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Transition metal oxides (TMOs) are important anode materials in sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical capacities, abundant resources, and cost-effectiveness. However, issues such as the low conductivity and large volume variation of TMO bulk materials during the cycling process result in poor electrochemical performance. Nanosizing and compositing with carbon materials are two effective strategies to overcome these issues. In this study, spherical MnFe2O4@xC nanocomposites composed of MnFe2O4 inner cores and tunable carbon shell thicknesses were successfully prepared and utilized as anode materials for SIBs. It was found that the property of the carbon shell plays a crucial role in tuning the electrochemical performance of MnFe2O4@xC nanocomposites and an appropriate carbon shell thickness (content) leads to the optimal battery performance. Thus, compared to MnFe2O4@1C and MnFe2O4@8C, MnFe2O4@4C nanocomposite exhibits optimal electrochemical performance by releasing a reversible specific capacity of around 308 mAh·g−1 at 0.1 A·g−1 with 93% capacity retention after 100 cycles, 250 mAh·g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 with 73% capacity retention after 300 cycles in a half cell, and around 111 mAh·g−1 at 1.0 C when coupled with a Na3V2(PO4)3 (NVP) cathode in a full SIB cell.

Early freezing of concrete is common in the construction of water conservancy projects in northern China. Early freezing damage induces the deterioration of the mechanical properties of concrete structures, which seriously affects the safety, stability, and service life of engineering structures. Through a laboratory uniaxial compression test and a computed tomography (CT) test, the influence law of freezing time and freezing temperature on the mechanical properties of concrete is analyzed herein. The three-dimensional pore structure of concrete at different freezing times is reconstructed. The pore distribution and pore structure characteristic parameters of concrete at different freezing times are studied. The correlation between mechanical properties and the pore structure of early frozen concrete is determined. The results show that with the delay of freezing time, the porosity of concrete test blocks increases first and then decreases. The average pore surface area primarily decreases and then increases. The average pore diameter increases with the trend of a quadratic parabola. The average pore form factor primarily decreases, then increases, and then decreases. The average pore surface area has the best correlation with the compressive strength and elastic modulus of early frozen concrete. The outcomes suggest that the average pore surface area should be preferred when constructing the mesoscopic damage index of early frozen concrete. Relevant results provide support for revealing the macro and micro damage mechanisms of early frozen concrete.

Cerium element with a unique electric structure can be used to modify semiconductor photocatalysts to enhance their photocatalytic performances. In this work, Ce-doped TiO2 (Ce/TiO2) was successfully achieved using the sol-gel method. The structural characterization methods confirm that Ce was doped in the lattice of anatase TiO2, which led to a smaller grain size. The performance test results show that the Ce doped in anatase TiO2 significantly enhances the charge transport efficiency and broadens the light absorption range, resulting in higher photocatalytic performance. The Ce/TiO2 exhibited a photocurrent density of 10.9 μA/cm2 at 1.0 V vs. Ag/AgCl, 2.5 times higher than that of pure TiO2 (4.3 μA/cm2) under AM 1.5 G light. The hydrogen (H2) production rate of the Ce/TiO2 was approximately 0.33 μmol/h/g, which is more than twice as much as that of the pure anatase TiO2 (0.12 μmol/h/g). This work demonstrates the effect of Ce doping in the lattice of TiO2 for enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production.

In this work, a simple one-step hydrothermal method was employed to prepare the Ce-doped Fe2O3 ordered nanorod arrays (CFT). The Ce doping successfully narrowed the band gap of Fe2O3, which improved the visible light absorption performance. In addition, with the help of Ce doping, the recombination of electron/hole pairs was significantly inhibited. The external voltage will make the performance of the Ce-doped sample better. Therefore, the Ce-doped Fe2O3 has reached superior photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance with a high photocurrent density of 1.47 mA/cm2 at 1.6 V vs. RHE (Reversible Hydrogen Electrode), which is 7.3 times higher than that of pristine Fe2O3 nanorod arrays (FT). The Hydrogen (H2) production from PEC water splitting of Fe2O3 was highly improved by Ce doping to achieve an evolution rate of 21 μmol/cm2/h.

Porous biochar materials prepared with biomass as a precursor have received widespread attention. In this work, lotus pollen (LP) was used as the carbon source, a variety of the pollen carbon photocatalyst were prepared by a two-step roasting method. A series of characterizations were carried out on the prepared samples, and it was found that the average particle size was about 40 μm. They also exhibit a typical amorphous carbon structure and a porous structure with a network-like interconnected surface. The photocatalytic hydrogen production performances of lotus pollen carbon (LP-C) and commercial carbon black (CB) were measured under the full spectrum illumination. LP-C-600 showed the best hydrogen production performance (3.5 μmol·g−1·h−1). In addition, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) measurement results confirmed that the LP-C materials show better incident photon-current efficiency (IPCE) performance than the CB materials in the neutral electrolyte. This is because the unique surface wrinkling, hierarchical porous structure, and the N, P self-doping behavior of the LP-C samples are able to improve the light utilization efficiency and the carrier separation/transfer efficiency, thereby further improving the overall hydrogen production efficiency.

Carbonic acid is an important species in a variety of fields and has long been regarded to be non-existing in isolated state, as it is thermodynamically favorable to decompose into water and carbon dioxide. In this work, we systematically studied a novel ionic complex [H2CO3·HSO4]− using density functional theory calculations, molecular dynamics simulations, and topological analysis to investigate if the exotic H2CO3 molecule could be stabilized by bisulfate ion, which is a ubiquitous ion in various environments. We found that bisulfate ion could efficiently stabilize all the three conformers of H2CO3 and reduce the energy differences of isomers with H2CO3 in three different conformations compared to the isolated H2CO3 molecule. Calculated isomerization pathways and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations suggest that all the optimized isomers of the complex have good thermal stability and could exist at finite temperatures. We also explored the hydrogen bonding properties in this interesting complex and simulated their harmonic infrared spectra to aid future infrared spectroscopic experiments. This work could be potentially important to understand the fate of carbonic acid in certain complex environments, such as in environments where both sulfuric acid (or rather bisulfate ion) and carbonic acid (or rather carbonic dioxide and water) exist.

Dephosphorization slag contains considerable quantities of valuable components, such as P2O5 and FeOx. To recover P from dephosphorization slag, selective leaching has been adopted to separate the P-concentrating mineral phase. In this study, the effect of Fe2O3 content in slag and acid on the leaching behavior of P from dephosphorization slag was investigated. It was found that a higher Fe2O3 content in slag resulted in a higher P2O5 content in the C2S–C3P solid solution. Increasing the Fe2O3 content in slag promoted the dissolution of P and simultaneously suppressed the dissolution of other elements, facilitating the selective leaching of P. In the hydrochloric acid solution, more than 81% of P could be dissolved from dephosphorization slag at pH 4, and the dissolution ratio of Fe was nearly zero, achieving excellent selective leaching. Although better selective leaching was also realized in the citric acid solution at pH 5, hydrochloric acid was considered the appropriate leaching agent from the perspective of leaching cost. Through selective leaching, almost all the C2S–C3P solid solution was dissolved from dephosphorization slag, and the Fe-bearing matrix phase and magnesioferrite remained in the residue. The residue with low P2O5 content can be reutilized in ironmaking or steelmaking processes.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses are classified by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) as causes of devastating avian diseases. This study aimed to develop type IIb Escherichia coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LTIIb) as novel mucosal adjuvants for mucosal vaccine development. The fusion protein of H5 and LTIIb-A subunit was expressed and purified for mouse and chicken intranasal immunizations. Intranasal immunization with the H5-LTIIb-A fusion protein in mice elicited potent neutralizing antibodies in sera and bronchoalveolar lavage fluids, induced stronger Th1 and Th17 cellular responses in spleen and cervical lymph nodes, and improved protection against H5N1 influenza virus challenge. More interestingly, intranasal immunization with the H5-LTIIb-A fusion protein in chickens elicited high titers of IgY, IgA, hemagglutinin inhibition (HAI), and neutralizing antibodies in their antisera. This study employed the novel adjuvants of LTIIb for the development of a new generation of mucosal vaccines against highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH)-cytochrome P450 reductases (CPRs) function as redox partners of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s). CPRs and P450s in insects have been found to participate in insecticide resistance. However, the CPR of the moth Spodoptera litura has not been well characterized yet. Based on previously obtained transcriptome information, a full-length CPR cDNA of S. litura (SlCPR) was PCR-cloned. The deduced amino acid sequence contains domains and residues predicted to be essential for CPR function. Phylogenetic analysis with insect CPR amino acid sequences showed that SlCPR is closely related to CPRs of Lepidoptera. Quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-qPCR) was used to determine expression levels of SlCPR in different developmental stages and tissues of S. litura. SlCPR expression was strongest at the sixth-instar larvae stage and fifth-instar larvae showed highest expression in the midgut. Expression of SlCPR in the midgut and fat body was strongly upregulated when fifth-instar larvae were exposed to phoxim at LC15 (4 μg/mL) and LC50 (20 μg/mL) doses. RNA interference (RNAi) mediated silencing of SlCPR increased larval mortality by 34.6% (LC15 dose) and 53.5% (LC50 dose). Our results provide key information on the SlCPR gene and indicate that SlCPR expression levels in S. litura larvae influence their susceptibility to phoxim and possibly other insecticides.

As an invasive weed, Mikania micrantha Kunth has caused serious damage to natural forest ecosystems in South China in recent years. Mikania micrantha wilt virus (MMWV), an isolate of the Gentian mosaic virus (GeMV), is transmitted by Myzus persicae (Sulzer) in a non-persistent manner and can effectively inhibit the growth of M. micrantha. To explore the MMWV-M. micrantha-M. persicae interaction and its impact on the invasion of M. micrantha, volatile compounds (VOCs) emitted from healthy, mock-inoculated, and MMWV-infected plants were collected, and effects on host preference of the apterous and alate aphids were assessed with Y-shaped olfactometers. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis indicated that MMWV infection changed the VOC profiles, rendering plants more attractive to aphids. Clip-cages were used to document the population growth rate of M. persicae fed on healthy, mock-inoculated, or MMWV-infected plants. Compared to those reared on healthy plants, the population growth of M. persicae drastically decreased on the MMWV-infected plants. Plant host choice tests based on visual and contact cues were also conducted using alate M. persicae. Interestingly, the initial attractiveness of MMWV-infected plants diminished, and more alate M. persicae moved to healthy plants. Taken together, MMWV appeared to be able to manipulate its plant host to first attract insect vectors to infected plants but then repel viruliferous vectors to promote its own dispersal. Its potential application for invasive weed management is discussed.

In insects, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s or CYPs) are known to be involved in the detoxification and metabolism of insecticides, leading to increased resistance in insect populations. Spodoptera exigua is a serious polyphagous insect pest worldwide and has developed resistance to various insecticides. In this study, a novel CYP3 clan P450 gene CYP9A105 was identified and characterized from S. exigua. The cDNAs of CYP9A105 encoded 530 amino acid proteins, respectively. Quantitative real-time PCR analyses showed that CYP9A105 was expressed at all developmental stages, with maximal expression observed in fifth instar stage larvae, and in dissected fifth instar larvae the highest transcript levels were found in midguts and fat bodies. The expression of CYP9A105 in midguts was upregulated by treatments with the insecticides α-cypermethrin, deltamethrin and fenvalerate at both LC15 concentrations (0.10, 0.20 and 5.0 mg/L, respectively) and LC50 concentrations (0.25, 0.40 and 10.00 mg/L, respectively). RNA interference (RNAi) mediated silencing of CYP9A105 led to increased mortalities of insecticide-treated 4th instar S. exigua larvae. Our results suggest that CYP9A105 might play an important role in α-cypermethrin, deltamethrin and fenvalerate detoxification in S. exigua.

Larvae of the polyphagous tobacco cutworm moth, Spodoptera litura (S. litura), encounter potentially toxic allelochemicals in food. It is therefore important for S. litura to produce detoxification enzymes such as cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s). In this study, we have identified two novel cytochrome P450 genes of S. litura, named CYP321A7 and CYP321A9. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that they belong to the CYP321A subfamily. Expression levels of these genes at different development stages were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The highest expression was found in the midgut and the fat body. Larvae fed with a diet supplemented with xanthotoxin or coumarin showed a strongly increased expression of CYP321A7 and CYP321A9 in the midgut and fat body as compared to larvae that consumed a control diet. In contrast, larvae consuming a diet containing aflatoxin B1 or quercetin did not induce the expression of these genes. CYP321A7 and CYP321A9 showed different expression profiles with respect to certain allelochemicals. For example, a diet containing cinnamic acid stimulated the expression of CYP321A9, whereas no changes were observed for CYP321A7. We suggest that the fine tuning of P450 gene expression is an important adaptation mechanism that allows polyphagous S. litura larvae to survive in a changing chemical environment.

A high performance diascopic illumination configuration is presented for the simultaneous detection of cells and particles with different sizes and different fluorescence labels in a microchannel. In the proposed approach, the cells/particles are illuminated by an objective-type dark-field condenser equipped with a low-cost tungsten light source and are then characterized by extracting the side-scatter, absorbance, and fluorescence signals from the spectra obtained by a ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-Vis-NIR) spectrometer. A modified computation model is adopted to improve the capability for discriminating more fluorescence dyes simultaneously. The feasibility of the proposed detection configuration is demonstrated by counting and classifying a mixed sample of green, red, and crimson fluorescent-labeled particles and non-labeled particles with various dimensions. The suitability of the proposed system for real-world cytometry applications is then evaluated by classifying a mixed bio-sample comprising of gastric epithelial (AGS) cells stained with Trypan-blue and Erythrosin-bluish dye, respectively. The results show that the cytometer enables the efficient detection, identification, and classification of mixed bio-samples without the need for spatial filters or delicate optical components. Consequently, the proposed system has significant potential for high-performance micro-flow cytometry applications.