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Cross-modality pedestrian image matching, which entails the matching of visible and infrared images, is a vital area in person re-identification (reID) due to its potential to facilitate person retrieval across a spectrum of lighting conditions. Despite its importance, this task presents considerable challenges stemming from two significant areas: cross-modality discrepancies due to the different imaging principles of spectrum cameras and within-class variations caused by the diverse viewpoints of large-scale distributed surveillance cameras. Unfortunately, the existing literature provides limited insights into effectively mitigating these issues, signifying a crucial research gap. In response to this, the present paper makes two primary contributions. First, we conduct a comprehensive study of training methodologies and subsequently present a strong baseline network designed specifically to address the complexities of the visible-infrared person reID task. This strong baseline network is paramount to the advancement of the field and to ensure the fair evaluation of algorithmic effectiveness. Second, we propose the Cross-Modality Contrastive Learning (CMCL) scheme, a novel approach to address the cross-modality discrepancies and enhance the quality of image embeddings across both modalities. CMCL incorporates intra-modality and inter-modality contrastive loss components, designed to improve the matching quality across the modalities. Thorough experiments show the superior performance of the baseline network, and the proposed CMCL can further bring performance over the baselines, outperforming the state-of-the-art methods considerably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Embedding data in hyperbolic spaces has proven beneficial for many advanced machine learning applications. However, working in hyperbolic spaces is not without difficulties as a result of its curved geometry (e.g., computing the Fréchet mean of a set of points requires an iterative algorithm). In Euclidean spaces, one can resort to kernel machines that not only enjoy rich theoretical properties but that can also lead to superior representational power (e.g., infinite-width neural networks). In this paper, we introduce valid kernel functions for hyperbolic representations. This brings in two major advantages, 1. kernelization will pave the way to seamlessly benefit the representational power from kernel machines in conjunction with hyperbolic embeddings, and 2. the rich structure of the Hilbert spaces associated with kernel machines enables us to simplify various operations involving hyperbolic data. That said, identifying valid kernel functions on curved spaces is not straightforward and is indeed considered an open problem in the learning community. Our work addresses this gap and develops several positive definite kernels in hyperbolic spaces (modeled by a Poincaré ball), the proposed kernels include the rich universal ones (e.g., Poincaré RBF kernel), or realize the multiple kernel learning scheme (e.g., Poincaré radial kernel). We comprehensively study the proposed kernels on a variety of challenging tasks including few-shot learning, zero-shot learning, person re-identification, deep metric learning, knowledge distillation and self-supervised learning. The consistent performance gain over different tasks shows the benefits of the kernelization for hyperbolic representations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Oxidative stress and inflammatory responses are often the predominant detrimental factors associated with spinal cord injury (SCI). This study investigates the potential therapeutic effects of albiflorin (AF) on alleviating inflammation and oxidative stress in the rat model with SCI. Methods: Initially, the behavior of SCI‐induced rats is examined by Basso−Beattie−Bresnahan score and the inclined plane examination. Then, the immunohistochemical staining of inflammasome‐related protein (for instance, NACHT, LRR, and PYD domains‐containing protein 3, NLRP3) is performed in combination with enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of corresponding proinflammatory factors to assess the immunomodulatory effects of AF. Further, the markers involved in oxidative stress are examined by ELISA and western blot analysis analyses. Results: These findings indicated that AF could alleviate motor dysfunction and the loss of neuron cells in SCI‐induced rats. Mechanistically, AF could attenuate the inflammatory responses by reducing oxidative stress and activating nuclear erythroid‐related factor 2 (Nrf2)/heme oxygenase‐1 (HO‐1) pathway in SCI rats. Depleting the antioxidant capacity by inhibiting glutathione biosynthesis could counteract the anti‐inflammatory activity of AF in SCI rats. Conclusions: Together, our data suggested that AF could serve as a potential therapeutic agent against the aggravation of SCI in rats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many researchers have devoted themselves to studying image encryption based on chaotic system and have made significant strides in research in recent decades. This paper first combs and summarizes the development of the current image encryption algorithm. Then, the classification of chaotic system is described, and representative work and the latest achievements regarding image encryption algorithms based on chaotic system are analysed, expounding their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, we discuss future research directions and development trends in image encryption algorithms based on chaotic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel learning method, i.e., Transformer based Refinement Learning (TRL), is proposed. • A Dual-Cross Transformer Network (DCTN) is designed. • State-of-the-art results on two public datasets reveal the superiority of our method. This paper studies a new yet practical setting of semi-supervised semantic segmentation, i.e., hybrid-supervised semantic segmentation, where a small number of pixel-level (strong) annotations and a large number of image-level (weak) annotations are provided. It is a common practice to utilize pseudo labels to mitigate the issue of lacking strong annotations. However, most of the existing works focus on improving the model representation with unlabeled data, while ignoring the quality of pseudo labels, leading to poor segmentation performance. It is difficult to directly learn a model with limited images to produce high-quality pseudo labels. To address this problem, we propose a novel learning method, i.e., Transformer based Refinement Learning (TRL), which explores a learning process under the assistance of weak annotations and the supervision of strong annotations. TRL progressively refines heat maps from the poor qualities to the better ones to obtain satisfactory pseudo labels. Specifically, we propose a Dual-Cross Transformer Network (DCTN) to perform the refinement learning. DCTN extracts the features from both images and heat maps by a dual-stream network. The cross attentions inside DCTN hierarchically fuse the dual-stream features. The experiments on the PASCAL VOC and COCO datasets show that TRL outperforms the state-of-the-art methods for hybrid-supervised semantic segmentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper generalizes the Attention in Attention (AiA) mechanism, in P. Fang et al., 2019 by employing explicit mapping in reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces to generate attention values of the input feature map. The AiA mechanism models the capacity of building inter-dependencies among the local and global features by the interaction of inner and outer attention modules. Besides a vanilla AiA module, termed linear attention with AiA, two non-linear counterparts, namely, second-order polynomial attention and Gaussian attention, are also proposed to utilize the non-linear properties of the input features explicitly, via the second-order polynomial kernel and Gaussian kernel approximation. The deep convolutional neural network, equipped with the proposed AiA blocks, is referred to as Attention in Attention Network (AiA-Net). The AiA-Net learns to extract a discriminative pedestrian representation, which combines complementary person appearance and corresponding part features. Extensive ablation studies verify the effectiveness of the AiA mechanism and the use of non-linear features hidden in the feature map for attention design. Furthermore, our approach outperforms current state-of-the-art by a considerable margin across a number of benchmarks. In addition, state-of-the-art performance is also achieved in the video person retrieval task with the assistance of the proposed AiA blocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The retention time (RT) is a crucial source of data for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). A model that can accurately predict the RT for each molecule would empower filtering candidates with similar spectra but differing RT in LCMS-based molecule identification. Recent research shows that graph neural networks (GNNs) outperform traditional machine learning algorithms in RT prediction. However, all of these models use relatively shallow GNNs. This study for the first time investigates how depth affects GNNs' performance on RT prediction. The results demonstrate that a notable improvement can be achieved by pushing the depth of GNNs to 16 layers by the adoption of residual connection. Additionally, we also find that graph convolutional network (GCN) model benefits from the edge information. The developed deep graph convolutional network, DeepGCN-RT, significantly outperforms the previous state-of-the-art method and achieves the lowest mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) of 3.3% and the lowest mean absolute error (MAE) of 26.55 s on the SMRT test set. We also finetune DeepGCN-RT on seven datasets with various chromatographic conditions. The mean MAE of the seven datasets largely decreases 30% compared to previous state-of-the-art method. On the RIKEN-PlaSMA dataset, we also test the effectiveness of DeepGCN-RT in assisting molecular structure identification. By 30% lessening the number of potential structures, DeepGCN-RT is able to improve top-1 accuracy by about 11%. • This study builds a deep graph convolutional model named DeepGCN-RT. • This study for the first time investigates how depth affects GNNs' performance on RT prediction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a block encryption algorithm based on a new chaotic system that combines generative adversarial networks (GANs) and DNA sequence coding. First, the new one-dimensional chaotic system that combines GANs with DNA sequence coding generates two more complex key stream sequences. Then, the two different random sequences are combined with an improved Feistel network by utilizing the product of the block matrix to encrypt the image to scramble and diffuse the image. Finally, the security performance of this algorithm is quantitatively analysed. The simulation results show that the proposed chaotic system has a large key space, and the new algorithm yields adequate security and can resist exhaustive attacks and chosen-plaintext attacks. Therefore, this approach provides a new algorithm for secure transmission and protection of image information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ZnTi-LDHs with different morphologies were successfully fabricated via a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method. With the help of surfactants, we focus on exploring the morphology control of ZnTi-LDHs, and the promotion effects on their photocatalytic performances. Experimental results showed that the type of surfactant affected the morphology of ZnTi-LDHs. With the help of an anionic surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate), ZnTi-LDHs with flower-like structures were obtained by the self-assembly of sheets. Triblock copolymers (P-123) led to the formation of ZnTi-LDH particles assembled together. Both a cationic surfactant (CTAB) and non-ionic surfactant (PVP) have less guiding effect on the growth of ZnTi-LDHs. The self-assembled ZnTi-LDH particles exhibit excellent photocatalytic performances in methyl orange degradation when P-123 is added into the solution as a surfactant. The formation mechanism of ZnTi-LDHs with different surfactants has been proposed. This study proposes a common mechanism of surfactants in the formation of ZnTi-LDHs, which is instructive for the further design of LDHs with controlled morphology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this issue of Structure , Yin et al. 1 present the CryoEM structure of the HisRS-like domain of human GCN2 and demonstrate that it is a pseudoenzyme, which binds uncharged tRNA in a different manner than HisRS and does not bind histidine and ATP. In this issue of Structure , Yin et al. present the CryoEM structure of the HisRS-like domain of human GCN2 and demonstrate that it is a pseudoenzyme, which binds uncharged tRNA in a different manner than HisRS and does not bind histidine and ATP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Object pose estimation from an RGB image has recently become a common problem owing to its widespread application. The advent of convolutional neural networks has impelled significant progress in object detection. However, most available methods do not involve a category-level pose estimation approach. This study presents an end-to-end 6D category-level pose estimation based on a two-stage bounding-box recognition backbone architecture. Our network directly outputs the 6D pose without requiring multiple stages or additional post-processing such as a Perspective-n-Point (PnP). The two-stage CNN architecture and our loss function render multi-task joint training effective and efficient. We improve the pose estimation accuracy by replacing fully connected layers with fully convolutional layers. Fully convolutional networks require fewer parameters and are less susceptible to overfitting. Moreover, we transform the pose estimation problem into classification and regression tasks using our network; these are called Pose-cls and Pose-reg, respectively. We also present qualitative and quantitative results on real data from the SUN RGB-D dataset. The experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of our algorithms compared to other state-of-the-art methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases-interacting multifunctional protein3 (AIMP3/p18) is involved in the macromolecular tRNA synthetase complex via its interaction with several aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Recent reports reveal a novel function of AIMP3 as a tumor suppressor by accelerating cellular senescence and causing defects in nuclear morphology. AIMP3 specifically mediates degradation of mature Lamin A (LmnA), a major component of the nuclear envelope matrix; however, the mechanism of how AIMP3 interacts with LmnA is unclear. Here we report solution-phase hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) for AIMP3, LmnA, and AIMP3 in association with the LmnA C-terminus. Reversed-phase LC coupled with LTQ 14.5 T Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT-ICR MS) results in high mass accuracy and resolving power for comparing the D-uptake profiles for AIMP3, LmnA, and their complex. The results show that the AIMP3-LmnA interaction involves one of the two putative binding sites and an adjacent novel interface on AIMP3. LmnA binds AIMP3 via its extreme C-terminus. Together these findings provide a structural insight for understanding the interaction between AIMP3 and LmnA in AIMP3 degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional TiO 2 -based nanosheets (TNSs) co-modified by surface-enriched carbon dots (CDs) and Gd 2 O 3 nanoparticles: (Gd-C-TNSs), capable of exhibiting visible-light-driven photo catalysis were synthesized using a two-pot hydrothermal route. The samples had a sheet-like structure, thickness of approximately 3.6 nm, large specific surface area of 240–350 cm 2 /g. The CDs (2–3 nm) and Gd 2 O 3 nanoparticles (1–2 nm) were highly dispersed over the surface of the nanosheets. The co-modification by Gd 2 O 3 nanoparticles and CDs influenced the crystallinity, crystal structure, and surface area of the TNSs, and improved the visible-light absorption. Surface photocurrent and fluorescence spectral studies revealed that the photo-generated charge carrier separation efficiency could be improved by an appropriate amount of modification. A very high efficiency was obtained using 0.5 at% Gd/Ti and 3.0 g/L of CDs. The visible-light-induced photocatalytic activity is enhanced under the isolated Cr(VI) system, isolated Rhodamin B (RhB) system, and the synergism between RhB degradation and Cr(VI) reduction for the Gd-C-TNSs photocatalysts. Initially, the photocatalytic activity gradually increased with an increase in the amount of CDs, and then decreased after attaining a maximum, in the case where 0.5 at% Gd/Ti and 3.0 g/L of CDs were used. The enhancement in the photocatalytic activity was attributed to the synergetic effect of the Gd 2 O 3 nanoparticles, TNSs, and CDs in the Gd-C-TNSs composites. The effect led to a fast separation and slow recombination of photo-induced electron–hole pairs. An alternate mechanism for enhanced visible-light photocatalytic activity was also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) are enzymes that function at the first step of translation, catalyzing the conjugation of amino acids to their cognate tRNAs for protein synthesis. While preserving this essential role, higher eukaryotic aaRSs, such as human cytoplasmic aaRSs, have developed other functions during evolution, including angiogenesis, inflammation, development, tumorigenesis, etc. These translational and nontranslational functions of aaRSs are attractive targets for developing antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer agents and for treating other human diseases. Structural characterization of aaRS functions in both categories has deepened our understanding and provided insightful platform for further structure-based drug design. The convergence of the mechanism of action, together with their divergent functions, offers a possible protocol for studying these features of aaRSs in general. To guide this objective in future, we provide here a review on the methods used in structural analysis, which may be applied to study this special group of housekeeping proteins. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a facile one-pot approach for Mn x O y (Mn = Mn 2+ , Mn 3+ ) loaded TiO 2 -based nanosheets (Mn–TNSs) with surface enrichment of Mn x O y nanoparticles via a simple hydrothermal route. The as-synthesized samples showed clearly sheet-like structure, with high specific surface area (200–300 m 2 /g) and small thickness (ca. 4 nm). The small Mn x O y nanoparticles with uniform size (1–2 nm) were highly dispersed on the surface of the TNSs. Loaded Mn x O y not only have influenced the crystal structure and surface area of the TNSs, but also resulted in considerable enhancement of visible-light absorption and red-shift for TNSs. The results of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that Mn 2+ and Mn 3+ co-exist in Mn–TNSs. The loading of Mn x O y on TNSs resulted in changes in binding energies of Ti and O. The concentration of Ti 3+ increased gradually with the amount of loaded Mn x O y increasing. The photo-reactivity of the samples were evaluated by measuring the formation of photo-induced hydroxyl radical ( OH) using coumarin (COU) as a probe molecule and photocatalytic degradation of Rhodamin B (RhB) and dichromate (Cr(VI)) under visible-light irradiation. It has been found that the Mn–TNSs photocatalysts showed better visible-light photocatalytic activity for aqueous RhB or Cr(VI) solution. The photocatalytic activity gradually increased with the content of Mn x O y increasing initially, and then decreased after attaining a maximum value at an optimal content (2.5 at.%) of Mn x O y in TNSs for degradation of aqueous RhB or Cr(VI) solution, respectively. The cyclic tests that performed five times demonstrated high stability and recyclable usability of the photocatalysts. A possible alternate mechanism for the enhancement of the photocatalytic activity under visible-light irradiation was also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary Pharmaceutical inhibitors of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases demand high species and family specificity. The antimalarial ATP-mimetic cladosporin selectively inhibits Plasmodium falciparum LysRS ( Pf LysRS). How the binding to a universal ATP site achieves the specificity is unknown. Here we report three crystal structures of cladosporin with human LysRS, Pf LysRS, and a Pf -like human LysRS mutant. In all three structures, cladosporin occupies the class defining ATP-binding pocket, replacing the adenosine portion of ATP. Three residues holding the methyltetrahydropyran moiety of cladosporin are critical for the specificity of cladosporin against LysRS over other class II tRNA synthetase families. The species-exclusive inhibition of Pf LysRS is linked to a structural divergence beyond the active site that mounts a lysine-specific stabilizing response to binding cladosporin. These analyses reveal that inherent divergence of tRNA synthetase structural assembly may allow for highly specific inhibition even through the otherwise universal substrate binding pocket and highlight the potential for structure-driven drug development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of holmium-doped TiO2-based nanosheet (Ho-TNS) photocatalysts with different Ho/Ti molar ratios were prepared via a simple hydrothermal method. The photocatalysts were characterized by field-emission scanning electron microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman Spectroscopy, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm measurement, ultraviolet-visible light diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), and fluorescence spectra (FL). The TEM images of Ho-TNS exhibit clearly sheet-like structures and existence of the (201) plane of H2Ti3O7. The increased (101) peak intensity in XRD spectrum and the enhanced Eg mode (141 cm-1) in Raman spectrum indicate that Ho doping has obvious influence on the formation and structure of Ho-TNS, which can be explained by the formation of Ho-O-Ti bonds. With the doping ratio (Ho/Ti molar ratio) increasing from 0 to 2.0 %, the absorption edge shifts to a longer wavelength, and the band-gap of photocatalysts reduces from 3.18 to 3.07 eV. The decline of FL intensity implies that the photocatalysts with higher Ho content have higher electron-hole separation efficiency. However, after Ho doping, the surface structure of specimens is significantly altered, which will lead to the specific surface areas and adsorption capacity decrease. Under the combined effect of the variables, the photocatalyst with a doping ratio of 1.0 % reaches the best photoactivity, which is 1.90-fold and 12.38-fold higher compared with undoped TNS and P25 under visible light, respectively. The high photoactivity of the prepared Ho-TNS indicates that it may be useful for dealing with wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] The titanate nanosheets (TNS) were synthesized by a short hydrothermal reaction time. [•] CdS decorated TNS were prepared via ion-exchange and in situ sulfuration process. [•] The composites show enhanced photocatalytic efficiency and stability. [•] Their catalytic activity is higher than that of the CdS/titanate nanotubes. [•] The quick migration of charge carriers in CdS/TNS increased the photoactivity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

TiO2-based nanostructures usually possess excellent photochemical properties. However, the relationship between their dimensionality and photocatalytic activity was rarely investigated. In this study, a series of TiO2-based nanostructures in various dimensionalities (such as nanosheets, nanotubes) were obtained by hydrothermal treatment of P25, and the process of structural evolution was also systematically investigated by TEM, BET, Raman, and XRD analysis. Much higher rate constant (3.7 × 10min) for the degradation of rhodamine B was found for nanosheets, comparing with those of three-dimensional P25 nanoparticles (0.59 × 10 min) and one-dimensional nanotubes (0.85 × 10 min). It is found that the hydrothermally prepared TiO2-based nanosheets possess small thickness (ca. 5 nm) and plentiful surface hydroxyl groups, and the reason why TiO2-based nanosheets possess superior photocatalytic activity is also discussed in detail from the microstructure and surface chemical states. In addition, TiO2-based nanosheets exhibit good reusability in the cyclic experiments, implying a potential application for photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cerium doped TiO2-based nanosheets (Ce-TNSs) photocatalysts were prepared by a one-pot hydrothermal method using cerium nitrate as the cerium precursor. The photocatalysts were characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectra, ultraviolet–visible light diffuse reflectance spectra (DRS), X-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) and fluorescence spectra (FL). The results show that Ce3+ and Ce4+ co-exist in Ce-TNS. The doping leads to changes in binding energies of Ti and O. The concentration of Ti3+ increases gradually when the cerium doping amount keep increasing. Appropriate amount of cerium doping can significantly inhibit the recombination of electron–hole pairs, which is proved by the decline in the intensity of the fluorescence spectra. Ce-TNS with doping ratio of 0.5% (molar ratio) possesses the highest photocatalytic activity when degrading Rhodamine B (RhB), which is 5 times and 1.6 times of that of P25 and the undoped TNS, respectively. It is suggested that cerium ions are efficient electron trappers to improve the separation efficiency of electrons and holes. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Various contents of Ag nanoparticles were successfully introduced into the N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts via a hydrothermal procedure in the silver-ammonia solutions with different Ag concentrations. Effects of Ag loading on the structure and properties of N-doped TiO2 photocatalysts were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, fluorescence spectroscopy (FL), UV–vis spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and N2 physical adsorption analysis. The relationship between the stability of N dopants in TiO2 lattice and the Ag loading content was investigated for the first time. The results confirm that Ag nanoparticles loading on TiO2 surfaces significantly restrain the escape of the N dopants from the oxide during the hydrothermal process, and the escape rate of N dopants decreased gradually with the increase of Ag loading amount. The dependence of photocatalytic activity on Ag content was also investigated through degradation of rhodamine B (RhB) under visible light irradiation. It was found that the photocatalytic activity increases gradually with increasing Ag content first, and then decreases after exceeding the optimal Ag content. Therefore, the photocatalytic activity of Ag/N co-modified TiO2 photocatalysts can be adjusted by the Ag content. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS), a component of the translation apparatus, is released from the cytoplasmic multi-tRNA synthetase complex (MSC) to activate the transcription factor MITF in stimulated mast cells through undefined mechanisms. Here we show that Ser207 phosphorylation provokes a new conformer of LysRS that inactivates its translational function but activates its transcriptional function. The crystal structure of an MSC subcomplex established that LysRS is held in the MSC by binding to the N terminus of the scaffold protein p38/AIMP2. Phosphorylation-created steric clashes at the LysRS domain interface disrupt its binding grooves for p38/AIMP2, releasing LysRS and provoking its nuclear translocation. This alteration also exposes the C-terminal domain of LysRS to bind to MITF and triggers LysRS-directed production of the second messenger Ap4A that activates MITF. Thus our results establish that a single conformational change triggered by phosphorylation leads to multiple effects driving an exclusive switch of LysRS function from translation to transcription. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Layered protonated titanate nanosheets (LPTNs) loaded with silver nanoparticles are prepared by a simple one-pot hydrothermal route in silver-ammonia solution. The as-synthesized Ag-loaded LPTNs possess large specific surface area. The Ag nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the surface of the LPTNs. They have negligible effects on the crystal structure, crystallinity, and surface area of the LPTNs but result in considerable enhancement of visible-light absorption and in a red-shift of the band gap for the LPTNs. The Ag-loaded LPTNs show enhanced photocatalytic activity for both liquid- and gas-phase reactions under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, the photocatalytic activity first increases gradually with increasing Ag loading content, and then decreases after maximizing at an optimal Ag content. At the Ag loading content of 2.87 mol % and 1.57 mol %, the Ag-loaded LPTNs exhibit the highest visible-light photocatalytic activity for degradation of rhodamine B in water and mineralization of benzene in air, respectively. An alternative possible mechanism for the enhancement of the visible-light photocatalytic activity is also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this paper, TiO2 film coated on fiberglass cloth was synthesized by sol–gel method and further sensitized by CdS nanoparticles using a sequential chemical bath deposition technique. Gaseous benzene was adopted as a model pollutant to evaluate the photocatalytic performances of the supported TiO2 films sensitized with variable content of CdS nanoparticles, which obtained by adjusting the concentration of Cd2+ or S2− precursor solution. Along with the increase of the CdS amount, the photocatalytic activity of these samples initially increases and then shows a downward trend. When the concentration of Cd2+ or S2− precursor solution achieved 0.005M, the sample performs the best photocatalytic property and the degradation efficiency reaches 92.8% and 32.7% under UV–vis and visible light irradiation, respectively. The enhancement of the photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the formation of micro-heterojunction. However, a thick CdS sheath covered catalyst surface will form when high concentration of Cd2+ or S2− solution is used. The low photogenerated electron–hole pairs separation efficiency and the photocorrosion process of CdS decrease the photocatalytic activity gradually. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: TiO2-based nanosheet (TNS) was prepared by the alkaline hydrothermal treatment of P25, which was characterized with transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nitrogen adsorption–desorption measurement. Its adsorption and regeneration properties for removal of high-chroma crystal violet (CV) were systematically investigated. The prepared TNS has much higher specific surface area of 207m2/g and exhibits much stronger adsorption for CV than the raw material P25. The maximum adsorption capacity of TNS as determined from the Langmuir isotherm is 56.3mg/g. The enhancement of adsorption capacity is ascribed to the increasing of specific surface area and surface hydroxyl groups, which can provide much more adsorption sites and stronger electrostatic attraction. It was further found that H2O2 can produce a synergetic photocatalytic degradation effect with TNS under UV–Vis irradiation, and the regeneration of TNS was effectively achieved by H2O2-assisted photocatalytic degradation process. The good reusability of prepared TNS in the cyclic adsorption–regeneration experiments indicates that it may be useful for dealing with dye wastewater. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Human Hint1 suppresses specific gene transcription byinteracting with the transcription factor MITF in mast cells. Hint1activity is connected to lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS), a member ofthe universal aminoacyl tRNA synthetase family that catalyzes specificaminoacylation of their cognate tRNAs, through an aminoacyl adenylate(aa-AMP) intermediate. During immune activation, LysRS produces aside-product diadenosine tetraphosphate (Ap4A) from thecondensation of Lys-AMP with ATP. The pleiotropic signaling moleculeAp4A then binds Hint1 to promote activation of MITF-targetgene transcription. Earlier work showed that Hint1 can also bind andhydrolyze Lys-AMP, possibly to constrain Ap4A production.Because Ap4A can result from condensation of other aa-AMP'swith ATP, the specificity of the Hint1 aa-AMP–hydrolysis activityis of interest. Here we show that Hint1 has broad specificity foradenylate hydrolysis, whose structural basis we revealed through high-resolutionstructures of Hint1 in complex with three different aa-AMP analogues.Hint1 recognizes only the common main chain of the aminoacyl moiety,and has no contact with the aa side chain. The α-amino groupis anchored by a cation-pi interaction with Trp123 at the C-terminusof Hint1. These results reveal the structural basis for the remarkableadenylate surveillance activity of Hint1, to potentially control Ap4A levels in the cell. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Novel Zn x Cd1−x S nanoflake dendrites were synthesized by an original hydrothermal process at 95°C for 1h. Highly ordered embranchments were found on the trunks of the dendrites and each of the embranchments consisted of numbers of uniform regular hexagon nanoflakes. The nanoflake dendrites were oriented along the [0001] direction. With a fixed composition of reactants, Cd/Zn ratio of the product Zn x Cd1−x S was close to the composition in the recipe and gradually decreased from trunks to embranchments and then to nanoflakes. By adjusting the initial Zn/Cd ratio of the reactants, gradual changes in morphology of the final products were observed. The variation of Cd/Zn ratio in different parts of the nanoflake dendrite and morphology transformation of the final product Zn x Cd1−x S were governed by a competition between the trunk-like and the flake-like growth mode. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Via a simple aqua-solution hydrothermal route, uniform ZnS nanorod arrays were fabricated upon pulse-plating Zn nanocrystallines. Particularly, low temperature (95°C) and short time (1h) were employed in the hydrothermal reaction. ZnS nanorods were found to be grown along certain Zn crystalline direction. Control experiments which were performed by replacing Zn nanocrystallines with Zn plate found no one-dimensional ZnS nanostructure on the substrate. Therefore, it was proposed that pulse-plating Zn nanocrystallines acted as both reactant and seed during the hydrothermal process. ZnS nanorod arrays could be theoretically fabricated on almost any raw base plate as long as Zn nanocrystallines could be pulse-plated on the plate. The ZnS nanorod arrays with high length-to-diameter ratio were expected to be a potential candidate for future field-emission devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Cadmium sulphide (CdS) 1D nanocrystals were prepared using a simple poly(vinyl-alcohol) (PVA)-assisted solvothermal method which employed ethylenediamine (en) as solvent. The obtained nanorods were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) absorption, and photoluminescence (PL) spectra. XRD results show that the nanorods are hexagonal phase. The TEM results indicate that the synthesized CdS nanorods with PVA-assisted showed larger aspect ratio and uniform faces compared with the sample prepared in the absence of PVA. The results of the photoluminescence and UV–vis spectroscopy measurements reveal that the as-prepared CdS nanorods show a quantum confinement effect. It is also found that the dosage of PVA is a vital factor in the morphology and optical properties of CdS nanorods. Moreover, when the best dosage of 3g PVA/70ml en was used, CdS nanorods with regular morphology and longer length were obtained. The probable mechanism for PVA-assisted solvothermal synthesis of CdS nanorods was also discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A series CdS/PVA nanocomposite films with different amount of Cd salt have been prepared by means of the in situ synthesis method via the reaction of Cd2+-dispersed poly vinyl-alcohol (PVA) with H2S. The as-prepared films were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), ultraviolet-visible (UV–vis) absorption, photoluminescence (PL) spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The XRD results indicated the formation of CdS nanoparticles with hexagonal phase in the PVA matrix. The primary FTIR spectra of CdS/PVA nanocomposite in different processing stages have been discussed. The vibrational absorption peak of Cd 405cm−1 was observed, which further testified the generation of CdS nanoparticles. The TGA results showed incorporation of CdS nanoparticles significantly altered the thermal properties of PVA matrix. The photoluminescence and UV–vis spectroscopy revealed that the CdS/PVA films showed quantum confinement effect. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The aminated fullerene/chitosan blended membranes with novel ultraviolet-light-filtering properties have been prepared by mixing chitosan with fullerene ethylenediamine or ethanolamine derivative in a solution containing 2% acetic acid, then casting the mixture on a glass plate. The effects of fullerene-amine derivative and chitosan structures on light transmission properties of the blended membranes are investigated systematically. The fullerene derivative kind, aminated fullerene content and crosslinking degree of chitosan greatly affect their light-filtering properties, while deacetylation degree, molecular weight and carboxymethylation of chitosan only have slight influence. Further, a possible mechanism for the UV filtering property was discussed. The strong interactions, especially electron donor–acceptor occur in condensed state may play a significant role in the unique optical property. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (aaRSs) play a central role in the translation of genetic code, serving as attractive drug targets. Within this family, the lysyl-tRNA synthetase (LysRS) constitutes a promising antimalarial target. ASP3026, an anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) inhibitor was recently identified as a novel Plasmodium falciparum LysRS (PfLysRS) inhibitor. Here, based on cocrystal structures and biochemical experiments, we developed a series of ASP3026 analogues to improve the selectivity and potency of LysRS inhibition. The leading compound 36 showed a dissociation constant of 15.9 nM with PfLysRS. The inhibitory efficacy on PfLysRS and parasites has been enhanced. Covalent attachment of l-lysine to compound 36 resulted in compound 36K3, which exhibited further increased inhibitory activity against PfLysRS but significantly decreased activity against ALK. However, its inhibitory activity against parasites did not improve, suggesting potential future optimization directions. This study presents a new example of derivatization of kinase inhibitors repurposed to inhibit aaRS. Using a combination of biochemical and structural approaches, the authors demonstrate that derivatization of kinase inhibitors can yield new repurposed anti-malarial drugs that specifically target Plasmodium falciparum Lysine-tRNA synthetase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Cu2+-chelated SPEEK membrane with high IEC is prepared. • High mechanical and dimensional stability are observed for SPEEK-Cu membrane. • Proton conductivity of SPEEK-based membranes reaches 0.074 S/cm at −25 °C. • Water states of samples at subzero temperatures are quantified via DSC analysis. • SPEEK-Cu membrane possesses a stronger anti-freezing property. Improving the proton conductivity (σ) of proton exchange membranes at low temperatures is very important for expanding their application areas. Here, sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) membranes were prepared with different sulfonation degrees, and its maximum ion exchange capacity is 3.15 mmol/g for 10 h at 60 °C. Highly sulfonated SPEEK membrane exhibits ultra-high water uptake and excellent proton conductivity of 0.074 S/cm at −25 °C due to its abundant −SO 3 H. Nevertheless, its high swelling ratio and low mechanical strength are not conducive to the practical application of the membrane. Luckily, by employing the chelation of Cu2+ with −SO 3 − on the SPEEK chain, Cu2+-coordinated SPEEK membranes were prepared, and they not only retain high −SO 3 H content but also possess robust mechanical properties and good dimensional stability compared to pristine SPEEK membrane. Meanwhile, the σ of the SPEEK-Cu membrane reaches 0.054 S/cm at −25 °C, and its fuel cell maximum power (W max) reaches 0.42 W/cm2 at −10 °C, demonstrating superior low-temperature performance in comparison to other reported materials. Particularly, water states in the prepared membranes are quantified by low-temperature differential scanning calorimetry. Because much more water bound to the plentiful −SO 3 H and Cu2+ inside the membrane endows it with anti-freezing performance, the decay of the σ and the W max for the SPEEK-Cu membrane is retarded at sub-zero temperatures. It is envisioned that composite membranes comprising metal ions such as Cu2+-SPEEK have a high potential for sub-zero fuel cell applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The homologous RNases RNase E and RNase G are widely distributed in bacteria and function in many important physiological processes, including mRNA degradation, rRNA maturation and so on. In this study, the crystallization and preliminary X-ray analysis of RNase G from Escherichia coli is described. Purified recombinant E. coli RNase G, which has 497 amino acids, was crystallized in the cubic space group F432, with unit-cell parameters a = b = c = 219.84 Å. X-ray diffraction data were collected to a resolution of 3.4 Å. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we extend Open-set Semantic Segmentation (OSS) into a new image segmentation task called Generalized Open-set Semantic Segmentation (GOSS). Previously, with well-known OSS, the intelligent agents only detect unknown regions without further processing, limiting their perception capacity of the environment. It stands to reason that further analysis of the detected unknown pixels would be beneficial for agents' decision-making. Therefore, we propose GOSS, which holistically unifies the abilities of two well-defined segmentation tasks, i.e. OSS and generic segmentation. Specifically, GOSS classifies pixels as belonging to known classes, and clusters (or groups) of pixels of unknown class are labelled as such. We propose a metric that balances the pixel classification and clustering aspects to evaluate this newly expanded task. Moreover, we build benchmark tests on existing datasets and propose neural architectures as baselines. Our experiments on multiple benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of our baselines. Code is made available at https://github.com/JHome1/GOSS_Segmentor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] The exploration of highly efficient sunlight-assisted photocatalyst for photodegradation of organic contaminants or energy conversion is strongly encouraged. In this work, we designed a novel three-dimensional spindle-like Sv-ZIS@NMFe heterojunction made of amino functionalized NH 2 -MIL-88B(Fe) (NMFe) and ZnIn 2 S 4 nanosheets with abundant sulfur vacancies (Sv-ZIS). The structural properties of NMFe materials, such as a clearly defined system of pores and cavities, were retained by the Sv-ZIS@NMFe composites. Additionally, the incorporation of sulfur vacancies, –NH 2 functional groups, and well-matched energy level positions led to various synergistic effects that considerably enhanced internal electron transformation and migration, as well as improved adsorption performance. Consequently, under visible light irradiation, the optimized sample exhibited superior hydrogen production activity and tetracycline hydrochloride photodegradation performance. At last, density functional theory calculations was used to further elucidated the possible photoreactivity mechanism. This study demonstrates that the Sv-ZIS@NMFe heterojunction materials formed by ZnIn 2 S 4 with suitable sulfur vacancies and amino functionalized Fe-MOFs have promising applications in photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This document is a correction notice for an article titled "GOSS: towards generalized open-set semantic segmentation" published in the journal Visual Computer. The correction addresses mistakes in the article, including incorrect email addresses for the authors and errors in Figures 1, 3, and 4. The corrected addresses and figures are provided, and electronic supplementary material is added. The article discusses the tasks of image segmentation and introduces the framework of the baseline and GOSS Segmentor for pixel classification and clustering. Visualized segmentation results from the GOSS Segmentor are also presented. The original article has been corrected. [Extracted from the article]

Due to multiple charge transport pathways, adjustable layer spacing, compositional flexibility, low manufacturing cost, and absorption of visible light, layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are a promising material for wastewater treatment. In this study, LDH films and Fe-doped LDH films with different metal ions (Ni, Al, Fe) on the surface of conductive cloth were successfully prepared and applied for the photocatalytic degradation of wastewater containing methyl orange and Ag ions under visible-light irradiation. The chemical state of Fe ions and the composition of LDHs on methyl orange photodegradation were investigated. The experimental results showed that LDH films exhibited high photocatalytic activity. The photocatalytic activity of LDH films on methyl orange improved in the mixed wastewater, and the Fe-doped NiAl–LDH films exhibited best visible-light photocatalytic performance. The analysis showed that Ag ions in the mixed wastewater were reduced by the LDH films and subsequently deposited on the surface of the LDH films. The Ag nanoparticles acted as electron traps and promoted the photocatalytic activity of the LDH films on methyl orange. Thus, we have demonstrated that prepared LDH films can be used in the treatment of mixed wastewater and have broad application prospects in environmental remediation and purification processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During heating or cooling, an energy pile elongates or shortens around the null point, where the thermally induced displacement is zero. Previously proposed computing methods typically require an initial null point assumption and iterations before calculating the thermomechanical response. We proposed a new method to directly calculate the thermomechanical response of energy piles based on the boundary shape function and load transfer approach, and we verified its feasibility by comparing the results with a field test. Then, this work investigated the effects of the pile head and tip restraint conditions, soil restraint, and thermal and initial mechanical load magnitudes on the thermomechanical response of energy piles through a series of case studies, particularly focusing on the interaction between the aforementioned influencing factors and the null point location. The analysis demonstrates that the position of the null point is primarily determined by the end restraint boundary conditions of the pile; however, changing the soil restraint and thermal load will cause the null point to move, and the direction and distance of the movement are related to the symmetry between the two extremity restraint conditions. Finally, changing the initial mechanical load also shifts the null point position. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since their initial discovery few years ago, cyclic dinucleotides (cDNs), their biosynthesis, and their biological function have been in focus of intense research efforts. In this issue, Kato et al. (2015) present strong evidence that the key enzyme in cDN biosynthesis, DncV, is poised on a tipping point such that, given a nudge, the enzyme, can link the nucleotides into a distinct cyclic loop, leading to a specific innate immune response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of photocatalysts with a wide spectral response and effective carrier separation capability is essential for the green degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride. In this study, a magnetic recyclable Z-scheme ZnO/ZnFe2O4 heterojunction (ZZF) was successfully constructed via the solid phase method, using MIL-88A(Fe)@Zn as the precursor. An appropriate band gap width and Z-scheme charge transfer mechanism provide ZZF with excellent visible light absorption performance, efficient charge separation, and a strong redox ability. Under visible light irradiation, the degradation efficiency of tetracycline hydrochloride for the optimal sample can reach 86.3% within 75 min in deionized water and 92.9% within 60 min in tap water, exhibiting superior stability and reusability after five cycles. Moreover, the catalyst in the water can be conveniently recovered by magnetic force. After visible light irradiation for 70 min, the temperature of the reaction system increased by 21.9 °C. Its degradation constant (35.53 × 10−3 min−1) increased to 5.1 times that at room temperature (6.95 × 10−3 min−1). Using thermal energy enhances the kinetic driving force of the reactants and facilitates carrier migration, meaning that more charge is available for the production of •O2− and •OH. This study provides a potential candidate for the efficient degradation of tetracycline hydrochloride by combining thermal catalysis with a photocatalytic heterojunction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs) catalyze an early step in protein synthesis, but also regulate diverse physiological processes in animal cells. These include angiogenesis, and human threonyl-tRNA synthetase (TARS) represents a potent pro-angiogenic AARS. Angiogenesis stimulation can be blocked by the macrolide antibiotic borrelidin (BN), which exhibits a broad spectrum toxicity that has discouraged deeper investigation. Recently, a less toxic variant (BC194) was identified that potently inhibits angiogenesis. Employing biochemical, cell biological, and biophysical approaches, we demonstrate that the toxicity of BN and its derivatives is linked to its competition with the threonine substrate at the molecular level, which stimulates amino acid starvation and apoptosis. By separating toxicity from the inhibition of angiogenesis, a direct role for TARS in vascular development in the zebrafish could be demonstrated. Bioengineered natural products are thus useful tools in unmasking the cryptic functions of conventional enzymes in the regulation of complex processes in higher metazoans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, silicone rubber (SiR) with 0, 90, and 180 parts of aluminum hydroxide (Al(OH)3, ATH) contents prepared in the laboratory was treated in a certain concentration of NO2 for 0, 12, 24, and 36 h. Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and thermogravimetry (TG) were used to study the changes in the surface structure and thermal stability of SiR, as well as the influence of Al(OH)3 on the properties of SiR. According to AFM, the root-mean-square roughness of ATH-90 SiR was 192 nm, which was 2.7 times of ATH-0 SiR. With the incorporation of ATH, the surface of SiR became more susceptible to corrosion by NO2. According to FT-IR and XPS, with the increase in aging time, the side chain Si-CH3 of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was oxidized gradually and a few of nitroso -NO2 groups were formed. According to TG, the incorporation of ATH caused the maximum decomposition rate temperature of PDMS to advance from 458.65 °C to 449.37 and 449.26 °C, which shows that the thermal stability of SiR degraded by adding ATH. After NO2 aging, a new decomposition stage appeared between 75 and 220 °C (stage Ⅰ), and this decomposition trend was similar to aluminum nitrate, which was proven to reduce the thermal stability of PDMS. The effects of NO2 on the surface structure and thermal stability of different ATH contents of silicone rubber were preliminarily clarified by a variety of characterization methods, which provided ideas for the development of silicone rubber resistant to NO2 aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, functional graphene oxide (f-GO) nanosheets were prepared to enhance the NO2 resistibility of room-temperature-vulcanized (RTV) silicone rubber. A nitrogen dioxide (NO2) accelerated aging experiment was designed to simulate the aging process of nitrogen oxide produced by corona discharge on a silicone rubber composite coating, and then electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to test the process of conductive medium penetration into silicone rubber. After exposure to the same concentration (115 mg·L−1) of NO2 for 24 h, at an optimal filler content of 0.3 wt.%, the impedance modulus of the composite silicone rubber sample was 1.8 × 107 Ω·cm2, which is an order of magnitude higher than that of pure RTV. In addition, with an increase in filler content, the porosity of the coating decreases. When the content of the nanosheet increases to 0.3 wt.%; the porosity reaches a minimum value 0.97 × 10−4%, which is 1/4 of the porosity of the pure RTV coating, indicating that this composite silicone rubber sample has the best resistance to NO2 aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A visible-light-driven Tb x O y loaded TiO 2 -oriented nanosheets (Tb-TNSs) of 3.6 nm thick and specific surface area of 240–350 m 2 /g provided with highly dispersed Tb x O y nanoparticles of 1–2 nm over the surfaces were synthesized using a one-pot hydrothermal route. Loaded Tb x O y nanoparticles influenced morphology, structure, and optical properties of the TNSs. The XPS results showed that Tb 3+ and Tb 4+ co-exist in Tb-TNSs, and loaded Tb x O y resulted in changes in binding energies of Ti and O. The amount of Ti 3+ increased gradually with the amount of loaded Tb x O y nanoparticles. FL and surface photocurrent spectra results indicated that an appropriate amount of Tb x O y (≤1.0 at.%) loading can effectively improve the separation efficiency of charge carriers. The visible-light-driven photocatalysis could be measured by the removal of phenol or dichromate separately along with synergistic degradation in phenol-Cr(VI) coexistence system. The optimum photocatalytic activity was obtained at Tb/Ti = 1.0 at.% under degradation of aqueous phenol or Cr(VI) solution. Besides, the desorbed Tb-TNSs could be easily regenerated by remedying the damaged structure and reused with excellent performance. High regeneration and stability of photocatalysts were confirmed by seven cyclic tests. An alternant mechanism for the enhanced visible-light-driven photocatalytic activity was also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases (AARSs), a family of essential protein synthesis enzymes, are attractive targets for drug development. Although several different types of AARS inhibitors have been identified, AARS covalent inhibitors have not been reported. Here we present five unusual crystal structures showing that threonyl-tRNA synthetase (ThrRS) is covalently inhibited by a natural product, obafluorin (OB). The residue forming a covalent bond with OB is a tyrosine in ThrRS active center, which is not commonly modified by covalent inhibitors. The two hydroxyl groups on the o-diphenol moiety of OB form two coordination bonds with the conserved zinc ion in the active center of ThrRS. Therefore, the β-lactone structure of OB can undergo ester exchange reaction with the phenolic group of the adjacent tyrosine to form a covalent bond between the compound and the enzyme, and allow its nitrobenzene structure to occupy the binding site of tRNA. In addition, when this tyrosine was replaced by a lysine or even a weakly nucleophilic arginine, similar bonds could also be formed. Our report of the mechanism of a class of AARS covalent inhibitor targeting multiple amino acid residues could facilitate approaches to drug discovery for cancer and infectious diseases. Structures of E. coli threonyl-tRNA synthetase in complex with natural product obafluorin (OB) reveal that OB is a unique covalent inhibitor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se decorated CdS nanowires with few-layer MoSe 2 nanosheets are fabricated for efficient H 2 production. The piezoelectric field of MoSe 2 nanosheets promotes the separation of free charges. Compared with the photocatalysis, the piezo-photocatalysis yields a superior H 2 evolution rate of 59.1 mmol/h g−1 (124.9% that of photocatalysis). [Display omitted] The build-in electric field by the construction of heterojunction is one of the most promising strategies to suppress the recombination of photogenerated carriers. Here, we reported a piezo-photocatalytic system composed of Se-decorated CdS nanowires and few-layered edge-on MoSe 2 nanosheets for efficient H 2 generation by two-pot hydrothermal synthesis. The few-layered MoSe 2 exposed abundant edge sites for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The activity of 20-MoSe 2 /CdS 0.95 Se 0.05 (20-MS/CSS, with 20 mol% of MoSe 2 loading) nanocomposite casted a remarkable photocatalytic HER performance, with a rate of 47.3 mmol h−1 g−1. Moreover, MoSe 2 nanosheets deformed to generate the piezoelectric polarization field under magnetic stirring, which rendered efficient separation of photogenerated carriers, resulting in a piezo-photocatalytic synergistic effect. As a result, the HER of 20-MS/CSS at 900 rpm for piezo-photocatalysis was 59.1 mmol h−1 g−1, which was 1.25 times that of 20-MS/CSS for photocatalysis. Meanwhile, the photoelectrochemical measurements further visualized the piezo-photoelectric synergy. This study exposes a new way for utilizing mechanical energy to improve photocatalytic performance, and achieving high piezo-photocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts possess excellent photocatalytic activity benefitting from their properly matched edge potentials. In this work, ZnCo 2 S 4 nanoparticles are anchored on Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S solid solution nanowires and assembled into binary ZnCo 2 S 4 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S nanocomposites. The as-synthesized ZnCo 2 S 4 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S nanocomposites act as bifunctional photocatalysts, which can be used for high-performance H 2 production coupling synthesis of high-value-added benzaldehyde in low concentration benzyl alcohol solution. Under visible light irradiation, 20%-ZnCo 2 S 4 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S nanocomposite shows the highest H 2 evolution rate of 23.02 mmol g−1 h−1 in the first photocatalytic cycle, which is 395.0 and 526.7 times higher than that of Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S and ZnCo 2 S 4 under the same conditions. Eventually, after six-time cycles, the conversion rate and selectivity of benzyl alcohol oxidation to benzaldehyde are 54.3% and 92.2%, respectively. The enhancement of photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the Z-scheme heterojunction between ZnCo 2 S 4 and Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S, which promote the separation and transfer of photogenerated charge carriers. This work provides strong support for the rational design of Z-scheme nano-heterojunction of highly efficient photocatalytic application in H 2 evolution and fine chemicals production. The bifunctional ZnCo 2 S 4 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts show efficient H 2 evolution rate and high-value-added benzaldehyde synthesis activity under visible light irradiation. [Display omitted] • An efficient bifunctional ZnCo 2 S 4 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S heterojunction is prepared. • ZnCo 2 S 4 /Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S shows excellent H 2 evolution and benzaldehyde synthesis activity. • The photocatalytic mechanism between ZnCo 2 S 4 and Zn 0.2 Cd 0.8 S is proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Expediting electrons-holes separation and surface reaction kinetics is deemed to be pivotal factor to determine the photocatalytic performance. Decoration of reductive and oxidative cocatalysts on semiconductors is a resultful approach for motivating electrons-holes separation and surface reaction kinetics. In this work, a ternary 2.4%-(CoSe 2 @NiS-1)/CdS photocatalyst was developed. Among this compound, reductive cocatalyst CoSe 2 not only acted as electron trapping center by extracting photogenerated electrons, but also constructed Schottky junction with CdS to accelerate migration of photogenerated carriers and inhibit the backflow. Meanwhile, oxidative cocatalyst NiS forming p-n type heterojunction with CdS served as hole-trap center to boost transport and consumption of photoinduced holes. Integrating of dual cocatalysts and heterojunctions played synergistic effect in promoting the photocatalytic performance and photo-corrosion stability. 2.4%-(CoSe 2 @NiS-1)/CdS achieved H 2 evolution of 1413.9 μmol and maintained at 85.47% after six cycles. It's expected that this work can provide an insight into designing high active solar energy conversion system. [Display omitted] • A novel ternary 2.4%-(CoSe 2 @NiS-1)/CdS photocatalyst was developed by simple approaches. • The dual cocatalysts expedited electrons-holes separation and surface reaction kinetics. • Schottky junction and p-n heterojunction played synergistic effect in promoting H 2 evolution. • 2.4%-(CoSe 2 @NiS-1)/CdS achieved H 2 evolution of 1413.9 μmol and maintained at 85.47% after six cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]