Enhancing Efficiency and High-Value Chemicals Generation through Coupling Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction with Propane Oxidation.

Conversion of CO2 into high-value chemicals using solar energy is one of promising approaches to achieve carbon neutrality. However, the oxidation of water in the photocatalytic CO2 reduction is kinetically unfavorable due to multi-electron and proton transfer processes, along with the difficulty in generating O-O bonds. To tackle these challenges, this study investigated the coupling reaction of photocatalytic CO2 reduction and selective propane oxidation using the Pd/P25 (1 wt%) catalyst. Our findings reveal a significant improvement in CO2 reduction, nearly fivefold higher, achieved by substituting water oxidation with selective propane oxidation. This substitution not only accelerates the process of CO2 reduction but also yields valuable propylene. The relative ease of propane oxidation, compared to water, appears to increase the density of photogenerated electrons, ultimately enhancing the efficiency of CO2 reduction. We further found that hydroxyl radicals and reduced intermediate (carboxylate species) played important roles in the photocatalytic reaction. These findings not only propose a potential approach for the efficient utilization of CO2 through the coupling of selective propane oxidation into propylene, but also provide insights into the mechanistic understanding of the coupling reaction.

Systematic strategies for developing phage resistant Escherichia coli strains.

Phages are regarded as powerful antagonists of bacteria, especially in industrial fermentation processes involving bacteria. While bacteria have developed various defense mechanisms, most of which are effective against a narrow range of phages and consequently exert limited protection from phage infection. Here, we report a strategy for developing phage-resistant Escherichia coli strains through the simultaneous genomic integration of a DNA phosphorothioation-based Ssp defense module and mutations of components essential for the phage life cycle. The engineered E. coli strains show strong resistance against diverse phages tested without affecting cell growth. Additionally, the resultant engineered phage-resistant strains maintain the capabilities of producing example recombinant proteins, D-amino acid oxidase and coronavirus-encoded nonstructural protein nsp8, even under high levels of phage cocktail challenge. The strategy reported here will be useful for developing engineered E. coli strains with improved phage resistance for various industrial fermentation processes for producing recombinant proteins and chemicals of interest.

Embracing Responsible Leadership and Enhancing Organizational Citizenship Behavior for the Environment: A Social Identity Perspective.

Although organizational citizenship behavior for the environment (OCBE) literature has highlighted the critical role of leadership on the emergence of OCBE, there is still room for further research exploration of how and when leaders influence subordinates' OCBE. According to social identity theory, we propose a theoretical model that responsible leadership promotes subordinates' OCBE by examining subordinates' moral identity as a mediator and individualism as a boundary condition. Using a sample of 273 collected in China, results indicated that responsible leadership was positively related to subordinates' moral identity, which in turn was positively related to subordinates' OCBE. Subordinates' moral identity partially mediated the relationship between responsible leadership and their OCBE. In addition, both the relationship between responsible leadership and subordinates' moral identity and the indirect relationship between responsible leadership and subordinates' OCBE were stronger when individualism was lower. These findings provide novel insights into how responsible leadership influences OCBE and how such influence is shaped by subordinates' individualism.

lncRNA XIST knockdown suppresses hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced apoptosis of H9C2 cells by regulating miR-545-3p/G3BP2.

This study was aimed at determining the roles and functions of lncRNA XIST/miR-545-3p/G3BP2 axis during hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R)-induced H9C2 cell apoptosis. H9C2 cells were distributed into two groups, the H/R injury and control groups. High-throughput lncRNA sequencing was applied in the determination of differentially expressed lncRNAs between H/R-induced H9C2 cells and normal H9C2 cells. Real-time polymerase chain reactions (RT-PCR) were used to confirm the expression levels of lncRNA XIST in H/R-induced H9C2 cells. H9C2 cells were then transfected with lncRNA XIST recombinant plasmid (lncRNA XIST), sh-LINC XIST, agomiR-545-3p, antagomiR-545-3p, pcDNA-G3BP2, sh-G3BP2, and a corresponding negative control (NC). Bioinformatic analyses revealed that MiR-545-3p was a target for lncRNA XIST. This finding was confirmed by dual-luciferase reporter assay. The degree of cell apoptosis was evaluated by a flow cytometer. RT-PCR and western blot were performed to assess the apoptotic-related proteins in each group. A total of 859 differentially expressed lncRNAs (up-regulated = 502, down-regulated = 357) were identified. LncRNA XIST was found to be down-regulated in H/R-induced H9C2 cells while miR-545-3p was distinctly up-regulated. miR-545-3p was established to be a direct target for LncRNA XIST. LncRNA XIST significantly enhanced the apoptotic rate, while its inhibition suppressed the apoptotic rate. AgomiR-545-3p partially blocked the lncRNA XIST and enhanced the apoptosis of H/R-induced H9C2 cells. Moreover, miR-545-3p was shown to be a direct target for G3BP2. The overexpression of G3BP2 partially reversed the apoptotic effects of miR-545-3p on H/R-induced H9C2 cells. lncRNA XIST/miR-545-3p/GBP2 was found to be an apoptotic regulator in H/R-induced H9C2 cells.

How to Promote Ethnic Village Residents' Behavior Participating in Tourism Poverty Alleviation: A Tourism Empowerment Perspective.

Local villagers are regarded as the main part of tourism development in the ethnic village, their participation in tourism poverty alleviation has a vital impact on sustainable tourism development and poverty reduction. Based on the planned behavior theory and capacity approach theory, we investigated the influence of tourism empowerment on ethnic village residents' behavior participating in tourism poverty alleviation, especially focusing on the mediating effect of participation willingness and the moderating effect of participation ability. We took Zenlei Village in Sandu County of Guizhou Province in China as research subjects and analyzed 239 valid samples through the structural equation model and hierarchical regression. The results indicate that: (a) Tourism empowerment has a remarkable positive effect on participation behavior. (b) Participation willingness plays a partial mediating role between tourism empowerment and participation behavior. (c) Participation ability positively moderates the positive relationships between tourism economic empowerment, tourism psychological empowerment, and participation willingness. That is, the positive relationships between tourism economic empowerment, tourism psychological empowerment, and participation willingness would be stronger when villagers have higher participation ability. Whereas, participation ability has not yet played a moderating role between tourism social empowerment, tourism political empowerment, and participation willingness.

Hot Deformation Behavior and Microstructural Evolution of a Novel ß-Solidifying Ti-43Al-3Mn-2Nb-0.1Y Alloy.

In this paper, the hot deformability and mechanical properties of a novel Mn- and Nb- containing TiAl alloy were studied systematically with the use of isothermal compression experiments. The results show that the alloy has low deformation resistance and a low activation energy (392 KJ/mol), suggesting that the alloy has good hot deformability. A processing map was established, which shows that the present alloy has a smaller instability region and wider hot working window compared with other TiAl alloys. Microstructural observation shows that the initial lamellae completely transformed into fine equiaxial γ grains when the alloy was compressed at 1200 °C/0.01 s-1, which corresponds to the optimum deformation condition. Based on the above results, an intact TiAl billet was successfully fabricated by one-step large deformation using a four-column hydraulic machine. The microstructure of the billet is almost completely composed of recrystallized γ grains with large angle boundaries. Tensile testing shows the billet exhibits high tensile strength (780 MPa) and high elongation (1.44%) simultaneously, which benefits from fine γ grains with an average size of 4.9 µm. The ductile-brittle transition temperature is between 750-800 °C.

Effects of titanium dioxide nanoparticles on lead bioconcentration and toxicity on thyroid endocrine system and neuronal development in zebrafish larvae.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have attracted considerable attention because of their wide range of applications. Interactions between heavy metals (e.g., Pb) and NPs in aquatic environments may modify the bioavailability and toxicity of heavy metals. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of NPs (e.g., nano-TiO2) on the bioavailability and toxicity of Pb and its effects in the thyroid endocrine and nervous systems of zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae. Zebrafish embryos (2-h post-fertilization) were exposed to five concentrations of Pb alone (0, 5, 10, 20, and 30µg/L) or in combination with nano-TiO2 (0.1mg/L) until 6 days post-fertilization. Results showed that the bioconcentration of Pb was significantly enhanced when combined with nano-TiO2 than when used alone. Zebrafish exposure to Pb alone at 30µg/L significantly decreased the thyroid hormone levels (T4 and T3), whereas nano-TiO2 treatment alone did not produce detectable changes. The levels of T4 and T3 were further decreased when Pb was combined with nano-TiO2 than when used alone. The transcription of the thyroid hormone-related factor tg gene was remarkably down-regulated by Pb treatment alone but up-regulated when Pb was combined with nano-TiO2. The significant up-regulation of tshß gene and the down-regulation of TTR gene expression in the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid were observed in Pb with or without nano-TiO2 treatment groups. In addition, the transcription of genes involved in central nervous system (CNS) development (α-tubulin, mbp, gfap and shha) were significantly down-regulated by Pb and nano-TiO2 co-exposure as compared with Pb exposure alone. The locomotion activity analyzes confirmed that nano-TiO2 might enhance the toxicity of Pb to CNS development. These results suggest that nano-TiO2 increase bioconcentration of lead, which lead to the disruption of thyroid endocrine and neuronal system in zebrafish larvae.