Catalytic wet air oxidation of toxic containments over highly dispersed Cu(II)/Cu(I)-N species in the framework of g-C3N4.

Catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) is a harmless, cheap and effective technology for the degradation of toxic containments directly to CO2 and H2O. In this work, highly dispersed Cu(II)/Cu(I)-N that embedded in the framework of g-C3N4 (Cux-g-C3N4) were synthesized in a facile thermal polymerization method and used in the CWAO of phenols, antibiotics and vitamins. Characterization results confirmed that g-C3N4 formed in the prepared catalyst and copper was chemically coordinated with N in g-C3N4, which inhibited the aggregation of copper. Meanwhile, Cu(II) or Cu(I) in the framework of g-C3N4 was more effective for the degradation of phenol than Cu(0) and CuO, and more than 23 toxic containments could be degraded under mild conditions. The prominent performance of Cu0.1-g-C3N4 for CWAO reaction was discussed on the base of these experiments and it was disclosed that in-situ formed H2O2 might be contributed to the highly activity.

Gene Duplication and Loss of AANAT in Mammals Driven by Rhythmic Adaptations.

Arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) plays a crucial role in synchronizing internal biological functions to circadian and circannual changes. Generally speaking, only one copy of AANAT gene has been found in mammals, however, three independent duplications of this gene were detected in several cetartiodactyl lineages (i.e., Suidae, Hippopotamidae, and Pecora), which originated in the middle Eocene, a geological period characterized with the increased climate seasonality. Lineage-specific expansions of AANAT and the associated functional enhancement in these lineages strongly suggest an improvement in regulating photoperiodic response to adapt to seasonal climate changes. In contrast, independent inactivating mutations or deletions of the AANAT locus were identified in the four pineal-deficient clades (cetaceans, sirenians, xenarthrans, and pangolins). Loss of AANAT function in cetaceans and sirenians could disrupt the sleep-promoting effects of pineal melatonin, which might contribute to increasing wakefulness, adapting these clades to underwater sleep. The absence of AANAT and pineal glands in xenarthrans and pangolins may be associated with their body temperature maintenance. The present work demonstrates a far more complex and intriguing evolutionary pattern and functional diversity of mammalian AANAT genes than previously thought and provides further evidence for understanding AANAT evolution as driven by rhythmic adaptations in mammals.