Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction to Ethylene:From Mechanistic Understanding to Catalyst Surface Engineering

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)provides a promising way to convert CO_(2)to chemicals.The multicarbon(C_(2+))products,especially ethylene,are of great interest due to their versatile industrial applications.However,selectively reducing CO_(2)to ethylene is still challenging as the additional energy required for the C–C coupling step results in large overpotential and many competing products.Nonetheless,mechanistic understanding of the key steps and preferred reaction pathways/conditions,as well as rational design of novel catalysts for ethylene production have been regarded as promising approaches to achieving the highly efficient and selective CO_(2)RR.In this review,we first illustrate the key steps for CO_(2)RR to ethylene(e.g.,CO_(2)adsorption/activation,formation of~*CO intermediate,C–C coupling step),offering mechanistic understanding of CO_(2)RR conversion to ethylene.Then the alternative reaction pathways and conditions for the formation of ethylene and competitive products(C_1 and other C_(2+)products)are investigated,guiding the further design and development of preferred conditions for ethylene generation.Engineering strategies of Cu-based catalysts for CO_(2)RR-ethylene are further summarized,and the correlations of reaction mechanism/pathways,engineering strategies and selectivity are elaborated.Finally,major challenges and perspectives in the research area of CO_(2)RR are proposed for future development and practical applications.

Osteoarthritis:toward a comprehensive understanding of pathological mechanism

Osteoarthritis （OA） is the most common degenerative joint disease and a major cause of pain and disability in adult individuals. The etiology of OA includes joint injury, obesity, aging, and heredity. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms of OA initiation and progression remain poorly understood and, currently, there are no interventions available to restore degraded cartilage or decelerate disease progression. The diathrodial joint is a complicated organ and its function is to bear weight, perform physical activity and exhibit a joint-specific range of motion during movement. During OA development, the entire joint organ is affected, including articular cartilage, subchondral bone, synovial tissue and meniscus. A full understanding of the pathological mechanism of OA development relies on the discovery of the interplaying mechanisms among different OA symptoms, including articular cartilage degradation, osteophyte formation, subchondral sclerosis and synovial hyperplasia, and the signaling pathway（s） controlling these pathological processes.

Analysis of fluoxetine-induced plasticity mechanisms as a strategy for understanding plasticity related neural disorders

Fluoxetine hydrochloride,better known for its commercial name Prozac,is one of the most widely prescribed antidepressant drugs all over the world.This drug was considered a＂breakthrough drug＂for the treatment of depression because of its very high selectivity as a serotonin reuptake inhibitor and because it presented a lower side-effectprofile than previous drugs （Wong et al., 2005）.

Tiêu Equation Experimentation of Understanding by Energy Transfer Quantum Mechanics

Background: The Tiêu equation has a ground roots approach to the process of Quantum Biology and goes deeper through the incorporation of Quantum Mechanics. The process can be measured in plant, animal, and human usage through a variety of experimental or testing forms. Animal studies were conducted for which, in the first day of the study all the animals consistently gained dramatic weight, even as a toxic substance was introduced as described in the introduction of the paper to harm animal subjects which induced weight loss through toxicity. Tests can be made by incorporating blood report results. Human patients were also observed to show improvement to their health as administration of the substance was introduced to the biological mechanism and plants were initially exposed to the substance to observe results. This is consistent with the Tiêu equation which provides that wave function is created as the introduction of the substance to the biological mechanism which supports Quantum Mechanics. The Tiêu equation demonstrates that Quantum Mechanics moves a particle by temperature producing energy thru the blood-brain barrier for example. Methods: The methods for the Tiêu equation incorporate animal studies to include the substance administered through laboratory standards using Good Laboratory Practices under Title 40 C.F.R. § 158. Human patients were treated with the substance by medical professionals who are experts in their field and have knowledge to the response of patients. Plant applications were acquired for observation and guidance of ongoing experiments of animals’ representative for the biologics mechanism. Results: The animal studies along with patient blood testing results have been an impressive line that has followed the Tiêu equation to consistently show improvement in the introduction of the innovation to biologic mechanisms. The mechanism responds to the substance by producing energy to the mechanism with efficient effect. For plant observations, plant organisms responded, and were seen as showing improvement thru visual observation.

Neuroprotection induced by NMDA preconditioning as a strategy to understand brain tolerance mechanism

Excitotoxicity refers to toxicity caused by abnormal concentrations of glutamate in the synaptic cleft that may lead to neuronal death. Since its description, the phenomenon of glutamatergic excitotoxicity has been implicated in the physiopathology of a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, from acute brain damage such as traumatic brain injury, ischemia as well as chronic condi- tions like epilepsy, depression and neurodegenerative pathologies such as Huntington＇s, Parkinson＇s and Alzheimer＇s diseases. Exces- sive stimulation of glutamatergic receptors, mainly N-methyl-D-as- partate （NMDA） receptors （NMDAR）, can have numerous adverse effects on the cell viability, including increased nitric oxide release （NO）, activation of proteases, increased production of reactive oxygen （ROS） and nitrogen （RNS） species and massive influx of calcium ions （Ca2＋）, resulting in cell death. Thus, the use of strategies that modulate the excitotoxic cell damage represents a perspective for the treatment of diseases such as Parkinson＇s and Alzheimer＇s diseases, ischemia, traumatic brain injury （TBI） and seizures.

Recent Progress in Understanding the Mechanisms of Pain and Itch:the Second Special Issue

In 2012, we published the first special issue on mechanisms of pain and itch in Neuroscience Bulletin, which covered the peripheral, central, and glial mechanisms of pain and itch [1-5]. In the last 5 years, the field has seen tremendous progress in the molecular and functional characterization of primary sensory neurons [6, 7], neurocircuits of pain and itch [8-10], immune and glial modulation of pain and itch [11-15], molecular mechanisms of pain [16, 17], and identification of brain signatures of pain [18]. Thus, it is timely to highlight the recent progress in a second special issue. I invited the previous authors and new authors from China, the USA, and Japan, and they have contributed 20 mini-reviews and original articles to this special issue.

A conjecture on mechanism of information understanding

All kinds of sensing organs in humans are able to reflect only the formal factors of objects,named formal information.It is believed,however,that not only the formal information but also the content information and value information of objects could play fundamental roles in the process of information understanding and decisionmaking in human thinking.Therefore,the questions of where and how the content information and the value information be produced from the formal information become critical in the theory of information understanding and decision-making.A conjectural theory that may reasonably answer the question is presented here in the paper.

Fundamentals,On‑Going Advances and Challenges of Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction

Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction(ECR)is an attractive pathway to synthesize useful fuels and chemical feedstocks,especially when paired with renewable electricity as the energy source.In this overview,we examine the recently witnessed advances and on-going pursuits of ECR in terms of the key fundamental mechanisms,basic experimentation principles,electrocatalysts and the electrochemical setup for ECR,aiming at offering timely key insights into solving the unsettled bottleneck issues.The reaction pathways are discussed in relation to the generation of single-,double-and multi-carbon products by the ECR,as well as the underlying principles in catalyst design to form them both efficiently and selectively.For the rational design of electrocatalysis,we look into the critically important roles played by various in situ and operando experimental techniques and computational simulations,where the key priorities are to engineer the highly active and selec-tive ECR catalysts for the specifically targeted products.Indeed,with the purposely designed high activity and selectivity,one would be able to“magically”transform a bottle of CO_(2)-riched“coke drink”to a glass of“beer”with the desired alcohol product in a layman term,instead of a bottle of formic acid.Nonetheless,there are still considerable complications and challenges ahead.As a dynamically rapid-advancing research frontier for both energy and the environment,there are great opportunities and obstacles in the ECR scale up.