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Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) are obligate plant parasites that cause severe economic losses to agricultural crops worldwide. Because of serious health and environmental concerns related to the use of chemical nematicides, the development of efficient alternatives is of great importance. Biological control through exploiting the potential of rhizosphere microorganisms is currently accepted as an important approach for pest management in sustainable agriculture. In our research, during screening of rhizosphere bacteria against the root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita, Ochrobactrum pseudogrignonense strain NC1 from the rhizosphere of healthy tomatoes showed strong nematode inhibition. A volatile nematicidal assay showed that the cell-free fermentation filtrate in the first-row wells of 12-well tissue culture plates caused M. incognita juvenile mortality in the second-row wells. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed that dimethyl disulfide (DMDS) and benzaldehyde were the main volatile compounds produced by strain NC1. The nematicidal activity of these compounds indicated that the lethal concentration 50 against the M. incognita juveniles in the second-row wells and the fourth-row wells were 23.4 μmol/ml and 30.7 μmol/ml for DMDS and 4.7 μmol/ml and 15.2 μmol/ml for benzaldehyde, respectively. A greenhouse trial using O. pseudogrignonense strain NC1 provided management efficiencies of root-knot nematodes of 88 to 100% compared with the untreated control. This study demonstrated that nematode-induced root-gall suppression mediated by the bacterial volatiles DMDS and benzaldehyde presents a new opportunity for root-knot nematode management.

A magic cube-like NH2-Ce-BDC is prepared, and its derived CeO2 has demonstrated to be a good support for ALD-prepared Pt for catalyzing HCHO oxidation.

Bi2O3 has broad application prospects in the field of photocatalysts. However, inevitable effects from the inherent properties of weak absorption under the visible light and easy recombination of photo-generated electrons and holes within Bi2O3 have meaningfully restricted their applications in photocatalysis researches. In this study, 2D Sb2MoO6 and 2D polymeric carbon nitride (PCN) were designed as the Z-scheme heterojunction in the construction of 2D-hybridized PCN/Sb2MoO6/Bi2O3 dual Z-scheme structure. The degradation rate and the efficiency of oxygen generation of the newly obtained specimen demonstrated an obviously large increase in comparison to the efficiency of Bi2O3 under visible-light condition. The remarkable photocatalytic activity of PCN/Sb2MoO6/Bi2O3 could be attributed to the promotion of visible-light absorption range and the effective separation of photo-generated carriers by the dual Z-scheme heterojunction, proved with DRS analysis and VASP calculation. The band structure of PCN/Sb2MoO6/Bi2O3 was built on experimental data and VASP theoretical calculation. A possible transfer path of charge carriers and the construction mechanism of the dual Z-scheme heterojunction were also proposed through this band structure. Our research provides a potential method to strengthen the visible-light absorption of photocatalytic materials with molybdate, illustrating the influences of heterojunctions in the enhancement of the separation of photo-generated carriers. It has a great guiding significance for the further analysis of photocatalytic water splitting oxygen evolution.

Hydrogen (H2) has been considered as one of the cleanest renewable energy sources. However, it is still challenging to use H2 due to its hazardous flammable and explosive properties under mild conditions in the event of leakage, and the difficulty to detect or sense it through human sensory organs because of its colorless and odorless nature. Traditional detection methods are usually complicated and the testing instruments are expensive. Thus, it is of significant importance to develop sensors for H2 detection with facile operation conditions, low costs, and excellent performance (i.e., sensitivity, selectivity, and stability). To overcome the problems and for practically detecting H2 gas, metal oxide (MOx) nanomaterials have become more crucial in such a gas sensor because of the simple preparation method, high surface area, high sensitivity, and low costs. This review will focus on the recent state-of-the-art advances in resistive H2 gas sensors based on MOx nanomaterials, starting from a brief introduction of resistive gas sensors. The following sections will focus on the synthesis of different structures and types of such MOx nanomaterials, including mono/binary/ternary/ternary or more complicated MOx nanomaterials. Meanwhile, we highlight some regulation methods such as surface or inner decoration by noble or non-noble metals to improve the performance as well as summarize and compare different structures (core–shell and heterojunction), and mechanisms in H2 sensing. Finally, the opportunities and challenges of MOx-based H2 gas sensors are proposed in detail.

Factor VIII (FVIII) replacement products enable comprehensive care in hemophilia A. Treatment goals in severe hemophilia A are expanding beyond low annualized bleed rates to include long-term outcomes associated with high sustained FVIII levels. Endogenous von Willebrand factor (VWF) stabilizes and protects FVIII from degradation and clearance, but it also subjects FVIII to a half-life ceiling of ∼15 to 19 hours. Increasing recombinant FVIII (rFVIII) half-life further is ultimately dependent upon uncoupling rFVIII from endogenous VWF. We have developed a new class of FVIII replacement, rFVIIIFc-VWF-XTEN (BIVV001), that is physically decoupled from endogenous VWF and has enhanced pharmacokinetic properties compared with all previous FVIII products. BIVV001 was bioengineered as a unique fusion protein consisting of a VWF-DʹD3 domain fused to rFVIII via immunoglobulin-G1 Fc domains and 2 XTEN polypeptides (Amunix Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Mountain View, CA). Plasma FVIII half-life after BIVV001 administration in mice and monkeys was 25 to 31 hours and 33 to 34 hours, respectively, representing a three- to fourfold increase in FVIII half-life. Our results showed that multifaceted protein engineering, far beyond a few amino acid substitutions, could significantly improve rFVIII pharmacokinetic properties while maintaining hemostatic function. BIVV001 is the first rFVIII with the potential to significantly change the treatment paradigm for severe hemophilia A by providing optimal protection against all bleed types, with less frequent doses. The protein engineering methods described herein can also be applied to other complex proteins.

Root-knot nematodes (

In order to surmount the intrinsic disadvantages of raw g-C3N4, we demonstrate simple thermal oxidation exfoliation and facile in situ photoreduction methods to fabricate Au/g-C3N4 nanosheet/reduced graphene oxide (Au/CNNS/rGO) photocatalysts. During the preparation, g-C3N4 was exfoliated to ultrathin nanosheets, and the deposition of Au and reduction of graphene oxide (GO) were accomplished simultaneously. Remarkably, the monodispersed Au nanoparticles were well anchored on the surface of the CNNSs and rGO was decorated on the opposite surface of the CNNSs. This novel structure bidirectionally promotes the transfer of photogenerated electrons. The H2 evolution rate of optimal Au/CNNS/rGO is 9.6 times higher and the methylene blue degradation rate is 6 times higher than those of pure g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of photocatalytic activities could be attributed to the novel structure of the nanocomposite, the surface plasmon resonance effect of Au, the high electron mobility of rGO and the large surface area of CNNSs.

Semiconductor photocatalysis is proven to be one of the potential approaches to solve energy crisis and environmental problems. Efficient solar energy utilization and superior charge carrier separation capacity are two crucial aspects in photocatalysis. Herein, the photocatalytic performances of the pristine and modified tungsten-based materials with mixed valence state are summarized concisely. The narrow band gap energy, coexistence of W5+/W6+ and the oxygen vacancies all contribute to the pristine tungsten-based photocatalysts with unique ultraviolet (UV), visible (Vis), and near-infrared (NIR) light-induced photocatalytic activities. Furthermore, the enhanced localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) effect, improved charge carrier separation efficiency and prolonged charge carrier lifetime all boost the performances of modified tungsten-based heterojunction photocatalysts. Moreover, multifunctional tungsten-based photocatalysts with mixed valence state are established to realize the full utilization of solar energy authentically. Concluding perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for the further exploration of tungsten-based photocatalysts are also presented.

Rational regulation of photogenerated carrier separation and transfer is a significant strategy to optimize the photocatalytic activity. Given that the synergistic effect of crystal-face engineering and interfacial heterojunction modification, selective deposition of Ag2O nanoparticles onto BiVO4 (040) facet has been realized successfully via the surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method combined with a facile coprecipitation process. As expected, compared to pure BiVO4 and Ag2O, BiVO4 (040)/Ag2O heterostructures have revealed great enhancements in photocatalytic O2 evolution and methylene blue (MB) degradation capacities no matter under UV, Vis or NIR light irradiation. In-depth investigations confirm that the pronounced photooxidation performances are attributed to not only the outstanding capability in harvesting photon energies spanning from ultraviolet (UV) to near-infrared (NIR) regions, but also the accelerated charge carrier separation boosted by the charge density redistribution inside the BiVO4 homojunction.

Liver gene therapy with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors delivering a clotting factor transgene into hepatocytes has shown multi-year therapeutic benefit in adults with hemophilia. However, anti-AAV pre-existing immunity and the mostly episomal nature of AAV vectors, currently challenges application of AAV-vector mediated liver gene therapy to people with anti-AAV neutralizing antibodies and young pediatric patients. We have developed lentiviral vectors (LV), which integrate in the host cell genome, which achieve stable and efficient liver gene transfer in mice, dogs and non-human primates (NHP), by intravenous (i.v.) delivery. Here we show long-term coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) activity and restoration of hemostasis, by LV i.v. gene therapy to newborn and adult hemophilia A mice and normal-range FVIII activity in NHP, paving the way for potential clinical application.

Plastics are widely used in daily life. Due to poor management and disposal, about 80% of plastic wastes were buried in landfills and eventually became land and ocean waste, causing serious environmental pollution. Recycling plastics is a desirable approach, but not applicable for most of the plastic waste. Microbial degradation offers an environmentally friendly way to degrade the plastic wastes, and this review summarizes the potential microbes, enzymes, and the underpinning mechanisms for degrading six most commonly used plastics including polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polystyrene and polyurethane. The challenges and future perspectives on microbial degradation of plastics were proposed.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) has demonstrated highly potential for smart windows because of its thermochromic property. This study represents the development of a facile but efficient method for the synthesis of VO2 (M) nanoparticles by ball milling method under ambient conditions, without release of waste liquid or gases. The key variables related to synthesis, including milling time and molar ratio of raw materials, have been investigated. It was found that the pure-phase VO2 (M) nanoparticles with the sizes of the particles ranged from 20 to 50 nm and relatively good dispersivity could be prepared by optimizing process parameters. For practice use to decrease the phase transition temperature, elemental W doping amount of 2 at.%, V1−xWxO2 (M) nanoparticles were also studied, and their glass coating exhibits high thermochromic performance with luminous transmittance (Tlum) of 44.18%, solar regulation efficiency (∆Tsol) of 9.64%, and the critical phase transition temperature (Tc) of ~ 42 °C. This work demonstrates a green and promising ball milling method to fabricate large scale VO2 (M) and V1−xWxO2 (M) nanoparticles for smart windows.

Vanadium dioxide (VO2) exhibits great potential in smart windows due to its phase-transition property. Herein, polydopamine (PDA), coated on VO2 nanoparticles, is employed to replace doping to trigger the phase transition of VO2 at ambient temperature based on its photothermal effect. The VO2@PDA thin films not only can avoid optical property degradation caused by doping, but also exhibit better optical property than VO2 films due to the improved dispersion after coating PDA that the solar energy modulation (ΔTsol) is improved from 11.2 to 14.5% when the luminous transmittance (Tlum) remains unchanged. In addition, VO2@PDA nanoparticles remain stable under acidic and oxygenic condition, which is attributed to the stable PDA shell and the interfacial interaction between VO2 core and PDA shell. This work provides an novel method to replace doping treatment to promote the phase transition of VO2.

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction is believed to be an emerging strategy to address fossil fuels consumption and global warming problems. However, the rapid recombination of photogenerated carriers restricts the application of photocatalytic technology severely. Constructing heterojunction structure is one of the most effective pathways to facilitate the charge separation and photocatalytic performance. In this work, a series of direct Z-scheme heterojunction Bi2O2(NO3)(OH)/g-C3N4 (BON/CN) was developed by an electrostatic self-assembly method. The optimal BON/CN-2 photocatalyst exhibits a conspicuous photocatalytic CO2 reduction activity with a high CO evolution rate of 14.84 µmol g-1h−1 under the stimulated solar light irradiation, which is about 15 and 3.5 times higher than that of pure BON and g-C3N4, respectively. The significantly promoted photocatalytic performance is attributed to the tightly-contact interface and formation of Z-scheme between BON and g-C3N4, which favor for the separation and transfer of photogenerated electrons and holes, as confirmed by high resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), electron spin resonance (ESR), photoelectrochemical measurement and photoluminescence (PL) results. This work may provide a new reference for developing rational tactics to fabricate efficient Z-scheme heterojunction photocatalysts for CO2 conversion.

It is a big challenge to apply p-type metal oxide semiconductors for gas sensing. This study presents an efficient and rapid approach to detect triethylamine (TEA) by newly generated p-type Co3O4 nanosheets with rich oxygen vacancies. These porous Co3O4 nanosheets were synthesized via a simple but efficient hydrothermal method, followed by annealing process. The defect concentration, highly related to the morphology of the obtained sensing materials, was readily adjustable by controlling annealing temperature. It was found that the presence of abundant oxygen vacancies and the large specific surface area have synergistically promoted gas sensing performance using Co3O4 nanosheets in detecting TEA with a sensitive response (Sg/a = 124.36 for 100 ppm TEA) at an operating temperature (200 °C). Furthermore, the Co3O4 nanosheets have exhibited excellent selectivity, repeatability and stability, probably attributed to the formation of mesoporous structures and appropriate oxygen vacancy concentrations. This work may offer an effective path for designing p-type metal oxide semiconductor nanomaterials for gas sensing applications by controlling oxygen vacancies and particle morphologies.

For the purpose of effectively utilizing solar energy, tailoring of the energy band configuration represents an effective approach to the exploration and development of full-spectrum-responsive photocatalysts with advanced performance. In this work, we developed SnO2 nanoparticles with an adjusted energy band configuration by introducing oxygen vacancies (OV-SnO2) via a one-step hydrothermal process. The existence of oxygen vacancies was confirmed by XPS, ESR and PL. VB-XPS measurements and the UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectrum reveals that the introduction of oxygen vacancies increased the valence band width, resulting in a narrowed bandgap and increased photoabsorption. The obtained OV-SnO2 with a desirable energy band configuration exhibits superior full-spectrum-responsive photocatalytic activity under either UV, visible or even near-infrared light irradiation for the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO), which is completely accomplished within only 60 min under the condition of near-infrared light irradiation. The photocatalytic mechanism of full-spectrum-responsive photoreactivity, attributed to the narrowed bandgap and the broadened valence band width, was also revealed. The narrowed bandgap further contributes to the extended light absorption range and the broadened valence band width leads to efficient charge transfer and separation, hence revealing an outstanding full-spectrum-responsive photoreactivity. This research could shed light on general doping strategies for designing efficient photocatalysts and facilitate their application in environmental protection.

CdS demonstrate superior potential for H2 production, but exist deficiencies of low carrier separation efficiency and photostability limit their large-scale application. Hence, a novel Ag2S/CdS/Cd2SO4(OH)2 composite has been designed. In-depth measurements reveal that Cd2SO4(OH)2 will be in-situ reduced to Cd metal as an excellent electron trap and hydrogen production site during the photocatalytic process. As a result, photogenerated electrons and holes will directionally transfer to Cd metal and Ag2S respectively, leading to the separation of oxidation and reduction reaction sites. As expected, Ag2S/CdS/Cd2SO4(OH)2 and final Ag2S/CdS/Cd systems exhibit considerably promoted photocatalyst properties than many other CdS-based photocatalysts no matter on the illumination of UV, Vis or NIR light. The research not only provide a new insight to develop a low-cost, carrier spatial separation and full-spectrum-responsive photocatalytic hydrogen evolution system, but also displays a novel strategy for in-situ deposition of metal clusters on the photocatalyst surface during the photocatalytic process.

Vanadium oxide (B) (VO2 (B)), easily obtained by a hydrothermal method, can be transformed to VO2 (M/R) under high-temperature annealing treatment (> 500 °C) without oxygen atmosphere. However, the coarsening of VO2 (M/R) particles is always observed after high-temperature annealing, which may seriously degrade optical properties. In this study, the ball milling method is used, for the first time, to transform VO2 (B) nanobelts into spherical VO2 (M/R) nanoparticles with the average particle size of 38 nm at room temperature and under atmospheric conditions. The effects of ball-to-powder weight ratio (BPR) and milling time on crystalline phase and morphology of VO2 were systematically investigated and found the optimum processing parameters with BPR of 10:1 and the milling time of 3 h. The thin coating based on the obtained VO2 (M/R) nanoparticles shows good optical properties that the modulation ability can reach up to 14.03% while the visible light transmittance is 41%, which promotes the practical application in smart windows. In addition, the mechanism of the phase transformation from VO2 (B) to VO2 (M/R) is analyzed and confirms that the pressure caused by ball collision plays a major role in the ball milling process.

A series of novel CaSn(OH) 6 /SnO 2 heterostructure (CSH) photocatalysts have been synthesized via a facile one-pot hydrothermal process with different molar ratios of raw materials. The obtained CaSn(OH) 6 /SnO 2 composite with CaCl 2 :SnCl 4 = 0.8 (0.8CSH) exhibits outstanding ultraviolet (UV)-light photocatalytic activity, which could be attributed to the efficient separation of photogenerated electrons and holes. Meanwhile, the doping of Fe 3+ ions into 0.8CSH substrate greatly enhances the UV and visible-light photocatalytic activities, and the photodegradation rate of 1.0 mol% Fe-doped CSH (1.0FCSH) sample exceeds that of 0.8CSH by a factor of more than 14 times. This could be attributed to the fact that Fe-doping induces the shift of the absorption edge into the visible light region and reduces the recombination of electron-hole pairs. Overall, this research can provide an effective approach to synthesize new efficient photocatalysts and facilitate their application in environmental protection.

A series of novel RGO/Ag2S/TiO2 heterostructure photocatalysts has been synthesized successfully by a facial hydrothermal and simple ionexchange method. During the preparation, the reduction of graphene oxide (GO) and growth of TiO2 and Ag2S are accomplished smoothly, and the functions of each part are developed well together. Compared with pure TiO2, Ag2S and Ag2S/TiO2 nanocomposite, the obtained 3 wt.% RGO/Ag2S/TiO2 nanocomposite exhibits a significant enhancement of ultraviolet (UV) and near-infrared (NIR) light photocatalytic activities. Owing to its extended photoresponsive range, great adsorptive property and efficient electron-hole separation capacity. Furthermore, benefited by the introduction of reduced graphite oxide (RGO), the deterioration of Ag2S is inhibited well and the stability of RGO/Ag2S/TiO2 nanocomposite has been enhanced greatly. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

International audience; Liver-directed gene therapy for the coagulation disorder hemophilia showed safe and effective results in clinical trials using adeno-associated viral vectors to replace a functional coagulation factor, although some unmet needs remain. Lentiviral vectors (LVs) may address some of these hurdles because of their potential for stable expression and the low prevalence of preexisting viral immunity in humans. However, systemic LV administration to hemophilic dogs was associated to mild acute toxicity and low efficacy at the administered doses. Here, exploiting intravital microscopy and LV surface engineering, we report a major role of the human phagocytosis inhibitor CD47, incorporated into LV cell membrane, in protecting LVs from uptake by professional phagocytes and innate immune sensing, thus favoring biodistribution to hepatocytes after systemic administration. By enforcing high CD47 surface content, we generated phagocytosis-shielded LVs which, upon intravenous administration to nonhuman primates, showed selective liver and spleen targeting and enhanced hepatocyte gene transfer compared to parental LV, reaching supraphysiological activity of human coagulation factor IX, the protein encoded by the transgene, without signs of toxicity or clonal expansion of transduced cells.

In previous work, the photocatalytic stability during the recycled degradation is employed to evaluate the inhibitory effect of photocorrosion. Then, a significant question arises: is the photocatalytic stability only related to the photocorrosion for zinc oxide (ZnO)? The answer turns out to be no in our work. The phenomenon of photocatalytic reaction-induced selective corrosion of ZnO nanosheets was firstly revealed. It is found that the special corrosion not only needs ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation, but also results from the photocatalytic reaction. Then, the impacts of this special corrosion and photocorrosion on morphology and photocatalytic stability were compared. It is found that the photocatalytic reaction-induced selective corrosion shows more mass loss, more selective etching and more decrease of unit mass photocatalytic activity than that of photocorrosion. The results indicate that the special corrosion-induced active face loss rather than the photocorrosion-induced mass loss can be fatal for the photocatalytic stability. Accordingly, a direct and visual confirmation of inhibitory effect of loaded Ag against selective corrosion is revealed.

In order to overcome the intrinsic drawback of pristine g-C3N4, we demonstrate a simple thermal oxidation exfoliation-photodeposition technique to fabricate a Ag/graphene-like g-C3N4 (Ag/G-g-C3N4) photocatalyst. It was revealed that the monodispersed Ag nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of graphene-like g-C3N4 (G-g-C3N4). The Ag/G-g-C3N4 displayed an enhanced photocatalytic activity for methylene blue degradation and the degradation rate was 10 times higher than that of pristine g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity could be attributed to the surface plasmon resonance effect of Ag and large surface area (189.9 m2 g−1) of G-g-C3N4, which improve the visible light absorption ability and provide abundant reactive sites as well as promoting photogenerated electron–hole pair separation.

Aluminum-air batteries with merits of high theoretical energy densities, low cost and environmental-friendliness are promising candidates for next-generation energy storage and conversion systems. Rational design of efficient heterogeneous catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in neutral and alkaline solutions is of great significance for aluminum-air batteries. Herein, an interface engineering strategy is proposed to realize Co3Fe7-Fe3C heterostructure with abundant interfaces anchored on 3D honeycomb-like N-doped carbon, which inherits the original structure of the biomass precursor. The as-prepared Co3Fe7-Fe3C heterostructure on honeycomb-like N-doped carbon (denoted as Co3Fe7-Fe3C/HNC) displays remarkable electrocatalytic activity and stability towards ORR in both alkaline and neutral solutions. It shows a very positive onset potential of 0.98 V and a half-wave potential of 0.90 V in 0.1 M KOH solution (Eonset = 0.78 V and E1/2 = 0.64 V in 3.5% NaCl solution) towards ORR. The high ORR performance is mainly ascribed to the abundant engineered interfaces, which can not only boost the intrinsic activity, but also guarantee fast charge transfer. The superior ORR performance is also supported by the density functional theory calculation. Moreover, the fabricated Al-air battery displays a larger working voltage and a higher power density compared with those of Pt/C. Furthermore, the Co3Fe7-Fe3C/HNC catalyst exhibits outstanding stability and durability during mechanical recharging and continuous discharging processes. This work demonstrates a new strategy to design and construct multifunctional catalysts with interfacial structure for high performance metal-air batteries.

The intrinsic disadvantages of pristine graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) significantly restrict its applications in photocatalysis field. Hence, we have demonstrated facile thermal copolymerization and in situ photodeposition methods to fabricate a novel Au/phosphorus-doped g-C3N4 (Au/P-g-C3N4) photocatalyst. The results showed that phosphorus was doped into the structure of g-C3N4 and that the surface deposition of gold was successfully accomplished. The H2 generation rate of the optimal Au/P-g-C3N4 is 8.4 times compared with the pristine g-C3N4 under visible light irradiation. The enhancement of photocatalytic activity is due to the synergic effect between gold induced surface plasmon resonance and the modified structural and electronic properties of the g-C3N4 induced by the phosphorus dopant.

In previous studies, photocatalytic heterostructures between two components have usually been distributed randomly at the material's surface. It is significant and important to fabricate a selective heterostructure interface with more efficient charge separation and transfer. In this study, active pores were first investigated through competitive adsorption, degradation efficiency, and selective corrosion. It was found that selective adsorption-induced photosensitization along with active facets led to selective photocorrosion around the pores in ZnO nanosheets. Then, comparison between the properties of selectively and randomly distributed ZnO/CdS heterostructures is presented, namely, phase composition, morphology, pore size, absorbance, electronic band structure, photocurrent density, electrochemical impedance, and hydrogen evolution. Due to the Z-scheme, ZnO/CdS heterostructure selectively bound at the active pores, due to which more efficient charge separation and higher hydrogen evolution were achieved for ZnO/CdS-S. Thus, fabrication of selective heterostructure interface endows ZnO/CdS with more efficient hydrogen evolution.

In this study, a series of hybrid nanostructured photocatalysts P25/(NH4)xWO3 nanocomposites with the average crystallite size of P25 and (NH4)xWO3 of the sample was calculated to be about 30 nm and 130 nm, were successfully synthesized via a simple one-step hydrothermal method. The as-obtained samples was characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), which implies that the P25/(NH4)xWO3 nanocomposites are fabricated with favourable nanosizd interfacial. The XPS results confirmed that the obtained sample consists of mixed chemical valences of W5+ and W6+, the low-valance W5+ sites could be the origin of NIR absorption. As revealed by optical absorption results, P25/(NH4)xWO3 nanocomposites possess high optical absorption in the whole solar spectrum of 200–2500 nm. Benefiting from this unique photo-absorption property and the synergistic effect of P25 and (NH4)xWO3, broad spectrum response photocatalytic activities covering UV, visible and near infrared regions on degradation of Rhodamine B have been realized by P25/(NH4)xWO3 nanocomposites. Meanwhile, the stability of photocatalysts was examined by the XRD and XPS of the photocatalysts after the reaction. The results show that P25/(NH4)xWO3 photocatalysts has a brilliant application prospect in the energy utilization to solve deteriorating environmental issues.

To improve the efficiency of photocatalytic H2 evolution, comprehensive utilization of constructing heterojunction, designing structure and loading cocatalyst is imperative. In this study, a novel hollow sphere photocatalyst (MnOx/CdS/CuS) driven by constructing CdS/CuS heterojunction induced interfacial charge transfer (IFCT) and loading MnOx as cocatalyst was realized. CuS is deposited on the outside of the CdS shell, and MnOx is anchored on the inside, thus photoinduced electrons and holes were spatially separated due to this hollow spherical structure. As expected, the H2 evolution rate of MnOx/CdS/CuS is 18 times higher than that of pure CdS, besides, MnOx/CdS/CuS exhibited excellent stability in cycle experiments. This work opens a rational direction for design spatially separated photocatalytic systems to enhance photocatalytic H2 evolution.

Background: Hemophilia A results from a deficiency in factor VIII activity. Current treatment regimens require frequent dosing, owing to the short half-life of FVIII. A recombinant FVIII–Fc fusion protein (rFVIIIFc) was molecularly engineered to increase the half-life of FVIII, by 1.5–2-fold, in several preclinical animal models and humans. Objective: To perform a biochemical and functional in vitro characterization of rFVIIIFc, with existing FVIII products as comparators.Methods: rFVIIIFc was examined by utilizing a series of structural and analytic assays, including mass spectrometry following lysyl endopeptidase or thrombin digestion. rFVIIIFc activity was determined in both one-stage clotting (activated partial thromboplastin time) and chromogenic activity assays, in the context of the FXase complex with purified components, and in both in vitro and ex vivo rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) assays performed in whole blood. Results: rFVIIIFc contained the predicted primary structure and post-translational modifications, with an FVIII moiety that was similar to other recombinant FVIII products. The von Willebrand factor-binding and specific activity of rFVIIIFc were also found to be similar to those of other recombinant FVIII molecules. Both chromogenic and one-stage assays of rFVIIIFc gave similar results. Ex vivo ROTEM studies demonstrated that circulating rFVIIIFc activity was prolonged in mice with hemophilia A in comparison with B-domain-deleted or full-length FVIII. Clot parameters at early time points were similar to those for FVIII, whereas rFVIIIFc showed prolonged improvement of clot formation. Conclusions: rFVIIIFc maintains normal FVIII interactions with other proteins necessary for its activity, with prolonged in vivo activity, owing to fusion with the Fc region of IgG1.