In this paper, sphere-like kesterite Cu₂ZnSnS₄ (CZTS) nanoparticles were successfully synthesized by a facile solvothermal method. The CZTS nanoparticles with diameter range of 100–150nm were ...agglomerated by CZTS nanocrystals. The as-obtained CZTS nanoparticles were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission election microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (EDS) and UV–vis spectroscopy. Texture structures with kesterite crystallinity were reflected from the X-ray diffraction of 112, 200 and 312 planes of the CZTS nanoparticles. The UV–vis absorption spectra showed that CZTS nanoparticles had strong absorption in the visible light region. The observed band gap of 1.48eV matched well with the bulk CZTS material that was optimal for solar cells.
The northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP) presents a high number of plateau loach species. As one of the three major groups of fishes distributed on the QTP, plateau loach has high ...ecological value. However, the taxonomy and systematics of these fish are still controversial, and a large number of new species have been reported. The reason for this phenomenon is that the degree of morphological variation is low, the phylogenetic information provided by morphological and anatomical features used for species identification is relatively poor, and many cryptic species are observed. Based on the high-density sampling points from the biodiversity hotspots surveyed, this study aims to evaluate the biodiversity of plateau loach in the northeastern part of the QTP and reveal the hidden diversity by comparing morphological species with molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs). After careful identification and comparison of the morphology and DNA barcoding of 1630 specimens, 22 species were identified, with 20 considered valid local species and two identified as new species that had not been previously described. Based on the combination of morphological and molecular methods, a total of 24 native species were found, two of which were cryptic species: Triplophysa robusta sp1 and Triplophysa minxianensis sp1. Fourteen of the 24 species form clusters of barcodes that allow them to be reliably identified. The remaining cases involved 10 closely related species, including rapidly differentiated species and species that seemed to have experienced incomplete lineage sorting or showed introgressions. The results highlight the need to combine traditional taxonomies with molecular methods to correctly identify species, especially closely related species, such as the plateau loach. This study provides a basis for protecting the biodiversity of plateau loach.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted neuropsychiatric condition for which effective drug therapy for core clinical symptoms remains elusive. Lotusine, known for its neuroprotective ...properties in the treatment of neurological disorders, holds potential in addressing ASD. Nevertheless, its specific efficacy in ASD remains uncertain. This study aims to investigate the therapeutic potential of lotusine in ASD and elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms. We induced an ASD mouse model through intracerebroventricular‐propionic acid (ICV‐PPA) injection for 7 days, followed by lotusine administration for 5 days. The efficacy of lotusine was evaluated through a battery of behavioral tests, including the three‐chamber social test. The underlying mechanisms of lotusine action in ameliorating ASD‐like behavior were investigated in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) using whole‐cell patch‐clamp recordings, western blotting, immunofluorescence staining, molecular docking, and cellular thermal shift assay. The efficacy and mechanisms of lotusine were further validated in vitro. Lotusine effectively alleviated social deficits induced by ICV‐PPA injection in mice by counteracting the reduction in miniature excitatory postsynaptic current frequency within the mPFC. Moreover, lotusine enhanced neuronal activity and ameliorated α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid receptor dysfunction in ICV‐PPA infusion mice by upregulating c‐fos, p‐GluA1 Ser 845, and p‐GluA1 Ser 831 protein levels within the mPFC. Our findings also suggest that lotusine may exert its effects through modulation of the D1 dopamine receptor (DRD1). Furthermore, the rescuing effects of lotusine were nullified by a DRD1 antagonist in PC12 cells. In summary, our results revealed that lotusine ameliorates ASD‐like behavior through targeted modulation of DRD1, ultimately enhancing excitatory synaptic transmission. These findings highlight the potential of lotusine as a nutritional supplement in the treatment of ASD.
Lotusine ameliorates autism spectrum disorder‐like behaviorby activating D1 dopamine receptor.
The electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) is a promising strategy of nitrogen fixation into ammonia under ambient conditions. However, the development of electrochemical NRR is highly ...bottlenecked by the expensive noble metal catalysts. As a representative 2D nonmetallic material, black phosphorus (BP) has the valence electron structure similar to nitrogen, which can effectively adsorb the inactive nitrogen molecule and activate its triple bond. In addition, the relatively weak hydrogen adsorption can restrict the competitive and vigorous hydrogen evolution reaction. Herein, ultrafine BP quantum dots (QDs) are prepared via liquid‐phase exfoliation and then assembled on catalytically active MnO2 nanosheets through van der Waals interactions. The obtained BP QDs/MnO2 catalyst demonstrates admirable synergetic effects in electrochemical NRR. The monodisperse BP QDs providing major activity manifest excellent ammonia production steadily with high selectivity, which benefits from the robust confinement of the BP QDs on the wrinkled MnO2 nanosheets with decent activity. A high ammonia yield rate of 25.3 µg h−1 mgcat.−1 and faradic efficiency of 6.7% can be achieved at −0.5 V (vs RHE) in 0.1 m Na2SO4 electrolyte, which are dramatically superior to either component. The isotopic labelling and other control tests further exclude the external contamination possibility and attest the genuine activity.
Monodisperse black phosphorus quantum dots exfoliated from bulk phase are elaborately confined on wrinkled MnO2 nanosheets via facile van der Waals interactions. The consequent double‐active BP QDs/MnO2 composite as electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction catalyst demonstrates superior synergy effect, revealing admirable activity, selectivity, stability, and durability.
Microbial induced carbonate precipitation (MICP) is a natural bio-mediated process, which has been explored for soil stabilization and heavy metals immobilization in soil and groundwater. Previous ...studies have shown that MICP is capable of immobilizing various heavy metals including lead (Pb). However, most studies focus merely on the immobilization of heavy metals with relatively low concentration. This study: (1) presents results of an investigation into the toxic effects of Pb on bacterial activity and immobilization efficiency within a wide range of Pb concentrations; and (2) identifies controlling biotic and abiotic factors of Pb immobilization by MICP. In the first series of tests, bacterial strains (Sporosarcina pasteurii) are inoculated into nutrient solutions containing 0–50 mM Pb(NO3)2 and incubated at 30 °C. Biochemical parameters are measured over time, which include pH, electrical conductivity, urease activity, and viable cell number. In the second series of tests, grown bacterial strains are mixed with urea, calcium salts and Pb(NO3)2 in solution. Viable cell number, produced ammonium concentration, aqueous Pb concentration of the mixed solution, and total precipitation mass are measured. The results show that the presence of Pb has marginal effect on bacterial growth and associated urease activity at Pb concentration < 30 mM. The calcium source and initial bacteria concentration are found to remarkably influence Pb immobilization efficiency in terms of Pb removal percentage. Supplementary geochemical simulation results indicate that the Pb immobilization mechanisms includes abiotic precipitation, biotic precipitation and bio-sorption.
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•Pb contaminants are immobilized by microbial induced carbonate precipitation.•Pb has toxic effects on bacterial activity and immobilization efficiency.•Abiotic and biotic precipitation and bio-sorption are immobilization mechanisms.
Accurate control of a quantum system is a fundamental requirement in many areas of modern science ranging from quantum information processing to high-precision measurements. A significantly important ...goal in quantum control is preparing a desired state as fast as possible, with sufficiently high fidelity allowed by available resources and experimental constraints. Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a robust way to realize high-fidelity state transfer but it requires a sufficiently long operation time to satisfy the adiabatic criteria. Here we theoretically propose and then experimentally demonstrate a shortcut-to-adiabatic protocol to speed-up the STIRAP. By modifying the shapes of the Raman pulses, we experimentally realize a fast and high-fidelity stimulated Raman shortcut-to-adiabatic passage that is robust against control parameter variations. The all-optical, robust and fast protocol demonstrated here provides an efficient and practical way to control quantum systems.
•In-situ treatment of site soil using DJM technique and SPC binder is presented.•Solidified/stabilized soil exhibits satisfactory long-term performance after 326 days.•Leached concentrations of heavy ...metals and COD in soil are considerably reduced.•Soil resistance and acid neutralization capacity are remarkably improved.•In-situ field trial coincides well with lab study in strength/leaching properties.
In this study, in-situ treatment using dry jet mixing construction method and SPC (single superphosphate and calcium oxide) new binder are used to solidify/stabilize a heavy metal contaminated site soil with relatively high content of organic matters. Time-dependent field performance of the soils at 41 and 326 days after treatment is evaluated, which includes electrical conductivity (EC), leachability of heavy metals and chemical oxygen demand (COD), soil penetration resistance, acid neutralization capacity (ANC), and chemical speciation of heavy metals. The results indicate that the stabilized soils exhibit satisfactory performance which is comparable with the laboratory study. In-situ SPC treatment significantly decreases EC values and increases penetration resistance values of the soils. Leachability of lead, zinc, cadmium and COD decreases with increasing SPC content or curing time. Large percentages of heave metals in the soils are transformed from exchangeable fractions to residual fractions after treatment. These, coupled with the improved ANC, result in low heavy metal leachability in stabilized soils.
In Arabidopsis, catalase (CAT) genes encode a small family of proteins including CAT1, CAT2 and CAT3, which catalyze the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and play an important role in ...controlling homeostasis of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we analyze the expression profiles and activities of three catalases under different treatments including drought, cold, oxidative stresses, abscisic acid and salicylic acid in Arabidopsis. Our results reveal that CAT1 is an important player in the removal of H₂O₂ generated under various environmental stresses. CAT2 and CAT3 are major H₂O₂ scavengers that contribute to ROS homeostasis in light or darkness, respectively. In addition, CAT2 is activated by cold and drought stresses and CAT3 is mainly enhanced by abscisic acid and oxidative treatments as well as at the senescence stage. These results, together with previous data, suggest that the network of transcriptional control explains how CATs and other scavenger enzymes such as peroxidase and superoxide dismutase may be coordinately regulated during development, but differentially expressed in response to different stresses for controlling ROS homeostasis.
In recent years, the influence of historical geological and climatic events on the evolution of flora and fauna in the Tibetan Plateau has been a hot research topic. The Qilian Mountain region is one ...of the most important sources of biodiversity on the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau. Many species existed in the region during the Pleistocene glacial oscillation, and the complex geographical environment provided suitable conditions for the survival of local species. The shrinkage, expansion, and transfer of the distribution range and population size of species have significant effects on genetic diversity and intraspecific differentiation. To reveal the effects of geological uplift and climate oscillation on the evolution of fish populations in the Qilian Mountains, we investigated the genetic structure, phylogenetic relationship, and phylogeographical characteristics of genus Triplophysa species in the Qilian Mountains using the mitochondrial DNA gene (COI), three nuclear genes (RAG1, sRH, and Myh6) and 11 pairs of nuclear microsatellite markers. We collected 11 species of genus Triplophysa living in the Qilian Mountains, among which Triplophysa hsutschouensis and Triplophysa papillosolabiata are widely distributed in the rivers on the northern slope of the Qilian Mountains. There was a high degree of lineage differentiation among species, and the genetic diversity of endemic species was low. The different geographical groups of T. papillosolabiata presented some allogeneic adaptation and differentiation, which was closely related to the changes in the river system. Except for the population expansion event of T. hsutschouensis during the last glacial period of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (0.025 MYA), the population sizes of other plateau loach species remained stable without significant population expansion. Starting from the east and west sides of the Qilian Mountains, T. hsutschouensis, and T. papillosolabiata showed two species colonization routes in opposite directions. The geological events of the uplift of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau and the climatic oscillation of the Quaternary glaciation had a great influence on the genetic structure of the plateau loach in the Qilian Mountains, which promoted the genetic differentiation of the plateau loach and formed some unique new species. The results of this study have important guiding significance for fish habitat protection in the Qilian Mountains.
There was a high degree of lineage differentiation among the Triplophysa species in the Qilian Mountains, and the genetic diversity of endemic species was low. The different geographical groups of T. papillosolabiata presented some allogeneic adaptation and differentiation, which was closely related to the changes in the river system. Except for the population expansion event of T. hsutschouensis during the last glacial period of the Qinghai‐Tibet Plateau (0.025 MYA), the population sizes of other plateau loach species remained stable without significant population expansion. Starting from the east and west sides of the Qilian Mountains, T. hsutschouensis and T. papillosolabiata showed two species colonization routes in opposite directions.
Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease. However, early RA is difficult to diagnose due to the lack of effective biomarkers. This study aimed to ...identify new biomarkers and mechanisms for RA disease progression at the transcriptome level through a combination of microarray and bioinformatics analyses.
Microarray datasets for synovial tissue in RA or osteoarthritis (OA) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by R software. Tissue/organ-specific genes were recognized by BioGPS. Enrichment analyses were performed and protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed to understand the functions and enriched pathways of DEGs and to identify hub genes. Cytoscape was used to construct the co-expressed network and competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks. Biomarkers with high diagnostic value for the early diagnosis of RA were validated by GEO datasets. The ggpubr package was used to perform statistical analyses with Student's t-test.
A total of 275 DEGs were identified between 16 RA samples and 10 OA samples from the datasets GSE77298 and GSE82107. Among these DEGs, 71 tissue/organ-specific expressed genes were recognized. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis indicated that DEGs are mostly enriched in immune response, immune-related biological process, immune system, and cytokine signal pathways. Fifteen hub genes and gene cluster modules were identified by Cytoscape. Eight haematologic/immune system-specific expressed hub genes were verified by GEO datasets. GZMA, PRC1, and TTK may be potential biomarkers for diagnosis of early RA. NEAT1-miR-212-3p/miR-132-3p/miR-129-5p-TTK, XIST-miR-25-3p/miR-129-5p-GZMA, and TTK_hsa_circ_0077158- miR-212-3p/miR-132-3p/miR-129-5p-TTK might be potential RNA regulatory pathways to regulate the disease progression of early RA.
This work identified three haematologic/immune system-specific expressed genes, namely, GZMA, PRC1, and TTK, as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis and treatment of RA and provided insight into the mechanisms of disease development in RA at the transcriptome level. In addition, we proposed that NEAT1-miR-212-3p/miR-132-3p/miR-129-5p-TTK, XIST-miR-25-3p/miR-129-5p-GZMA, and TTK_hsa_circ_0077158-miR-212-3p/miR-132-3p/miR-129-5p-TTK are potential RNA regulatory pathways that control disease progression in early RA.
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