Electrochemical urea synthesis by co-reduction of CO_(2) and nitrate with Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe^(Ⅲ)OOH@BiVO_(4) heterostructures

Traditional urea synthesis under harsh conditions is usually associated with high energy input and has aroused severe environmental concerns.Electrocatalytic C-N coupling by converting nitrate and CO_(2) into urea under ambient conditions represents a promising alternative process.But it was still limited by the strong competition between nitrate electrochemical reduction(NO_(3)ER) and CO_(2) electrochemical reduction(CO_(2)ER).Here,Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-n heterostructures are constructed through hydrothermal synthesis and exhibited superior performance toward urea electrosynthesis with NO_(3)~-and CO_(2) as feedstocks.The optimized urea yield and Faradaic efficiency over Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-2 can reach13.8 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) and 11.5% at-0.8 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode,which is much higher than that of bare FeOOH(3.2 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) and 1.3%),pristine BiVO_(4)(2.0 mmol h^(-1) g^(-1) and 5.4%),and the other Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-n(n=1,3,5) heterostructures.Systematic experiments have verified that BiVO_(4)and FeOOH are subreaction active sites towards simultaneous CO_(2)ER and NO_(3)ER,respectively,achieving co-activation of CO_(2) and NO_(3)~-on Fe^(Ⅱ)-Fe~ⅢOOH@BiVO_(4)-2.Moreover,the urea synthesis via the ^(*)CO and NO*intermediates and C-N coupling was confirmed by the in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.This work not only alleviates the CO_(2) emission and nitrate pollution but also presents an efficient catalyst for synergistic catalysis towards sustainable urea synthesis.

The 2D InSe/WS2 Heterostructure with Enhanced Optoelectronic Performance in the Visible Region

Two-dimensional(2D)InSe and WS2 exhibit promising characteristics for optoelectronic applications.However,they both have poor absorption of visible light due to wide bandgaps:2D InSe has high electron mobility but low hole mobility,while 2D WS2 is on the contrary.We propose a 2D heterostructure composed of their monolayers as a solution to both problems.Our first-principles calculations show that the heterostructure has a type-Ⅱband alignment as expected.Consequently,the bandgap of the heterostructure is reduced to 2.19 eV,which is much smaller than those of the monolayers.The reduction in bandgap leads to a considerable enhancement of the visible-light absorption,such as about fivefold(threefold)increase in comparison to monolayer InSe(WS2)at the wavelength of 490 nm.Meanwhile,the type-Ⅱ band alignment also facilitates the spatial separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs;i.e.,electrons(holes)reside preferably in the InSe(WS2)layer.As a result,the two layers complement each other in carrier mobilities of the heterostructure:the photogenerated electrons and holes inherit the large mobilities from the InSe and WS2 monolayers,respectively.

Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus arginine vasopressin receptor 2 gene mutation at new site:A case report

BACKGROUND Congenital nephrogenic diabetes insipidus(CNDI)is a rare hereditary disorder.It is associated with mutations in the arginine vasopressin receptor 2(AVPR2)gene and aquaporin 2(AQP2)gene,and approximately 270 different mutation sites have been reported for AVPR2.Therefore,new mutations and new manifestations are crucial to complement the clinical deficiencies in the diagnosis of this disease.We report a case of a novel AVPR2 gene mutation locus and a new clinical manifestation.CASE SUMMARY We describe the case of a 48-d-old boy who presented with recurrent fever and diarrhea 5 d after birth.Laboratory tests showed electrolyte disturbances and low urine specific gravity,and imaging tests showed no abnormalities.Genetic testing revealed a novel X-linked recessive missense mutation,c.283(exon 2)C>T(p.P95S).This mutation results in the substitution of a proline residue with a serine residue in the AVPR2 protein sequence.The diagnosis of CNDI was confirmed based on the AVPR2 gene mutation.The treatment strategy for this patient was divided into two stages,including physical cooling supplemented with appropriate amounts of water in the early stage and oral hydrochlorothiazide(1-2 mg/kg)after a clear diagnosis.After follow-up of one and a half years,the patient gradually improved.CONCLUSION AVPR2 gene mutations in new loci and new clinical symptoms help clinicians understand this disease and shorten the diagnosis cycle.

The role of miRNA21 in hippocampal neurons of rats with pentylenetetrazol-induced epilepsy and its mechanism

Objective: To investigate the expression of miRNA21 in hippocampus of rats with pentylenetetrazol-induced epilepsy and its possible mechanism. Methods: Twenty-four healthy male wister rats was randomly divided into two groups, the normal group and the epilepsy group. The Racine grade scores of the two groups of rats were recorded to evaluate the establishment of a rat model of epilepsy. The differentially expressed of microRNAs targeting bcl-2 in the hippocampus of epileptic rats was screened by bioinformatics method. The expression of microRNA21 in hippocampus of epileptic rats was verified by qRT-PCR. Western blot and immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of Bcl-2 in rat hippocampus;Hoechst 33258 was used to detect the apoptosis of rat hippocampal neurons. Results: The Racine score of the rats in the epilepsy group was significantly higher than that in the normal control group (P<0.01). Compared with the normal group, the expression of miRNA21 in the hippocampus of the epileptic group increased (P<0.01) and the expression of Bcl-2 decreased (P<0.01). Conclusion: Epilepsy can up-regulate the expression of miRNA21 in rat hippocampal neurons, and it may further induce apoptosis of hippocampal neurons by down-regulating Bcl-2, which may affect epileptic rats.

W/Mo-polyoxometalate-derived electrocatalyst for high-efficiency nitrogen fixation

Ammonia is the feedstock chemical for most fertilizers and the alternative of renewable energy carriers.Environmentally benign electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction (NRR) under mild conditions has been recognized as one of the most attractive strategies for N_(2) fixation.Herein,inspired by Mobased nitrogenase,W/Mo-doping electrocatalysts were developed with mixed-metal polyoxometalate H_(3)PW_6Mo_6O_(40) as the precursor for high performance electrocatalytic NRR.Trace amount of Pt was transplanted on the surface of W/Mo@rGO via in situ electroplating treatment to further improve the NRR performance.The resulting Pt-W/Mo@rGO-6 achieves excellent performance for NRR with a high NH_(3)yield of 79.2μg h^(-1)mg_(cat)^(-1) due to the multicomponent synergistic effect in the composite catalyst.The Pt-W/Mo@rGO-6 represents the first example of highly efficient NRR electraocatalyst derived from mixed-metal polyoxometalate,which exhibits outstanding stability confirmed by the constant catalytic performance over 24 h chronoamperometric test.This finding opens a new avenue to construct highly efficient NRR electrocatalyst by employing mixed metal polyoxometalate as the precursor under ambient conditions.

Pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)

As a highly infectious respiratory tract disease,coronavirus disease 2019(COVID-19)can cause respiratory,physical,and psychological dysfunction in patients.Therefore,pul mo nary rehabilitation is crucial for both admitted and discharged patients of COVID-19.In this study,based on the newly released pulmonary rehabilitation guidelines for patients with COVID-19,as well as evidence from the pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome,we investigated pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with COVID-19 having complications,such as chronic pulmonary disease,and established an intelligent respiratory rehabilitation model for these patients.

Porousβ-FeOOH nanotube stabilizing Au single atom for highefficiency nitrogen fixation

Electrochemical nitrogen reduction reaction(NRR)under ambient conditions is highly desirable to achieve sustainable ammonia(NH3)production via an alternative carbon free strategy.Single-atom catalysts(SACs)with super high atomic utilization and catalytic efficiency exhibit great potential for NRR.Herein,a high-performance NRR SAC is facilely prepared via a simple deposition method to anchor Au single atoms onto porousβ-FeOOH nanotubes.The resulting Au-SA/FeOOH can efficiently drive NRR under ambient conditions,and the NH3 yield reaches as high as 2,860μg·h^(-1)·mg_(Au)^(-1)at-0.4 V vs.reversible hydrogen electrode(RHE)with 14.2%faradaic efficiency,much superior to those of all the reported Au-based electrocatalysts.Systematic investigations demonstrate that the synergy of much enhanced N_(2)adsorption,directional electron export,and mass transfer ability in Au-SA/FeOOH greatly contributes to the superior NRR activity.This work highlights a new insight into the design of high efficient NRR electrocatalysts by combination of porous metal oxide matrix and highly active single-atom sites.

Integrative Analyses of Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Ten Chinese Patients with Transcriptome Sequencing

Few effective therapies have been developed for the treatment of lung squamous cell carcinoma （SQCC）, in part due to a lack of un- derstanding regarding the mechanisms underlying the initiation and development of this disease. Whole transcriptome sequencing not only provides insight into the expression of all transcribed genes, but offers an efficient approach for identifying genetic variations, including gene fusions, mutations and alternative splicing. In this study, we performed whole transcriptome sequencing of 10 patients with stage IIIA lung SQCC, and discovered a large number of single nucleotide variants （SNVs： mean of 12.2 SNVs/Mb）, with C〉T/G〉A and A〉G/T〉C transitions being the most frequently observed. Additionally, a total of 132 gene fusions were identified based upon TopHat alignments, 70.5% （93/132） of which occurred as a result of intra-chromosomal rearrangements. Based on the number of supporting reads for each fusion, we further validated 20 of the 26 top gene fusions by RT-PCR and Sanger sequencing. Taken together, these data provide an in-depth view of transcriptional alterations in lung SQCC patients, and may be useful for identification of new therapeutic targets.