The construction of exceptionally robust and high-quality semiconductor-cocatalyst heterojunctions remains a grand challenge toward highly efficient and durable solar-to-fuel conversion. Herein, novel graphitic carbon nitride (g-CN) nanosheets decorated with multifunctional metallic Ni interface layers and amorphous NiS cocatalysts were fabricated via a facile three-step process: the loading of Ni(OH) nanosheets, high-temperature H reduction, and further deposition of amorphous NiS nanosheets. The results demonstrated that both robust metallic Ni interface layers and amorphous NiS can be utilized as electron cocatalysts to markedly boost the visible-light H evolution over g-CN semiconductor. The optimized g-CN-based photocatalyst containing 0.5 wt % Ni and 1.0 wt % NiS presented the highest hydrogen evolution of 515 μmol g h, which was about 2.8 and 4.6 times as much as those obtained on binary g-CN-1.0%NiS and g-CN-0.5%Ni, respectively. Apparently, the metallic Ni interface layers play multifunctional roles in enhancing the visible-light H evolution, which could first collect the photogenerated electrons from g-CN, and then accelerate the surface H-evolution reaction kinetics over amorphous NiS cocatalysts. More interestingly, the synergetic effects of metallic Ni and amorphous NiS dual-layer electron cocatalysts could also improve the TEOA-oxidation capacity through upshifting the VB levels of g-CN. Comparatively speaking, the multifunctional metallic Ni layers are dominantly favorable for separating and transferring photoexcited charge carriers from g-CN to amorphous NiS cocatalysts owing to the formation of Schottky junctions, whereas the amorphous NiS nanosheets are mainly advantageous for decreasing the thermodynamic overpotentials for surface H-evolution reactions. It is hoped that the implantation of multifunctional metallic interface layers can provide a versatile approach to enhance the photocatalytic H generation over different semiconductor-cocatalyst heterojunctions.

Organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) can inhibit the activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) to induce neurological diseases. It is significant to exploit a rapid and sensitive strategy to monitor OPs. Here, a metal–organic framework (MOF) acted as a carrier to encapsulate AuNCs, which can limit the molecular motion of AuNCs, trigger the aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effect, and exhibit a strong fluorescence with a fluorescence lifetime and quantum yield of 6.83 μs and 4.63%, respectively. Then, the marriage of fluorescence and colorimetric signals was realized on the basis of the dual function of the enzymolysis product from AChE and choline oxidase (CHO) on AuNCs@ZIF-8. First, it can decompose ZIF-8 to weaken the restraint on AuNCs, and thus the fluorescence receded. Second, it can be used as a substrate for the peroxidase mimics of the released AuNCs to oxidize 3,3′,5,5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and a visible blue appeared. Thus, on the basis of the inhibition of AChE activity by OPs, a fluorescence–colorimetric dual-signal biosensor was established. In addition, colorimetric paper strips were exploited to realize a visual semiquantitative detection, and a smartphone APP was developed to make the visualization results more precise and realize real-time supervision of pesticide contamination.

Intubated general anesthesia with single-lung ventilation has been considered mandatory for thoracoscopic lobectomy for nonsmall cell lung cancer. Few reports of thoracoscopic lobectomy without tracheal intubation are published, using either thoracic epidural anesthesia (TEA) or intercostal blockade. The comparisons of perioperative outcomes of nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy using epidural anesthesia and intercostal blockade are not reported previously.From September 2009 to August 2014, a total of 238 patients with lung cancer who underwent nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy were recruited from our prospectively maintained database of all patients undergoing nonintubated thoracoscopic surgery using TEA or intercostal blockade. A multiple regression analysis, adjusting for preoperative variables, was performed to compare the perioperative outcomes of the 2 anesthesia methods.Overall, 130 patients underwent nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy using epidural anesthesia whereas 108 had intercostal blockade. The 2 groups were similar in demographic data, except for sex, preoperative lung function, physical status classification, and history of smoking. After adjustment for the preoperative variables, nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy using intercostal blockade was associated with shorter durations of anesthetic induction and surgery (P < 0.001). Furthermore, hemodynamics were more stable with less use of vasoactive drugs (odds ratio: 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.27 to 1.04; P = 0.064) and less blood loss (mean difference: −55.2 mL; 95% CI, −93 to −17.3; P = 0.004). Postoperatively, the 2 groups had comparable incidences of complications. Patients in the intercostal blockade group had a shorter average duration of chest tube drainage (P = 0.064) but a similar average length of hospital stay (P = 0.569). Conversion to tracheal intubation was required in 13 patients (5.5%), and no in-hospital mortality occurred in either group.Nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy using either epidural anesthesia or intercostal blockade is feasible and safe. Intercostal blockade is a simpler alternative to epidural anesthesia for nonintubated thoracoscopic lobectomy in selected patients with lung cancer.