Facile preparation of nickel phosphide for enhancing the photoelectrochemical water splitting performance of BiVO4 photoanodes.

The photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting performance of BiVO4 (BVO), a promising photoanode material, is constrained by its extremely short hole diffusion length and slow water oxidation kinetics. Modification of oxygen evolution cocatalysts (OECs) by appropriate methods is a practical solution to enhance the PEC water splitting performance of BVO. In this work, two different nickel phosphides Ni2P and Ni12P5 were prepared by a facile and mild one-step solvothermal method, and used as OECs to modify a BVO photoanode for enhancing the PEC water splitting performance. The BVO/Ni2P and BVO/Ni12P5 photoanodes showed impressive photocurrent densities of 3.3 mA cm-2 and 3.1 mA cm-2, respectively. In addition, the PEC water splitting stability of the BVO/Ni2P photoanode was greatly enhanced compared to that of the bare BVO photoanode. Further characterization and photoelectrochemical analysis revealed that the significant improvement of the BVO photoanode performance was attributed to the effective inhibition of surface charge recombination, facilitation of interfacial charge transfer, and acceleration of water oxidation kinetics after Ni2P and Ni12P5 modification.

Effect of Ammonia-Soda Residue on the Strength and Chloride-Resistance Performance of Steel Slag-Granulated Blast Furnace Slag-Based Concrete after Immersion in Artificial Seawater.

Ammonia-soda residue (ASR) is the main solid waste generated from soda manufacturing and is hard to reuse due to its complex chemical composition. This study investigated the influence of ASR content on the strength and chloride-resistance capacity of concrete based on basic oxygen furnace slag and ground blast furnace slag. The hydration and chloride resistance mechanisms were analysed by comparing the hydrate products and pore structural changes. The results showed that adding ASR had the greatest impact on early strength. ASR-introduced chloride ions may participate in the hydration process to generate Friedel's salt and decrease ettringite. The optimum pore distribution appeared when the ASR-to-desulphurisation gypsum ratio was 2:3 because of the introduction of nucleation sites and the decrease of C-S-H gels. The two chloride resistance-capacity measurements were affected differently by the ASR content. The apparent chloride diffusion coefficient was mainly affected by the percentage of pores that were larger than 10 nm. However, electric flux increased when ASR increased due to the influence of introduced chloride. The crystallisation pressure of Friedel's salt decreases the strength of concrete with ASR content after high-concentration artificial-seawater immersion. The significant chloride-resistance property provided an alternative use for the concrete containing ASR.

Watt-level passively mode-locked Tm:YLF laser at 1.83 µm.

Passive, continuous-wave mode-locked (CWML) operation of a 1.83 µm Tm:YLF laser is experimentally demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Two specially selected output couplers are used to realize this operation. Stability of the CWML laser is obtained with a commercial semiconductor saturable absorber mirror. The maximum average output power is 1.04 W with a pulse duration of 107 ps and repetition rate of 54.1 MHz. Further, a 0.1 mm fused-quartz Fabry-Perot etalon is used to tune the central wavelength of the stable CWML laser at 1827.2 nm, 1829.5 nm, 1831.9 nm, and 1833.5 nm.

Production of spore laccase from Bacillus pumilus W3 and its application in dye decolorization after immobilization.

Given that spore laccase from the Bacillus genus is heat- and alkali-resistant, it is more suitable for industrial applications than fungal laccase. To determine the optimal culture conditions for spore laccase production, the effects of Cu2+ concentration, oxygen content, and culture time on spore laccase production from Bacillus pumilus W3 were investigated. The optimal production parameters were 0.2 mM of Cu2+, 200 rpm shaking speed, 100 mL liquid loading, and 5 days of cultivation. Spore laccase was efficiently immobilized on amino-functionalized celite. When used in dye decolorization, the immobilized spore laccase removed 84.15% of methyl green and 69.70% of acid red 1 after 48 h of treatment. Moreover, the immobilized spore laccase retained 87.04% of its initial decolorization activity after six cycles in the decolorization of acid red 1. These insights into the culture conditions and immobilization of spore laccases should be useful in the development of spore laccase as a biocatalyst in the treatment of textile wastewater.

[Advantage of extralevator abdominoperineal excision comparing to the conventional abdominoperineal excision for low rectal cancer: a Meta-analysis].

OBJECTIVE: Whether extralevator abdominoperineal excision (ELAPE) improves survival and safety remains controversial. Systematic review of all comparative studies to define the superiority of ELAPE to conventional abdominoperineal excision (APE).
 Methods: Corresponding data, with case-control studies or cohorts regarding intraoperative perforation rate, the local recurrence rate and postoperative complications in the ELAPE group and the APE group, were retrieved from PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Chinese Biomedical Literature (CMB), VIP, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), and Wanfang Database. Meta-analysis was performed by using RenMan 5.2.
 Results: A total of 10 articles were included. Intraperative perforation rate (MD=0.54, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.39, P=0.03), local recurrence rate (MD=0.30, 95% CI 0.21 to 0.42, P<0.001) in the ELAPE group was significantly lower than that in the APE group. The difference in positive margin rate between the 2 groups was not statistically significant (P=0.07).
 Conclusion: Through gap repair of episiotomy and individualized therapy can improve ELAPE postoperative quality of life. ELAPE shows certain advantages in treating lower rectal cancer comparing to APE, but it should pay attention to individualized treatment. More studies through large sample multi-center, medium and long term randomized design are necessary to determine the effect of surgery on tumor.

Molecular cloning, characterization, and dye-decolorizing ability of a temperature- and pH-stable laccase from Bacillus subtilis X1.

Laccases from fungal origin are typically unstable at high temperatures and alkaline conditions. This characteristic limits their practical applications. In this study, a new bacterial strain exhibiting laccase activity was isolated from raw fennel honey samples and identified as Bacillus subtilis X1. The CotA-laccase gene was cloned from strain X1 and efficiently expressed in Escherichia coli in a biologically active form. The purified recombinant laccase demonstrated an extensive pH range for catalyzing substrates and high stability toward alkaline pH and high temperatures. No loss of laccase activity was observed at pH 9.0 after 10 days of incubation, and approximately 21 % of the initial activity was detected after 10 h at 80 °C. Two anthraquinonic dyes (reactive blue 4 and reactive yellow brown) and two azo dyes (reactive red 11 and reactive brilliant orange) could be partially decolorized by purified laccase in the absence of a mediator. The decolorization process was efficiently promoted when methylsyringate was present, with more than 90 % of color removal occurring in 3 h at pH 7.0 or 9.0. These unusual properties indicated a high potential of the novel CotA-laccase for industrial applications.