Metal oxide photocatalysis

Photocatalysis has been attracting much research interest because of its wide applications in renewable energy and environmental remediation. Among the photocatalysts, metal oxide semiconductors are the best choice due to distinctive properties, durability and cost effectiveness. However, the mechanisms of photocatalysis are still not entirely clear and the photocatalytic activity of the metal oxide materials needs to be improved. Therefore, this thesis concentrates on the study of the photocatalytic mechanism and the factors affecting the photocatalytic activity. The photocatalysis of different commercial metal oxide nanoparticles has been studied. Different photocatalytic experiments have been designed to find out the mechanisms of photocatalysis. It is found that the dominant mechanism of photocatalysis is direct charge transfer between metal oxide and organic compounds. Reactive oxygen species, such as hydroxyl radicals also play a minor role in the photocatalysis. ZnO tetrapods were synthesized by evaporating Zn powder in the flow of Ar gas at high temperature in this study. They exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity. By the comparison between ZnO tetrapods and different ZnO nanoparticles, it is found that the photocatalytic activity of the metal oxide is strongly affected by the native defects, especially by the nonradiative defects. 1D TiO2 nanotubes and ZnO nanorods were synthesized by anodization and hydrothermal growth respectively. ZnO nanorods with alumina and titania shell were prepared by solution-based methods. These structures are interesting as supported catalysts, which is important for practical applications, since it enables simple removal of photocatalyst from treated water. The core shell structures are expected to improve the stability of ZnO. The results also imply that the photocatalytic avtivity of materials is affected by the native defects. Two different solution based methods hydrothermal growth and electrodeposition to grow CuxO layer were used. The hydrothermal grown CuxO exhibit excellent photocatalytic activity and good photocorrosion resistance. It was also found that the photocatalytic activity of the CuxO prepared by hydrothermal methods can be recovered by simple immersion of the sample into the precursor solution.published_or_final_versionPhysicsMasterMaster of Philosoph

MicroRNAs Regulating Signaling Pathways: Potential Biomarkers in Systemic Sclerosis

AbstractSystemic sclerosis (SSc) is a multisystem fibrotic and autoimmune disease. Both genetic and epigenetic elements mediate SSc pathophysiology. This review summarizes the role of one epigenetic element, known as microRNAs (miRNAs), involved in different signaling pathways of SSc pathogenesis. The expression of key components in transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling pathway has been found to be regulated by miRNAs both upstream and downstream of TGF-β. We are specifically interested in the pathway components upstream of TGF-β, while miRNAs in other signaling pathways have not been extensively studied. The emerging role of miRNAs in vasculopathy of SSc suggests a promising new direction for future investigation. Elucidation of the regulatory role of miRNAs in the expression of signaling factors may facilitate the discovery of novel biomarkers in SSc and improve the understanding and treatment of this disease

Patients with dermatomyositis shared partially similar transcriptome signature with COVID-19 infection

Dermatomyositis (DM) is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the skin and skeletal muscle. Virus infection and type I interferon-related signaling pathways play an important role in the pathogenesis of dermatomyositis. In this study, we found that the skin of patients with DM and the skin of patients with COVID-19 have similar transcriptional profiles, and identified key genes involved in dermatomyositis based on bioinformatics analysis. These hub-genes might be served as potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis and therapy of DM, including MX1, ISG15, IFIT3, IFIT1, RSAD2, IFIT2, IFI6, XAF1, IRF9, MX2

Exploring microproteins from various model organisms using the mip-mining database

Abstract Microproteins, prevalent across all kingdoms of life, play a crucial role in cell physiology and human health. Although global gene transcription is widely explored and abundantly available, our understanding of microprotein functions using transcriptome data is still limited. To mitigate this problem, we present a database, Mip-mining ( https://weilab.sjtu.edu.cn/mipmining/ ), underpinned by high-quality RNA-sequencing data exclusively aimed at analyzing microprotein functions. The Mip-mining hosts 336 sets of high-quality transcriptome data from 8626 samples and nine representative living organisms, including microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans, in our Mip-mining database. Our database specifically provides a focus on a range of diseases and environmental stress conditions, taking into account chemical, physical, biological, and diseases-related stresses. Comparatively, our platform enables customized analysis by inputting desired data sets with self-determined cutoff values. The practicality of Mip-mining is demonstrated by identifying essential microproteins in different species and revealing the importance of ATP15 in the acetic acid stress tolerance of budding yeast. We believe that Mip-mining will facilitate a greater understanding and application of microproteins in biotechnology. Moreover, it will be beneficial for designing therapeutic strategies under various biological conditions