Enhanced photocatalytic ammonia oxidation activity and nitrogen selectivity over Ag/AgCl/N-TiO_(2) photocatalyst

The removal of ammonia(NH_(3))emitted from agricultural and industrial activities is of great significance to protect human health and ecological environment.Photocatalytic NH_(3)oxidation to N2under mild conditions is a promising strategy.However,developing visible light photocatalysts for NH_(3)oxidation is still in its infancy.Here,we fabricate N-TiO_(2)and Ag/AgCl/N-TiO_(2)photocatalysts by sol-gel and photodeposition methods,respectively.The introduction of N not only endows TiO_(2)with visible light response(absorption edge at460 nm)but also results in the formation of heterophase junction(anatase and rutile).Thus,N-TiO_(2)shows 2.0 and 1.8 times higher than those over anatase TiO_(2)and commercial TiO_(2)for NH_(3)oxidation under full spectrum irradiation.Meanwhile,surface modification of Ag can simultaneously enhance visible light absorption(generating localized surface plasmon resonance effect)and charge separation efficiency.Therefore,the photocatalytic activity of Ag/AgCl/N-TiO_(2)is further improved.Furthermore,the presence of N and Ag also enhances the selectivity of N2product owing to the change of reaction pathway.This work simultaneously regulates photocatalytic conversion efficiency and product selectivity,providing some guidance for developing highly efficient photocatalysts for NH_(3)elimination.

SlBEL11 regulates flavonoid biosynthesis,thus fine-tuning auxin efflux to prevent premature fruit drop in tomato

Auxin regulates flower and fruit abscission,but how developmental signals mediate auxin transport in abscission remains unclear.Here,we reveal the role of the transcription factor BEL1-LIKE HOMEODOMAIN11(SlBEL11)in regulating auxin transport during abscission in tomato(Solanum lycopersicum).SlBEL11 is highly expressed in the fruit abscission zone,and its expression increases during fruit development.Knockdown of SlBEL11 expression by RNA interference(RNAi)caused premature fruit drop at the breaker(Br)and 3d post-breaker(Br+3)stages of fruit development.Transcriptome and metabolome analysis of SlBEL11-RNAi lines revealed impaired flavonoid biosynthesis and decreased levels of most flavonoids,especially quercetin,which functions as an auxin transport inhibitor.This suggested that SlBEL11 prevents premature fruit abscission by modulating auxin efflux from fruits,which is crucial for the formation of an auxin response gradient.Indeed,quercetin treatment suppressed premature fruit drop in SlBEL11-RNAi plants.DNA affinity purification sequencing(DAP-seq)analysis indicated that SlBEL11 induced expression of the transcription factor gene SlMYB111 by directly binding to its promoter.Chromatin immunoprecipitation-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that S.lycopersicum MYELOBLASTOSIS VIRAL ONCOGENE HOMOLOG111(SlMYB111)induces the expression of the core flavonoid biosynthesis genes SlCHS1,SlCHI,SlF3H,and SlFLS by directly binding to their promoters.Our findings suggest that the SlBEL11-SlMYB111 module modulates flavonoid biosynthesis to fine-tune auxin efflux from fruits and thus maintain an auxin response gradient in the pedicel,thereby preventing premature fruit drop.

Report on the International Symposium on Suboptimal Health Status,Inner Mongolia

The International Symposium on Sub-optimal Health Status was held in the beautiful“deer city”of Baotou,Inner Mongolia,China,from September 12 to September 13,2015.The symposium was hosted by Global Suboptimal Health Association and Capital Medical University and was cosponsored by the Beijing Municipal Key Laboratory of Clinical Epidemiology,Baotou Central Hospital,and Ruike-Donghua Translational Medicine Center,Beijing.