Highly efficient visible-light-responsive Z-Scheme CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 photocatalysts were prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis and in-situ deposition method and characterized comprehensively. Under visible-light irradiation, the photocatalytic performance of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 in the degradation of diclofenac sodium (DS) in aqueous solutions was studied under different conditions such as different catalyst composition, solution pH, and concentration of S2O82- or H2O2, and the response surface methodology (RSM) was used to analyze the interaction effect of the parameters. The optimal activity of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 was achieved at the mass ratio of 37 and pH of 4.42. Moreover, the introduced S2O82- could significantly enhance the catalytic activity of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4; when 1 mM S2O82- was added to the catalytic system, 10 mg/L of DS could be completely degraded within 60 min, but the structure of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 was severely destroyed. While when H2O2 was introduced into the system, both the activity and stability of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 were improved significantly. Finally, the photodegradation pathway of DS is proposed and the photocatalytic mechanism of CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 under different conditions is explained. CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 and CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 (S2O82-) photocatalytic systems follow the Z-Scheme theory, and Ag0 formed on the surface of catalyst serves as the recombination center for the photogenerated e- from the conduction band (CB) of Ag3PO4 and h+ from the valence band (VB) of CuBi2O4; meanwhile, the catalytic degradation of DS by CuBi2O4/Ag3PO4 in the presence of H2O2 follows the heterojunction energy band theory. Agricultural straw burning is prevalent globally with a long history, but evidence on its pollution and health impact is limited in many countries. This study quantifies the effect of agricultural straw burning on urban air quality in China. Fixed-effects (FE) panel regression models are employed to link straw burning points detected by high-resolution satellites to air quality monitored at 1650 ground-level stations from 2013 to 2015. The method can explain over 80% of the monthly variation in urban air quality during straw burning seasons. The results show that straw burning primarily affects particulate matter, and has negligible effects on other pollutants. Specifically, ten additional burning points in a month in the rural farmland of a city can lead to a 5.19 ± 2.54 µg/m3 (3.67%±1.76%) increase in urban PM10 concentration. The effect is statistically significant for monthly burnings over 20 points. Upwind burnings' effect is 2-4 times larger than that of non-upwind burnings. The contribution from straw burning remains significant for daily and annual PM10 in urban areas. These estimates imply that straw burning should be properly regulated to improve air quality and protect public health in China, and the method and findings have broad implications for other agrarian regions with similar issues. Coral tissue thickness (CTT) is an effective indicator of the adaptability of corals to environmental stress, but the relationships between the spatial and intergeneric variation of coral tissue across latitudes and tolerance to environmental stress are not well understood. To investigate this, the CTT of 768 specimens of 10 typical coral genera and surrounding seawater parameters were measured in six coral reef regions (CRRs) across the 9-22°N latitudes in the South China Sea (SCS). Results showed significant differences in CTT between different genera of corals and CRRs. CTTs were significantly higher in the northern SCS than in the southern SCS. There was also notable intergeneric variation, with the abundance of branching Acropora and foliaceous Pavona being significantly lower than that of massive Porites, Galaxea, Favia, Favites, Hydnophora, Platygyra, and encrusting Montipora, Psammocora across these CRRs. Redundancy analysis showed that dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN), soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP), sea surface temperature (SST), turbidity, and transparency were the main factors affecting CTT. Overall CTT, irrespective of genus, was significantly positively correlated with DIN, SRP, and latitude, but was significantly negatively correlated with transparency and SST. Further analysis suggested that corals in the southern SCS are mainly threatened by thermal stress, whereas in the northern SCS, corals have often suffered from destructive anthropogenic disturbance. Although seawater conditions were normal during on-site investigation, a large number of branching corals (e.g., Acropora corals) have been lost in the last several decades due to destructive human activity.  https://www.selleckchem.com/products/rg-7112.html  In contrast, massive and encrusting corals may have higher energy reserves and photo-protective capacities due to their thicker tissues, and consequently have higher tolerance to environmental stress. Therefore, the coral communities of the SCS have gradually been transformed from branching corals to massive/encrusting corals. Antimony (Sb) is a toxic element for both human and plants, but the toxic responses of plants to different forms of antimony and the associated mechanisms are unknown. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of different forms of Sb [Sb(III) and Sb(V)] on the root exudates, root endogenous hormones, root cell wall components and antioxidant systems in rice plant via three hydroponic experiments. The results showed that Sb(III) displayed a higher toxicity than Sb(V) to the plant which accumulated much more Sb in its tissues under Sb(III) exposure than that under Sb(V) exposure. Under Sb(III) exposure, most of absorbed Sb was found to be Sb(III) in the shoots and roots; however when plants were exposed to Sb(V), most of absorbed Sb in this rice plant was Sb(V). Only two kinds of endogenous hormones were detected as abscisic acid (ABA) and salicylic acid (SA). The addition of Sb(III) significantly increased the content of ABA but Sb(V) did not, probably suggesting the higher toxicity of Sb(III) than Sb(V) might be due to the stimulation of ABA content. The addition of Sb(III) significantly increased the concentration of oxalic acid but decreased the concentrations of formic, acetic and maleic acids. Sb(V) also enhanced the oxalic acid concentration at 20 mg L-1 Sb(V) treatment level but reduced the concentrations of formic and acetic acids. Different forms of Sb dose-dependently increased the content of pectin, but significantly enhanced the content of lignin in cell wall. Different forms of Sb induced oxidative stress, but rice plant triggered the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) to counteract the oxidative stress.