All-inorganic CsPbIxBr3−x (0 ≤x ≤ 3) perovskites are expected to fundamentally solve the thermal stability issue of perovskite solar cell toward its final commercialization. However, the humidity ...stability of this class of all-inorganic perovskite is still not intrinsically tackled out. Herein, aminoquinoline is introduced to construct a thus far unreported one-dimensional (1D) perovskite, in which the distorted PbI64- octahedra display a shoulder-by-shoulder arrangement along the 001 direction, and A-site quinoline (Aq) organic groups with π-π conjugate structure orderly distribute among the octahedra space. The structural incorporation of 1D Aq-PbI3(II) perovskite inside 3D CsPbI2Br perovskite is proved to be capable of improving the carrier transport ability, whilst enhancing its hydrophobic performances, which is associated with the unique structure of 1D Aq-PbI3(II) and lattice-matching heterojunction in 1D–3D perovskite. Consequently, the as-fabricated 1D–3D hybrid CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cell allows to increase the device VOC by a factor of 12%, yielding a power conversion efficiency (PCE) as high as 16.1%. Equally importantly, the corresponding 1D–3D perovskite solar cells demonstrate remarkably high stability more than 1300 h in comparison to the control 3D CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cell. This study provides a new strategy for the rational structure design of 1D–3D hybrid perovskite with high PCE and stability.
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•Incorporation of quinoline group in A-site remarkably improves the high hydrophobic performance of CsPbI2Br perovskite.•The π-π conjugate structure in A-site enhances the charge-carrier transport ability.•The as-fabricated 1D–3D hybrid CsPbI2Br perovskite solar cell yields a power conversion efficiency as high as 16.1%.•1D–3D perovskite solar cells remain 86% PCE in 1300 h in ambient environment (H.R.=30%, T = 25 °C).
The present study aims to acquire deeper understanding of the runner blade channel vortices phenomenon by numerical simulations of the whole turbine passage. Several operating points along different ...specific discharge were calculated by a hybrid turbulence model, Very Large Eddy Simulation, which was proved that it was able to capture the blade channel vortices similarly. The results showed that the blade channel vortices structure and intensity were various for different runners at incipient point. The flow pattern revealed that the direct relationship of a backflow region and the blade attacking angle near the hub had a distinct variation in vortex structure and intensity. Furthermore, this paper referred a new method to evaluate the strength of blade channel vortex quantitatively, basing on the evolution of specific energy gradient over the stream-wise location. Therefore, this new method enabled the researchers to understand deeply the flow characteristics associated with the blade channel vortices formation and carry out efficiently the hydraulic optimization design.
•The investigation of blade channel vortices is performed for two model runners.•The backflow region and attacking angle have influence on vortex intensity.•A new method is proposed to determine the strength of blade channel vortex.•This method could be used in hydraulic optimization design of Francis turbine.
Although it has been shown that some mannose-binding lectins (MBLs) exhibit significant activity against HIV infection, little is known about whether
-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-binding lectins ...have the ability to inhibit HIV infection. Here, we demonstrate that a soybean-derived lectin (SBL) with GalNAc-binding affinity could potently suppress HIV infection of macrophages in a dose-dependent fashion. Unlike the MBLs, which block HIV only through binding to the glycosylated envelope proteins (gp120 and gp41) of the virus, SBL inhibited HIV at multiple steps of the virus infection/replication cycle. SBL could activate the beta interferon (IFN-β)-STAT signaling pathway, resulting in the upregulation of a number of antiviral interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) in macrophages. In addition, SBL treatment of macrophages induced the production of C-C chemokines, which bind to HIV entry coreceptor CCR5. Deglycosylation of cell surface galactosyl moieties or presaturation of GalNAc-binding capacity could compromise SBL-mediated induction of the antiviral factors. Furthermore, SBL exerted its anti-HIV activity in the low nanomolar range with no mitogenic effect on CD4
T cells, a major advantage in the development of SBL as a potential anti-HIV agent compared with MBLs. These data indicate a necessity to further investigate SBL as an alternative and cost-effective anti-HIV natural product.
Mannose-binding lectins (MBLs) can block the attachment of HIV to target cells and have been suggested as anti-HIV microbicides. However, the mitogenic effect of MBLs on CD4
T cells limits this potential in clinical settings. Lectins with galactose (Gal)- or
-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc)-binding specificity are another important category of carbohydrate-binding proteins (CBP). Compared to high-mannose N-linked glycans, GalNAc-type glycans present much less in HIV gp120 or gp41 glycosylation. Here, we demonstrate that GalNAc-specific soybean lectin (SBL) triggers antiviral signaling via recognition of the cell surface galactosyl group of macrophages, which results in the suppression of HIV at multiple steps. More importantly, SBL has no mitogenic effect on the activation of CD4
T cells, a major advantage in the development of Gal/GalNAc-specific lectins as naturopathic anti-HIV agents.
The nucleation mechanisms is of particularly technological interest since it determines the subsequent crystal growth and the resultant performances of glass-ceramics. Here we investigate the ...temperature dependent nucleation behavior of two compositionally similar silicate glasses. Striking difference in nucleation behavior was found for two glasses containing CaO and MgO, respectively, when they underwent the same heat-treatments under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions. Different from the CaO bearing glass for which only surface nucleation occurs, the substitution of MgO for CaO leads to volume nucleation. The comparison of rheological properties shows that the kinetic term with regard to diffusion makes a weak contribution to this difference in nucleation behavior. In contrast, the topological structure plays a key role in nucleation mechanism, which is strongly affected by the degree of intermediate-range order in both the glasses.
•Nucleation mechanism is investigated for both the silicate glasses with highly similar compositions.•Replacing CaO by MgO results in change in nucleation sites from the surface to the interior of the glasses.•Topological structure plays the much more important role in volume nucleation than rheological properties.
During the process of preparing furfural by straw depolymerization with dilute sulfuric acid, large amounts of high temperature sulfate-rich organic wastewater were produced. It cannot be treated ...directly by anaerobic digestion and converted to bioenergy due to high concentrations of sulfate. In this study, anaerobic co-digestion of sulfate containing wastewater and corn stalk was performed at thermophilic conditions to investigate the influences of total carbon (TC)/sulfate (6, 16, 35 and 110) on methane production and sulfate removal. The results showed that the highest methane production of 260.14 mL g−1 volatile solid (VS) was achieved at TC/sulfate of 35, which was significantly higher than 12.53 mL g−1 VS obtained at TC/sulfate of 6. Moreover, the results of sulfate balance analysis showed a maximum sulfate removal of 93.43% was achieved at TC/sulfate of 16, and sulfate concentration in biogas slurry was less than 0.1 g/L regardless of TC/sulfate after 28 days of co-digestion. The microbial community was analyzed using 16S rDNA sequencing technology, the results showed that methane was mainly produced by Methanoculleus and Methanosarcina, and sulfate was removed via Desulfotomaculum, and the relative abundance of methanogenic archaea (MA) and sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB) were significantly correlated with methane production and sulfate removal. It can concluded that higher methane production and sulfate removal can be obtained by anaerobic co-digestion of sulfate containing wastewater and corn stalk at properly TC/sulfate.
•A maximum methane production of 260.14 mL g−1 VS were obtained at TC/sulfate of 35.•Sulfate concentration in biogas slurry was less than 0.1 g/L regardless of the TC/sulfate.•XRD analyze showed that co-digestion improved destruction of crystalline cellulose.•The microbial community at various TC/sulfate was analyzed using 16S rDNA sequencing.
●Hollow Co3O4 anchored in porous carbon nanofibers is designed as anode for Na+ storage.●The hollow structure shortens the ion transport path for fast reaction kinetics.●The porous carbon facilitates ...electron/ion transport and guarantees structural stability.●Superior electrochemical performance are achieved in both half-cells and full-cells.
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Transition metal oxides with high theoretical specific capacity, when used as anode materials in sodium-ion batteries, usually suffer from poor structural stability and inferior rate capacity. The use of hollow nanostructured metal oxides incorporated into porous carbon frameworks is a promising strategy for addressing this issue. Herein, we fabricated hollow Co3O4 nanoparticles anchored in a porous carbon nanofiber matrix (Co3O4@PCNF) by electrospinning, metal–organic framework incorporation, and two-step calcination. The porous carbon nanofiber matrix can facilitate structural stability and provide multiple channels for fast electron/ion transport. The hollow Co3O4 nanoparticles resulting from the Kirkendall effect can shorten the Na-ion transport path for achieving fast reaction kinetics. The Co3O4@PCNF exhibits a reversible specific capacity of 487 mAh g−1 at 0.05 A g−1 with a high initial Coulombic efficiency of 91.6%, outstanding rate performance (220 mAh g−1 at 5 A g−1), and stable cycling, thereby making it suitable as an anode for sodium-ion batteries. Moreover, a full cell fabricated using a Co3O4 @PCNF anode and Na3V2(PO4)2O2F cathode delivers a reversible capacity of 205 mAh g−1 at 0.5 A g−1. We believe that our approach can provide a design pathway to improve the performance of Co3O4-based anodes for sodium-ion batteries and offer a new strategy to produce hollow-structure electrode materials for other energy-storage devices.
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are vital milk carbohydrates that help promote the microbiota-dependent growth and immunity of infants. Sialic acid (SA) is a crucial component of sialylated milk ...oligosaccharides (S-MOs); however, the effects of SA supplementation in lactating mothers on S-MO biosynthesis and their breastfed infants are unknown. Probiotic intervention during pregnancy or lactation demonstrates promise for modulating the milk glycobiome. Here, we evaluated whether SA and a probiotic (Pro) mixture could increase S-MO synthesis in lactating mothers and promote the microbiota development of their breastfed neonates. The results showed that SA+Pro intervention modulated the gut microbiota and 6'-SL contents in milk of maternal rats more than the SA intervention, which promoted
colonization in neonates and immune development. Deficient 6'-SL in the maternal rat milk of
knockouts (St6gal1
) disturbed intestinal microbial structures in their offspring, thereby impeding immune tolerance development. SA+Pro intervention in lactating St6gal1
rats compromised the allergic responses of neonates by promoting 6'-SL synthesis and the neonatal gut microbiota. Our findings from human mammary epithelial cells (MCF-10A) indicated that the GPR41-PI3K-Akt-PPAR pathway helped regulate 6'-SL synthesis in mammary glands after SA+Pro intervention through the gut - breast axis. We further validated our findings using a human-cohort study, confirming that providing SA+Pro to lactating Chinese mothers increased S-MO contents in their breast milk and promoted gut
spp. and
spp. colonization in infants, which may help enhance immune responses. Collectively, our findings may help alter the routine supplementation practices of lactating mothers to modulate milk HMOs and promote the development of early-life gut microbiota and immunity.
Protein labeling approaches are important to study proteins in living cells, and genome editing tools make it possible to tag endogenous proteins to address the concerns associated with ...overexpression. Here we established RNA editing-mediated noncanonical amino acids (ncAAs) protein tagging (RENAPT) to site-specifically label endogenous proteins with ncAAs in living cells. RENAPT labels protein in a temporary and nonheritable manner and is not restricted by protospacer adjacent motif sequence. Using a fluorescent ncAA or ncAA with a bio-orthogonal reaction handle for subsequent dye labeling, we demonstrated that a variety of endogenous proteins can be imaged at their specific subcellular locations. In addition, two proteins can be tagged individually and simultaneously using two different ncAAs. Furthermore, endogenous ion channels and neuron-specific proteins can be real-time labeled in primary neurons. Thus, RENAPT presents a promising platform with broad applicability for tagging endogenous proteins in living cells to study their localization and functions.
Abstract
With the rapid development of the tourism industry, the water resource consumption in tourism has largely increased and gets more complicated, making water resource management in tourism ...more difficult. To achieve sustainable water utilization in tourism, water resource management has to take full account of the local natural, social, and industrial conditions, both satisfying the demands of water resource protection and tourism development. To analyze this coupling relationship, an integrated index system comprised of 15 indices is designed, and a coupling degree model between tourism-related water resource management and local conditions is introduced. The result revealed that tourism-related water resource management is generally congruent with the local conditions in China, and provinces at the very high/low coupling stage presented four clusters. A discussion combining the change of water policies and the water use efficiency of hotels in Beijing revealed that water-saving policies are proven to be necessary for the tourism development. Furthermore, a discussion of the four clusters revealed the advanced experience and deficiency of water policies in substantial tourism areas. The results could provide references for the improvement of water policies in the tourism industry in China.
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