Carbon nitride nanotubes with in situ grafted hydroxyl groups for highly efficient spontaneous H2O2 production

An active and inexpensive photocatalyst for H2O2 production is desirable for industrial applications. However, obtaining high photocatalytic activity from metal-free catalysts without the use of sacrificial electron donors is difficult. Herein, g-C3N4 (CN) nanotubes functionalized with surface > OH groups that are grafted in situ were successfully synthesized via a novel alkalinization process. The nanotube structures provide a large surface area and improved mass transfer properties. In situ grafted > OH groups can capture photogenerated holes to promote separation of photogenerated charge, enabling the ready availability of electrons and hydrogen ions for H2O2 production. Further, the surface > OH groups help to suppress H2O2 self-decomposition. Consequently, a high rate of 240.36 μmol h−1 g−1 of H2O2 production can be achieved without sacrificial agents, which is the highest H2O2 production in a spontaneous system for metal-free photocatalysts. This work provides a new strategy for an efficient and spontaneous H2O2 production method using a metal-free CN photocatalyst. © 2021 Elsevier B.V.1

Quantum asymmetric cryptography with symmetric keys

Based on quantum encryption, we present a new idea for quantum public-key cryptography (QPKC) and construct a whole theoretical framework of a QPKC system. We show that the quantum-mechanical nature renders it feasible and reasonable to use symmetric keys in such a scheme, which is quite different from that in conventional public-key cryptography. The security of our scheme is analyzed and some features are discussed. Furthermore, the state-estimation attack to a prior QPKC scheme is demonstrated.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, Revtex

Zika Virus Disrupts Phospho-TBK1 Localization and Mitosis in Human Neuroepithelial Stem Cells and Radial Glia

Graphical Abstract Highlights d Derivation of human neocortical and spinal cord neuroepithelial stem (NES) cells d Zika virus (ZIKV) infects NES cells and radial glia, impairing mitosis and survival d ZIKV induces mitochondrial sequestration of centrosomal phospho-TBK1 d Nucleoside analogs inhibit ZIKV replication, protecting NES cells from cell death In Brief Onorati et al. establish neuroepithelial stem (NES) cells as a model for studying human neurodevelopment and ZIKV-induced microcephaly. Together with analyses in human brain slices and microcephalic human fetal tissue, they find that ZIKV predominantly infects NES and radial glial cells, reveal a pivotal role for pTBK1, and find that nucleoside analogs inhibit ZIKV replication, protecting NES cells from cell death

RFC2 promotes aerobic glycolysis and progression of colorectal cancer

Abstract Background Replication factor C subunit 2 (RFC2) participates in the growth and metastasis of various malignancies. Our study investigated the roles of RFC2 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Results RFC2 expression was upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. High RFC2 expression was associated with poor prognosis. Knockdown RFC2 inhibited proliferation, induced apoptosis, and suppressed migration and invasion of CRC cells. CREB5 was a transcription factor of RFC2, and CREB5 knockdown suppressed RFC2 expression. Furthermore, RFC2 promoted aerobic glycolysis and MET/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Conclusion RFC2 promoted the progression of CRC cells via activating aerobic glycolysis and the MET/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway

Analysis of Effects of Delays and Diffusion on a Predator-Prey System

A reaction-diffusion predator-prey system with two delays is investigated. It is found that the spatially homogeneous periodic solution will occur when the sum of two delays crosses some critical values and Hopf bifurcation takes place. For the fixed domain and diffusion, some numerical simulations are also given to illustrate the theoretical analysis. In addition, special attention is paid to effects of diffusion on the bifurcating periodic solution. It is found that the diffusion would lead to the bifurcating period solution to destabilize by calculating the relevant expression of the Floquet exponent