MXenes, a bourgeoning class of 2D transition metal carbides, are of considerable interest in catalysis due to their rich surface chemistry, tunable electronic structures, and thermal stability. Here, ...recent conceptual advances in applying MXenes and their nanocomposites in (photo)electrocatalysis and conventional heterogeneous catalysis are highlighted. In addition, the nature of active sites in the MXene‐based catalysts are discussed and the significance and challenges in the future development of catalysts using MXenes as the platforms are summarized.
MXenes, a bourgeoning class of 2D transition metal carbides, are of considerable interest in catalysis due to their outstanding properties such as rich surface chemistry, tunable bandgap structures, and thermal stability. Here, the catalytic applications of MXenes and MXene‐based catalysts in electrocatalysis, photocatalysis, and conventional heterogeneous catalysis are summarized.
The toxicity and bioaccumulation potential of phthalate acid esters (PAEs) make their impact on the environment a matter of considerable concern. Due to China's recent economic development and ...population growth, it has become one of the largest manufacturers and consumers of PAEs, with an associated contamination threat to several environmental compartments. The aim of this overview is to present a systematic account of PAE occurrence in various environmental media in China in the last decade, including the air, surface water, sediments, soil, sewage, and sludge; human exposure to PAEs is also evaluated. This reveals a location-dependence that can be attributed to regional differences in economic and industrial development as well as specific geographic location. A need for further study into the transportation and transformation behavior of PAEs in different environmental media and into PAE control technologies is identified, as a means of effectively assessing potential ecological and health risks.
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•PAEs were detected ubiquitously and abundantly in China.•DEHP was the most abundant phthalates in various environmental media.•PAEs concentrations exhibit a location dependent.•Limited treatment might cause the widespread contaminations of PAEs.
Underwater images play a key role in ocean exploration but often suffer from severe quality degradation due to light absorption and scattering in water medium. Although major breakthroughs have been ...made recently in the general area of image enhancement and restoration, the applicability of new methods for improving the quality of underwater images has not specifically been captured. In this paper, we review the image enhancement and restoration methods that tackle typical underwater image impairments, including some extreme degradations and distortions. First, we introduce the key causes of quality reduction in underwater images, in terms of the underwater image formation model (IFM). Then, we review underwater restoration methods, considering both the IFM-free and the IFM-based approaches. Next, we present an experimental-based comparative evaluation of the state-of-the-art IFM-free and IFM-based methods, considering also the prior-based parameter estimation algorithms of the IFM-based methods, using both subjective and objective analyses (the used code is freely available at https://github.com/wangyanckxx/Single-Underwater-Image-Enhancement-and-Color-Restoration). Starting from this paper, we pinpoint the key shortcomings of existing methods, drawing recommendations for future research in this area. Our review of underwater image enhancement and restoration provides researchers with the necessary background to appreciate challenges and opportunities in this important field.
•Identify and characterize drought events with a 3-dimensional view.•The spatio-temporal variation of drought in China during 1961–2012.•Merits and limitations of SPI, RDI, and SPEI.
Understanding ...the spatial and temporal variation of drought is essentially important in drought assessment. In most previous studies, drought event is usually identified in space and time separately, ignoring the nature of the dynamic processes. In order to better understand how drought changes have taken place in China during the past half-century, we carried out a comprehensive analysis of their spatio-temporal variation based on multiple drought indices from a climatic perspective. A 3-dimensional clustering method is developed to identify drought events in China from 1961 to 2012 based on the 0.25° gridded indices of SPI3 (3months Standardized Precipitation Index), RDI3 (3months Reconnaissance Drought Index) and SPEI3 (3months Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index). Drought events are further characterized by five parameters: duration, affected area, severity, intensity, and centroid. Remotely sensed soil moisture data were used to validate the rationality of identified drought events. The results show that the two most severe drought events in the past half century which occurred in the periods 1962–1963 and 2010–2011 swept more than half of the non-arid regions in China. Large magnitude droughts were usually centered in the region from North China Plain to the downstream of Yangtze River. The western part of North China Plain, Loess Plateau, Sichuan Basin and Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau had a significant drying trend, which is mainly caused by the significant decrease of precipitation. The three drought indices have almost the same performance in the humid regions, while SPI and RDI were found to be more appropriate than SPEI in the arid regions.
FOXM1 (forkhead box protein M1) is a critical proliferation-associated transcription factor that is widely spatiotemporally expressed during the cell cycle. It is closely involved with the processes ...of cell proliferation, self-renewal, and tumorigenesis. In most human cancers, FOXM1 is overexpressed, and this indicates a poor prognosis for cancer patients. FOXM1 maintains cancer hallmarks by regulating the expression of target genes at the transcriptional level. Due to its potential role as molecular target in cancer therapy, FOXM1 was named the Molecule of the Year in 2010. However, the mechanism of FOXM1 dysregulation remains indistinct. A comprehensive understanding of FOXM1 regulation will provide novel insight for cancer and other diseases in which FOXM1 plays a major role. Here, we summarize the transcriptional regulation, post-transcriptional regulation and post-translational modifications of FOXM1, which will provide extremely important implications for novel strategies targeting FOXM1.
The carbon-nitrogen double bonds in imines are fundamentally important functional groups in organic chemistry. This is largely due to the fact that imines act as electrophiles towards carbon ...nucleophiles in reactions that form carbon-carbon bonds, thereby serving as one of the most widely used precursors for the formation of amines in both synthetic and biosynthetic settings. If the carbon atom of the imine could be rendered electron-rich, the imine could react as a nucleophile instead of as an electrophile. Such a reversal in the electronic characteristics of the imine functionality would facilitate the development of new chemical transformations that convert imines into amines via carbon-carbon bond-forming reactions with carbon electrophiles, thereby creating new opportunities for the efficient synthesis of amines. The development of asymmetric umpolung reactions of imines (in which the imines act as nucleophiles) remains uncharted territory, in spite of the far-reaching impact such reactions would have in organic synthesis. Here we report the discovery and development of new chiral phase-transfer catalysts that promote the highly efficient asymmetric umpolung reactions of imines with the carbon electrophile enals. These catalysts mediate the deprotonation of imines and direct the 2-azaallyl anions thus formed to react with enals in a highly chemoselective, regioselective, diastereoselective and enantioselective fashion. The reaction tolerates a broad range of imines and enals, and can be carried out in high yield with as little as 0.01 mole per cent catalyst with a moisture- and air-tolerant operational protocol. These umpolung reactions provide a conceptually new and practical approach to chiral amino compounds.
•We evaluated four latest satellite-precipitation products over the Yangtze River.•Multi-temporal evaluation focused on the context of hydrological applications.•We found apparent errors depend on ...regions, seasons and precipitation regimes.•Each satellite product has its own pros and cons.
In the present study, four high-resolution multi-sensor blended precipitation products, TRMM Multisatellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA) research product (3B42 V7) and near real-time product (3B42 RT), Climate Prediction Center MORPHing technique (CMORPH) and Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks (PERSIANN), are evaluated over the Yangtze River basin from April 2008 to March 2012 using the gauge data. This regional evaluation is performed at temporal scales ranging from annual to daily, based on a number of diagnostic statistics. Gauge adjustment greatly reduces the bias in 3B42 V7, a post real-time research product. Additionally, it helps the product maintain a stable skill level in winter. When additional indicators such as spatial correlation, Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), and Probability of Detection (POD) are considered, 3B42 V7 is not always superior to other products (especially CMORPH) at the daily scale. Among the near real-time datasets, 3B42 RT overestimates annual rainfall over the basin; CMORPH and PERSIANN underestimate it. In particular, the upper Yangtze always suffers from positive bias (>1mmday−1) in the 3B42 RT dataset and negative bias (−0.2 to −1mmday−1) in the CMORPH dataset. When seasonal scales are considered, CMORPH exhibits negative bias, mainly introduced during cold periods. The correlation between CMORPH and gauge data is the highest. On the contrary, the correlation between 3B42 RT and gauge data is more scattered; statistically, this results in lower bias. Finally, investigation of the probability distribution functions (PDFs) suggests that 3B42 V7 and 3B42 RT are consistently better at retrieving the PDFs in high-intensity events. Overall, this study provides useful information about the error characteristics associated with the four mainstream satellite precipitation products and their implications regarding hydrological applications over the Yangtze River basin.
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•NLRP3 inflammasome is composed of NLRP3, ASC and caspase-1.•NLRP3 inflammasome activation leads to the IL-1β and IL-18 release and pyroptosis.•NLRP3 inflammasome plays a key role in ...immunity and autoimmune diseases.•NLRP3 inflammasome acts as a promising therapeutic target for autoimmune diseases.
NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) is an intracellular receptor that senses foreign pathogens and endogenous danger signals. It assembles with apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a CARD (ASC) and caspase-1 to form a multimeric protein called the NLRP3 inflammasome. Among its various functions, the NLRP3 inflammasome can induce the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 while also promoting gasdermin D (GSDMD)-mediated pyroptosis. Previous studies have established a vital role for the NLRP3 inflammasome in innate and adaptive immune system as well as its contribution to several autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren’s syndrome (SS), systemic sclerosis (SSc), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS). In this review, we briefly introduce the biological features of the NLRP3 inflammasome and present the mechanisms underlying its activation and regulation. We also summarize recent studies that have reported on the roles of NLRP3 inflammasome in the immune system and several autoimmune diseases, with a focus on therapeutic and clinical applications.
This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the application of digital health management systems in chronic disease management, revealing how they promote proactive, personalized, and scientific ...management models. This system achieves precise assessment of patients' health conditions through real-time monitoring and data analysis, effectively preventing and timely intervening in chronic diseases. Additionally, it optimizes the allocation of healthcare resources, reduces medical costs, and significantly improves patients' quality of life. In practical cases worldwide, this system has demonstrated significant effectiveness, accelerating the transformation of chronic disease prevention and control management models. Therefore, the promotion of digital health management systems is of great significance, not only improving the management of chronic diseases but also making important contributions to the modernization and efficiency enhancement of the entire healthcare sector.
The concept of “fiber art” not only expresses a kind of art but also reflects the course of this art—the evolution from a material to an art. It also reflects the characteristics of this art form—art ...produced by materials. This article aims to explore the application analysis of the gel method Ba2TiSi2O8 ferroelectric thin film in contemporary handicraft three-dimensional fiber art works. This article first discusses the influence of ferroelectric domains on ferroelectric thin films and concludes that domains are the basis of various physical properties and applications of ferroelectric materials. By changing the types and quantities of domains, the performance of ferroelectric materials can be controlled. Then the measurement principle of the ferromagnetic resonance line width in the ferroelectric thin film is proposed, and the Ba2TiSi2O8 ferroelectric thin film is prepared by the gel method. Then the ferromagnetism and temperature stability of the Ba2TiSi2O8 ferroelectric film are discussed, and the contemporary handicraft three-dimensional fiber art works are analyzed based on the ferroelectric film. The classical methods to detect ferromagnetic permeability tensors mainly include non-resonance method, Faraday rotation method, resonance method, resonance perturbation method, and so on. The experimental results in this paper show that the polarization strength of the flexible film at high temperature is slightly reduced. As the temperature increases, the flexible film still has a good hysteresis loop, and the saturation polarization strength does not change much. It shows that the Ba2TiSi2O8 structured flexible film has good temperature stability at about 80°C, and the contemporary handicraft three-dimensional fiber art work based on ferroelectric film not only has a good economic mechanism but also has its flexibility and beauty increased by 80%.
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