Direct Formation of C Oxygenates through Photocatalytic CH-CO Coupling.

Multicarbon (C, where ≥ 2) oxygenates are important industrial precursors that can be synthesized from the coupling of simple and abundant C feedstock such as CH. While C products from this route have been reported, those involving the direct coupling of more than two C precursors are rare. As a proof of concept, here we report the synthesis of acetone (CHCOCH) through the direct coupling of two CH and one CO using a combined photothermocatalytic approach.

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Factors Governing the Electrochemical Oxidation of Propylene in Aqueous Solutions.

The electrochemical synthesis of commodity chemicals such as epoxides and glycols offers a sustainable alternative to conventional methods that involve hazardous chemicals. Efforts to improve the yield and selectivity of propylene oxidation using Pd-based catalysts have been shown to be highly sensitive to applied potential, pH, and electrochemical cell design. Record efficiencies and yields were obtained by substitution of PdO by 4d or 5d transition metals, including Pt, with thus far little rationale regarding the origin for the improvement.

Investigating the Electric Double-Layer Structures between a Pt Electrode and Water/Acetonitrile Hybrid Electrolytes.

Controlling the reactivity of water at electrocatalytic interfaces is a critical challenge in many electrocatalytic reactions. Its reactivity can be adjusted by altering the composition of hybrid aqueous/organic electrolytes. To advance this approach, it is essential to understand how the structure of the electrode/hybrid electrolyte interface depends upon the electrode potential.

Temperature-Dependent Water Oxidation Kinetics: Implications and Insights.

As a vital process for solar fuel synthesis, water oxidation remains a challenging reaction to perform using durable and cost-effective systems. Despite decades of intense research, our understanding of the detailed processes involved is still limited, particularly under photochemical conditions. Recent research has shown that the overall kinetics of water oxidation by a molecular dyad depends on the coordination between photocharge generation and the subsequent chemical steps.

Resurgence of different influenza types in China and the US in 2021.

Various nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) were implemented to alleviate the COVID-19 pandemic since its outbreak. The transmission dynamics of other respiratory infectious diseases, such as seasonal influenza, were also affected by these interventions. The drastic decline of seasonal influenza caused by such interventions would result in waning of population immunity and may trigger the seasonal influenza epidemic with the lift of restrictions during the post-pandemic era.

The immune evasion ability of Delta variant is comparable to that of Beta variant in South Africa.

Background: The high immune evasion ability of SARS-COV-2 Omicron variant surprised the world and appears to be far stronger than any previous variant. Previous to Omicron it has been difficult to assess and compare immune evasion ability of different variants, including the Beta and Delta variants, because of the relatively small numbers of reinfections and because of the problems in correctly identifying reinfections in the population. This has led to different claims appearing in the literature.

Characterizing superspreading potential of infectious disease: Decomposition of individual transmissibility.

In the context of infectious disease transmission, high heterogeneity in individual infectiousness indicates that a few index cases can generate large numbers of secondary cases, a phenomenon commonly known as superspreading. The potential of disease superspreading can be characterized by describing the distribution of secondary cases (of each seed case) as a negative binomial (NB) distribution with the dispersion parameter, k. Based on the feature of NB distribution, there must be a proportion of individuals with individual reproduction number of almost 0, which appears restricted and unrealistic.

Two waves of COIVD-19 in Brazilian cities and vaccination impact.

Backgrounds: Brazil has suffered two waves of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The second wave, coinciding with the spread of the Gamma variant, was more severe than the first wave. Studies have not yet reached a conclusion on some issues including the extent of reinfection, the infection fatality rate (IFR), the infection attack rate (IAR) and the effects of the vaccination campaign in Brazil, though it was reported that confirmed reinfection was at a low level.

Multiple COVID-19 Waves and Vaccination Effectiveness in the United States.

(1) Background: The coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused multiple waves of cases and deaths in the United States (US). The wild strain, the Alpha variant (B.1.