Photothermal Synergistic Catalysis over Defective Zn3In2S6 for CO2 Fixation.

Carbon dioxide (CO2) cycloaddition not only produces highly valued cyclic carbonate but also utilizes CO2 as C1 resources with 100% atomic efficiency. However, traditional catalytic routes still suffer from inferior catalytic efficiency and harsh reaction conditions. Developing multienergy-field catalytic technology with expected efficiency offers great opportunity for satisfied yield under mild conditions. Herein, Zn3In2S6 with sulfur vacancies (Sv) was fabricated with the assistance of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), which is further employed for photothermally driven CO2 cycloaddition first. Photoluminescence spectroscopy and photoelectrochemical characterization demonstrated its superior separation kinetics of photoinduced carriers induced by defect engineering. The temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) technique indicated its excellent Lewis acidity-basicity characters. Due to the combination of above merits from photocatalysis and thermal catalysis, defective Zn3In2S6-Sv achieved a yield as high as 73.2% for cyclic carbonate at 80 °C under blue LED illumination within 2 h (apparent quantum yield of 0.468% under illumination of 380 nm monochromatic light at 36 mW·cm-2), which is 2.9, 2.0, and 6.9 times higher than that in dark conditions and those of pristine Zn3In2S6 and industrial representative tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) thermal-catalysis process under the same conditions, respectively. The synergistic reaction path of photocatalysis and thermal catalysis was discriminated by theoretical calculation. This work provides new insights into the photothermal synergistic catalysis CO2 cycloaddition with defective ternary metal sulfides.

First Report of Leaf Rot Caused by Apiospora paraphaeosperma on Lily in Wuhan, China.

Lily (Lilium spp.) is a valuable ornamental bulb flower plant in Liliaceae, and its bulbs have high edible and medicinal value. Compared with bulb propagation of other lilies, seed propagation and short growth period are the most significant characteristics of Lilium×formolongi. In 2023, leaf rot disease (LRD) was observed on approximately 70% of the Lilium×formolongi seedlings sown in an experimental greenhouse in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. Irregular brown water-soaked spots were discovered in the early stages of infected seedlings. Then, spots spread throughout the leaves and caused the leaves to brown, soften, and wilted. A pathogen associated with symptoms was isolated by incubating sterilized leaves on potato dextrose agar plates at 25 ℃ for 2-3 days. Then, a pure single colony was isolated through a single hyphal tip isolation method. The fungal colony was white with abundant aerial mycelium and produced a yellow pigment diffusible into the agar. Microscopically, isolated mycelia were reticulate and pale yellow, while conidia were dark brown, smooth, and spherical, 7.31 to 6.98 × 4.03 to 3.87µm (average 5.44×5.41µm; n=30); oval in lateral view, and had a light stripe in the middle. To identify the species of the fungus at the molecular level, ITS and EF-1α genes were amplified and sequenced using primers ITS1/ITS4 (M Gardes et al. 1993) and 758F/986R (Carbone and Kohn 1999). The BLAST results in GenBank showed that the ITS(OR523578) and EF-1α(PP066842) sequences of LRD shared 99.82% and 99.24% identity with the distinct Apiospora paraphaeosperma strains (GenBank accession MT040110, ON806628.1, respectively). Combined with the morphology of the colony and conidium, the fungus was identified as Ap. paraphaeosperma. In the pathogenicity test, six healthy leaves were inoculated with mycelium disc and then kept in an incubator (22 ℃, 90% humidity, 16h light /8h darkness). The inoculated leaves showed necrosis and wilt symptoms similar to those observed in the greenhouse, while the control leaves were asymptomatic. A re-isolation, morphology identification and DNA sequencing of the fungus confirmed its infection with Ap. paraphaeosperma in Lilium spp. At present, rot caused by Ap. paraphaeosperma has only been reported in Thailand and South Korea, both of which are found on bamboo stems (Hyde et al. 2016; Sun Lul Kwon et al. 2022). As far as we know, this is the first report of leaf rot of lily caused by Ap. paraphaeosperma in China. This report can help identify this disease and further develop effective control measures.

Different antithrombotic strategies after coronary artery bypass grafting to prevent adverse events: a retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is associated with antithrombotic therapy in terms of postoperative adverse events; however, it is still unknown whether the early use of such drugs after CABG is safe and effective. In this study, we aim to evaluate the relationship between different postoperative antithrombotic strategies and in-hospital adverse events in patients undergoing isolated coronary artery bypass grafting surgery. METHODS: This was a single-center, retrospective cohort analysis of patients undergoing isolated CABG due to coronary artery disease (CAD) between 2001 and 2012. Data were extracted from the Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care III database. The patients involved were divided into the ASA (aspirin 81 mg per day only) or DAPT (aspirin plus clopidogrel 75 mg per day) group according to the antiplatelet strategy. Patients were also stratified into subgroups based on the type of anticoagulation. The in-hospital risk of bleeding and adverse events was investigated and compared between groups. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed to reduce the potential effects of a selection bias. RESULTS: A total of 3274 patients were included in this study, with 2358 in the ASA group and 889 in the DAPT group. Following the PSM, no significant difference was seen in the risk of major bleeding between the two groups according to the PLATO, TIMI or GUSTO criteria. There was no difference in the postoperative mortality. In subgroup analysis, patients given anticoagulant therapy had an increased incidence of bleeding-related events. Multivariable analysis revealed that postoperative anticoagulant therapy and the early use of heparin, but not DAPT, were independent predictors of bleeding-related events. CONCLUSIONS: Postoperative DAPT was not associated with an increased occurrence of bleeding-related events in patients undergoing isolated CABG and appears to be a safe antiplatelet therapy. The addition of anticoagulants to antiplatelet therapy increased the risk of bleeding and should be considered cautiously in clinical practice.

Extending the Cycle Lifetime of Solid-State Zinc-Air Batteries by Arranging Stable Zinc Species Channels.

The solid-state zinc-air batteries have attracted extensive attention due to their high theoretical energy density, high safety, and the compact structure. In this work, a novel hydrogel solid-state electrolyte was developed that was equipped with an interpenetrating network of zinc polyacrylate (PAZn) and polyacrylamide (PAM). At the same time, a cyclodextrin derivative with sulfonate groups was introduced as an additive. From the design of anionic groups in the network, effective and stable channels for zinc species have been established. The unique structure of the additives regulates the uniform deposition of zinc. After using this solid-state electrolyte, the cycle lifetime of solid-state zinc-air batteries assembled have been significantly extended. The byproducts were greatly suppressed and generated the smooth zinc electrode surface after the charge-discharge cycling.

Renewable lignin-derived heteroatom-doped porous carbon nanosheets as an efficient oxygen reduction catalyst for rechargeable zinc-air batteries.

Lignin upgrading to various functional products is promising to realize high-value utilization of low-cost and renewable biomass waste, but is still in its infancy. Herein, using industry waste lignosulfonate as the biomass-based carbon source and urea as the dopant, we constructed a heteroatom-doped porous carbon nanosheet structure by a simple NaCl template-assisted pyrolytic strategy. Through the synergistic effect of the NaCl template and urea, the optimized lignin-derived porous carbon catalyst with high content of active nitrogen species and large specific surface area can be obtained. As a result, the fabricated catalysts exhibited excellent electrocatalytic oxygen reduction activity, as well as good methanol tolerance and stability, comparable to that of commercial Pt/C. Moreover, rechargeable Zn-air batteries assembled with this electrocatalyst have a peak power density of up to 150 mW cm-2 and prominent long-term cycling stability. This study offers an inexpensive and efficient way for the massive production of highly active metal-free catalysts from the plentiful, inexpensive and environmentally friendly lignin, offering a good direction for biomass waste recycling and utilization.

Atomic-Level Tailoring of the Electronic Metal-Support Interaction Between Pt-Co3O4 Interfaces for High Hydrogen Evolution Performance.

Atomic-level modulation of the metal-oxide interface is considered an effective approach to optimize the electronic structure and catalytic activity of metal catalysts but remains highly challenging. Here, we employ the atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique together with a heteroatom doping strategy to effectively tailor the electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) at the metal-oxide interface on the atomic level, thereby achieving high hydrogen evolution performance and Pt utilization. Theoretical calculations reveal that the doping of N atoms in Co3O4 significantly adjusts the EMSI between Pt-Co3O4 interfaces and, consequently, alters the d-band center of Pt and optimizes the adsorption/desorption of reaction intermediates. This work sheds light on the atomic-level regulation and mechanistic understanding of the EMSI in metal-oxide, while providing guidance for the development of advanced EMSI electrocatalysts for various future energy applications.

Revealing the environmental hazard posed by biodegradable microplastics in aquatic ecosystems: An investigation of polylactic acid's effects on Microcystis aeruginosa.

The influence of petroleum-based microplastics (MPs) on phytoplankton has been extensively studied, while research on the impact of biodegradable MPs, derived from alternative plastics to contest the environmental crisis, remains limited. This study performed a 63 days co-incubation experiment to assess the effect of polylactic acid MPs (PLA-MPs) on the growth, physiology, and carbon utilization of M. aeruginosa and the change in PLA-MPs surface properties. The results showed that despite PLA-MPs induced oxidative stress and caused membrane damage in M. aeruginosa, the presence of PLA-MPs (10, 50, and 200 mg/L) triggered significant increases (p < 0.05) in the density of M. aeruginosa after 63 days. Specifically, the algal densities upon 50 and 200 mg/L PLA-MPs exposure were increased by 20.91% and 36.31% relative to the control, respectively. Meanhwhile, the reduced C/O ratio on PLA-MPs surface and change in PLA-MPs morphological characterization, which is responsible for substantially increase in the aquatic dissolved inorganic carbon concentration during the co-incubation, implying the degradation of PLA-MPs; thus, provided sufficient carbon resources that M. aeruginosa could assimilate. This was in line with the declined intracellular carbonic anhydrase content in M. aeruginosa. This study is the first attempt to uncover the interaction between PLA-MPs and M. aeruginosa, and the finding that their interaction promotes the degrading of PLA-MPs meanwhile favoring M. aeruginosa growth will help elucidate the potential risk of biodegradable MPs in aquatic environment.

Suspended particulate matter-biofilm aggregates benefit microcystin removal in turbulent water but trigger toxicity toward Daphnia magna.

Suspended particulate matter (SPM) and biofilm are critical in removing contaminants in aquatic environments, but the environmental behavior and ecological toxicity of SPM-biofilm aggregates modulated by turbulence intensities are largely unknown. This study determined the removal pathways of microcystin-LR (MC-LR) by SPM and its biofilm under different turbulence intensities (2.25 × 10-3, 1.01 × 10-2, and 1.80 × 10-2 m2/s3). Then, we evaluated the toxicity of SPM-biofilm aggregates to Daphnia magna. The results revealed that SPM contributed to the adsorption of MC-LR, and the removal of MC-LR can be accelerated with biofilm formation on SPM, with 95.66 % to 97.45 % reduction in MC-LR concentration under the studied turbulence intensities. Higher turbulence intensity triggered more frequent contact of SPM and MC-LR, formed compact but smaller clusters of SPM-biofilm aggregates, and enhanced the abundance of mlrA and mlrB; thus benefiting the adsorption, biosorption, and biodegradation of MC-LR. Furthermore, the SPM-biofilm aggregates formed in turbulent water triggered oxidative stress to Daphnia magna, while a weak lethal toxic effect was identified under moderate turbulence intensity. The results indicate that the toxicity of SPM-biofilm aggregates fail to display a linear relationship with turbulence intensity. These findings offer new perspectives on understanding the environmental behavior and ecological outcomes of SPM and its biofilms in turbulent aquatic environments.