Plasmonic ternary hybrid photocatalyst based on polymeric g-C3N4 towards visible light hydrogen generation.

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of noble metal nanoparticles (NPs) for photocatalysis has a significant enhancement. In this system, a plasmonic ternary hybrid photocatalyst of Ag/AgBr/g-C3N4 was synthetized and used in water splitting to generation H2 under visible light irradiation. 18%Ag/AgBr/g-C3N4 showed the highest photoactivity, with the efficiency of hydrogen generation as high as 27-fold to that of pristine g-C3N4. Compared to simple mixture of Ag/AgBr and g-C3N4, hetero-composite Ag/AgBr/g-C3N4 showed a higher photoactivity, even though they contained same content of Ag/AgBr. We find that significant factors for enhancing properties were the synergistic effect between Ag/AgBr and g-C3N4, and the light absorption enhancing by SPR effect of Ag NPs. Ag/AgBr NPs firmly anchored on the surface of g-C3N4 and their high dispersion were also responsible for the improved activity and long-term recycling ability. The structure of Ag/AgBr/g-C3N4 hybrid materials and their enhancement to photocatalytic activity were discussed. Meanwhile, the possible reaction mechanism of this system was proposed.

Bio-inspired Z-scheme g-C3N4/Ag2CrO4 for efficient visible-light photocatalytic hydrogen generation.

Due to low charge separation efficiency and poor stability, it is usually difficult for single-component photocatalysts such as graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and silver chromate (Ag2CrO4) to fulfill photocatalytic hydrogen production efficiently. Z-scheme charge transport mechanism that mimics the photosynthesis in nature is an effective way to solve the above problems. Inspired by photosynthesis, we report Ag2CrO4 nanoparticles-decorated g-C3N4 nanosheet as an efficient photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) with methanol as sacrificial agent. The formation of Z-scheme g-C3N4/Ag2CrO4 nanosheets photocatalysts could inhibit the recombination of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, promote the generation of hydrogen by photosplitting of water. The experiment results indicate that g-C3N4/Ag2CrO4 nanocomposites present enhanced photocatalytic activity and stability in the H2 evolution of water splitting. And the nanocomposites g-C3N4/Ag2CrO4(23.1%) show the 14 times HER efficiency compared to that of bare g-C3N4.

Monozygotic twins with infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy: A case report and literature review.

Infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy (INAD) is a rare neurodegenerative disease with early onset. PLA2G6 gene mutations have been identified in the majority individuals with INAD. In future, molecular diagnosis of INAD will replace the invasive biopsies used previously. In the present report, monozygotic male twins with INAD were referred The Children's Hospital (Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Zhejiang, China) at fifteen months old for delayed development. The older brother was found to have developmental stagnation when he was 6 months old. The patient could not stand securely without support, and had poor eye tracking and listening ability. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the patient's brain revealed cerebellar atrophy and electromyography identified signs of peripheral neuropathy. The younger brother displayed similar clinical features and findings. Two different phospholipase A2 group VI (PLA2G6; 22q13.1) gene mutations were detected in the twins by DNA sequencing. The results of the present study indicate that neurogenetic disease should be considered when child patients present with idiopathic developmental stagnation, particularly when similar cases have appeared in the same family. In addition, INAD should be considered as a possible diagnosis when the patient has developmental delay of the central and peripheral nerves. In the future, molecular genetic testing will be the primary method of INAD diagnosis, enabling better prevention of this genetic disease.

[Translocation and transformation characteristics of fertilizer nitrogen in paddy soil: a study with simulated soil column].

Aimed to understand the translocation and transformation characteristics of applied fertilizer nitrogen in paddy soil, a simulated soil column experiment was conducted in laboratory to study the variations of soil mineral nitrogen along the profile under the application of 360 mg x kg(-1) (3 folds of conventional application rate) of urea- and ammonium sulfate nitrogen. In the experimental period, the soil NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N contents in the control (no fertilization) had less change, and no significant differences among different soil layers. Applying urea- and ammonium sulfate nitrogen resulted in a significant increase of soil NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N in 0-50 mm layer, being 186.0-2882.1 mg x kg(-1) and 268.7-351.5 mg x kg(-1), and 4.8-242 times and 5.7-316 times of those in CK, respectively. However, the NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N contents below 50 mm soil depth were similar to those in CK, indicating that the translocation and transformation of applied fertilizer nitrogen mainly occurred in 0-50 mm soil layer. The translocation of fertilizer nitrogen mostly occurred in the first 14 days after fertilization. In the whole experimental period, the NH4(+)-N and NO3(-)-N contents in each soil layer under the application of ammonium sulfate were 0.7-2.0 times of those under the application of urea, and the nitrification rate was 0.9-1.4 times of that, suggesting the higher transformation rate of applied ammonium sulfate in paddy soil, as compared with applied urea.

[Temperature sensitivity of organic C mineralization in gray forest soils after land use conversion].

A laboratory incubation test was conducted to study the organic C mineralization in gray forest soils after land use conversion and the temperature sensitivity of the mineralization. It was shown that after the conversion from wildwood land to farmland, the organic C and total N contents in 0-10 cm and 10-20 cm soil layers decreased by 68.5% and 76.8%, and 40.5% and 44.4%, and the average mineralization rate and cumulative mineralization of soil organic C in farmland were 24.4%-43.2% and 9.20%-13.7% of those in wildwood land, respectively. At lower temperature (< 25 degrees C), there was no significant difference in the temperature sensitivity of soil organic C mineralization between the two land use types; while at higher temperature ( > 25 degrees C), this temperature sensitivity in farmland soil was higher in 0-10 cm layer but significantly lower in 10-20 cm layer, compared with that in wildwood land soil.

[Influences of humic acids on the dissimilatory iron reduction of red soil in anaerobic condition].

Iron oxide is abundant in red soil. Reduction and oxidation of iron oxide are important biogeochemical processes. In this paper, we reported the effects of humic acid on dissimilatory iron reduction (DISSIR) in red soil by adding glucose or humic acid (HA), under an anaerobic condition. Results indicated that DISSIR is weak for the red soil with a low content of organic matter, Glucose that act as electron donators promoted the process of DISSIR in red soil. HA added to soil solely didn't accelerate the DISSIR since it couldn't provide electron donators to microbe. However, adding of both glucose and HA promoted the DISSIR at the beginning of the incubation but then inhibited the process, which maybe caused by the effects of precipitation and adsorption of red soil. Concentrations of HA strongly affected the DISSIR, HA at low concentrations(0.20 and 0.02 g/kg) had weak effects, while HA at a high concentration (2.00 g/kg) promoted the process at the beginning and then inhibited it. HA extracted from different materials had distinct effects on the DISSIR. HA from Weathering coal of Datong in Shanxi Province (HAs), lignite of Gongxian in Henan Province (HAh) and Dianchi Lake sediment in Kunming of Yunnan Province (HAk) all promoted the DISSIR at the beginning of the incubation. However, at the end of incubation, HAk with a low aromaticity still promoted the process, while HAs and HAh with a higher aromaticity weakened the DISSIR. This may be due to the increase in adsorption of soil with the aromaticity of HA.

[Organic carbon mineralization in various size aggregates of paddy soil under aerobic and submerged conditions].

With incubation tests in laboratory, the mineralization of organic carbon in various size aggregates of paddy soil was investigated under aerobic and submerged conditions. The results showed that the organic carbon mineralization in various size aggregates decreased quickly at the beginning of the incubation, but remained stable during the late period of incubation. The mineralization rate varied significantly with the size of the aggregates. Through the incubation time, the organic carbon in 1-2 mm aggregates had the highest mineralization rate, while that in < 0.053 mm aggregates had the lowest one. Statistic analyses indicated that the mineralization rate of organic carbon in various size aggregates was significantly and linearly correlated with the contents of organic carbon and microbial biomass carbon in the aggregates. 0.25-1 mm aggregates had the highest contribution to the cumulative mineralization of soil organic carbon, accounting for 41.77% under aerobic condition and 34.11% under submerged condition, while < 0.053 mm and 1-2 mm aggregates had the lowest contribution under aerobic and submerged conditions, accounting for 7.8% and 6.6%, respectively.