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•Vs-ZCS/Ni0.6Co0.4(OH)2 heterojunction was fabricated for water splitting.•Sulfur vacancies in the photocatalyst provide abundant reaction sites.•The charge separation was ...significantly enhanced by the S-scheme mechanism.•Synergistic effects render an outstanding H2 evolution rate of 64.6 mmol·h−1·g−1.
Efficient spatial charge separation under visible light irradiation plays a vital role in improving the photocatalytic performance of semiconductors. It is a promising approach to construct S-scheme charge transfer mechanism to meet this demand. In this research, a hybrid nanomaterial, which consists of zinc cadmium sulfide (ZCS) with appropriate surface sulfur vacancy (Vs-ZCS) and bimetallic hydroxides NixCo1-x(OH)2 (0 ≤ x ≤ 1), is successfully fabricated via a facile in-suit hydrothermal method. Among the prepared materials, the Vs-ZCS/5%-Ni0.6Co0.4(OH)2 hybrid nanomaterial delivers a superior visible-light hydrogen evolution rate of 64.6 mmol·h−1·g−1 in Na2S/Na2SO3 solution, which is about 11.1 and 3.5 times as much as those of ZCS (5.8 mmol·h−1·g−1) and Vs-ZCS (18.5 mmol·h−1·g−1), respectively. The significantly boosted photocatalytic performance over Vs-ZCS/NixCo1-x(OH)2 hybrids is ascribed to the abundant active sites caused by sulfur vacancy and efficient interfacial charge separation induced by S-scheme charge transfer mechanism. This work highlights the critical role of sulfur defects and bimetallic hydroxides modification in construction of S-scheme system and provides a new strategy for the design of highly efficient photocatalyst.
The emergence of the high-performance multi-crystalline silicon (HP mc-Si) in 2011 has made a significant impact to photovoltaic industry. In addition to the much better ingot uniformity and ...production yield, HP mc-Si also has better material quality for solar cells. As a result, the average efficiency of solar cells made from HP mc-Si in production increased from 16.6% in 2011 to 18.5% or beyond in 2016. More importantly, the efficiency distribution became much narrower; the difference from various producers became smaller as well. Unlike the conventional way of having large grains and electrically-inactive twin boundaries, the crystal growth of HP mc-Si by directional solidification is initiated from uniform small grains having a high fraction of random grain boundaries. The grains developed from such grain structures significantly relax thermal stress and suppress the massive generation and propagation of dislocation clusters. The gettering efficacy of HP mc-Si is also superior to the conventional one. Nowadays, most of commercial mc-Si is grown by this approach, which could be implemented by either seeded with silicon particles or controlled nucleation, e.g., using nucleation agent coating. The future improvement of this technology will also be discussed in this review.
•The development of HP mc-Si for the photovoltaic industry.•The discussion of the crystal growth technology for HP mc-Si.•Uniform small grains and the high percentage of random grain boundaries in HP mc-Si.•The future development of HP mc-Si and the keys for further improvement.
The reliability of qRT-PCR results depend on the stability of reference genes used for normalization, suggesting the necessity of identification of reference genes before gene expression analysis. ...Morels are edible mushrooms well-known across the world and highly prized by many culinary kitchens. Here, several candidate genes were selected and designed according to the
transcriptome data. The stability of the candidate genes was evaluated with geNorm and NormFinder under three different experimental conditions, and several genes with excellent stability were selected. The extensive adaptability of the selected genes was tested in ten
species. Results from the three experimental conditions revealed that ACT1 and INTF7 were the most prominent genes in
, CYC3 was the most stable gene in different development stages, INTF4/AEF3 were the top-ranked genes across carbon sources, while INTF3/CYC3 pair showed the robust stability for temperature stress treatment. We suggest using ACT1, AEF3, CYC3, INTF3, INTF4 and INTF7 as reference genes for gene expression analysis studies for any of the 10
strains tested in this study. The stability and practicality of the gene, vacuolar protein sorting (INTF3), vacuolar ATP synthase (INTF4) and14-3-3 protein (INTF7) involving the basic biological processes were validated for the first time as the candidate reference genes for quantitative PCR. Furthermore, the stability of the reference genes was found to vary under the three different experimental conditions, indicating the importance of identifying specific reference genes for particular conditions.
Periodontitis is a common infectious disease characterized by loss of tooth-supporting structures, which eventually leads to tooth loss. The heavy burden of periodontal disease and its negative ...consequence on the patient's quality of life indicate a strong need for developing effective therapies. According to the World Health Organization, 10⁻15% of the global population suffers from severe periodontitis. Advances in understanding the etiology, epidemiology and microbiology of periodontal pocket flora have called for antibacterial therapeutic strategies for periodontitis treatment. Currently, antimicrobial strategies combining with polymer science have attracted tremendous interest in the last decade. This review focuses on the state of the art of antibacterial polymer application against periodontal pathogens and biofilms. The first part focuses on the different polymeric materials serving as antibacterial agents, drug carriers and periodontal barrier membranes to inhibit periodontal pathogens. The second part reviews cutting-edge research on the synthesis and evaluation of a new generation of bioactive dental polymers for Class-V restorations with therapeutic effects. They possess antibacterial, acid-reduction, protein-repellent, and remineralization capabilities. In addition, the antibacterial photodynamic therapy with polymeric materials against periodontal pathogens and biofilms is also briefly described in the third part. These novel bioactive and therapeutic polymeric materials and treatment methods have great potential to inhibit periodontitis and protect tooth structures.
Global consumption of disposable plastic tableware (DPT) is massive because it is durable, light and inexpensive. Using the life cycle assessment method, we found that DPT for per person per meal ...emitted 597 g of CO2 and was far more than that of reusable plastic tableware (RPT, 7.00 g), ceramic tableware (9.55 g) and straw tableware (14.6 g). If the demand growth for DPT continues, 416 MT of CO2 will be emitted due to DPT consumption by 2050 globally. We further explored strategies to reduce CO2 emissions by examining the life cycles of four types of tableware according to sensitivity analysis. According to our results, if the recycling rate of DPT reaches 60% at the end-of-life stage, 50% of CO2 emissions can be cut; if dishwashing instead of hand washing is used to clean RPT, ceramic, and straw tableware, approximately 64%, 71%, and 23% of CO2 emissions can be reduced, respectively. If 60% of DPT is replaced by RPT, this plastic tableware will halve carbon emissions. If the rate reaches 100%, carbon emissions will be reduced by 92%. Although the CO2 emissions of the three types of tableware other than DPT are relatively small, RPT will bring other environmental burdens and human health risks, ceramic tableware is bulky and its additives are toxic. Straw tableware combines practical and safety performance. The results show that the choice of straw tableware plays a significant role in curbing the greenhouse effect without compromising consumer safety.
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•DPT emits 597 g CO2 in an FU, far more than other tableware.•Globally, approximate 416 MT CO2 will be emitted for using DPT by 2050.•Increase reusing and recycling rate can cut CO2 emission from DPT.•Use dishwashing sharply cut CO2 emission from RPT, ceramic and straw tableware.•Straw tableware combines practical and safety performance.
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•Co-sensitization mechanism in the Y123/Zn-porphyrin films were theoretically investigated.•The newly designed co-sensitized film of Y123/dithienosilole-modified-SM315 performs ...nicely.•The high JSCmax and desirable interfacial kinetics suggest a promising application of the novel film.
Donor-π-acceptor YD2-o-C8, WW-6, and SM315 are among best-performing Zn-porphyrins for their outstanding light-harvesting properties. To reach the further enhancement of photovoltaic performance of the corresponding cells, co-sensitization of these typical porphyrins with those dyes possessing intense absorption in the green spectral region (typically, Y123) is necessary. In this work, using density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT (TD-DFT) approaches, co-sensitization mechanism in the above three typical Y123/Zn-porphyrin systems has been systematically investigated. Moreover, due to the excellent performance of dithienosilole (DTS) group in organic dyes, it is designed here to replace the benzothiadiazole (BTD) unit in SM315 to give a new Zn-porphyrin dye designated SM315-1. This specific modification of SM315 can effectively retard the interfacial charge recombination compared to that in YD2-o-C8 and WW-6 cells by reducing the contact between oxidized porphyrins and injected electrons in TiO2 substrate, and simultaneously improves the overall light harvesting ability of the co-sensitized film with the theoretical maximum limit of photocurrent to be 38.31 mA/cm2. The both favorable aspects suggest an attractive application of the fully novel Y123/SM315-1 co-sensitized film in dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC).
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Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic autoimmune disease with complicated pathogenesis. IL-17-producing T helper cells (Th17) are important players in the RA process. ...Despite numerous researches have proven that microRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial to regulate autoimmune diseases including RA, the effect of miRNAs on Th17 cell differentiation and function in the RA progress is not clear. Here, our results showed that the expression of miRNA let-7g-5p was substantially lower in RA patients and CIA mice compared with healthy controls, accompanied by the increased Th17 cell population. Furthermore, the inhibition of let-7g-5p on Th17 cell differentiation and function were verified in vitro. Notably, the disease severity in CIA mice was significantly alleviated after the treatment of let-7g-5p mimics. In addition, let-7g-5p mimics treatment markedly down-regulated the frequency of Th17 cells in CIA mice. Taken together, our findings indicate that let-7g-5p can ameliorate CIA through blocking the differentiation of Th17 cells, which may be a novel strategy to treat autoimmune diseases such as RA.
Zishen Tongluo formula (ZTF) is simplified from the Qingluo Tongbi formula, which has been applied to treat rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in clinical practices for several decades. Our previous studies ...have verified the effects of ZTF on arthritis animal models. However, its mechanism of treating RA is not clear.
The present study was designed to investigate the effects of ZTF on the Th17/Treg balance in RA mice and the role of the different herb groups with the effect of Zishen yangyin (YY), Huatan quyu (HT), or Qufeng chushi (QF) in ZTF.
A mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) was established. The animals were randomly divided into the normal, model, positive drug, YY, QF, HT, and the whole compound (ZTF) groups. After oral administration for one-month, cytokine levels in the plasma and histopathological changes of the joint were measured by ELISA and hematoxylin-eosin staining, respectively. Meanwhile, the balance of Th17/Treg cells in blood, spleen or lymph nodes was detected using flow cytometry and qPCR.
ZTF or the different functional groups could improve the joint inflammation, decrease the levels of proinflammatory cytokines, restore the balance of Th17 and Treg cells in CIA mice. However, there were some differences in each functional group: YY mainly promoted the responses of Treg cells while QF inhibited the functions of Th17 cells. Besides, HT regulated both Th17 and Treg cells to keep the immune balance.
ZTF could notably ameliorate CIA mice by restoring the balance of Th17/Treg cells. Each functional group could target Th17 and/or Treg cells to produce synergistic/enhancement effects, and ZTF had a better holistic effect in RA treatment.
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•The effects of ZTF on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) mice were thoroughly evaluated.•Modulation of ZTF on the Th17/Treg balance in RA mice was firstly explored.•The dismantlement research on ZTF was firstly investigated, which contributed to explaining its rational compatibility.
This research aimed to engineer magnetic hydroxyapatite-coated iron–chromium (HAp–FeCr) microspheres to enhance dental surface polishing and plaque elimination. Utilizing a tailored sol–gel approach, ...the HAp–FeCr microspheres were synthesized and exhaustively characterized via scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, ζ-potential, X-ray diffractometry, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy methodologies. Key findings showcased that these microspheres retained their magnetic properties post-HAp coating, as evidenced by the magnetization curves. An innovative magnetic polishing system was developed, incorporating these microspheres and a 2000 rpm magnet. Comparative evaluations between traditional air-powder polishing and the proposed magnetic technique demonstrated the latter’s superiority. Notably, the magnetic polishing led to a substantial reduction in dental plaque on the tooth surface, decreasing bacterial adhesion and early biofilm formation by Streptococcus gordonii and Lactobacillus acidophilus, where the most pronounced effects were observed in samples with elevated HAp content. A significant 60% reduction in dental plaque was achieved with the magnetic method relative to air-powder polishing. Furthermore, the HAp–FeCr microspheres’ biocompatibility was verified through cytotoxicity tests and animal studies. In essence, the magnetic HAp–FeCr microspheres present a novel and efficient strategy for dental treatments, holding immense potential for improving oral health.
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