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Bismuth (Bi) has been known as a highly efficient electrocatalyst for CO 2 reduction reaction. Stable free-standing two-dimensional Bi monolayer (Bismuthene) structures have been predicted theoretically, but never realized experimentally. Here, we show the first simple large-scale synthesis of free-standing Bismuthene, to our knowledge, and demonstrate its high electrocatalytic efficiency for formate (HCOO − ) formation from CO 2 reduction reaction. The catalytic performance is evident by the high Faradaic efficiency (99% at −580 mV vs. Reversible Hydrogen Electrode (RHE)), small onset overpotential (<90 mV) and high durability (no performance decay after 75 h and annealing at 400 °C). Density functional theory calculations show the structure-sensitivity of the CO 2 reduction reaction over Bismuthene and thicker nanosheets, suggesting that selective formation of HCOO − indeed can proceed easily on Bismuthene (111) facet due to the unique compressive strain. This work paves the way for the extensive experimental investigation of Bismuthene in many different fields. Stable free-standing two-dimensional Bi monolayer (Bismuthene) structures have been predicted theoretically, but never realized experimentally. Here, the authors show a large-scale synthesis of free-standing Bismuthene and its electrocatalytic activity for CO 2 reduction to formate.

Metal-organic layers with ordered structure and molecular tunability are of great potential as heterogeneous catalysts due to their readily accessible active sites. Herein, we demonstrate a facile template strategy to prepare metal-organic layers with a uniform thickness of three metal coordination layers (ca. 1.5 nm) with graphene oxide as both template and electron mediator. The resulting hybrid catalyst exhibits an excellent performance for CO 2 photoreduction with a total CO yield of 3133 mmol g –1 MOL (CO selectivity of 95%), ca. 34 times higher than that of bulky Co-based metal-organic framework. Systematic studies reveal that well-exposed active sites in metal-organic layers, and facile electron transfer between heterogeneous and homogeneous components mediated by graphene oxide, greatly contribute to its high activity. This work highlights a facile way for constructing ultrathin metal-organic layers and demonstrates charge transfer pathway between conductive template and catalyst for boosting photocatalysis. While solar-to-fuel energy conversion is appealing, materials require accessible active sites for reactants and rapid electron transfer steps. Here, authors support ultrathin metal-organic layers with graphene oxide as both template and electron mediator to boost CO 2 photoreduction performance.

Background Numerous reports indicate that both obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are factors associated with cognitive impairment (CI). The objective was to assess the relationship between abdominal obesity as measured by waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (WHRadjBMI) and CI in middle-aged and elderly patients with T2DM. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted, in which a total of 1154 patients with T2DM aged ≥ 40 years were included. WHRadjBMI was calculated based on anthropometric measurements and CI was assessed utilizing the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA). Participants were divided into CI group ( n  = 509) and normal cognition group ( n  = 645). Correlation analysis and binary logistic regression were used to explore the relationship between obesity-related indicators including WHRadjBMI, BMI as well as waist circumference (WC) and CI. Meanwhile, the predictive power of these indicators for CI was estimated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Results WHRadjBMI was positively correlated with MoCA scores, independent of sex. The Area Under the Curve (AUC) for WHRadjBMI, BMI and WC were 0.639, 0.521 and 0.533 respectively, and WHRadjBMI had the highest predictive power for CI. Whether or not covariates were adjusted, one-SD increase in WHRadjBMI was significantly related to an increased risk of CI with an adjusted OR of 1.451 (95% CI: 1.261–1.671). After multivariate adjustment, the risk of CI increased with rising WHRadjBMI quartiles (Q4 vs. Q1 OR: 2.980, 95%CI: 2.032–4.371, P for trend < 0.001). Conclusions Our study illustrated that higher WHRadjBMI is likely to be associated with an increased risk of CI among patients with T2DM. These findings support the detrimental effects of excess visceral fat accumulation on cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly T2DM patients.

Porous ceramics were synthesized using porcelain tile polishing residue (PTPR) and slaked lime (Ca(OH) 2 ) as a reinforcing agent through a hydrothermal autoclaving method. The process parameters, including the quantity of slaked lime added, the hydrothermal autoclaving temperature, and the reaction duration, were optimized meticulously. The composition, structure, thermal and physical properties of the samples were thoroughly analyzed via Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) measurements, powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the incorporation of slaked lime and hydrothermal autoclaving led to the formation of calcium silicate hydrate, which corresponded with an enhancement in the strength of the sample. Notably, when the quantity of slaked lime added was optimized at 30 wt%, the formation of tobermorite (5CaO·6SiO 2 ·5H 2 O) was detected. At a hydrothermal autoclaving temperature of 150 °C, the formation of only sheet-like calcium silicate hydrate was observed. In contrast, at an elevated temperature of 180 °C and 210 °C, needle-like tobermorite was successfully synthesized. The porous ceramic with the most favorable structure was obtained through autoclaving at 180 °C for 10 h with 30 wt% slaked lime, exhibiting a total pore volume of 0.11 mL/g, a specific surface area of 26.35 m 2 /g, and a mesoporous volume fraction of 90.40%.

The results of current studies on metabolic-dysfunction associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)-related diseases, cognition and dementia are inconsistent. This study aimed to elucidate the effects of MASLD-related diseases on cognition and dementia. By using single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with different traits of NAFLD (chronically elevated serum alanine aminotransferase levels [cALT], imaging-accessed and biopsy-proven NAFLD), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis, and liver fibrosis and cirrhosis, we employed three methods of mendelian randomization (MR) analysis (inverse-variance weighted [IVW], weighted median, and MR-Egger) to determine the causal relationships between MASLD-related diseases and cognition and dementia. We used Cochran's Q test to examine the heterogeneity, and MR-PRESSO was used to identify outliers (NbDistribution = 10000). The horizontal pleiotropy was evaluated using the MR-Egger intercept test. A leave-one-out analysis was used to assess the impact of individual SNP on the overall MR results. We also repeated the MR analysis after excluding SNPs associated with confounding factors. The results of MR analysis suggested positive causal associations between MASLD confirmed by liver biopsy (p of IVW = 0.020, OR = 1.660, 95%CI = 1.082-2.546) and liver fibrosis and cirrhosis (p of IVW = 0.009, OR = 1.849, 95%CI = 1.169-2.922) with vascular dementia (VD). However, there was no evidence of a causal link between MASLD-related diseases and cognitive performance and other types of dementia (any dementia, Alzheimer's disease, dementia with lewy bodies, and frontotemporal dementia). Sensitivity tests supported the robustness of the results. This two-sample MR analysis suggests that genetically predicted MASLD and liver fibrosis and cirrhosis may increase the VD risk. Nonetheless, the causal effects of NAFLD-related diseases on VD need more in-depth research.

The invasive phytophagous lace bug, Corythucha marmorata , threatens the functional food crop Helianthus tuberosus , but its overwintering ecology on this plant is poorly understood. This study evaluated the cold hardiness of C. marmorata at various life stages, focusing on the differences between female and male adults. C. marmorata overwinter as adults on H. tuberosus , based on a four-year winter field investigation. The supercooling and equilibrium freezing points of C. marmorata decline with development. Female adults showed the greatest supercooling capacity. The lower lethal temperature (female − 15 °C, male − 16 °C) is above the supercooling point (− 26 °C). The low temperature exposure mortality of C. marmorata female and male adults exhibited different regularities. We conclude that C. marmorata belongs to chill susceptible insects. October to February is the most recommended period for C. marmorata control by harvesting H. tuberosus . Weed removal, such as Erigeron bonariensis , Erigeron canadensis , and Ambrosia trifida , is an early control measure. These results enhance our understanding of C. marmorata ’s cold tolerance and inform targeted pest management strategies for H. tuberosus crops.

Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) is a highly adaptable polyphagous migratory pest in tropical and subtropical regions. Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) are molecular chaperones that play important roles in the adaptation to various environment stressors. The present study aimed to clarify the response mechanisms of S. frugiperda to various environmental stressors. We obtained five S. furcifera sHsp genes (SfsHsp21.3, SfsHsp20, SfsHsp20.1, SfsHsp19.3, and SfsHsp29) via cloning. The putative proteins encoded by these genes contained a typical α-crystallin domain. The expression patterns of these genes during different developmental stages, in various tissues of male and female adults, as well as in response to extreme temperatures and UV-A stress were studied via real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The results showed that the expression levels of all five SfsHsp genes differed among the developmental stages as well as among the different tissues of male and female adults. The expression levels of most SfsHsp genes under extreme temperatures and UV-A-induced stress were significantly upregulated in both male and female adults. In contrast, those of SfsHsp20.1 and SfsHsp19.3 were significantly downregulated under cold stress in male adults. Therefore, the different SfsHsp genes of S. frugiperda play unique regulatory roles during development as well as in response to various environmental stressors.

Background The purpose of the study was to compare the efficacy of two novel obesity indices, lipid accumulation product (LAP) and visceral adiposity index (VAI), with traditional obesity indices in predicting early-onset type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Methods In this cross-sectional study, a total of 744 participants, including 605 patients newly diagnosed with T2DM and 139 non-diabetic control subjects, were enrolled from a tertiary care hospital in Tianjin, China. Participants with T2DM were divided into two groups based on their age at diagnosis, namely early-onset T2DM (age less than 40 years, n = 154) and late-onset T2DM (age 40 years or older, n = 451). The predictive power of each obesity index was evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Furthermore, binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the independent relationship between LAP and VAI with early-onset T2DM risk. The relationship between novel obesity indices and the age of T2DM onset was also evaluated through correlation and multiple linear regression analysis. Results In males, LAP had the highest predictive power for early-onset T2DM with an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.742 (95% CI 0.684–0.799, P < 0.001). In females, VAI had the highest AUC for early-onset T2DM with a value of 0.748 (95% CI 0.657–0.839, P < 0.001), which was superior to traditional indices. Patients in the 4th quartile of LAP and VAI had 2.257 (95% CI 1.116–4.563, P = 0.023) and 4.705 (95% CI 2.132–10.384, P < 0.001) times higher risk of T2DM before age 40, compared to those in the 1st quartile, respectively. A tenfold increase in LAP was associated with a decrease in T2DM onset age of 12.862 years in males (β = −12.862, P < 0.001) and 6.507 years in females (β = −6.507, P = 0.013). A similar decrease in T2DM onset age was observed for each tenfold increase in VAI in both male (β = −15.222, P < 0.001) and female (β = −12.511, P < 0.001) participants. Conclusions In young Chinese individuals, LAP and VAI are recommended over traditional obesity indices for improved prediction of early-onset T2DM risk.

Photocatalytic reduction of oxygen represents a promising way to produce hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) owing to the merits of energy saving and environmental benignancy. However, the low activity and selectivity of the photocatalyst impede its practical application. Herein, following the principle of metal ion-coupled electron transfer, we have fabricated a class of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) decorated with atomically dispersed scandium Lewis acid (Sc/H-CN) using a facile impregnation-calcination method. The as-synthesized Sc/H-CN exhibits excellent H2O2 production performance with a rate of 55 µmol h−1, which is 6.2 times over bare CN. The improved performance is ascribed to the enhancement of O2 electron-accepting capability through binding of Sc Lewis acid sites with intermediate ·O2−, inhibiting its reverse reaction. Moreover, density function theory (DFT) calculation and Koutecky-Levich analysis show that the reduced O−O bond breakage is responsible for the high selectivity in the production of H2O2. This work provides a new strategy for the design of photocatalysts equipped with appropriate active sites towards various applications.

Recently many runoff models based on cellular automaton (CA) have been developed to simulate floods; however, the existing models cannot be readily applied to complex urban environments. This study proposes a novel rainfall-runoff model based on CA (RRCA) to simulate inundation. Its main contributions include a fine runoff generation process that considers 12 urban scenarios rather than a single land use type and the confluence process determined by the new transition rules considering water supply and demand (WS-WD transition rules). RRCA was compared with another CA based flood model (E2DCA). With the benchmark model, the results showed that there was good agreement, with an R-squared greater than 0.9, and that RRCA was more sensitive to waterlogging levels than E2DCA. Furthermore, the simulated vegetation interception, infiltration and drainage processes had varying degrees of impact on waterlogging. Corresponding measures can be taken in urban flood management according to the identification of areas experiencing drainage difficulties.