WO3 nanoflakes decorated with CuO clusters for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting

The low quantum efficiency arising from poor charges transfer and insufficient light absorption is one of the critical challenges toward achieving highly efficient water splitting in photoelectrochemical cells. Three dimensions(3D) structures and heterojunctions have received intensive research interests recent years due to their excellent ability to separate photo-generated charges as well as the enhanced light harvesting property. Herein,3 D Cu O/WO_3 structure was fabricated through a facile solvothermal method followed by chemical bath deposition. The loading of Cu O clusters on WO_3 nanoflake arrays results in a much improved photocurrent density compared with that of pristine WO_3 nanoflake arrays, which reaches 1.8 m A/cm2 at 1.23 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurement demonstrates that the improved performance of Cu O/WO_3 electrode is attributed to the accelerated charge transfer kinetics as a result of the desirable band alignment in Cu O/WO_3 heterojunction. This work demonstrates a facile strategy to construct superior WO_3 electrode, which will ultimately allow for efficient storage of solar energy into hydrogen.     

DanHong Injection inhibits the development of primary abdominal aortic aneurysms in apoE knockout mice

Clinical observations indicate that DanHong Injection （DHI） can increase blood flow and reduce various syndromes in patients with cardiovascular disease. How- ever, it still needs to define the function of DHI and the involved mechanisms in details, such as the protective effect on the development of primary abdominal aortic aneurysms （AAAs）. In this study, we determined whether DHI is able to inhibit AAA in apoE knockout （apoE-/-） mice. Thirty apoE-/- male mice on high-fat diet （0.5 % cholesterol, 21% fat） were randomly divided into two groups and received i.p. injection of saline （100 μL/day） and DHI （100 μL/day）, respectively, for 16 weeks. At the end of experiment, we determined the development of atherosclerosis in en face aorta and aneurysms,pathological morphology of arterial wall, and serum lipid levels. We also determined the expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 （MCP-1）, MMP-2, and MMP-9 mRNA in aortic wall using real-time RT-PCR. Our results indicated that high-fat diet induced the development of AAAs in apoE-/- mice, but the induction was totally blocked by DHI （P 〈 0.01）. The result of staining of abdominal aortic cross sections showed that DHI main- tained the collagen content in arterial wall, thereby pre- venting the animals from the development of AAA. Although DHI had little effect on serum total- and LDL- cholesterol levels, it reduced the expression of MCP-1, MMP-2, and MMP-9 mRNA in aortic wall （P 〈 0.01）. Taken together, our study suggests that DHI can inhibit the high-fat diet-induced AAA formation. The inhibitory effects may be related to the maintenance of the collagen content and inhibition of expression of AAA-related genes. Our study may suggest a new application of DHI in clinics.     

Advancements in theory of GHG observation from space

As a large developing country,China has the highest level of greenhouse gas(GHG)emissions.The Chinese government is seeking sustainable development and trying to reduce GHG emissions.From the scientific perspective,there are     

A polynomial smooth epsilon-support vector regression based on cubic spline interpolation

Regression analysis is often formulated as an optimization problem with squared loss functions.Facing the challenge of the selection of the proper function class with polynomial smooth techniques applied to support vector regression models,this study takes cubic spline interpolation to generate a new polynomial smooth function |x|_ε~2 in ε-insensitive support vector regression.Theoretical analysis shows that S_ε~2-function is better than p_ε~2-function in properties,and the approximation accuracy of the proposed smoothing function is two order higher than that of classical p_ε~2-function.The experimental data shows the efficiency of the new approach.     

Simultaneous mineralization of CO2 and recovery of soluble potassium using earth-abundant potassium feldspar

CO2 capture and storage(CCS) is an important strategy in combatting anthropogenic climate change.However,commercial application of the CCS technique is currently hampered by its high energy expenditure and costs.To overcome this issue,CO2 capture and utilization(CCU) is a promising CO2 disposal method.We,for the first time,developed a promising method to mineralize CO2 using earth-abundant potassium feldspar in order to effectively reduce CO2 emissions.Our experiments demonstrate that,after adding calcium chloride hexahydrate as an additive,the K-feldspar can be transformed to Ca-silicates at 800 C,which can easily mineralize CO2 to form stable calcium carbonate and recover soluble potassium.The conversion of this process reached 84.7%.With further study,the pretreatment temperature can be reduced to 250 C using hydrothermal method by adding the solution of triethanolamine(TEA).The highest conversion can be reached 40.1%.The process of simultaneous mineralization of CO2 and recovery of soluble potassium can be easily implemented in practice and may provide an economically feasible way to tackle global anthropogenic climate change.     

Small molecule activators of SIRT1 as therapeutics for the treatment of type 2 diabetes

Calorie restriction extends lifespan and produces a metabolic profile desirable for treating diseases of ageing such as type 2 diabetes. SIRT1, an NAD+-dependent deacetylase, is a principal modulator of pathways downstream of calorie restriction that produce beneficial effects on glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity. Resveratrol, a polyphenolic SIRT1 activator, mimics the anti-ageing effects of calorie restriction in lower organisms and in mice fed a high-fat diet ameliorates insulin resistance, increases mitochondrial content, and prolongs survival. Here we describe the identification and characterization of small molecule activators of SIRT1 that are structurally unrelated to, and 1,000-fold more potent than, resveratrol. These compounds bind to the SIRT1 enzyme-peptide substrate complex at an allosteric site amino-terminal to the catalytic domain and lower the Michaelis constant for acetylated substrates. In diet-induced obese and genetically obese mice, these compounds improve insulin sensitivity, lower plasma glucose, and increase mitochondrial capacity. In Zucker fa/fa rats, hyperinsulinaemic-euglycaemic clamp studies demonstrate that SIRT1 activators improve whole-body glucose homeostasis and insulin sensitivity in adipose tissue, skeletal muscle and liver. Thus, SIRT1 activation is a promising new therapeutic approach for treating diseases of ageing such as type 2 diabetes.     

Structural definition of a conserved neutralization epitope on HIV-1 gp120

The remarkable diversity, glycosylation and conformational flexibility of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) envelope (Env), including substantial rearrangement of the gp120 glycoprotein upon binding the CD4 receptor, allow it to evade antibody-mediated neutralization. Despite this complexity, the HIV-1 Env must retain conserved determinants that mediate CD4 binding. To evaluate how these determinants might provide opportunities for antibody recognition, we created variants of gp120 stabilized in the CD4-bound state, assessed binding of CD4 and of receptor-binding-site antibodies, and determined the structure at 2.3 A resolution of the broadly neutralizing antibody b12 in complex with gp120. b12 binds to a conformationally invariant surface that overlaps a distinct subset of the CD4-binding site. This surface is involved in the metastable attachment of CD4, before the gp120 rearrangement required for stable engagement. A site of vulnerability, related to a functional requirement for efficient association with CD4, can therefore be targeted by antibody to neutralize HIV-1.     

A second generation human haplotype map of over 3.1 million SNPs

We describe the Phase II HapMap, which characterizes over 3.1 million human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) genotyped in 270 individuals from four geographically diverse populations and includes 25-35% of common SNP variation in the populations surveyed. The map is estimated to capture untyped common variation with an average maximum r2 of between 0.9 and 0.96 depending on population. We demonstrate that the current generation of commercial genome-wide genotyping products captures common Phase II SNPs with an average maximum r2 of up to 0.8 in African and up to 0.95 in non-African populations, and that potential gains in power in association studies can be obtained through imputation. These data also reveal novel aspects of the structure of linkage disequilibrium. We show that 10-30% of pairs of individuals within a population share at least one region of extended genetic identity arising from recent ancestry and that up to 1% of all common variants are untaggable, primarily because they lie within recombination hotspots. We show that recombination rates vary systematically around genes and between genes of different function. Finally, we demonstrate increased differentiation at non-synonymous, compared to synonymous, SNPs, resulting from systematic differences in the strength or efficacy of natural selection between populations.     

Genome-wide detection and characterization of positive selection in human populations

With the advent of dense maps of human genetic variation, it is now possible to detect positive natural selection across the human genome. Here we report an analysis of over 3 million polymorphisms from the International HapMap Project Phase 2 (HapMap2). We used 'long-range haplotype' methods, which were developed to identify alleles segregating in a population that have undergone recent selection, and we also developed new methods that are based on cross-population comparisons to discover alleles that have swept to near-fixation within a population. The analysis reveals more than 300 strong candidate regions. Focusing on the strongest 22 regions, we develop a heuristic for scrutinizing these regions to identify candidate targets of selection. In a complementary analysis, we identify 26 non-synonymous, coding, single nucleotide polymorphisms showing regional evidence of positive selection. Examination of these candidates highlights three cases in which two genes in a common biological process have apparently undergone positive selection in the same population:LARGE and DMD, both related to infection by the Lassa virus, in West Africa;SLC24A5 and SLC45A2, both involved in skin pigmentation, in Europe; and EDAR and EDA2R, both involved in development of hair follicles, in Asia.