The latest applications of plasma in energy storage and conversion are summarized here, including using it as the preparation and modification technology of the various electrocatalysts and the usage ...of it as the synthesis technology directly. Also, the challenges and outlook of plasma technology in energy storage and conversion were summarized, and the solutions and prospected its development in the future were present.
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Electrochemical reactions were widely used in energy storage and conversion devices. The development of low-cost, highly efficient and stable electrocatalyst is essential to a large-scale application of energy storage and conversion devices. Recently, emerging plasma technology has been employed as one of the practical ways to synthesize and modify electrocatalysts due to its unique property. In this review, we summarized the latest applications of plasma in energy storage and conversion, including using it as the preparation and modification technology of the various electrocatalysts and the usage of it as the synthesis technology directly. Firstly, we presented the definition and types of plasma reactors and their respective characteristics. Then, these applications of plasma technology in many essential electrode reactions including carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2RR), nitrogen fixation, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) were introduced. Finally, the challenges and outlook of plasma technology in energy storage and conversion were summarized, and the solutions and prospected its development in the future were present. Through reviewing the related aspects, readers can have a deeper understanding of the application prospects of plasma in electrocatalysis.
This study mainly explored the effect of Tempol on OSA-induced lung injury and the specific molecular mechanism. A hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) cell model and an IH-induced lung injury model in rats ...were constructed. The expression of miRNAs and related proteins was detected by RT‒qPCR and Western blotting. HE and Masson staining were used to observe the pathological changes in lung tissues. The expression levels of inflammatory cytokines were detected by ELISA. Apoptotic cells were observed by TUNEL. The ROS levels were detected by a DCFH-DA probe. Tempol administration effectively reduced the pathological changes in lung tissue and the progression of pulmonary fibrosis in rats with lung injury and reduced the expression of inflammatory factors in lung tissue. miR-145-5p was significantly upregulated in rats with IH-induced lung injury, and Tempol treatment inhibited the expression of miR-145-5p. Transfection with the miR-145-5p inhibitor effectively inhibited H/R cell apoptosis and autophagy, while transfection with the miR-145-5p mimic had the opposite effect. Targeting miR-145-5p negatively regulates the expression of Nrf2. Transfection of the miR-145-5p mimic weakened the inhibitory effects of Tempol on apoptosis and autophagy in H/R cells. Overexpression of the Nrf2 mimic reversed the effects of the miR-145-5p mimic on Tempol to a certain extent. It was also confirmed in animal experiments that overexpression of Nrf2 reversed the inhibitory effect of the miR-145-5p mimic on Tempol's lung injury relief effect. Tempol alleviates lung injury induced by chronic interstitial hypoxia by regulating the miR-145-5p/Nrf2 molecular axis and inhibiting autophagy.
Background Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) syndrome and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) have been shown to have a close association in previous studies, but their pathogeneses are unclear. ...This study explores the molecular mechanisms associated with the pathogenesis of OSA and NAFLD and identifies key predictive genes. Methods Using the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database, we obtained gene expression profiles GSE38792 for OSA and GSE89632 for NAFLD and related clinical characteristics. Mitochondrial unfolded protein response-related genes (UPRmtRGs) were acquired by collating and collecting UPRmtRGs from the GeneCards database and relevant literature from PubMed. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with OSA and NAFLD were identified using differential expression analysis. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was conducted for signaling pathway enrichment analysis of related disease genes. Based on the STRING database, protein–protein interaction (PPI) analysis was performed on differentially co-expressed genes (Co-DEGs), and the Cytoscape software (version 3.9.1) was used to visualize the PPI network model. In addition, the GeneMANIA website was used to predict and construct the functional similar genes of the selected Co-DEGs. Key predictor genes were analyzed using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Results The intersection of differentially expressed genes shared between OSA and NAFLD-related gene expression profiles with UPRmtRGs yielded four Co-DEGs: ASS1 , HDAC2 , SIRT3 , and VEGFA . GSEA obtained the relevant enrichment signaling pathways for OSA and NAFLD. PPI network results showed that all four Co-DEGs interacted (except for ASS1 and HDAC2 ). Ultimately, key predictor genes were selected in the ROC curve, including HDAC2 (OSA: AUC = 0.812; NAFLD: AUC = 0.729), SIRT3 (OSA: AUC = 0.775; NAFLD: AUC = 0.750), and VEGFA (OSA: AUC = 0.812; NAFLD: AUC = 0.861) (they have a high degree of accuracy in predicting whether a subject will develop two diseases). Conclusion In this study, four co-expression differential genes for OSA and NAFLD were obtained, and they can predict the occurrence of both diseases. Transcriptional mechanisms involved in OSA and NAFLD interactions may be better understood by exploring these key genes. Simultaneously, this study provides potential diagnostic and therapeutic markers for patients with OSA and NAFLD.
The introduction of defect sites has been widely reported to enhance electrocatalysts’ abilities by increasing their affinity for reaction intermediates. Many different defect types, such as cation ...and anion vacancies, can exist in nano-materials. The different defect sites can make different contributions to the electrochemical ability. Therefore, a constructed defect should be accurate and specific, which makes it easy to identify the optimal defect type to facilitate electrochemical reactions. In this work, we used cobalt vacancies in Co
3
O
4
as an example and synthesized Co
3
O
4
with bivalent cobalt vacancies (Co
3
O
4
-VCo(II)) and trivalent cobalt vacancies (Co
3
O
4
-VCo(III)). Electrochemical results demonstrate that introducing cobalt vacancies considerably enhances the electrocatalytic activity of Co
3
O
4
. Furthermore, Co
3
O
4
-VCo(II) exhibits the most outstanding oxygen evolution ability with the fastest reaction kinetic rate. Quasi-
operando
X-ray photoelectron microscopy spectrum analysis results indicate that the presence of VCo(II) can accelerate CoOOH active site formation during the oxygen evolution reaction process. Density functional theory calculations reveal that introducing cobalt vacancies can endow Co
3
O
4
with metal-like conductivity. The O p-band center can be moved near the Fermi level, and the free energy barrier can be the lowest with the presence of VCo(II), resulting in a fast kinetics rate of oxygen exchange at the electrocatalyst surface and optimal adsorption energy to reaction intermediates to display excellent electrochemical ability. This work provides substantial guidance for designing efficient defect-rich electrocatalysts.
•Ten dominate maize cultivars in Northeast China (NEC) were used in the APSIM model.•Trends of potential, attainable, farm yields and yield gaps of maize were studied.•Potential, attainable, farm ...yields of maize will increase with improved cultivars.•Improved cultivars increased potential yield by 62.2% and attainable yield by 80.5%.•Climate change decreased potential yield by 2.1% and attainable yield by 8.0%.
Northeast China (NEC) is one of the most important agricultural production areas in China and is one of the most sensitive areas in the country to climate change, particularly during the last five decades when strong climate warming occurred. Thus, a better understanding of the potential, attainable, and farm yields and yield gaps of spring maize under climate change is necessary with respect to historical cultivars improvements. Ten spring maize cultivars commonly planted from the 1960s to the 2000s were selected for a two-year field experiment in Lishu, NEC. The APSIM-maize model was used to simulate the potential and attainable yields of spring maize from 1961 to 2009 using real-time cultivar calibration and validation during the past five decades. Our results indicated that the yield gap between the potential and farm yields was 9.7tha−1, or 66.2% of the potential yield; the yield gap between the attainable and farm yields was 5.6tha−1, or approximately 54% of the attainable yield. Climate change from 1961 to 2009 led to a reduction in the potential yield by 2.1% and a reduction in the attainable yield by 8.0%. Improved cultivars and agricultural practices have led to an increase of 62.2% and 80.5% in potential and attainable yields, respectively. Therefore, the combined impact of climate change and improvements in cultivars and agricultural practices increased potential and attainable yields 53.3% and 70.3%, respectively, for the period 1961–2009 relative to the yields of the cultivar planted in the 1960s. In conclusion, improvements in cultivars and agricultural practices for spring maize in NEC played a dominate role for the increase of yield, and the persistent large yield gap between farm and attainable or potential yields provides farmers an opportunity to increase their agricultural production.
Oxiracetam (ORC) is a commonly used nootropic drug for improving cognition and memory impairments. The therapeutic effect and underlying mechanism of ORC in vascular dementia (VaD) treatment remain ...unknown. In this study, 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats with permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion-induced VaD were treated orally with low (100 mg/kg) or high (200 mg/kg) dose ORC once a day for 4 weeks. The results of the Morris water maze test and Nissl staining showed that ORC treatment significantly alleviated learning and memory deficits and neuronal damage in rats with VaD. Mechanistically, the protein levels of a panel of genes associated with neuronal apoptosis (Bcl-2, Bax) and autophagy (microtubule-associated protein 1 chain 3, Beclin1, p62) were significantly altered by ORC treatment compared with VaD, suggesting a protective role of ORC against VaD-induced neuronal apoptosis and autophagy. Moreover, the Akt/mTOR pathway, which is known to be the upstream signaling governing apoptosis and autophagy, was found to be activated in ORC-treated rats, suggesting an involvement of Akt/mTOR activation in ORC-rendered protection in VaD rats. Taken together, this study demonstrated that ORC may alleviate learning and memory impairments and neuronal damage in VaD rats by altering the expression of apoptosis/autophagy-related genes and activation of the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in neurons.
Co3O4 has been widely explored in electrocatalytic 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) oxidation. However, the poor intrinsic ability has seriously limited its electrochemical ability. Heteroatom-doping ...is an efficient method to enhance the electrocatalytic ability of catalyst by regulating electronic structure. Herein, we have modulated the electronic structure of Co3O4 by high valance Mo6+-doping. With the introduction of Mo6+, the content of Co2+ was increased and metal-oxygen bond was strength. Electrochemical results suggested that the electrocatalytic ability of Co3O4 towards HMF oxidation has been dramatically improved and reaction kinetics has been fasten. Theoretical calculations demonstrated that the surrounding cobalt sites after Mo6+-doping with assembled electron has a strong adsorption ability towards HMF molecule leading to more favourable oxidation of HMF. Post characterizations demonstrated pristine Co3O4 structure was kept after electrolysis cycles and CoOOH active species were formed. This work provides a valuable reference for developing efficient heteroatom-doped electrocatalysts for HMF oxidation.
High-valance Mo6+ was applied to modulate the electronic structure of Co3O4, which leads to enhanced adsorption energy towards 5-hydroxymethyl-furfural (HMF) to display superior electrochemical ability for HMF Oxidation. Display omitted
The stability of maize production is essential to global food security. Climate factors, such as temperature, precipitation, and solar radiation, directly affect the development of maize plants and ...hence the final grain yield. In this study, we investigated the spatial distributions and temporal trends of agro-climatic indices and severe weather indicators during the actual growing season for summer maize in Huanghuaihai region of China. The results showed that during the growing season, accumulated effective thermal time had significantly increased. From R3 to R6, accumulated effective thermal time, effective precipitation, and photosynthesis active radiation all showed an increasing trend, with the rate of 20.3 °C day, 1.1 mm, and 7.3 MJ m
−2
per decade, respectively. From VE to R3, most of the study years showed a > 50% ratio of high-temperature days to subtotal days and > 7 consecutive days without available precipitation. During most of the study years, there were at least 0.5 thunderstorm events from V6 to VT stage in the locations of study; days with strong winds accounted for more than half the subtotal days during the V6-VT stage. And potential risk of lodging may be reduced by the decrease in days with strong wind. The results of this study could be used in optimizing agricultural management in summer maize production in order to take advantage of beneficial climatic elements while combating adverse climatic elements.
Abstract
Due to environmental hypoxia on the Tibetan Plateau, local residents often exhibit a compensative increase in hemoglobin concentration to maintain the body’s oxygen supply. However, ...increases in hemoglobin and hematocrit (Hct) pose a serious challenge to the quality of stored suspended red blood cells (SRBCs) prepared from the blood of high-hemoglobin populations, especially populations at high altitude with polycythemia in Tibet. To explore the difference in storage quality of SRBCs prepared from plateau residents with a high hemoglobin concentration, blood donors were recruited from Tibet (> 3600 m) and Chengdu (≈ 500 m) and divided into a high-altitude control (HAC) group, high-altitude polycythemia (HAPC) group and lowland control (LLC) group according to their hemoglobin concentration and altitude of residence. The extracellular acidification rate (ECAR), pyruvate kinase (PK) activity and band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation were analyzed on the day of blood collection. Then, whole-blood samples were processed into SRBCs, and storage quality parameters were analyzed aseptically on days 1, 14, 21 and 35 of storage. Overall, we found that tyrosine 21 phosphorylation activated glycolysis by releasing glycolytic enzymes from the cytosolic domain of band 3, thus increasing glucose consumption and lactate accumulation during storage, in the HAPC group. In addition, band 3 tyrosine phosphorylation impaired erythrocyte deformability, accompanied by the highest hemolysis rate in the HAPC group, during storage. We believe that these results will stimulate new ideas to further optimize current additive solutions for the high-hemoglobin population in Tibet and reveal new therapeutic targets for the treatment of HAPC populations.
Co
3
O
4
has displayed promising ability for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) electrooxidation reaction (HMFOR), which is an efficient way to produce high-value chemicals. However, its poor intrinsic ...ability has seriously limited its electrochemical performance. The introduction of foreign components into Co
3
O
4
via
heterophase interfacing is an efficient strategy to enhance its intrinsic activity. Herein, we have modified Co
3
O
4
through the fabrication of the heterophase interface between Cu-doped Co
3
O
4
(Cu−Co
3
O
4
) and CuO (Cu−Co
3
O
4
/CuO). With the introduction of Cu species, the electronic structure of the electrocatalyst has been well-modulated, whose electrons were preferentially transformed from Co to Cu atoms, suggesting a strong electron interaction. The electrochemical results suggest that Cu−Co
3
O
4
/CuO exhibited a lower overpotential, faster reaction kinetics, and higher turnover frequency than Cu−Co
3
O
4
and pure Co
3
O
4
. Experimental results and theoretical calculations demonstrate that the fabrication of the heterophase interface could have strong adsorption toward HMF owing to the enhanced interaction with the aldehyde and hydroxymethyl groups. Furthermore, Cu−Co
3
O
4
/CuO possessed a relatively poor reliance on the furan ring for HMF adsorption but accelerated the oxidation of the aldehyde group. This work provides a significant reference for the development of efficient HMFOR electrocatalysts.
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