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Heterogeneous agglomeration (HA) is a very potential technology for coal-fired flue gas treatment. In this paper, the distribution and migration mechanisms of trace elements (TEs) such as Se, As and Pb in CFPPs were studied on a 30,000 m

Bladder cancer (BLCA) has a high incidence and recurrence rate, and the effect of immunotherapy varies from person to person. Immune-related genes (IRGs) have been shown to be associated with immunotherapy and prognosis in many other cancers, but their role in immunogenic BLCA is less well defined. In this study, we constructed an eight-IRG risk model, which demonstrated strong prognostic and immunotherapeutic predictive power. The signature was significantly related to tumor clinicopathological characteristics, tumor class, immune cell infiltration and mutation status. Additionally, a nomogram containing the risk score and other potential risk factors could effectively predict the long-term overall survival probability of BLCA patients. The enriched mechanisms identified by gene set enrichment analysis suggested that the reason why this signature can accurately distinguish high- and low-risk populations may be closely related to the different degrees of innate immune response and T cell activation in different patients.

Photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting is a promising approach for renewable hydrogen production. However, the practical PEC solar-to-fuel conversion efficiency is still low owing to poor light absorption and rapid recombination of charge carriers in photoelectrode. In this work, we report a ternary photoanode with simultaneously enhancement of light absorption and water oxidation efficiency by introducing copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) and nickel iron-layered double hydroxide (NiFe-LDH) on TiO2 (denoted as TiO2/CuPc/NiFe-LDH). An experimental study reveals that CuPc loading on TiO2 bring strong visible light absorption; NiFe-LDH as an oxygen evolution reaction catalyst efficiently accelerates the surface water oxidation reaction. This synergistic effect of CuPc and NiFe-LDH gives enhanced photocurrent density (2.10 mA/cm2 at 0.6 V vs. SCE) and excellent stability in the ternary TiO2/CuPc/NiFe-LDH photoanode.

Summary Background Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Despite considerable improvements in diagnosis and treatment, little is known about the short-term and long-term prognosis after a first stroke in low-income and middle-income countries, including China. We aimed to assess the short-term and long-term risk of recurrent stroke and mortality after a first stroke for each of the major pathological stroke types. Methods This population-based cohort study included adults aged 35–74 years without disability who were recruited to the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB). A baseline survey was conducted in ten geographical areas (five urban, five rural) in China, and participants had clinical measurements recorded. Participants were followed up by monitoring death registries and by electronic linkage to health registries and health insurance claims databases, with follow-up until Jan 1, 2017. Participants were excluded from analyses if they had a previous history of stroke, transient ischaemic attack, or ischaemic heart disease at baseline. All incidences of fatal and non-fatal stroke during the study period were recorded by type (ischaemic stroke, intracerebral haemorrhage, subarachnoid haemorrhage, and unspecified type). Primary outcome measures were 28-day mortality, recurrent stroke, major vascular events (recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, or vascular death), vascular mortality, and all-cause mortality. Findings Of 512 715 individuals in the CKB, 489 586 participants without previous ischaemic heart disease and stroke at recruitment were included, of whom 45 732 (42 073 [92%] confirmed by brain imaging) had a stroke during the study period. The mean age was 59·3 years (SD 9·8) for participants who had a stroke (54% women) and 50·8 years (10·3) for participants with no stroke (60% women). 36 588 (80%) of the incident cases of stroke were ischaemic stroke, 7440 (16%) were intracerebral haemorrhage, 702 (2%) were subarachnoid haemorrhage, and 1002 (2%) were an unspecified stroke type. 28-day mortality was 3% (95% CI 3–4) for ischaemic stroke, 47% (46–48)for intracerebral haemorrhage, 19% (17–22; 52% for rural areas and 32% for urban areas) subarachnoid haemorrhage, and 24% (22–27) for unspecified stroke. Among participants who survived stroke at 28 days, 41% (41–42) had recurrent stroke at 5 years (ischaemic stroke 41% [41–42], intracerebral haemorrhage 44% [42–46], subarachnoid haemorrhage 22% [18–27], unspecified stroke type 40% [35–44]) and mortality at 5 years was 17% ([17–18] ischaemic stroke 16% [15–16], intracerebral haemorrhage 28% [26–29], subarachnoid haemorrhage 16% [12–20], unspecified stroke type 15% [12–19]). After a first ischaemic stroke, 91% of recurrent strokes were also ischaemic stroke; after an intracerebral haemorrhage, 56% of recurrent strokes were intracerebral haemorrhage, and 41% of recurrent strokes were ischaemic stroke. Interpretation After a first stroke, the risk of recurrence or death within 5 years was high among this population of Chinese adults. Urgent improvements to secondary prevention of stroke in China are needed to reduce these risks. Funding Wellcome Trust, Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Kadoorie Charitable Foundation, Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation of China. Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.

Some species of algae such as cyanobacteria can vertically migrate through water during a day, which is a notable floating feature of harmful algae blooms. To date, this process has been observed and quantified using visible and near-infrared (VNIR) bands from spaceborne sensors with high temporal resolution (i.e., Geostationary Ocean Color Imager; GOCI). In this study, we conducted an in-situ measurement at Taihu Lake in China to investigate the ultraviolet (UV) reflection spectra of floating cyanobacteria blooms, and identified that they have significant UV reflection features (higher than that of background water) associated with their floating status. This has been demonstrated using spaceborne UV images at both 355 and 385 nm from the Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) onboard Haiyang-1C (HY-1C) of China. Compared with synchronous optical images from the Chinese Ocean Color and Temperature Scanner (COCTS), we found that UVI has a special ability to distinguish cyanobacteria floating on water surface. Additionally, the intensity of the UV signals obtained is positively correlated with the cyanobacterial equivalent density. Ultraviolet remote sensing, therefore, can work as a new approach for the detection of harmful algae blooms and help determine the floating status of them, which deserves further research.

For a domestic 350 MW coal-fired power plant, the effect of heterogeneous agglomeration technology on the migration and emission of three trace elements of arsenic, selenium and lead in tail flue gas was studied. The results show that heterogeneous agglomeration technology can promote the attachment of gaseous harmful trace elements to particulate matter effectively. The reduction rates of gaseous As, Se and Pb concentrations at the ESP outlet were 24.10%, 61.08%, and 70.38%, respectively. Under the synergistic effect of ESP, more As, Se, and Pb are enriched in fly ash, and the concentration of As, Se, and Pb in fine particles below 10 μm at the ESP outlet is reduced by 54.48%, 56.47%, and 75.17%, respectively. In addition, after spraying the agglomerating agent, the final As, Se, and Pb concentrations in the atmosphere were 1.29 μg/m3, 2.01 μg/m3, and 1.12 μg/m3, which were far lower than those of the relevant EPA emission limits.

An innovative method is created for transforming iron-rich RO phase (MgO0.239FeO0.761) on steel slag surface into nanostructured Mg0.04Fe2.96O4 layer. The phase change process is investigated, and it is found that salicylic acid modification and alkaline roasting procedures remarkably increase the specific surface area from 0.46 m2/g (raw steel slag) to 69.5 m2/g (Mg0.04Fe2.96O4), and the generation of Mg0.04Fe2.96O4 enhances the absorption of visible light and Cr(VI) conversion with 2-times increasement than raw steel slag. Surface complexation between H2C2O4 ligands and Fe metal moiety on Mg0.04Fe2.96O4 induces the intramolecular electron transfer under visible light irradiation based on a ligand-to-metal charge transfer mechanism, thus resulting in Cr(VI) photoreduction, and the catalytic efficiency is above 90% for Cr(VI) (40 mg/L) under inherent pH= 5.5 conditions. Moreover, recyclability tests based on magnetic separation show that the photoreactivity is closely related to Mg content of Mg0.04Fe2.96O4 layer where Mg leaching occurs and finally generates cubic spinel configuration Fe3O4. This work highlights the importance of surface functionalization in post-use phases of steel slag in which surface reactivity and application potential can be greatly altered by chemical exposure history and surface transformations. It also provides valuable references for studying the metastable state mechanism of magnesium ferrite photocatalysts.

Monoclinic bismuth vanadate (BiVO4) shows promising application prospect in photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting on account of its relatively ideal band gap to harvest sunlight. However, the poor charge migrate property and sluggish water oxidation kinetics severely limit the PEC performance of BiVO4 photoelectrodes. In this work, BiVO4 photoanode with highly exposed (040) facets for superior charge transfer was prepared by a seed assisted hydrothermal method. Moreover, cobalt single atoms stabilized in N-doped carbon nanosheet (Co SAs-NC) was well modified on BiVO4 (040) (denoted as BiVO4 (040)/Co SAs-NC) with much improved water oxidation efficiency. The as-prepared BiVO4 (040)/Co SAs-NC photoanode generated 2.2 times higher photocurrent density than that of pristine BiVO4 (040) at 1.23 V vs. RHE, and presented nearly 100% charge injection efficiency. The detail kinetic measurements reveal that the modified Co SAs-NC cocatalyst effectively suppresses the carrier recombination and promotes the surface reaction kinetics. This work provides a promising strategy to fabricate composite photoanodes for solar energy conversion based on facet engineering matched with single-atomic-catalyst.

The photocatalytic activity of polymeric carbon nitride (g-C3N4) strongly depends on its electronic structure which is highly sensitive to the preparation methods. To design the photocatalysts with efficient charge separation and transfer property, here we report a new ethylenediamine (EDA) induced gas-solid grafting method which enables the asymmetric modification of g-C3N4 featuring the aromatization at the terminal of melon motifs. The obtained terminal-aromatized g-C3N4 (Ar-C3N4) exhibits an improved visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity in versatile two-electron reduction reactions, outperforming the pristine g-C3N4 by 15.4 and 6.6 folds respectively in hydrogen evolution and hydrogen peroxide production. Theoretical and experimental results demonstrate the intensified asymmetry of π-electron distribution in the resulting material, which provides significantly improved driving force to guide the efficient separation of photogenerated e-h pairs and enhance the charge carrier mobility compared to its symmetric counterpart.

The SnO 2 /NiO nanocomposites were successfully prepared by a facile co-calcination method. The structure and the property of the composites were characterized by XRD, FESEM, HRTEM and XPS. The sensing test results indicate that the SnO 2 /NiO nanocomposite with molar ratio of 4:1 not only exhibits the highest response to 500 ppb NO 2 , which is 8 times and 13 times higher than that of SnO 2 and NiO, respectively, but also has excellent selectivity, outstanding stability and trend of linear response to low concentrations of NO 2 at relatively low operating temperature of 80 °C. The mechanism of enhancing sensing properties was also discussed in detail, which is attributed to the formation of p - n heterojunction at the interface between SnO 2 and NiO, leading to the significant increase of depletion layer thickness at interface.

Diatomite, composed of amorphous macroporous hydrated silica, has generated increasing attention as an attractive raw material for elimination of heavy metal, while suffering low surface activity. Herein, easily separable diatomite adsorbents modified by Zn compounds are developed for effective adsorption of Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) ions and sunlight photoreduction of toxic Cr(VI) to low-toxic Cr(III). The micro-structure and functionality are characterized through energy spectrum and spectroscopic analysis. Sulfion S2− or carbonyl COO− interlinked networks on the modified diatomite are effective for capturing Pb(II), Cu(II) and Cd(II) ions, and are capable of being oxidized to generate diatomite@ZnO directly at 450 °C in air atmosphere. Significantly, by recycling the used diatomite@ZnS (Dt@ZnS) adsorbents loaded by Cu(II) and Cd(II) ions, Cu or Cd doped ZnO photocatalysts can be fabricated on diatomite to vary band gap energy of ZnO for more efficient absorption of visible light for Cr(VI) photoreduction under sunlight irradiation. Although the derivatives exhibit weakened Cr(VI) photoreduction capacity compared with Dt@ZnS precursor, probably owing to the influence of surface deposits of Cu(II) or Cd(II) on doping efficiency and light absorption, this idea offers a promising solution to convert the used adsorbents loaded by poisonous heavy metals into photocatalysts for secondary utilization in waste water purification, thus making it possible to produce tailor-made materials for specific requirements alternative by the reutilization of discarded heavy metal adsorbents.

Antibiotic resistance has become a global problem as indicated by the worldwide emergence of multidrug-resistant bacteria, which makes it an urgent demand to develop effective technologies for antibiotics removal from pharmaceutical wastewater. In this work, simultaneously removing antibiotic tetracycline from wastewater coupled with pure H2 generation has been successfully achieved through PEC technique by using F-doped BiVO4@NiFe-LDH (F-BiVO4@NiFe-LDH) core-shell photoanode. The maximum photocurrent density of the F-BiVO4@NiFe-LDH photoanode at 1.23 V vs. RHE is about 6-fold that of the pristine BiVO4 photoelectrode. Furthermore, the composite photoanode was effectively applied to the PEC degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH), superior to the reported results. An experimental-computational combination study reveals that the synergistic effect between F doping and NiFe-LDH simultaneously improves the light absorption, charge separation and charge injection efficiency of BiVO4. This work presents a sunlight-driven, efficient and sustainable method for water splitting to produce hydrogen and new insights into wastewater treatment.

Hydrogen generation via photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology is one of the most ideal strategies for providing sustainable fuel, in particular, from abundant natural resource (such as seawater). Herein, we demonstrate facet-controlled WO3 array decorated with reasonable distribution of dual-cocatalysts, which shows highly efficient and stable PEC H2 generation from natural seawater. The experimental and theoretical results illustrate that photo-generated electrons and holes accumulate directionally on different crystal facets of WO3 to achieve effective spatial separation, owing to the divergent energy levels of each crystal facet. Moreover, the charge utilization is further enhanced by selective modification of Ag nanoparticles and ZnFe-layered double hydroxide on different crystal facets reasonably, getting an average PEC H2 production of 38.18 μmol h−1 from natural seawater with excellent stability. This work opens up a new facet engineering pathway for the fabrication of novel photoelectrodes, which have potential applications in the fields of solar energy conversion and storage.