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•The MoP/CN samples exhibit superior activity in CO2 reduction and H2 evolution.•The CO2 adsorption and conversion progress is well revealed in the photoreaction.•The efficient ...co-catalyst MoP facilitates the separation and transfer of charges.
Photoreduction CO2 to hydrocarbons and photosplitting water for H2 production are the most promising, sustainable approaches for environmental pollution alleviation and solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, developing low-cost, high efficient and stable photocatalysts remains a great challenge. Herein, we reported a novel visible-light activated MoP co-catalyst loaded g-C3N4 photocatalyst for CO2 reduction and water splitting under simulated irradiation firstly. Experimental results demonstrated that the composites were highly active and exhibited superior stability. The maximum CO and H2 evolution rates of 0.92 μmol h−1 and 40.38 μmol h−1 were achieved on MoP/CN-15% catalyst, which were 4.5-fold and 74.5-fold higher than the pure g-C3N4, and the corresponding apparent quantum efficiencies (AQE) were 3.5% and 18.3% at 420 nm, respectively. In situ FTIR analysis disclosed the CO2 adsorption and conversion progress, in which the COO− acted as a major intermediate. Furthermore, comprehensive characterization analysis revealed the introduction of MoP facilitated the separation and transfer of photogenerated electron-hole pairs, and the theoretical calculation by density functional theory (DFT) also confirmed that MoP could effectively separate the photoexcited charges from g-C3N4. Combining with experimental and DFT calculations results, a new way to design cost-effective photocatalysts has been enlightened.
The Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) model is a widely used electrostatic model for biomolecular solvation analysis. Formulated as an elliptic interface problem, the PB model can be numerically solved on ...either Eulerian meshes using finite difference/finite element methods or Lagrangian meshes using boundary element methods. Molecular surface generators, which produce the discretized dielectric interfaces between solutes and solvents, are critical factors in determining the accuracy and efficiency of the PB solvers. In this work, we investigate the utility of the Eulerian Solvent Excluded Surface (ESES) software for rendering conjugated Eulerian and Lagrangian surface representations, which enables us to numerically validate and compare the quality of Eulerian PB solvers, such as the MIBPB solver, and the Lagrangian PB solvers, such as the TABI‐PB solver. Furthermore, with the ESES software and its associated PB solvers, we are able to numerically validate an interesting and useful but often neglected source‐target symmetric property associated with the linearized PB model.
We investigate the utility of the Eulerian Solvent Excluded Surface (ESES) software for rendering conjugated Eulerian and Lagrangian surface representations, which enables us to numerically validate and compare the quality of the Eulerian and Lagrangian Poisson–Boltzmann (PB) solvers. Furthermore, with the ESES software and its associated PB solvers, we are able to numerically validate an interesting and useful but often neglected source‐target symmetric property associated with the linearized PB model.
Using a method optimized in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we established patient‐derived xenograft (PDX) models with an increased take rate (42.2%) and demonstrated that FBS +10% dimethyl sulfoxide ...exhibited the highest tumor take rate efficacy. Among 254 HCC patients, 103 stably transplantable xenograft lines that could be serially passaged, cryopreserved and revived were established. These lines maintained the diversity of HCC and the essential features of the original specimens at the histological, transcriptome, proteomic and genomic levels. Tumor engraftment was associated with lack of encapsulation, poor tumor differentiation, large size and overexpression of cancer stem cell biomarkers, and was an independent predictor for overall survival and tumor recurrence after resection. To confirm the preclinical value of the PDX model in HCC treatment, several antitumor agents were tested in 16 selected PDX models. The results revealed a high degree of pharmacologic heterogeneity in the cohort, as well as heterogeneity to different agents in the same individual. The sorafenib responses observed between HCC patients and the corresponding PDXs were also consistent. After molecular characterization of the PDX models, we explored the predictive markers for sorafenib response and found that mitogen‐activated protein kinase kinase kinase 1 (MAP3K1) might play an important role in sorafenib resistance and sorafenib response is impaired in patients with MAP3K1 downexpression. Our results indicated that PDX models could accurately reproduce patient tumors biology and could aid in the discovery of new treatments to advance in precision medicine.
What's new?
Patient‐derived xenografts (PDX) models offer a promising preclinical tool. Here, the authors established the largest bank of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) PDX models with a high and stable tumor take rate that recapitulated the key clinical and molecular characteristics of primary tumors. The tumor take rate was associated with expression of cancer stem cell proteins, lack of tumor encapsulation, poor differentiation, advanced stage, overall survival, and time to recurrence in patients. The models were used to identify MAP3K1 expression as an indicator of patient response to sorafenib treatment. PDX models are valuable surrogates for HCC patients and could facilitate translational research.
The SCN11A gene, encoded Nav1.9 TTX resistant sodium channels, is a main effector in peripheral inflammation related pain in nociceptive neurons. The role of SCN11A gene in the auditory system has ...not been well characterized. We therefore examined the expression of SCN11A in the murine cochlea, the morphological and physiological features of Nav1.9 knockout (KO) ICR mice.
Nav1.9 expression was found in the primary afferent endings beneath the inner hair cells (IHCs). The relative quantitative expression of Nav1.9 mRNA in modiolus of wild-type (WT) mice remains unchanged from P0 to P60. The number of presynaptic CtBP2 puncta in Nav1.9 KO mice was significantly lower than WT. In addition, the number of SGNs in Nav1.9 KO mice was also less than WT in the basal turn, but not in the apical and middle turns. There was no lesion in the somas and stereocilia of hair cells in Nav1.9 KO mice. Furthermore, Nav1.9 KO mice showed higher and progressive elevated ABR threshold at 16 kHz, and a significant increase in CAP thresholds.
These data suggest a role of Nav1.9 in regulating the function of ribbon synapses and the auditory nerves. The impairment induced by Nav1.9 gene deletion mimics the characters of cochlear synaptopathy.
Abstract
We report on the results of a new spectroscopic monitoring campaign of the quasar PG 0026+129 at the Calar Alto Observatory 2.2 m telescope from 2017 July to 2020 February. Significant ...variations in the fluxes of the continuum and broad emission lines, including H
β
and He
ii
, were observed in the first and third years, and clear time lags between them are measured. The broad H
β
line profile consists of two Gaussian components: an intermediate-width H
with an FWHM of 1964 ± 18
and another very broad H
with an FWHM of 7570 ± 83
. H
has long time lags of ∼40–60 days in the rest frame, while H
shows nearly zero time delay with respect to the optical continuum at 5100 Å. The velocity-resolved delays show consistent results: lags of ∼30–50 days at the core of the broad H
β
line and roughly zero lags at the wings. H
has a redshift of ∼400
, which seems to be stable for nearly 30 yr by comparing with archived spectra, and may originate from an infall. The rms spectrum of H
shows a double-peaked profile with brighter blue peak and extended red wing in the first year, which matches the signature of a thin disk. Both the double-peaked profile and the near-zero lag suggest that H
comes from a region associated with the part of the accretion disk that emits the optical continuum. Adopting the FWHM (in the rms spectrum) and the time lag measured for the total H
β
line, and a virial factor of 1.5, we obtain a virial mass of
for the central black hole in this quasar.
Nanozyme-based biomolecules sensitive and quantitative detection is an attractive strategy due to their high chemical, thermal stability and reactive activity. Here, we have synthesized a significant ...number of two-dimensional (2D) cobalt-metal-organic framework (Co-MOF) nanosheets with oxidase (OXD)-like activity using a facile solvothermal method in one pot for biomolecule monitoring. The synthesized Co-MOF nanosheets exhibit strong stability, higher specific surface area and more active sites due to their MOF structure. Such Co-MOF nanosheets with excellent OXD-like activity show adequate analytical performance in the quantitative determination of dopamine (DA) and glutathione (GSH) with a wider dynamic sensing range and lower detection limits (DA and GSH: 0.24 and 0.067 μmol·L
−1
, 3
σ
/slope, where
σ
is standard deviation of the blank). This work extends the application of 2D-MOF structures in bioassays and brings new insights into the application of OXD-like nanozymes in bioassays.
Graphical abstract
Electrostatics is of paramount importance to chemistry, physics, biology, and medicine. The Poisson-Boltzmann (PB) theory is a primary model for electrostatic analysis. However, it is highly ...challenging to compute accurate PB electrostatic solvation free energies for macromolecules due to the nonlinearity, dielectric jumps, charge singularity, and geometric complexity associated with the PB equation. The present work introduces a PB-based machine learning (PBML) model for biomolecular electrostatic analysis. Trained with the second-order accurate MIBPB solver, the proposed PBML model is found to be more accurate and faster than several eminent PB solvers in electrostatic analysis. The proposed PBML model can provide highly accurate PB electrostatic solvation free energy of new biomolecules or new conformations generated by molecular dynamics with much reduced computational cost.
Abstract
In this work, we present the first results of the long-term high-cadence spectroscopic monitoring of 15 PG quasars with relatively strong Fe
ii
emission, as a part of a broader reverberation ...mapping campaign performed using the Calar Alto Observatory’s 2.2 m telescope. The
V
-band, 5100 Å continuum, and H
β
broad emission line light curves are measured for a set of quasars for periods ranging from dozens to more than a hundred epochs between 2017 May and 2020 July. Accurate time lags between the variations of the H
β
broad-line fluxes and the optical continuum strength are obtained for all 15 quasars, ranging from
17.0
−
3.2
+
2.5
to
95.9
−
23.9
+
7.1
days in the rest frame. The virial masses of the central supermassive black holes are derived for all 15 quasars, ranging between
0.50
−
0.19
+
0.18
and
19.17
−
2.73
+
2.98
in units of 10
7
M
⊙
. For 11 of the objects in our sample, this is the first reverberation analysis to be published. Of the rest, two objects have been the subject of previous reverberation studies, but we determine time lags for these that are only half as long as those found in the earlier investigations, which had only been able to sample much more sparsely. The remaining two objects have previously been monitored with high sampling rates. Our results here are consistent with the earlier findings, in the sense that the time lag and the line width vary inversely, consistent with virialization.
Circular RNAs (circRNAs) from back-splicing of exon(s) have been recently identified to be broadly expressed in eukaryotes, in tissue- and species-specific manners. Although functions of most ...circRNAs remain elusive, some circRNAs are shown to be functional in gene expression regulation and potentially relate to diseases. Due to their stability, circRNAs can also be used as biomarkers for diagnosis. Profiling circRNAs by integrating their expression among different samples thus provides molecular basis for further functional study of circRNAs and their potential application in clinic. Here, we report CIRCpedia v2, an updated database for comprehensive circRNA annotation from over 180 RNA-seq datasets across six different species. This atlas allows users to search, browse, and download circRNAs with expression features in various cell types/tissues, including disease samples. In addition, the updated database incorporates conservation analysis of circRNAs between humans and mice. Finally, the web interface also contains computational tools to compare circRNA expression among samples. CIRCpedia v2 is accessible at http://www.picb.ac.cn/rnomics/circpedia.
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