'One-pot' engineering of 0D carbon-based inorganic nanoarchitectonics for boosting multitasking catalytic activity

Altres ajuts: acords transformatius de la UABEasy-to-make nanostructured materials that exhibit multitasking activity -while reducing the use of hazardous solvents throughout its architectural design- is a must to advance in the so-called Industry 4.0. Herein, a simple and eco-friendly 'one-pot' functionalization approach has been devised for synthesizing 0D carbon-based inorganic nanoarchitectonics made of carbon dots (CDs, as core carbon source) carrying two different inorganic building blocks, viz. quantum dots (CdSe@ZnS-QDs) and metal nanoparticles (Pt-NPs). As a proof-of-principle, the multi-catalytic activity of the resulting 0D Pt/QD/CD nanoarchitectonics by means of photoelectrocatalysis and sonocatalysis has been considered and compared with the pristine CD counterpart, demonstrating its suitability for boosting pivotal catalytic tasks like i) the photoelectrogeneration of hydrogen via hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and ii) the sonodegradation of environmental pollutants (i.e., Rhodamine B) in water. Overall, this chemical approach is general and might be tailored for architecting alternative carbon-based heterostructures to enhance alternative multi-catalytic tasks

Insights into the light-driven hydrogen evolution reaction of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride decorated with Pt or Ru nanoparticles

Ru or Pt nanoparticles have been prepared following the organometallic approach and deposited onto the surface of mesoporous graphitic carbon nitride (mpg-CN). Three different Ru-based samples have also been compared to investigate the effect of 4-phenylpyridine as a stabilizing agent. The photocatalytic performance towards the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) has been tested showing that all hybrid systems clearly outperform the photocatalytic activity of bare mpg-CN. In particular, Pt-decorated mpg-CN yields the largest H2 production upon visible-light irradiation (870 μmol h-1 g-1, TOF = 14.1 h-1, TON = 339 after 24 h) when compared with the Ru-based samples (137-155 μmol h-1 g-1, TOFs between 2.3-2.7 h-1, TONs between 54-57 after 24 h). Long-term photochemical tests (up to 65 h irradiation) show also an improved stability of the Pt-based samples over the Ru counterpart. Photophysical experiments aimed at rationalizing the photocatalytic performance of the different hybrid systems elucidate that the enhanced activity of the Pt-decorated mpg-CN over the Ru-based analogues arises from improved electron transfer kinetics from mpg-CN to the metal nanoparticles

H10Nx avian influenza viruses detected in wild birds in China pose potential threat to mammals

H10 subtype avian influenza viruses (AIVs) have been isolated from wild and domestic avian species worldwide and have occasionally crossed the species barrier to mammalian hosts. Fatal human cases of H10N8 infections and the recent detection of human H10N3 infections have drawn widespread public attention. In this study, 25 H10Nx viruses were isolated from wild waterfowl in China during a long-term surveillance of AIVs. We conducted phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies of the hemagglutinin (HA) genes of global H10 viruses to determine the spatiotemporal patterns of spread and the roles of different hosts in viral transmission. We found the pattern of AIV transmission from wild birds to poultry to humans, and Anatidae have acted as the seeding population in the spread of the virus. Phylogenetic incongruence indicated complex reassortment events and our isolates were divided into eight genotypes (G1–8). We also found that the HA genes of the G8 viruses belonged to the North American lineage, indicating that intercontinental gene flow has occurred. Their receptor-binding specificity showed that the G1/4/5/6/7/8 viruses bind to both human-type α2,6-linked sialic acid receptors and avian-type α2,3-linked sialic acid receptors. Mouse studies indicated that the H10Nx isolates replicated efficiently in the respiratory system without preadaptation, but showed low pathogenicity in mice. The H10Nx isolates showed no (G2/4/7) or low pathogenicity (G1/3/5/6/8) in chickens, and the G6 and G8 viruses could be transmitted to chickens through direct contact. The asymptomatic shedding of these wild-bird-origin H10Nx isolates in chickens and their good adaptation in mice should increase the ease of their transmission to humans, and they therefore pose a threat to public health. Our findings demonstrate a further understanding of wild bird-origin H10 viruses and provide information for the continuous surveillance of H10 subtype viruses

Chromosome-scale assembly and whole-genome sequencing of 266 giant panda roundworms provide insights into their evolution, adaptation and potential drug targets

Helminth diseases have long been a threat to the health of humans and animals. Roundworms are important organisms for studying parasitic mechanisms, disease transmission and prevention. The study of parasites in the giant panda is of importance for understanding how roundworms adapt to the host. Here, we report a high‐quality chromosome‐scale genome of Baylisascaris schroederi with a genome size of 253.60 Mb and 19,262 predicted protein‐coding genes. We found that gene families related to epidermal chitin synthesis and environmental information processes in the roundworm genome have expanded significantly. Furthermore, we demonstrated unique genes involved in essential amino acid metabolism in the B. schroederi genome, inferred to be essential for the adaptation to the giant panda‐specific diet. In addition, under different deworming pressures, we found that four resistance‐related genes (glc‐1, nrf‐6, bre‐4 and ced‐7) were under strong positive selection in a captive population. Finally, 23 known drug targets and 47 potential drug target proteins were identified. The genome provides a unique reference for inferring the early evolution of roundworms and their adaptation to the host. Population genetic analysis and drug sensitivity prediction provide insights revealing the impact of deworming history on population genetic structure of importance for disease prevention