PdCu alloy anchored defective titania for photocatalytic conversion of carbon dioxide into methane with 100% selectivity

The photoreduction of CO_(2)into CH_(4)with simultaneous high activity and selectivity is a promising strategy to increase energy supply and alleviate global warming.However,the absence of the active sites that is responsible for the adsorption and activation of CO_(2)and the generation of CO and H2via side reactions often lead to poor efficiency and low selectivity of the catalyst.Herein,Cu,Pd,and PdCu metal clusters cocatalyst-anchored defective TiO_(2)nanotubes(Cu/TiO_(2)-SBO,Pd/TiO_(2)-SBO,and Pd1Cu1/TiO_(2)-SBO)were designed via a simple solution impregnation reduction and applied for photocatalytic conversion of CO_(2)to CH_(4).The Pd1Cu1/TiO_(2)-SBO photocatalyst exhibits excellent catalytic performance among the other catalysts for photoreduction of CO_(2)into CH_(4).More interestingly,the product selectivity of CH_(4)reaches up to 100%with a rate of 25μmol g^(-1)h^(-1).In-situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy(DRIFTS)and density functional theory(DFT)simulations indicate that the main reasons for the high selectivity of CH_(4)are attributed to the PdCu alloy and oxygen vacancies,which jointly enhance the photoinduced carrier separation and lower energy barriers of key intermediates.Moreover,due to the tunable d-band center of the Cu site in the PdCu alloy,the generated intermediates can be well prevented from poisoning and promoted to participate in further reactions.Hopefully,the current study will provide insight into the development of new,highly selective photocatalysts for the visible light-catalytic reduction of CO_(2)into CH_(4).

Hepatitis B virus infection:defective surface antigen expression and pathogenesis

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is a global public health concern. HBV causes chronic infection in patients and can lead to liver cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and other severe liver diseases. Thus, understanding HBV-related pathogenesis is of particular importance for prevention and clinical intervention. HBV surface antigens are indispensable for HBV virion formation and are useful viral markers for diagnosis and clinical assessment. During chronic HBV infection, HBV genomes may acquire and accumulate mutations and deletions, leading to the expression of defective HBV surface antigens. These defective HBV surface antigens have been found to play important roles in the progression of HBV-associated liver diseases. In this review, we focus our discussion on the nature of defective HBV surface antigen mutations and their contribution to the pathogenesis of fulminant hepatitis B. The relationship between defective surface antigens and occult HBV infection are also discussed.

The Study of the Varying Characteristics of Cathodic Regions for Defective Coating in 3.5% Sodium Chloride Solution by EIS and WBE

The current distributions over carbon steel under iron red alkyd primer exposed to 3.5% sodium chloride solution were mapped using the wire beam electrode （WBE）. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） of the WBE was carded out to analyze the performance of coating delamination and corrosion behavior of carbon steel beneath defective coating. The EIS data revealed that protective capability of coating decreased with immersion time and the degree of cathodic delamination showed a rapid rise. The current density distribution of WBE indicated that cathodic sites was located at the defect at the beginning of immersion and gradually spread into the intact coating. The cathodic regions were distinguished from the anodic area and distributed over the WBE. The changes of cathodic sites could reflect the deterioration process of defective coating. The cathodic area ratio was a more useful parameter than the cathodic delamination degree to evaluate the coating cathodic delamination. The polarity reversals of electrodes at the defect and beneath coating were observed. A simple discussion of relationship between the blister and the polarity reversal was made from a standpoint of electrochemical distribution. WBE method was able to map and record the changes of local cathodic sites beneath defective coating in real time, which could provide more detailed information about the local degradation of coating.

Defective ZnS nanoparticles anchored in situ on N-doped carbon as a superior oxygen reduction reaction catalyst

Defect engineering has been used to develop low-cost and effective catalysts to boost oxygen reduction reactions.However,the development of catalysts that use metal cation vacancies as the active sites for oxygen reduction reaction is lacking.In this study,ZnS nanoparticles on N-doped carbon serve as an oxygen reduction reaction catalyst.These catalysts were prepared via a one-step method at 900℃.Amazingly,the high-resolution transmission electron microscope image revealed obvious defects in the ZnS nanoparticles.These facilitated the catalyst synthesis,and the product displayed good electrocatalytic performance for the oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline medium,including a lower onset potential,lower mid-wave potential,four electron transfer process,and better durability compared with 20 wt%Pt/C.More importantly,the density functional theory results indicated that using the Zn vacancies in the prepared catalyst as active sites required a lower reaction energy to produce OOH*from*OO toward oxygen reduction reaction.Therefore,the proposed catalyst with Zn vacancies can be used as a potential electrocatalyst and may be substitutes for Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells,given the novel catalyst’s resulting performance.

Ultrathin defective high-entropy layered double hydroxides for electrochemical water oxidation

One of the fundamental driving forces in the materials science community is the hunt for new materials with specific properties that meet the requirements of rapidly evolving technology.

Enhancing Photocatalytic Performance of NH 2-UIO66 by Defective Structural Engineering

NH_(2)-UIO66(NU)is a promising photocatalyst for the reduction of Cr(VI)to low-toxic Cr(III)driven by visible light under ambient conditions.However,the main limitation in this process is the ineffi cient ligand to metal charge transfer(LMCT)of photo-excited electrons,which is caused by inherent energy gap(ΔE_(LMCT)).This study synthesized the defective NU(NUXH,where X is the molar equivalent of the modulator)with reducedΔE_(LMCT)through linkers removal via acid treatment.The electronic structure of NUX-H was systematically investigated,and the results indicated that the structural defects in NUX-H strongly altered the environment of the Zr atoms.Furthermore,they substantially lowered the energy of the unoccupied d orbitals(LUMO),which was benefi cial to effi cient LMCT,resulting in an improved photocatalytic activity of NUX-H toward high-concentration(100 mg/L)Cr(VI)reduction.Compared to NU with defect-free structure,the reducing rate of Cr(VI)was increased by 47 times.This work introduced an alternative strategy in terms of designing effi cient photocatalysts for reducing Cr(VI)under ambient conditions.

Defective/Doped Graphene-Based Materials as Cathodes for Metal-Air Batteries

Graphene,as a proof-of-concept two-dimensional material,has proven to have excellent physical and chemical properties.Its derivatives,such as defective or doped graphene,are also applied as catalytic materials for metal-air batteries(MABs).MABs have been recognized as possible candidates for new-generation energy storage systems due to their ultra-high theoretical energy density.So far,graphene and its derivatives with optimized structures have been widely explored to improve the electrochemical performance in MABs.Generally speaking,perfect graphene crystalline is inert for many catalytic processes,while defects and heteroatoms can endow graphene with high activity for many electrocatalytic reactions.Under this circumstance,recent progress is summarized for defective/doped graphene as air cathodes in aqueous or organic MABs,which are actually different electrochemical systems with distinct requirements for air cathodes.Also,the relationship is clarified between graphene defects/doping and electrocatalytic mechanisms that can be the guidance for catalyst design.Future directions are also prospected for the development of graphene-based MAB cathodes.

PLASTIC LIMIT LOAD ANALYSIS OF DEFECTIVE PIPELINES

The integrity assessment of defective pipelines represents a practically important task of structural analysis and design in various technological areas,such as oil and gas indus- try,power plant engineering and chemical factories.An iterative algorithm is presented for the kinematic limit analysis of 3-D rigid-perfectly plastic bodies.A numerical path scheme for radial loading is adopted to deal with complex multi-loading systems.The numerical procedure has been applied to carry out the plastic collapse analysis of pipelines with part-through slot under internal pressure,bending moment and axial force.The effects of various shapes and sizes of part-through slots on the collapse loads of pipelines are systematically investigated and evaluated.Some typical failure modes corresponding to different configurations of slots and loading forms are studied.

心电图Defective T波对成人继发孔型房间隔缺损的诊断价值和形成因素分析

目的:探讨心电图Defective T波(DTW)诊断成人继发孔型房间隔缺损(ASD)的价值及主要形成因素。方法:选取经心脏超声心动图确诊的继发孔型ASD成人患者243例(ASD组)和心脏超声未见明显异常者247例(非ASD组),均描记标准十二导联心电图,观察DTW、不完全性右束支传导阻滞(IRBBB)检出情况,分析DTW对继发孔型ASD的诊断价值和形成因素,观察不同术式前后心电图的变化。结果:ASD组、非ASD组DTW检出率分别为58.02%(141/243)、5.67%(14/247),DTW合并IRBBB检出率分别为51.85%(126/243)、0.81%(2/247),ASD组均高于非ASD组(χ^(2)=155.263、165.363,P<0.001)。DTW诊断继发孔型ASD的敏感度、特异度和准确度分别为58.02%、94.33%和76.33%,DTW合并IRBBB诊断继发孔型ASD的敏感度、特异度和准确度分别为51.85%、99.19%和75.71%。右心室增大、肺动脉收缩压增高是ASD患者DTW形成的主要影响因素[OR(95%CI)分别为1.095(1.020~1.176)、1.040(1.006~1.075)];术前DTW、IRBBB和DTW合并IRBBB阳性的ASD患者经过外科手术或介入手术治疗6个月后均缓解,缓解程度在两种术式组间的差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论:心电图DTW对成人继发孔型ASD的诊断具有较大指导意义,右心室增大、肺动脉收缩压增高是ASD患者DTW的主要形成因素。

Candidate genes of hypertension with defective environmental expression

Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that the thermosensitivity locus cosegregates with blood pressure and that the elevated expression and restriction fragment length polymorphism of HSP70 gene are associ-ated with hypertension. Cell protection against environ-mental stressors such as heat and chemicals is often accom-panied by up-regulated expression of a wide spectrum of heat sliock genes(HSP). To further investigate the interre-lation between HSP expression and blood pressure regulation, we employed an effective method of cloning 2 poten-tial hypertension-related HSPs. Synthetic oligonucleotides corresponding either to a higbly-conserved region of the known HSP family or a repetitive sequence in the protein- encoding gene were used as target primers for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). cDNA prepared from heat-stressed and non-stressed vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) of Brown Norway rats (BN.1x) and spontaneously hyperten-sive rats (SHRp) respectively served as template in the reaction. The PCR products were subsequently analyzed in a single-stranded conformational polymorphism (SSCP) electrophoresing system. Differential gene expression in BN.1x and SHRp was seen on autoradiographs of SSCP gel by comparing the migration patterns of PCR-amplified DNA fragments. Using this technique, we also found that HSP27 and a new member of the large HSP gene family were differentially expressed in BN.1x and SHRp VSMC.

Defective layered Mn-based cathode materials with excellent performance via ion exchange for Li-ion batteries

Defective layered Mn-based materials were synthesized by Li/Na ion exchange to improve their electrochemical activity and Coulombic efficiency.The annealing temperature of the Na precursors was important to control the P3-P2 phase transition,which directly affected the structure and electrochemical characteristics of the final products obtained by ion exchange.The O3-Li_(0.78)[Li_(0.25)Fe_(0.075)Mn_(0.675)]O_(δ) cathode made from a P3-type precursor calcined at 700℃ was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and electron paramagnetic resonance.The results showed that the presence of abundant trivalent manganese and defects resulted in a discharge capacity of 230 mAh/g with an initial Coulombic efficiency of about 109%.Afterward,galvanostatic intermittent titration was performed to examine the Li^(+) ion diffusion coefficients,which affected the reversible capacity.First principles calculations suggested that the charge redistribution induced by oxygen vacancies(OV_(s))greatly affected the local Mn coordination environment and enhanced the structural activity.Moreover,the Li-deficient cathode was a perfect match for the pre-lithiation anode,providing a novel approach to improve the initial Coulombic efficiency and activity of Mn-based materials in the commercial application.

Position Dependent Spontaneous Emission Spectra of a Λ-Type Atomic System Embedded in a Defective Photonic Crystal

We investigate the position dependent spontaneous emission spectra of a A-type three-level atom with one transition coupled to the free vacuum reservoir and the other one coupled to a double-band photonic band gap reservoir with a defect mode in the band gap. It is shown that, for the atom at the defect location, we have a two-peak spectrum with a wide dark line due to the strong coupling between the atom and the defect mode. While, when the atom is far from the defect location （or in the absence of the defect mode）, the spectrum has three peaks with two dark lines due to the coupling between the atom and the photonic band gap reservoir with the largest density of states near the band edges. On the other hand, we have a four-peak spectrum for the atom at the space in between. Moreover, the average spontaneous emission spectra of the atoms uniformly embedded in high dielectric or low dielectric regions are described. It is shown that the atoms embedded in high （low） dielectric regions far from the defect location, effectively couple to the modes of the lower （upper） photonic band. However, the atoms embedded in high dielectric or low dielectric regions at the defect location, are coupled mainly to the defect modes. While, the atoms uniformly embedded in high （low） dielectric regions with a normal distance from the defect location, are coupled to both of defect and lower （upper） photonic band modes.

"Defective" mutations of hepatitis D viruses in chronic hepatitis D patients

AIM: To verify whether 'defective' mutations existed in hepatitis D virus (HDV).METHODS: Hepatitis delta antigen (HDAg)-codingsequences were amplified using Pfu DNA polymerases with proof-reading activities from sera of five patients with chronic hepatitis D. Multiple colonies were sequenced for each patient. Pfu analyzed a total of 270 HDV clones.Three representative defective HDV clones were constructed in expression plasmids and transfected into a human hepatoma cell line. Cellular proteins were extracted and analyzed by Western blot.RESULTS: Four of five cases (80%) showed defective HDV genomes in their sera. The percentage of defective genomes was 3.7% (10/270). The majority (90%) of the defective mutations were insertions or deletions that resulted in frameshift and abnormal stop translation of the HDAg. The predicted mutated HDAg ranged from 45amino acids to ＞214 amino acids in length. Various domains of HDAg associated with viral replication or packaging were affected in different HDV isolates. Western blot analysis showed defected HDAg in predicted positions.CONCLUSION: 'Defective' viruses do exist in chronic HDV infected patients, but represented as minor strains. The clinical significance of the 'defected' HDV needs further study to evaluate.

Effects of Imperfect Quality and Defective Items on Economic Production Lot Size

The classical EPQ model has been used for a long ti me and is widely accepted and implemented. Nevertheless, the analysis for finding an economic lot size has based on a number of unrealistic assumptions. A common unrealistic assumption in using EPQ is that all units produced are of good quali ty. The classical EPQ model shows that the optimal lot size will generate minimum ma nufacturing cost, thus producing minimum setup cost and inventory cost. However, this is only true if all products manufactured in the process are assumed to be of good quality (i.e. all products are within the specification limits). In rea lity this is not the case, therefore, it is necessary to consider the cost of im perfect quality items, because this cost can influence the economic lot size. Ma ny studies and recent papers have indicated that there is a significant relation ship between economic production lot size and process/product quality. However, their models included either the imperfect quality items (not necessarily de fective) which are to be sold at a discounted price or defective items which can be reworked or rejected. The aim of this paper is to provide a framework to integrate three different sit uations (discounted pricing/rework/reject) into a single model. 100% inspection is performed in order to distinguish the amount of good quality items, imper fect quality items and defective items in each lot. In this paper, a mathematica l model is developed, and a numerical example is presented to illustrate the sol ution procedures. It is found that the economic production lot size tends to inc rease as the average percentage of imperfect quality items and defectives (rejec ted items) increases.

Extreme narrow photonic passbands generated from defective two-segment-connected triangular waveguide networks

In this paper, we investigate the optical transmission properties of perfect and defective two-segment-connected tri- angular waveguide networks （2SCTWNs） and find that after introducing defects in networks, many groups of transparent extreme narrow photonic passbands （ENPPs） will be created in the middle of the transmission spectra, the number for each group and the group number of ENPPs can he adjusted by the matching ratios of waveguide length （MRWLs）, the number of defects, and the number of unit cells of 2SCTWNs. The influences of MRWL, number of defects, and number of unit cells on the number, width, and position of these ENPPs are researched and a series of quantitative rules and prop- erties are obtained. It may be useful for the designing of high-sensitive optical switches, wavelength division multiplexers, extreme-narrowband filters, and other correlative waveguide network devices.

IN situ Confocal Microprobe Raman Spectroscopic Studies on Defective La-based Complex Oxides

The adsorption of O2 over defective La2O3-based OCM catalysts with anionic vacancies , and the reaction of surface oxygen species with CH4 were studied by means of in situ confocal microprobe Raman spectra. The partially reduced oxygen species O2, O , O (O<&<1 ) and even the lattice oxygen ion O2-can be detected on the surface of O2-pretreated La2O3-based catalysts. At lower temperatures (< 573 K) it is peroxide species O- or O- that is more essential for the coupling of methane,while at higher temperature. the superoxide O2 and lattice oxygen species O2-are rather important. It is easier for fluoride-containing La2O3-based catalysts to induce the oxygen species with fewer negative charges and the basicity of the cat- alyst surface is weakened , so that the C2 selectivity for OCM reaction is improved.

Dynamic Control of Defective Gap Mode Through Defect Location

A one dimensional model is developed for defective gap mode（DGM）with two types of boundary conditions：conducting mesh and conducting sleeve.For a periodically modulated system without defect,the normalized width of spectral gaps equals to the modulation factor,which is consistent with previous studies.For a periodic system with local defects introduced by the boundary conditions,it shows that the conducting-mesh-induced DGM is always well confined by spectral gaps while the conducting-sleeve-induced DGM is not.The defect location can be a useful tool to dynamically control the frequency and spatial periodicity of DGM inside spectral gaps.This controllability can be potentially applied to the interaction between gap eigenmodes and energetic particles in fusion plasmas,and optical microcavities and waveguides in photonic crystals.

Thermal conductivity of carbon nanotube superlattices:Comparative study with defective carbon nanotubes

We use molecular dynamics simulation to calculate the thermal conductivities of（5, 5） carbon nanotube superlattices（CNTSLs） and defective carbon nanotubes（DCNTs）, where CNTSLs and DCNTs have the same size. It is found that the thermal conductivity of DCNT is lower than that of CNTSL at the same concentration of Stone–Wales（SW） defects. We perform the analysis of heat current autocorrelation functions and observe the phonon coherent resonance in CNTSLs, but do not observe the same effect in DCNTs. The phonon vibrational eigen-mode analysis reveals that all modes of phonons are strongly localized by SW defects. The degree of localization of CNTSLs is lower than that of DCNTs, because the phonon coherent resonance results in the phonon tunneling effect in the longitudinal phonon mode. The results are helpful in understanding and tuning the thermal conductivity of carbon nanotubes by defect engineering.

An Inventory Model of Production with Level Dependent Demand Allowing Few Defective Items

This paper considers a model regarding the products with finite life which allows defective items in reproduction and causes a small amount of decay. The market demand is assumed to be level dependent linear type. The model has also considered the constant production rate which stops after a desired level of inventories and that is the highest level of it. Due to the market demand, defective item and product’s decay, the inventory reduces to the zero level where again the production cycle starts. With a numerical search procedure, the proof of the proposed model has been shown. The objective of the proposed model is to find out the total optimum inventory cost, optimum ordering cost and optimum ordering cycle.