Research progress on the functions, preparation and detection methods of l-fucose.

l-fucose is a six-carbon sugar that has potential applications in many fields. It exerts antitumor effects and could relieve intestinal disease. It exhibits potential as an emulsifier in the food industry. It is also used as a functional food and in anti-aging skincare products. However, at present, it is not possible to prepare high-purity l-fucose on a large scale, and its preparation needs further development. This review summarizes the preparation methods of l-fucose including chemical synthesis, enzymatic synthesis, microbial fermentation, and separation and purification from algae. The detection methods of l-fucose are also introduced in detail, such as l-fucose-specific lectin, detection l-fucose dehydrogenase, cysteine-sulfuric acid method, high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, and biosensors. In this review, the properties and pharmacological effects of l-fucose; preparation methods, and the commonly used detection methods of l-fucose are reviewed to serve as a reference material.

Epigenetic regulation of pulmonary inflammation.

Pulmonary disease such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension are the leading cause of deaths. More importantly, lung diseases are on the rise and environmental factors induced epigenetic modifications are major players on this increased prevalence. It has been reported that dysregulation of genes involved in epigenetic regulation such as the histone deacetylase (HDACs) and histone acetyltransferase (HATs) play important role in lung health and pulmonary disease pathogenesis. Inflammation is an essential component of respiratory diseases. Injury and inflammation trigger release of extracellular vesicles that can act as epigenetic modifiers through transfer of epigenetic regulators such as microRNAs (miRNAs), long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), proteins and lipids, from one cell to another. The immune dysregulations caused by the cargo contents are important contributors of respiratory disease pathogenesis. N6 methylation of RNA is also emerging to be a critical mechanism of epigenetic alteration and upregulation of immune responses to environmental stressors. Epigenetic changes such as DNA methylation are stable and often long term and cause onset of chronic lung conditions. These epigenetic pathways are also being utilized for therapeutic intervention in several lung conditions.

Revealing the release and migration mechanism of heavy metals in typical carbonate tailings, East China.

Refining the occurrence characteristics of tailings hazardous materials at source is of great importance for pollution management and ecological reclamation. However, the release and transport of heavy metals (HMs) from tailings under rainfall drenching in simulated real-world environments is less well portrayed, particularly highlighting the inherent neutralisation in tailings wastes under superimposed dynamic conditions. In this study, dynamic leaching columns simulating actual conditions were used to observe the release and transport of HMs from tailings under acid rainfall infiltration at spatial and temporal scales. The release rate of trace elements (e.g., As, Cr, Ni, Pb, Cd) is high. Neutralisation in the presence of carbonate rocks in the gangue reduces HMs release intensity from tailings with high heavy metal content, along with the precipitation of iron oxides and chromium-bearing minerals, etc. In addition, the vertical differentiation of HMs is more relevant to physical processes. In the absence of carbonate rocks in gangue, the lowest pH value is reached within 1.2 h after acid rain infiltrates the tailings. At the same time, Cu, Zn and Cd are released significantly from the minerals at the superficial level. The release of As(III) is mainly concentrated in the early and late stages of water-rock contact.

Total Glucosides of White Paeony Capsule ameliorates Parkinson's disease-like behavior in MPTP-induced mice model by regulating LRRK2/alpha-synuclein signaling.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: The Total Glucosides of White Paeony Capsule (TGPC), one of the traditional Chinese patent medicines, has been used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practice. Besides, the components of TGPC are extracted from Radix Paeoniae Alba (RPA) and have displayed neuroprotective properties. AIM OF THE STUDY: The present study was designed to evaluate the anti-PD-like effects of TGPC on a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced mice model and explore its potential molecular mechanisms. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Behavioral tests, hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining, Nissl staining, immunohistochemistry (IHC), western blotting (WB) and Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) were performed in this study. RESULTS: It was observed that TGPC treatment (150, 300 mg/kg) significantly reversed MPTPinduced PD-like behaviors, such as reduced locomotive activity in the open field test, prolonged time to turn downward on the ball (T-turn) and to climb down the whole pole (T-descend) in the pole test, decreased movement scores in the traction test and extended the latency to fall in the hanging wire test. In addition, TGPC improved neurodegeneration, inhibited the excessive activation of microglia and suppressed the overproduction of proinflammatory cytokines induced by MPTP, partially by restoring leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) activity and inhibiting alpha-synuclein (α-syn) mediated neuroinflammation signaling. CONCLUSION: Taken together, TGPC exhibited neuroprotective effects on MPTP-induced mice model of PD, which was associated with the prevention of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration modulated by LRRK2/α-syn pathway.

In silico environmental risk assessment improves efficiency for pesticide safety management.

Pesticides are indispensable to maintain crop quality and food production worldwide, but their use also poses environmental risks. Pesticide risk assessment involves a series of complex, expensive and time-consuming toxicity tests. To improve the efficiency and accuracy for assessing the environmental impact of pesticides, numerous computational tools have been developed. However, there is a notable deficiency in critical analysis or a systematic summary of environmental risk assessment tools and their applicable contexts. Here, many of the current approaches and tools for assessing environmental risks posed by pesticides are reviewed, and the question of whether these tools are fit for use on complex multicomponent scenarios is discussed. We analyze the adaptations of these tools to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, followed by the provision of resources for predicting pesticide concentrations in environmental medias, including air, soil and water. The successful application of computational tools for risk assessment and interpretation of predicted results will also be discussed. This assessment serves as a valuable resource, enabling scientists to utilize suitable models to enhance the robustness of pesticides risk assessments.

Qufeng Xuanbi Formula inhibited benzo[a]pyrene-induced aggravated asthma airway mucus secretion by AhR/ROS/ERK pathway.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Excessive secretion of airway mucus may be an important pathological factor of air pollution-induced acute asthma attacks. Treatment of airway mucus hypersecretion improves asthma aggravated by air pollutants. Qufeng Xuanbi Formula (QFXBF) has been used to treat asthma for more than 30 years. However, whether QFXBF inhibits asthmatic mucus secretion exacerbated by air pollutants has not yet been established. AIM OF THE STUDY: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of QFXBF on airway mucus secretion and the mechanism of action in an air pollutant benzo[a]pyrene (BaP)-induced mouse model of aggravated asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ovalbumin (OVA) and BaP co-exposure were used to establish the aggravated asthma model. The average enhanced pause (Penh), serum OVA-specific IgE, and changes in lung histopathology were determined. 16HBE cells exposed to BaP, treatment with QFXBF, arylhydrocarbon receptor (AhR) signal antagonist SR1, reactive oxygen species (ROS) antagonist NAC, or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) signal antagonist U0126 were established to investigate the effect of QFXBF on BaP-induced mucus secretion and its target. The mRNA and protein expression levels of MUC5AC in the lung tissue and 16HBE cells were examined. We also studied the effect of QFXBF on ROS production. Finally, the protein expression of AhR, phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK1/2), and ERK1/2 in 16HBE cells and lung tissues was determined by western blotting. RESULTS: Administration of QFXBF significantly alleviated the pathological symptoms, including Penh, serum OVA-specific IgE, and changes in lung histopathology in a BaP-induced mouse model of aggravated asthma. QFXBF inhibited MUC5AC expression in asthmatic mice and 16HBE cells exposed to BaP. ROS production, AhR expression, and ERK1/2 phosphorylation were significantly increased in BaP-induced asthmatic mice and 16HBE cells. Signaling pathway inhibitors StemRegenin 1 (SR1), NAC, and U0126 significantly inhibitedBaP-induced MUC5AC expression in 16HBE cells. SR1 reversed Bap-induced ROS production and ERK activation, and NAC inhibited Bap-induced ERK activation. In addition, QFXBF regulated AhR signaling, inhibited ROS production, reversed ERK activation, and downregulated mucus secretion to improve asthma aggravated by air pollutant BaP. CONCLUSIONS: QFXBF can ameliorate mucus secretion in BaP-induced aggravated asthmatic mice and 16HBE cells, and the specific mechanism may be related to the inhibition of the AhR/ROS/ERK signaling pathway.

The impact of virtual clinical simulation on nursing students' palliative care knowledge, ability, and attitudes: A mixed methods study.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care is fraught with numerous challenges when it comes to conducting practical teaching as it involves caring for people facing the complexities of end-of-life and death. Insufficient clinical practice hinders nursing students from mastering knowledge, attitude and ability of hospice care. Virtual clinical simulation has demonstrated its effectiveness as a valuable educational tool in nursing. However, there is a dearth of evidence supporting its utilization in the context of palliative care practice education. OBJECTIVE: To develop a virtual clinical simulation education system and assess its impact on enhancing nursing students' knowledge, ability, and attitudes toward palliative care. DESIGN: A single-group pretest-posttest design and focus group interviews were employed. SETTING: The study was conducted at a medical university in southwest China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 76 third-year nursing students participated. METHODS: Participants underwent a 1-hour learning session using the virtual clinical simulation education system. Pre-test and post-test evaluations were conducted to assess the participants' knowledge, ability, and attitudes toward palliative care. Survey questionnaire was administered to gauge the students' acceptance and perception of virtual clinical simulation. Focus group interviews were integrated to gain insight into students' subjective perceptions and feedback on the virtual clinical simulation. RESULTS: There were notable enhancements in the students' overall scores of palliative care knowledge, ability, and attitudes after the learning session. Students positively evaluated the usefulness and usability of virtual clinical simulation. Students' feedback regarding virtual clinical simulation can be categorized into four themes: the value of virtual clinical simulation education system, its role as a complement to clinical practice teaching, the enjoyment and accessibility of learning, and the technological challenges encountered. CONCLUSION: Virtual clinical simulation is an effective learning tool in palliative care practice education, which has the potential to enhance students' knowledge, ability, and attitudes toward palliative care.

Comprehensive genetic analysis reveals the mutational landscape of ABCA4-associated retinal dystrophy in a Chinese cohort.

PURPOSE: To depict the variant profiles of the ABCA4 gene in a large Chinese cohort of patients with ABCA4-associated retinal dystrophy (ABCA4-RD). METHODS: We recruited 290 unrelated Chinese patients with ABCA4-RD and did ABCA4 mutational screening by a combination of Sanger sequencing, targeted exome sequencing, entire ABCA4 locus sequencing, and whole genome sequencing (WGS). The pathogenicity of variants was assessed using in silico tools or in vitro splicing assays following the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics guidelines. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-eight distinct pathogenic variants were identified, and 57 were novel. In 580 alleles, 22 noncoding region variants outside canonical splice sites and 4 structural variations were found in 44 alleles accounting for 7.6% of all alleles. Bioinformatics analysis showed the complex mechanism of aberrant splicing productsnatural splice site disruption, branch point destruction, and cryptic splice site activation. Correspondingly, minigene assays validated the various abnormal splicing products, including exon skipping, exon elongation, partial exon deletion, and pseudoexon insertion. WGS identified the first inversion variation in ABCA4. CONCLUSIONS: This study systematically depicted the variant profiles of ABCA4 and revealed the missing alleles of patients with ABCA4-RD in a large Chinese cohort. Our findings demonstrated the complexity of molecular diagnosis of Mendelian diseases and the efficiency of WGS for detecting structural variants.

Influence on the volatilization of ethyl esters: Nonnegligible role of long-chain fatty acids on Baijiu flavor via intermolecular interaction.

Long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) are commonly presented in Baijiu, but their influence on flavor is ambiguous. The interaction between LCFAs and volatiles was systematically investigated in terms of chemometrics, sensory, and chemical-physical perceptions. The static-headspace-gas-chromatography-mass-spectrometry results demonstrated LCFAs suppressed the volatilizations of most volatiles. According to Phase-ratio-variation analysis, partition coefficients of ethyl acetate (EA) and ethyl hexanoate (EH) decreased 4%-31% and 27%-74%, while those of ethyl butyrate (EB) increased. Calculated by molecular dynamic simulation, the attractive intermolecular forces related to EA/EH increased with oleic acid (OA) addition, while those related to EB decreased. Sensory evaluation confirmed the olfactory threshold of EA and EH increased by 2.4 and 2.7 times respectively, but the threshold of EB decreased from 0.36 to 0.05 mg/L in the presence of OA. Overall, LCFAs altered the intermolecular interaction forces related to esters and ethanol, subsequently affecting the volatile profile and modifying Baijiu flavor's sensory perception.

M1 macrophage-derived exosome for reprograming M2 macrophages and combining endogenous NO gas therapy with enhanced photodynamic synergistic therapy in colorectal cancer.

Reprogramming immunosuppressive M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages in tumor site provides a new strategy for the immunotherapy of colorectal cancer. In this study, M1 macrophage-derived exosome nanoprobe (M1UC) with Ce6-loaded upconversion material is designed to enhance the photodynamic performance of Ce6 while reprogramming M2 macrophages at tumor site and producing NO gas for three-mode synergistic therapy. Under the excitation of near-infrared light at 808 nm, the probe can generate 660 nm up-conversion fluorescence, which enables the photosensitizer Ce6 to produce ROS efficiently. In addition, the probe leads the production of NO by nitric oxide synthase on exosomes. Confocal laser and flow cytometry results show that M1UC probe reprograms M2 macrophages into M1 macrophages with an efficiency of 95.12%. The cell experiments show that the apoptosis rate of the three-mode synergistic therapy group is 78.8%, and the therapeutic effect is significantly higher than those of the other single treatment groups. In vivo experiments results show that M1UC probes maximally gather at the tumor site after 12 h of intravenous injection in orthotopic colorectal cancer mice. After 808 nm laser irradiation, the survival rate of mice is 100% and the recurrence rate was 0 within 60 d, and the therapeutic effect is significantly higher than those of other single treatment groups, which is also confirmed by immunohistochemistry. This M1 macrophage-derived exosome nanoplatform which is based on the three modes of immunotherapy, gas therapy and photodynamic therapy, provides a new design idea for the diagnosis and treatment of deep tumors.

Light-mediated protein functionalization of photoclickable hydrogel interface for selective cell capture and dot blotting assay.

The construction of versatile functional hydrogel interfaces holds promising prospects in biosensing and bioengineering. Herein, we introduced a light-induced protein conjugation strategy for on-demand surface modification of hydrogel interface based on the photoclick cyclization between primary amine and o-nitrobenzyl alcohol. We achieved the on-demand protein conjugation by grafting the molecular plugin, 4-(hydroxymethyl)-3-nitrobenzoic acid (HNBA), onto the hydrogel surface, followed by the mask-aided photoclick reaction with the protein of interest. This method enables the creation of protein patterns on hydrogel interface with a lower limit of pattern width at ∼70 µm. With this method, we demonstrated the surface engineering of epidermal growth factor (EGF) on hydrogel interface for selective capture of EGF receptor-positive cancer cells with an efficiency over 80%. Moreover, we applied the mask-aided photoclick conjugation method for antigen capture and developed a photoclickable hydrogel interface-based dot blotting assay. Due to the high-efficient antigen capture of photoclick conjugation, the photoclickable hydrogel interface-based dot blotting assay shows improved sensitivity for antigen detection with a limit of detection as 0.065 ng. We believed that this light-induced protein conjugation method holds the potential as a robust strategy for the construction of bioactive hydrogel interfaces for various bio-related applications.

Fabrication of nanofibrous membranes decorated with metal-organic frameworks for detection of pollutants in water.

The environmental pollution caused by antibiotics, Fe3+ and MnO4- pollutants is becoming increasingly serious. Polyacrylonitrile (PAN) and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were used and decorated with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to fabricated three kinds of nanofibrous membranes (NFMs) with different shapes and sizes were prepared by electrospinning technology using in situ growth method and mixed spinning method. The structures and properties of the above three kinds of NFMs were characterized. Among them, PAN@Co/Mn-MOF-74 NFM prepared by in-situ growth method based on PAN was a kind of nano-fluorescent NFM sensor with uniform structure and good fluorescence performance. It showed unique specificity and excellent sensitivity in the detection of ORN, Fe3+ and MnO4-. Compared with previously reported functionalized MOFs, PAN@Co/Mn-MOF-74 NFM has a lower limit of detection (LOD). This study provides a feasible technical route for the preparation of nano-fluorescent NFMs and the targeted detection of trace metal ions and antibiotics.

Comprehensive characterization of speciated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gas-phase and particle-phase intermediate- and semi-volatile volatility organic compounds (I/S-VOCs) from Chinese diesel trucks.

We established the comprehensive emission profiles of organic compounds for typical Chinese diesel trucks. The profiles cover the entire volatility range, including speciated volatile organic compounds (VOCs), intermediate-volatility organic compounds (IVOCs), and semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). The VOCs and I/SVOCs were analyzed by one-dimensional gas chromatography quadrupole mass spectrometry (GC qMS) and two-dimensional gas chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC-ToF-MS) separately. The impacts of starting mode and aftertreatment technology on the VOC, gaseous and particulate I/SVOC emissions, and the gas-particle partitioning were investigated. The emission factor (EF) of gas phase I/SVOCs was approximately 10 times higher than that of particle phase I/SVOCs and the chemical compositions and volatility distributions varied greatly. VOC, IVOC, and SVOC emissions significantly decreased when vehicles were equipped with advanced aftertreatment technologies. Diesel particulate filters (DPF) can remove >71 % VOC, 74 % gaseous, and 88 % particulate I/SVOCs, many of which are significant secondary organic aerosol (SOA) precursors. The chemical compositions and volatility distributions of the gaseous I/SVOCs and unburned diesel fuel were similar, revealing that diesel fuel is the main origin of the gaseous I/SVOCs. The I/SVOC emission profiles covering the whole volatility range, i.e., log10C* = -3 to 10 (C*: effective saturation concentration, µg m-3) were established.

Case Report: CD19 and CD20 monoclonal antibodies with sequential chemotherapy for refractory acute B-lymphocytic leukemia in children.

Objective: This paper observes the efficacy of chemotherapy combined with CD19 and CD20 monoclonal antibodies in clearing minimal residual disease (MRD) and bridging transplantation for refractory acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in children and reviews the literature. Methods: A 4-year-old boy diagnosed with B-ALL in our hospital was treated with the SCCLG-ALL-2016 protocol. MRD and gene quantification decreased after induction but remained persistently positive, with poor efficacy. After this patient received three cycles of consolidation chemotherapy combined with blinatumomab and rituximab, MRD and fusion gene quantification became negative, and he received allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). Results: During the use of monoclonal antibodies, neurotoxicity, CRS, or other side effects did not occur. Before transplantation, MRD became negative, and the bone marrow had been in complete remission since transplantation (13 months). Conclusion: Chemotherapy combined with blinatumomab for refractory B-ALL in children can bring a better remission rate for patients and is a means of bridging transplantation. Nevertheless, sequential CD20 monoclonal antibody therapy is the first report , and no adverse effects were observed in our case. It is well tolerated and can be used as one of the treatments for refractory B-ALL.

Combined analysis of inorganic elements and flavonoid metabolites reveals the relationship between flower quality and maturity of Sophora japonica L.

Flos Sophorae (FS), or the dried flower buds of Sophora japonica L., is widely used as a food and medicinal material in China. The quality of S. japonica flowers varies with the developmental stages (S1-S5) of the plant. However, the relationship between FS quality and maturity remains unclear. Inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) and ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization-triple quadrupole-linear ion trap mass spectrometry (UPLC-ESI-Q TRAP-MS/MS) were used to analyze inorganic elements and flavonoid metabolites, respectively. A combined analysis of the inorganic elements and flavonoid metabolites in FS was conducted to determine the patterns of FS quality formation. Sixteen inorganic elements and 173 flavonoid metabolites that accumulated at different developmental stages were identified. Notably, 54 flavonoid metabolites associated with the amelioration of major human diseases were identified, and Ca, P, K, Fe, and Cu were postulated to influence flavonoid metabolism and synthesis. This study offers a novel perspective and foundation for the further exploration of the rules governing the quality of plant materials.

Synthesis and Biological Activity Evaluation of Novel Chalcone Analogues Containing a Methylxanthine Moiety and Their N-Acyl Pyrazoline Derivatives.

On the basis of the structures of natural methylxanthines and chalcone, a series of novel chalcone analogues containing a methylxanthine moiety, Ia-Ig, and their N-acyl pyrazoline derivatives IIa-IIz and IIaa-IIaf were synthesized and identified through melting points, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and HRMS. The single crystal of compound IId was obtained, which further illustrated the structural characteristics of the methylxanthine-acylpyrazoline compounds. The biological tests showed that some of them displayed favorable insecticidal activities toward Plutella xylostella L. and were superior to the natural methylxanthine compound caffeine while being comparable with the insecticide triflumuron (e.g., compound Ic: LC50 = 16.8508 mg/L, IIf: LC50 = 1.5721 mg/L, against P. xylostella). Of these compounds, Ic, IIf, and IIu could serve as novel insecticidal leading structures for further study. Some of the compounds showed good fungicidal activities (e.g., compound Ig: EC50 = 14.74 µg/mL, against Rhizoctonia cerealis; IIf: EC50 = 7.06 µg/mL, against Physalospora piricola; IIac: EC50 = 5.37 and 8.19 µg/mL, against Phytophthora capsici and Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, respectively); Ic, Ig, IIa, IIf, IIr, IIs, IIv, IIac, and IIaf could be novel fungicidal leading compounds for further exploration. Furthermore, most of the tested compounds exhibited apparent herbicidal activities against Brassica campestris at a concentration of 100 µg/mL; among others, compound IIa was the best one both toward Brassica campestris and Echinochloa crusgalli and deserves further investigation. The structure-activity relationships of these compounds were also summarized and discussed in detail. The contrast experiment results of compounds C-1 and C-2 showed a positive effect on the biological activity enhancement from the combination of the methylxanthine moiety with the N-dichloroacetyl phenylpyrazoline skeleton. In addition, two 3D-QSAR models with predictive capability were constructed based on the insecticidal and fungicidal activities to afford deep insight into the bioactivity profiles of these compounds. This research provides useful guidance and reference for the discovery and development of novel xanthine natural product-based pesticides.

The fabrication of the chitosan-based bioink for in vitro tissue repair and regeneration: A review.

The repair and regeneration of the injured tissues or organs is a major challenge for biomedicine, and the emerging 3D bioprinting technology as a class of promising techniques in biomedical research for the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Chitosan-based bioinks, as the natural biomaterials, are considered as ideal materials for 3D bioprinting to design and fabricate the various scaffold due to their unique dynamic reversibility and fantastic biological properties. Our review aims to provide an overview of chitosan-based bioinks for in vitro tissue repair and regeneration, starting from modification of chitosan that affect these bioprinting processes. In addition, we summarize the advances in chitosan-based bioinks used in the various 3D printing strategies. Moreover, the biomedical applications of chitosan-based bioinks are discussed, primarily centered on regenerative medicine and tissue modeling engineering. Finally, current challenges and future opportunities in this field are discussed. The combination of chitosan-based bioinks and 3D bioprinting will hold promise for developing novel biomedical scaffolds for tissue or organ repair and regeneration.

Soliton rain in all-polarization-maintaining mode locked fiber laser.

For the first time the phenomenon of soliton rain is observed in a mode-locked fiber laser with all-polarization-maintaining (all-PM) architecture. The laser is mode-locked using a semiconductor saturable absorber mirror (SESAM) and operates in the all-normal dispersion (ANDi) regime. The operation state of the laser can be switched from dissipative soliton to soliton rain by simply raising the pump power, without any manipulation of the intracavity polarization state given that all components of the resonator are made of PM fibers. The soliton rain generated in the laser is self-starting and replicable, since it occurs in every individual operation of the laser as the pump power is increased to an approximately invariant value.

Porous Tellurium-Doped Ruthenium Dioxide Nanotubes for Enhanced Acidic Water Oxidation.

Electrocatalysts with high activity and durability for acidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) play a crucial role in achieving cost-effective hydrogen production via proton exchange membrane water electrolysis. A novel electrocatalyst, Te-doped RuO2 (Te-RuO2 ) nanotubes, synthesized using a template-directed process, which significantly enhances the OER performance in acidic media is reported. The Te-RuO2 nanotubes exhibit remarkable OER activity in acidic media, requiring an overpotential of only 171 mV to achieve an anodic current density of 10 mA cm-2 . Furthermore, they maintain stable chronopotentiometric performance under 10 mA cm-2 in acidic media for up to 50 h. Based on the experimental results and density functional calculations, this significant improvement in OER performance to the synergistic effect of large specific surface area and modulated electronic structure resulting from the doping of Te cations is attributed.