. Soil erodibility in cropland increased greatly (+9.85%), while in forest and grassland decreased (-6.05% and -4.72%). LULC change and soil properties change together aggravated SE in the black soil region. LULC change and soil property change resulted in a 22% increase in SE, of which LULC change resulted in a 14% increase, and soil property change resulted in an 8% increase. Agricultural development policy was the main reason driving LULC change. The combination of LULC change, climatic factors, and long-term tillage resulted in changes in soil properties. Ecosystem management and policy can reduce SE through vegetation restoration and soil improvement. This study can provide important references for soil conservation and agricultural development in the black soil region.

Stretchable conductors for stretchable field-effect transistors and functional circuits.

Stretchable electronics have received intense attention due to their broad application prospects in many areas, and can withstand large deformations and form close contact with curved surfaces. Stretchable conductors are vital components of stretchable electronic devices used in wearables, soft robots, and human-machine interactions. Recent advances in stretchable conductors have motivated basic scientific and technological research efforts. Here, we outline and analyse the development of stretchable conductors in transistors and circuits, and examine advances in materials, device engineering, and preparation technologies. We divide the existing approaches to constructing stretchable transistors with stretchable conductors into the following two types: geometric engineering and intrinsic stretchability engineering. Finally, we consider the challenges and outlook in this field for delivering stretchable electronics.

Using cellulose, starch and ß-cyclodextrin poly/oligosaccharides as chiral inducers for preparing chiral particles.

Poly/oligosaccharides are renewable natural resources with abundant chirality. Herein, we develop a general route to prepare optically active particles by using poly/oligosaccharides as both chiral inducers and growth templates. By complexing with Cu(NH3)42+ ions, OH groups on C2 and C3 in poly/oligosaccharides can transfer the chirality to Cu(II) and retain it in CuO. At the same time, poly/oligosaccharides direct growth of CuO by in situ transformation of Cu(NH3)42+ ions. Cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) and starch (ST) are used as representative polysaccharides, and ß-cyclodextrin (ß-CD) as a representative oligosaccharide, thus dandelion, duchesnea, and chrysanthemum-like composite particles with chiroptical activity are obtained. Besides, chiral CuO/poly(oligo)saccharide particles (CSP) demonstrate enantioselective ability by differentiating coordination with tryptophan (Trp) enantiomers and form Cu-Trp metal organic framework architectures with different morphologies. The study provides an easily accessible approach to prepare novel functional materials by poly/oligosaccharide-based chiral induction and hold great promise in chiral applications.