Zhejiang Normal University

10.1021/cr5004198

Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.

Inspired by the success of fluorinated corticosteroids in the 1950s and fluoroquinolones in the 1980s, fluorine-containing pharmaceuticals, which are also known as fluoro-pharmaceuticals, have been attracting attention for more than half of a century. Presently, about 20% of the commercial pharmaceuticals are fluoro-pharmaceuticals. In this mini-review, we analyze the prevalence of fluoro-pharmaceuticals in the market and categorize them into several groups based on the chemotype of the fluoro-functional groups, their therapeutic purpose, and the presence of heterocycles and/or chirality to highlight the structural motifs, patterns, and promising trends in fluorine-based drug design. Our database contains 340 fluoro-pharmaceuticals, from the first fluoro-pharmaceutical, Florinef, to the latest fluoro-pharmaceuticals registered in 2019 and drugs that have been withdrawn. The names and chemical structures of all the 340 fluorinated drugs discussed are provided in the Supporting Information.

Natural gas (NG), whose main component is methane, is an attractive fuel for vehicular applications. Realization of safe, cheap and convenient means and materials for high-capacity methane storage can significantly facilitate the implementation of natural gas fuelled vehicles. The physisorption based process involving porous materials offers an efficient storage methodology and the emerging porous metal-organic frameworks have been explored as potential candidates because of their extraordinarily high porosities, tunable pore/cage sizes and easily immobilized functional sites. In this view, we provide an overview of the current status of metal-organic frameworks for methane storage.

Currently, more than 1,200 agrochemicals are listed and many of these are regularly used by farmers to generate the food supply to support the expanding global population. However, resistance to pesticides is an ever more frequently occurring phenomenon, and thus, a continuous supply of novel agrochemicals with high efficiency, selectivity, and low toxicity is required. Moreover, the demand for a more sustainable society, by reducing the risk chemicals pose to human health and by minimizing their environmental footprint, renders the development of novel agrochemicals an ever more challenging undertaking. In the last two decades, fluoro-chemicals have been associated with significant advances in the agrochemical development process. We herein analyze the contribution that organofluorine compounds make to the agrochemical industry. Our database covers 424 fluoro-agrochemicals and is subdivided into several categories including chemotypes, mode of action, heterocycles, and chirality. This in-depth analysis reveals the unique relationship between fluorine and agrochemicals.

This research was designed for the first time to investigate the activities of photocatalytic composite, Ag3PO4/g-C3N4, in converting CO2 to fuels under simulated sunlight irradiation. The composite was synthesized using a simple in situ deposition method and characterized by various techniques including Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL), and an electrochemical method. Thorough investigation indicated that the composite consisted of Ag3PO4, Ag, and g-C3N4. The introduction of Ag3PO4 on g-C3N4 promoted its light absorption performance. However, more significant was the formation of heterojunction structure between Ag3PO4 and g-C3N4, which efficiently promoted the separation of electron-hole pairs by a Z-scheme mechanism and ultimately enhanced the photocatalytic CO2 reduction performance of the Ag3PO4/g-C3N4. The optimal Ag3PO4/g-C3N4 photocatalyst showed a CO2 conversion rate of 57.5 μmol · h(-1) · gcat(-1), which was 6.1 and 10.4 times higher than those of g-C3N4 and P25, respectively, under simulated sunlight irradiation. The work found a new application of the photocatalyst, Ag3PO4/g-C3N4, in simultaneous environmental protection and energy production.

Novel Ni–Co–P hollow nanobricks are constructed with oriented nanosheets and manifest as an excellent bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting.

Novel hierarchical nanostructures composed of carbon coated α-Fe2O3 hollow nanohorns on carbon nanotube (CNT) backbones have been constructed by direct growth and thermal transformation of β-FeOOH nanospindles on CNTs, followed by carbon nanocoating. When evaluated as a potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries, such hierarchical structures exhibit superior lithium storage capabilities by virtue of their advantageous structural features.

Biodiversity experiments have shown that species loss reduces ecosystem functioning in grassland. To test whether this result can be extrapolated to forests, the main contributors to terrestrial primary productivity, requires large-scale experiments. We manipulated tree species richness by planting more than 150,000 trees in plots with 1 to 16 species. Simulating multiple extinction scenarios, we found that richness strongly increased stand-level productivity. After 8 years, 16-species mixtures had accumulated over twice the amount of carbon found in average monocultures and similar amounts as those of two commercial monocultures. Species richness effects were strongly associated with functional and phylogenetic diversity. A shrub addition treatment reduced tree productivity, but this reduction was smaller at high shrub species richness. Our results encourage multispecies afforestation strategies to restore biodiversity and mitigate climate change.

Black phosphorus thin films might offer attractive alternatives to narrow-gap compound semiconductors for optoelectronics across mid- to near-infrared frequencies. In this work, we calculate the optical conductivity tensor of multilayer black phosphorus thin films using the Kubo formula within an effective low-energy Hamiltonian. The optical absorption spectra of multilayer black phosphorus are shown to vary sensitively with thickness, doping, and light polarization. In conjunction with experimental spectra obtained from infrared absorption spectroscopy, we also discuss the role of interband coupling and disorder on the observed anisotropic absorption spectra.

Using elliptical iron glycolate nanosheets as precursors, elliptical Fe3O4/C core-shell nanorings (NRs) [25 ± 10 nm in wall thickness, 150 ± 40 nm in length, and 1.6 ± 0.3 in long/short axis ratio] are synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal route. The surface-poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-protected-glucose reduction/carbonization/Ostwald ripening mechanism is responsible for Fe3O4/C NR formation. Increasing the glucose/precursor molar ratio can enhance carbon contents, causing a linear decrease in saturation magnetization (Ms) and coercivity (Hc). The Fe3O4/C NRs reveal enhanced low-frequency microwave absorption because of improvements to their permittivity and impedance matching. A maximum RL value of -55.68 dB at 3.44 GHz is achieved by Fe3O4/C NRs with 11.95 wt % C content at a volume fraction of 17 vol %. Reflection loss (RL) values (≤-20 dB) are observed at 2.11-10.99 and 16.5-17.26 GHz. Our research provides insights into the microwave absorption mechanism of elliptical Fe3O4/C core-shell NRs. Findings indicate that ring-like and core-shell nanostructures are promising structures for devising new and effective microwave absorbers.

In 1979, China implemented the one-child family policy, which restricts many couples to a single offspring. The authors describe the policy's success in slowing population growth as well as its adverse consequences, such as increasing the ratio of men to women.

A multiple exp-function method to exact multiple wave solutions of nonlinear partial differential equations is proposed. The method is oriented towards ease of use and capability of computer algebra systems, and provides a direct and systematical solution procedure which generalizes Hirota's perturbation scheme. With help of Maple, an application of the approach to the $3+1$ dimensional potential-Yu-Toda-Sasa-Fukuyama equation yields exact explicit 1-wave and 2-wave and 3-wave solutions, which include 1-soliton, 2-soliton and 3-soliton type solutions. Two cases with specific values of the involved parameters are plotted for each of 2-wave and 3-wave solutions.

Abstract Prussian blue analogs (PBAs) are considered as reliable and promising cathode materials for aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (AZIBs), but they suffer from low capacity and poor cycling stability due to insufficient active sites and structural damage caused by the ion insertion/extraction processes. Herein, a template‐engaged ion exchange approach has been developed for the synthesis of Co‐substituted Mn‐rich PBA hollow spheres (CoMn‐PBA HSs) as cathode materials for AZIBs. Benefiting from the multiple advantageous features including hollow structure, abundant active sites, fast Zn 2+ ion diffusion, and partial Co substitution, the CoMn‐PBA HSs electrode shows efficient zinc ion storage properties in terms of high capacity, decent rate capability and prolonged cycle life.

Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4), with a moderate band gap (∼2.7 eV), high chemical and thermal stability, has been the hotspot in environmental photocatalysis. However, its performance is still unsatisfactory because of insufficient absorption of visible light, poor surface area, low electronic conductivity and high recombination rate of photogenerated electron-hole pairs. The modification of g-C3N4 could overcome these problems to improve photocatalytic properties. Among various modification strategies, element doping is an efficient and simple strategy for adjusting electronic structure and accelerating photocatalytic performance. This review focused on the progress and trends of designing typical, cost-effective element-doped carbonized nitrogen and its degradation of environmental organic pollutants. The heterogeneous catalytic mechanisms of g-C3N4-based photocatalysts for organic pollutants degradation have been explicated in detail. The increased photocatalytic performance of g-C3N4 by doping various elements was discussed clearly. The surface properties, catalyst performance and pollution management of various elements-doped g-C3N4 were compared and subsequently analyzed some dilemmas and application strategies for g-C3N4 development in depth. This review can light up a new way and afforded valuable clues to design g-C3N4 doping elements to exploit more effective photocatalyts for real applications in environmental pollution management.

In the absence of manipulation, both the sex ratio at birth and the population sex ratio are remarkably constant in human populations. Small alterations do occur naturally; for example, a small excess of male births has been reported to occur during and after war. The tradition of son preference, however, has distorted these natural sex ratios in large parts of Asia and North Africa. This son preference is manifest in sex-selective abortion and in discrimination in care practices for girls, both of which lead to higher female mortality. Differential gender mortality has been a documented problem for decades and led to reports in the early 1990s of 100 million "missing women" across the developing world. Since that time, improved health care and conditions for women have resulted in reductions in female mortality, but these advances have now been offset by a huge increase in the use of sex-selective abortion, which became available in the mid-1980s. Largely as a result of this practice, there are now an estimated 80 million missing females in India and China alone. The large cohorts of "surplus" males now reaching adulthood are predominantly of low socioeconomic class, and concerns have been expressed that their lack of marriageability, and consequent marginalization in society, may lead to antisocial behavior and violence, threatening societal stability and security. Measures to reduce sex selection must include strict enforcement of existing legislation, the ensuring of equal rights for women, and public awareness campaigns about the dangers of gender imbalance.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), also known as porous coordination polymers (PCPs), are an emerging type of porous materials which are formed by the self-assembly of metallic centers and bridging organic linkers. Design and synthesis of organic linkers are very critical to target MOFs with desired structures and properties. In this review, we summarize and highlight the recent development of porous MOFs that are constructed from the multicarboxylate ligands containing m-benzenedicarboxylate moieties, and their promising applications in gas storage and separation, heterogeneous catalysis and luminescent sensing.

Surface properties of rare-earth (RE) doped ceria (RE = Sm, Gd, Pr, and Tb) were investigated by UV (325 nm) and visible (514, 633, and 785 nm) Raman spectroscopy, combined with UV-vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectra techniques. It was found that the optical absorption property of samples, the wavelength of detecting laser line, and the inhomogeneous distribution of the dopants significantly affected the obtained surface information, namely, the peak intensity and shape at ca. 460 and 570 cm(-1), as well as the observed oxygen vacancy concentration (A(570)/A(460)). The UV laser line detected the surface information of RE-doped ceria and disclosed the presence of many oxygen vacancies in the samples. The visible laser lines penetrated into the inner layer of the Sm- or Gd-doped CeO(2) and reflected the whole information of samples because of their weak absorptions of the visible laser. However, the Pr- or Tb-doped CeO(2) absorbed visible light strongly; thus, the laser can only determine the outer surface information of the sample.

The removal of acetylene from ethylene/acetylene mixtures containing 1% acetylene is a technologically very important, but highly challenging task. Current removal approaches include the partial hydrogenation over a noble metal catalyst and the solvent extraction of cracked olefins, both of which are cost and energy consumptive. Here we report a microporous metal-organic framework in which the suitable pore/cage spaces preferentially take up much more acetylene than ethylene while the functional amine groups on the pore/cage surfaces further enforce their interactions with acetylene molecules, leading to its superior performance for this separation. The single X-ray diffraction studies, temperature dependent gas sorption isotherms, simulated and experimental column breakthrough curves and molecular simulation studies collaboratively support the claim, underlying the potential of this material for the industrial usage of the removal of acetylene from ethylene/acetylene mixtures containing 1% acetylene at room temperature through the cost- and energy-efficient adsorption separation process.

The doping of carbon quantum dots with nitrogen provides a promising direction to improve fluorescence performance and broaden their applications in sensing systems. Herein we report a one-pot solvothermal synthesis of N-doped carbon quantum dots (NCQDs) and the synthesis of a series of NCQDs with different nitrogen contents. The as-prepared NCQDs were compared with carbon quantum dots (CQDs); the introduction of nitrogen atoms largely increased the quantum yield of NCQDs and highest emission efficiency is up to 36.3 %. The fluorescence enhancement may originate from more polyaromatic structures induced by incorporated nitrogen atoms and protonation of nitrogen atoms on dots. It was found that NCQDs can act as a multifunctional fluorescence sensing platform because they can be used to detect pH values, Ag(I), and Fe(III) in aqueous solution. The fluorescence intensity of NCQDs is inversely proportional to pH values across a broad range from 5.0 to 13.5, which indicates that NCQDs can be devised as an effective pH indicator. Selective detection of Ag(I) and Fe(III) was achieved based on their distinctive fluorescence influence because Ag(I) can significantly enhance the fluorescence whereas Fe(III) can greatly quench the fluorescence. The quantitative determination of Ag(I) can be accomplished with NCQDs by using the linear relationship between fluorescence intensity of NCQDs and concentration of Ag(I). The sensitive detection of H2O2 was developed by taking advantage of the distinct quenching ability of Fe(III) and Fe(II) toward the fluorescence of NCQDs. Cellular toxicity test showed NCQDs still retain low toxicity to cells despite the introduction of a great deal of nitrogen atoms. Moreover, bioimaging experiments demonstrated that NCQDs have stronger resistance to photobleaching than CQDs and more excellent fluorescence labeling performance.