The global nitrogen regulator GlnR is a direct transcriptional repressor of the key gluconeogenic gene pckA in actinomycetes.

In most actinomycetes, GlnR governs both nitrogen and non-nitrogen metabolisms (e.g., carbon, phosphate, and secondary metabolisms). Although GlnR has been recognized as a global regulator, its regulatory role in central carbon metabolism [e.g., glycolysis, gluconeogenesis, and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle] is largely unknown. In this study, we characterized GlnR as a direct transcriptional repressor of the pckA gene that encodes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, catalyzing the conversion of the TCA cycle intermediate oxaloacetate to phosphoenolpyruvate, a key step in gluconeogenesis. Through the transcriptomic and quantitative real-time PCR analyses, we first showed that the pckA transcription was upregulated in the glnR null mutant of Amycolatopsis mediterranei. Next, we proved that the pckA gene was essential for A. mediterranei gluconeogenesis when the TCA cycle intermediate was used as a sole carbon source. Furthermore, with the employment of the electrophoretic mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting assay, we revealed that GlnR was able to specifically bind to the pckA promoter region from both A. mediterranei and two other representative actinomycetes (Streptomyces coelicolor and Mycobacterium smegmatis). Therefore, our data suggest that GlnR may repress pckA transcription in actinomycetes, which highlights the global regulatory role of GlnR in both nitrogen and central carbon metabolisms in response to environmental nutrient stresses. IMPORTANCE: The GlnR regulator of actinomycetes controls nitrogen metabolism genes and many other genes involved in carbon, phosphate, and secondary metabolisms. Currently, the known GlnR-regulated genes in carbon metabolism are involved in the transport of carbon sources, the assimilation of short-chain fatty acid, and the 2-methylcitrate cycle, although little is known about the relationship between GlnR and the TCA cycle and gluconeogenesis. Here, based on the biochemical and genetic results, we identified GlnR as a direct transcriptional repressor of pckA, the gene that encodes phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, a key enzyme for gluconeogenesis, thus highlighting that GlnR plays a central and complex role for dynamic orchestration of cellular carbon, nitrogen, and phosphate fluxes and bioactive secondary metabolites in actinomycetes to adapt to changing surroundings.

Assessing the reinforced molecular/mechanical behaviors of GOs@Mo-MOFs films deposited via electrophoresis onto microdevices: Experimental and theoretical perspectives.

One of the primary hurdles in microdevice fabrication lies in ascertaining the most impactful tactics for adapting metal surfaces. Through a one-pot tackle and distinct mechanochemical reactions evoked by 15 min aqueous wet sand-milling (SM-15), we successfully grafted Mo-based metal-organic frameworks (Mo-MOFs) onto graphene oxides (GOs). Following this, a convenient and readily scalable methodology of electrophoretic deposition was implemented to create controllable thickness of SM-15 GOs@Mo-MOFs lubricating films, achieving considerable enhancements of 143% and 91% in hardness and Young's modulus, respectively, when compared to those of SM-15 Mo-MOFs. The successful synthesis of SM-15 GOs@Mo-MOFs was corroborated using strategies such as x-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and field emission scanning electron microscopy. Analyses using the micro-tribotester indicated that the new film exhibited a lowest friction coefficient of roughly 0.5 when imposed with a load of 5 N and sliding speed of 8 mm/s. In addition, the optical profiler nano-indentation in situ scanning probe microscope revealed that SM-15 GOs@Mo-MOFs films had smaller and shallower scratches and grooves compared to SM-15 Mo-MOFs ones. The calculated results of key descriptors (EHOMO, ELUMO, ΔE, etc.) in density functional theory quantitatively disclosed the interaction mechanisms between GOs@Mo-MOFs molecules and microdevices. We first scrutinized the innate properties of molecule adsorption energy and frictional mechanical behaviors using synergetic cross-scale simulations, such as Monte Carlo and finite element methods. The expectation was that this process would motivate a valuable technique for shielding in the thriving micromanufacturing.

SNHG9/miR-214-5p/SOX4 feedback loop regulates osteosarcoma progression.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a high-grade, aggressive bone sarcoma. LncRNAs play a key regulatory role in controlling biological and pathological processes. The expression of lncRNA SNHG9 varies among different cancer tissues, and the role of SNHG9 in OS progression is unclear. In this study, we found SNHG9 overexpression in OS tissues and cells. In addition, downregulated SNHG9 expression impaired the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of OS cells. SNHG9 expression was positively regulated by the transcription factor SOX4. SNHG9 interacted with miR-214-5p as a molecular sponge and SOX4 was identified as the target of miR-214-5p. The interaction affected the expression of SNHG9, miR-214-5p, and SOX4, and regulated OS cell proliferation, migration, and invasion. Therefore, the SNHG9/miR-214-5p/SOX4 feedback loop performs an important role in OS progression and might be used as a new potential therapeutic target for the treatment of OS.

Dramatically enhanced degradation of recalcitrant organic contaminants in MgO2/Fe(III) Fenton-like system by organic chelating agents.

Herein, the application of organic acids as chelating agent, including citric acid (CA), tartaric acid (TA), oxalic acid (OA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), to enhance the degradation performance of MgO2/Fe(III) system was investigated in the terms of chelating agent dosage, Fe(III) dosage, reaction temperature, initial solution pH and inorganic anion. When the molar ratio of MgO2/Fe(III)/chelating agent was 1 : 0.7 : 0.3, the degradation efficiencies of Rhodamine B (RhB) increased from 6.7% (without chelating agent) to 42.3%, 98.5%, 48.9% and 25.8% within 30 min for CA, TA, OA, and EDTA, respectively. The promotion effect was mainly attributed to the chelation between chelating agents and Fe(III), rather than the acidification of chelating agents. The pseudo-first-order kinetic model well fitted RhB degradation in MgO2/Fe(III)/TA system, and the kinetic rate constant reached up to 0.295 min-1. Hydroxyl radical was confirmed to be the dominant active species to degrade organics in the MgO2/Fe(III)/TA system. Notably, the degradation system could work in a broad pH (3-11) and temperature (5-35 °C) range. Moreover, the MgO2/Fe(III)/TA system can also effectively degrade methylene blue, tetracycline and bisphenol A. This work provided a new, efficient and environmentally-friendly Fenton-like system for stubborn contaminant treatment.

Calibration method for a line-structured light vision sensor based on a single cylindrical target.

This paper presents a new, to the best of our knowledge, calibration method for line-structured light vision sensors. The laser stripe intersecting the cylindrical target and the line-structured light is captured by the camera, and the light plane parameters of the line-structured light are obtained by combining the cross-sectional characteristics of the ellipse. The nonlinear optimization of the light plane parameters use multiple locations to get the optimal solution of the light plane equation. This method requires only a single cylindrical target, which in turn greatly simplifies the calibration process. The results of simulation experiments and physical experiments show that the proposed calibration method can achieve higher calibration accuracy and measurement accuracy. The effectiveness of the new calibration method is verified.

Growth Kinetics and Spoilage Potential of Co-culturing Acinetobacter johnsonii and Pseudomonas fluorescens from Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) During Refrigerated Storage.

A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens are the well-known specific spoilage organisms in aquatic products and the study of the interactions between A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens are limited. This study aims to evaluate the growth kinetics, spoilage potential and interactions of A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens isolated from spoiled bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) by inoculating into sterile fish slices and stored at 4 °C for 6 days. The growth kinetics of A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens were fitted with Baranyi and Roberts model. The chemical indexes (total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), trimethylamine (TMA), pH, proteolytic activity and protein content) of each inoculated block of bigeye tuna were increased during refrigerated storage. Moreover, the higher contents of chemical indexes were observed in co-culture with A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens compared with single culture of A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens. In addition, atomic force microscopy (AFM) observation of co-culturing A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens inoculation into sterile fish slices revealed damage of myofibrillar protein structures and the protein degradation. Based on these parameters, a rapid method to evaluate spoilage potential of A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens was positively correlated with TVB-N value, TMA value and pH value (P < 0.05) by the correlation coefficient. Consequently, spoilage potential of microorganisms became stronger evaluated in a mixed culture than single culture. This paper provides insight for a detection method of interactions of A. johnsonii and P. fluorescens during refrigerated storage.

The Role of Oxygen Atoms on Excitons at the Edges of Monolayer WS2.

We clarify that the chemisorption of oxygen atoms at the edges is a key contributor to the frequently observed edge enhancement and spatial non-uniformities of photoluminescence (PL) in WS2 monolayers. Here we have investigated with momentum- and real-space nanoimaging of the chemical and electronic density inhomogeneity of WS2 flakes. Our finding from a large panoply of techniques together with density functional theory calculation confirms that the oxygen chemisorption leads to the electron accumulation at the edges. This facilitates the trion dominance of PL at the edges of WS2 flakes. Our results highlight and unravel the significance of chemisorbed oxygen at the edges in the PL emission and electronic structure of WS2, providing a viable path to enhance the performance of transition-metal-dichalcogenide-based devices.

High-Energy Gain Upconversion in Monolayer Tungsten Disulfide Photodetectors.

Photodetectors usually operate in the wavelength range with photon energy above the bandgap of channel semiconductors so that incident photons can excite electrons from valence band to conduction band to generate photocurrent. Here, however, we show that monolayer WS2 photodetectors can detect photons with energy even lying 219 meV below the bandgap of WS2 at room temperature. With the increase of excitation wavelength from 620 to 680 nm, photoresponsivity varies from 551 to 59 mA/W. This anomalous phenomenon is ascribed to energy upconversion, which is a combination effect of one-photon excitation and multiphonon absorption through an intermediate state created most likely by sulfur divacancy with oxygen adsorption. These findings will arouse research interests on other upconversion optoelectronic devices, photovoltaic devices, for example, of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs).

Study on the Volatile Organic Compounds and Its Correlation with Water Dynamics of Bigeye Tuna (Thunnus obesus) during Cold Storage.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and water play a key role in evaluating the quality of aquatic products. Quality deterioration of aquatic products can produce some off-odour volatiles and can induce water content changes. However, no previous study has investigated a correlation between water dynamics and VOCs of bigeye tuna during cold storage. The changes in VOCs, water dynamics and quality attributes of bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) upon storage at 0 °C and 4 °C for 6 days were investigated. The results showed that the values of ATP, adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP), T21 (trapped water) and the relative value of T1 decreased (p < 0.05), while drip loss and histamine contents increased (p < 0.05), which indicated quality deterioration during cold storage. With haematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, muscle tissue microstructure was observed. VOCs such as hexanal, heptanal, 4-Heptenal, (Z)-, pentadecanal-, 1-pentanol, 1-hexanol significantly increased, which sharply increased the content of off-odour volatiles. T21 was positively correlated with 1-octen-3-ol, 1-penten-3-ol, while T21 was negatively correlated with hexanal, 1-hexanol. Therefore, good correlations between water dynamics and some VOCs were detected during quality deterioration of bigeye tuna throughout cold storage.

Coculture of Acinetobacter johnsonii and Shewanella putrefaciens Contributes to the ABC Transporter that Impacts Cold Adaption in the Aquatic Food Storage Environment.

Acinetobacter johnsonii and Shewanella putrefaciens were identified as specific spoilage organisms in aquatic food. The interactions among specific spoilage organisms under cold stress have a significant impact on the assembly of microbial communities, which play crucial roles in the spoilage and cold adaptation processes. The limited understanding of A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens interactions in the cold adaptation mechanism hinders the elucidation of their roles in protein and metabolism levels. 4D quantitative proteomic analysis showed that the coculture of A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens responds to low temperatures through ABC transporter proteins, resulting in phospholipid transport and inner membrane components. SapA and FtsX proteins were significantly upregulated, while LolC, LolD, LolE, PotD, PotA, PotB, and PotC proteins were significantly downregulated. Metabolome assays revealed that metabolites of glutathione and spermidine/putrescin were significantly upregulated, while metabolites of arginine/lysine/ornithine were significantly downregulated and involved in the ABC transporter metabolism. The results of ultramicroscopic analyses showed that the coculture of A. johnsonii and S. putrefaciens surface combined with the presence of the leakage of intracellular contents, suggesting that the bacteria were severely damaged and wrinkled to absorb metabolic nutrients and adapt to cold temperatures.

The Relationship Between Static Characteristics of Physicians and Patient Consultation Volume in Internet Hospitals: Quantitative Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Internet medical treatment, also known as telemedicine, represents a paradigm shift in health care delivery. This contactless model allows patients to seek medical advice remotely, often before they physically visit a doctor's clinic. Herein, physicians are in a relatively passive position, as patients browse and choose their health care providers. Although a wealth of experience is undoubtedly a draw for many patients, it remains unclear which specific facets of a doctor's credentials and accomplishments patients prioritize during their selection process. OBJECTIVE: Our primary aim is to delve deeper into the correlation between physicians' static characteristics-such as their qualifications, experiences, and profiles on the internet-and the number of patient visits they receive. We seek to achieve this by analyzing comprehensive internet hospital data from public hospitals. Furthermore, we aim to offer insights into how doctors can present themselves more effectively on web-based platforms, thereby attracting more patients and improving overall patient satisfaction. METHODS: We retrospectively gathered web-based diagnosis and treatment data from the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University in 2023. These data underwent rigorous analysis, encompassing basic descriptive statistics, correlation analyses between key factors in doctors' internet-based introductions, and the number of patient consultation visits. Additionally, we conducted subgroup analyses to ascertain the independence of these vital factors. To further distill the essence from these data, we used nonnegative matrix factorization to identify crucial demographic characteristics that significantly impact patient choice. RESULTS: The statistical results suggested that there were significant differences in the distribution of consultation volume (P<.001), and the correlation analysis results suggested that there was a strong correlation between the two groups of data (ρ=0.93; P<.001). There was a correlation between the richness of a profile and popularity (P<.001). Patients were more interested in physicians with advanced titles, doctoral degrees, social activities, and scientific achievements (P<.001) as well as other institutional visit experiences (P=.003). More prosperous social activities, scientific achievements, experiences of other institutional visits, and awards were more common among people with advanced professional titles. Doctoral degrees remained attractive to patients when data were limited to senior physicians (P<.001). Patients trusted the medical staff with advanced titles, social activities, scientific achievements, and doctoral degrees (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Patient preferences for choosing a health care provider differed significantly between free and paid consultations. Notably, patients tended to trust doctors with advanced professional titles more and were more likely to seek out those with doctoral qualifications over other professional ranks. Additionally, physicians who actively participated in social events and scientific endeavors often had an advantage in attracting new patients. Given these insights, doctors who invest in enhancing their personal and professional experiences within these domains are likely to see increased popularity and patient satisfaction.

Effects of Internal Stress and Hydrogen Penetration on the Performance of Er2O3 Coatings as Hydrogen Permeation Barriers.

Ceramic coatings that can effectively prevent hydrogen permeation have a wide range of applications in hydrogen energy and nuclear fusion reactors. In this study, for the first time, the internal stress of Er2O3 coatings was found to be a key factor that could determine their hydrogen permeation resistance and lifespan. The internal stress was controlled by designing layered Er2O3 coatings. The internal stress increased with an increasing number of Er2O3 layers. When the number of layers was below 15, the increased internal stress did not adversely affect the coating performance and might help to increase its hydrogen permeation resistance. Although the overall thickness of the 15-layer Er2O3 coating was only 97 nm, its hydrogen permeation reduction factor (PRF) reached the highest value of 626, whereas a further increase in the internal stress detrimentally affected the ability of the coating to reduce hydrogen permeation. In addition, the experimental observations and simulation results revealed that the performance of the Er2O3 coatings was related to the hydrogen atoms that penetrated the coating, which weakened the Er-O bonds and consequently decreased the Er2O3 fracture limit. This study provides insights into the effects of internal stress and hydrogen penetration on the performance of ceramic coatings as hydrogen permeation barriers and will help guide strategies for the structure design of hydrogen permeation barriers possessing high PRFs and long lifespans.

Applications of Genomics, Metabolomics, Fourier Transform Infrared in the Evaluation of Spoilage Targets of Shewanella putrefaciens from Spoiled Bigeye Tuna.

Shewanella putrefaciens is a typical spoiler that is commonly found in seafood and has high spoilage potential. However, the spoilage mechanism against Shewanella putrefaciens at the gene and metabolism levels has not been well elucidated. This work determined the spoilage targets on Shewanella putrefaciens XY07 from spoiled bigeye tuna by genome sequencing, metabolomics, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. Shewanella putrefaciens XY07 contained some genes on spoilage regulating of cys genes, his genes, spe genes and rpoS gene involved in sulfur metabolism, histidine metabolism, arginine and proline degradation, and biofilm formation at the genome level, respectively. Some spoilage genes like speC, cysM, trxB genes were identified. In addition, ABC transporters, arginine and proline metabolism; beta-alanine metabolism; glycine, serine, and threonine metabolism; histidine metabolism; sulfur metabolism; and lipid metabolism were identified as important pathways related to aquatic food during spoilage, which indicated the functions of amino acid degradation in S. putrefaciens XY 07 by metabolomics analysis. The metabolites of l-ornithine, 5-aminopentanoate, and 4-aminobutyraldehyde could be further metabolized to spermidine and spermine, producing a spoilage odor, and were involved in arginine and proline metabolism serving as key spoilage regulating metabolisms. Therefore, Shewanella putrefaciens XY07 was applied to genomics, metabolomics analysis, and FTIR to provide comprehensive insight into the investigation of spoilage targets.

Solitary extramedullary plasmacytoma of the left main bronchus: A case report and literature review.

Tracheal tumors are rare, accounting for 0.1% of all malignancies. Squamous cell carcinoma and adenoid cystic carcinoma are the two most prevalent tracheal cancers. Less than 20 cases of extramedullary plasmacytoma in the trachea and main bronchus have ever been documented in the literature, making it extremely uncommon. Although the origin of these lesions is unclear, viral pathogenesis and persistent inflammation are thought to be the main causes. Clinically, these individuals exhibit vague symptoms such as stridor, a persistent cough, dyspnea, or wheezing, making a correct diagnosis difficult.

Development and Prospect of Vacuum High-Pressure Gas Quenching Technology.

As industrial modernization surges forward, the heat treatment industry strives for lower pollution, reduced oxidation and defects, minimized waste, and automatization. This paper reviews the mechanisms, processes, equipment, and simulations of the vacuum gas quenching technology, presenting a comprehensive account of the structure and working principle of a typical vacuum gas quenching furnace. Firstly, the mechanism of the heat transfer process, flow process, and flow-heat transfer-phase transition coupling were summarized. Then, the influences of process parameters on the mechanical properties and distortion of vacuum gas quenched workpieces, as well as the process optimization methods, were discussed. Finally, the advantages of vacuum gas quenching in energy saving, low pollution, and high efficiency were introduced, with the future development directions figured out.

Iodine values, peroxide values and acid values of Bohai algae oil compared with other oils during the cooking.

Objective: Bohai algae oil contains polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid), which are the very important polyunsaturated fatty acids for the human body. In Traditional Chinese Cooking, all cooking methods cannot do without oils. However, the heat of cooking may always lead to formation of large amounts of decomposition products that affect the sensory, nutritional and functional quality of the oils to be unhealthy and the products being cooked, especially the food or edible oil rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Therefore, the objective of this study was to research the effect and change of heating on the quality characteristics of Bohai algae oil comparison with soybean oil and olive oil. Method: Quality characteristics such as the iodine values (IVs), peroxide values (POVs) and acid values (AVs) of Bohai algae oil, soybean oil and olive oil were measured, cooking conditions as factors of the study. Result: The POVs percentage changes of Bohai algae oil were larger than the IVs and AVs percentage changes. Bohai algae oil was better heated in a microwave oven at microwave P-20 within 3min, microwave P-60 and P-H1 within 2min, or in induction cooker at 1500w within 1min, or on electric stove (direct heated) within 2min. Conclusion: Bohai algae oil was suitable used for low-temperature and short-time cooking or for salad. This study has important significance for promoting the commercial value and extensive application of Bohai algae oil in daily cooking. It plays a theoretical significance role in Bohai algae oil's better processing and traditional chinese cooking. It can improve product quality to further expand the food processing research scope of Bohai algae oil and increase the richness, diversity and universality of edible methods of Bohai algae oil.

Effect of Grain Size on the Tribological Behavior of CoCrFeMnNi High Entropy Alloy.

The effect and mechanism of grain sizes on the tribological behavior of CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy (HEA) were studied by friction experiments and wear morphology analysis. Under normal low load and low sliding speed, the primary wear mechanism of the HEA samples is adhesive wear. With the increase in sliding speed, the wear mechanisms of the samples are adhesive wear and oxidation wear. The oxide layer formed under the action of friction heat of the coarse grain (CG) sample is easy to break due to the softening of the CG. With the increase of normal load and sliding speed, the wear mechanisms of the HEA samples are mainly adhesive wear, oxidation wear, and plastic deformation. The oxide layer of CG sample has many cracks, and the worn surface also has plastic deformation, which leads to the increase of friction coefficient and specific wear rate and the decrease of wear resistance. Therefore, the fine grain size HEA sample has better wear resistance than the CG sample due to its high surface strength.

Outcome Prediction of Spontaneous Supratentorial Intracerebral Hemorrhage after Surgical Treatment Based on Non-Contrast Computed Tomography: A Multicenter Study.

This study aims to explore the value of a machine learning (ML) model based on radiomics features and clinical features in predicting the outcome of spontaneous supratentorial intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) 90 days after surgery. A total of 348 patients with sICH underwent craniotomy evacuation of hematoma from three medical centers. One hundred and eight radiomics features were extracted from sICH lesions on baseline CT. Radiomics features were screened using 12 feature selection algorithms. Clinical features included age, gender, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), midline shift (MLS), and deep ICH. Nine ML models were constructed based on clinical feature, and clinical features + radiomics features, respectively. Grid search was performed on different combinations of feature selection and ML model for parameter tuning. The averaged receiver operating characteristics (ROC) area under curve (AUC) was calculated and the model with the largest AUC was selected. It was then tested using multicenter data. The combination of lasso regression feature selection and logistic regression model based on clinical features + radiomics features had the best performance (AUC: 0.87). The best model predicted an AUC of 0.85 (95%CI, 0.75-0.94) on the internal test set and 0.81 (95%CI, 0.64-0.99) and 0.83 (95%CI, 0.68-0.97) on the two external test sets, respectively. Twenty-two radiomics features were selected by lasso regression. The second-order feature gray level non-uniformity normalized was the most important radiomics feature. Age is the feature with the greatest contribution to prediction. The combination of clinical features and radiomics features using logistic regression models can improve the outcome prediction of patients with sICH 90 days after surgery.

Improvement of Carbonyl Groups and Surface Defects in Carbon Nanotubes to Activate Peroxydisulfate for Tetracycline Degradation.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were considered a promising activator for persulfates due to their high electrical conductivity, large specific surface area and low toxicity. The functional groups and surface defects of CNTs could significantly affect their activation performance. In this study, CNTs with high C=O ratio and defect density (CNT-O-H) were prepared through a facile treatment of raw CNTs with HNO3 oxidation followed by calcination at 800 °C under an argon atmosphere. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Raman results showed that the C=O proportion and defect degree (ID/IG) rose to 75% and 1.53, respectively. The obtained CNT-O-H possessed a superior performance towards peroxydisulfate (PDS) activation, and the degradation efficiency of tetracycline (TC) in the CNT-O-H/PDS system was increased to 75.2% from 56.2% of the raw CNTs/PDS system within 40 min. Moreover, the activity of CNT-O-H after use could be easily recovered with re-calcination. In addition, the CNT-O-H/PDS system exhibited high adaptabilities towards wide solution pH (2-10), common coexisting substances and diverse organic pollutants. Singlet oxygen (1O2) was confirmed to be the dominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated in the CNT-O-H/PDS system. It was inferred that surface C=O groups and defects of CNTs were the key site to activate PDS for TC degradation.

Ferroelectricity in Niobium Oxide Dihalides NbOX2 (X = Cl, I): A Macroscopic- to Microscopic-Scale Study.

2D materials with ferroelectric and piezoelectric properties are of interest for energy harvesting, memory storage and electromechanical systems. Here, we present a systematic study of the ferroelectric properties in NbOX2 (X = Cl, I) across different spatial scales. The in-plane ferroelectricity in NbOX2 was investigated using transport and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) measurements, where it was observed that NbOCl2 has a stronger ferroelectric order than NbOI2. A high local field, exerted by both PFM and scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) tips, was found to induce 1D collinear ferroelectric strips in NbOCl2. STM imaging reveals the unreconstructed atomic structures of NbOX2 surfaces, and scanning tunneling spectroscopy was used to probe the electronic states induced at defect (vacancy) sites.