Synthesis and Study of Steering of Azido-tetrazole Behavior in Tetrazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidin-5-amine-Based Energetic Materials

Tetrazoles and their derivatives are essential for compound synthesis due to their versatility, effectiveness, stability in air, and cost-efficiency. This has stimulated interest in developing techniques for their production. In this work, four compounds, tetrazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidin-5-amine (1), N-(4-azidopyrimidin-2-yl)nitramide (2), tetrazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidin-5(6H)-one (3), and tetrazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-5-amine (4), were obtained from commercially available reagents and straightforward synthetic methodologies. These new compounds were characterized by infrared (IR), 13C, and 1H NMR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The solvent, temperature, and electron-donating group (EDG) factors that were responsible for the steering of azido-tetrazole equilibrium in all compounds were also studied. In addition, the detonation performance of the target compounds was calculated by using heats of formation (HOFs) and crystal densities. Hirshfeld surface analysis was used to examine the intermolecular interactions of the four synthesized compounds. The results show that the excellent properties of 1-4 are triggered by ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and π-π stacking interactions, indicating that these compounds have the potential to be used in the development of high-performance energetic materials. Additionally, DFT analysis is in support of experimental results, which proved the effect of different factors that can influence the azido-tetrazole equilibrium in the synthesized pyrimidine derivatives in the solution.

In silico analysis of the wheat BBX gene family and identification of candidate genes for seed dormancy and germination

BACKGROUND

B-box (BBX) proteins are a type of zinc finger proteins containing one or two B-box domains. They play important roles in development and diverse stress responses of plants, yet their roles in wheat remain unclear.

RESULTS

In this study, 96 BBX genes were identified in the wheat genome and classified into five subfamilies. Subcellular localization prediction results showed that 68 TaBBXs were localized in the nucleus. Protein interaction prediction analysis indicated that interaction was one way that these proteins exerted their functions. Promoter analysis indicated that TaBBXs may play important roles in light signal, hormone, and stress responses. qRT-PCR analysis revealed that 14 TaBBXs were highly expressed in seeds compared with other tissues. These were probably involved in seed dormancy and germination, and their expression patterns were investigated during dormancy acquisition and release in the seeds of wheat varieties Jing 411 and Hongmangchun 21, showing significant differences in seed dormancy and germination phenotypes. Subcellular localization analysis confirmed that the three candidates TaBBX2-2 A, TaBBX4-2 A, and TaBBX11-2D were nuclear proteins. Transcriptional self-activation experiments further demonstrated that TaBBX4-2A was transcriptionally active, but TaBBX2-2A and TaBBX11-2D were not. Protein interaction analysis revealed that TaBBX2-2A, TaBBX4-2A, and TaBBX11-2D had no interaction with each other, while TaBBX2-2A and TaBBX11-2D interacted with each other, indicating that TaBBX4-2A may regulate seed dormancy and germination by transcriptional regulation, and TaBBX2-2A and TaBBX11-2D may regulate seed dormancy and germination by forming a homologous complex.

CONCLUSIONS

In this study, the wheat BBX gene family was identified and characterized at the genomic level by bioinformatics analysis. These observations provide a theoretical basis for future studies on the functions of BBXs in wheat and other species.

Li5AlO4-Assisted Low-Temperature Sintering of Dense Li7La3Zr2O12 Solid Electrolyte with High Critical Current Density

In recent years, solid electrolytes (SEs) have been developed a lot due to the superior safety of solid-state batteries (SSBs) upon liquid electrolyte-based commercial batteries. Among them, garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is one of the few SEs that is stable to lithium anode with high Li+ conductivity and the feasibility of preparation under ambient air, which makes it a promising candidate for fabricating SSBs. However, high sintering temperature (>1200 °C) prevents its large-scale production, further hindering its application. In this work, the Li5AlO4 sintering aid is proposed to decrease the sintering temperature and modify the grain boundaries of LLZO ceramics. Li5AlO4 generates in situ Li2O atmosphere and molten Li-Al-O compounds at relatively low temperatures to facilitate the gas-liquid-solid material transportation among raw LLZO grains, which decreases the densification temperature over 150 °C and strengthens the grain boundaries against lithium dendrites. As an example, Ta-doped LLZO ceramics without excessive Li sintered with 2 wt % Li5AlO4 at 1050 °C delivered high relative density > 94%, an ionic conductivity of 6.7 × 10-4 S cm-1, and an excellent critical current density (CCD) of 1.5 mA cm-2 at room temperature. In comparison, Ta-doped LLZO with 15% excessive Li sintered at 1200 °C delivered low relative density < 89%, a low ionic conductivity of ∼2 × 10-4 S cm-1, and a poor CCD of 0.5 mA cm-2. Li symmetric cells and Li-LFP full cells fabricated with Li5AlO4-assised ceramics were stably cycled at 0.2 mA cm-2 over 2000 h and at 0.8C over 100 cycles, respectively.

[Influencing factors of visual prognosis in patients with persistent submacular fluid after successful scleral buckle surgery for macula-off retinal detachment]

Objective: To investigate the factors influencing visual outcomes in patients with rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) who developed persistent submacular fluid (PSF) after scleral buckling surgery. Methods: A retrospective case series analysis was conducted. Clinical data were collected from patients who underwent successful scleral buckling surgery for RRD at Beijing Tongren Hospital from June 2020 to December 2022 and were followed up. Patients with RRD involving the macular area preoperatively and graded as C1 or below in proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) were included. Surgical procedures followed a minimally invasive scleral buckling approach. PSF was defined as subretinal fluid persisting for more than 1 month postoperatively. Regular follow-up visits were scheduled at postoperative days 1, 3, 7, 2 weeks, and 1 month, followed by monthly visits until complete PSF absorption. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure, refractive error, slit-lamp biomicroscopy, binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy, and optical coherence tomography (OCT) were performed at each follow-up time point. Eyes were divided into two groups based on whether the final follow-up BCVA was≥0.5 and whether the absorption time of PSF was>6 months, and statistical analysis was performed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, chi-squared test, and Mann-Whitney U test. Results: A total of 46 patients (46 eyes) were included in this study, comprising 25 males and 21 females, with a median age of 32.5 (21.0, 57.3) years. The preoperative equivalent spherical refractive error was (-5.27±4.05) D, and the preoperative duration of illness was 30 (14, 92) days. The preoperative BCVA (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution,logMAR) was 2.00 (1.00, 2.50). Scleral buckle surgery was performed in 28 eyes (60.9%), and 18 eyes (39.1%) underwent scleral buckle surgery combined with encircling. External drainage was performed in 15 eyes (32.6%), while 31 eyes (67.4%) had no external drainage. BCVA (logMAR) at 1 month, 3 months, and the final follow-up postoperatively was 0.60 (0.50, 1.00), 0.40 (0.28, 0.53), and 0.15 (0.00, 0.50), respectively. In the final follow-up, 31 eyes (67.4%) achieved BCVA≥0.5, and 26 eyes (56.5%) had continuous ellipsoid zone on OCT. The differences in BCVA (logMAR) between preoperative, 1 month, 3 months, and the final follow-up were statistically significant (Z=-5.85, -5.63, -4.73;all P<0.001). The absorption time of PSF postoperatively was 6.50 (3.00, 9.00) months, ranging from 2 to 19 months. The eyes with PSF duration<3 months, 3-6 months, and>6 months were 12 eyes (26.1%), 11 eyes (23.9%), and 23 eyes (50.0%), respectively. There were statistically significant differences between the two groups in preoperative BCVA≥0.05, preoperative duration of illness within 1 month, PVR grading, surgical method, and continuous ellipsoid zone on OCT (all P<0.05), while there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in PSF absorption time, different types of PSF, and intraoperative drainage (all P>0.05). The PSF absorption time in the two groups was 7 (3, 10) months and 6 (4, 8) months, with no statistically significant difference (P>0.05). Conclusions: Preoperative visual acuity, duration of illness, and PVR grading are factors influencing visual outcomes in patients with RRD who have undergone scleral buckling surgery and develop PSF. In contrast, intraoperative drainage, PSF absorption time, and different PSF types are not factors affecting visual prognosis. Although PSF may persist for a long time after scleral buckling surgery, it does not significantly impact long-term visual outcomes.

Design and development of a lanthanide-labeled immunochromatographic strip for simultaneous detection of morphine, methamphetamine and ketamine in hair

Colloidal gold immunoassay is the most widely used method in the field of drug detection. However, this method often has poor quantitative identification ability and low analytical sensitivity, which is not suitable for the analysis of hair poisoning ingredients. In order to solve these limitations, we developed an immunochromatographic test strip for simultaneously screening multiple drugs in this study. This hand-held test strip used fluorescent nanoparticles loaded with lanthanide chelates as the signal carrier of fluorescence reading, and conducted quantitative testing of various drugs based on the competitive immune reaction between the analyte and antigen. Under the optimal conditions, the competition curves of morphine (MOP), methamphetamine (MET) and ketamine (KET) were obtained on a single band. The detection limit (LOD) of this analytical method was 100-1000 times lower than that of colloidal gold test strips. The detection limits of MOP, MET and KET were 0.06 ng mL-1, 0.1 ng mL-1 and 1.0 ng mL-1, respectively. No cross-reaction was observed when morphine, methamphetamine and ketamine were tested simultaneously with this method. And 184 hair samples were tested simultaneously, and the detected amount was very close to the results of LC-MS. The immunochromatographic strip showed good stability in repeated tests, and the coefficient of variation was less than 15%. Fluorescence immunochromatography strips and handheld strip readers have the characteristics of portability, speed, ease of operation and high sensitivity, and may become powerful tools for screening drug abuse in hair in forensic medicine.

Synthesis, biological and molecular docking studies of pyrimidine-derived bioactive Schiff bases

Pyrimidine which is an important constituent of the genetic material of deoxyribonucleic acid, is identified with a large number of biological activities. Based on this, pyrimidine-derived Schiff bases (1-6) of hydroxy-1-naphthaldehyde were synthesized by using the condensation method. In addition, the molecular docking studies against topoisomerase II DNA gyrase, human hematopoietic cell kinase, urate oxidase from Aspergillus flavus, and cyclin-dependent kinase 8 to explore the antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, and anticancer properties respectively and binding affinities through bioinformatics approaches to determine the interaction among active molecules with the receptor. Hence, the computational docking analyses identified that all synthesized pyrimidine Schiff bases (1-6) are active and exhibited better binding affinities as compared to the standard drugs. Furthermore, all the prepared materials were characterized by using nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared, and elemental analysis. Additionally, the phase-transition and thermal decomposition temperatures were determined by differential scanning calorimetry and thermo-gravimetric analysis measurements. Moreover, the structures of pyrimidine-derived Schiff bases 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 were also confirmed by the X-ray single-crystal diffraction technique. The pyrimidine-derived Schiff bases 5 possess significant antibacterial, antioxidant, antifungal, and anticancer agent properties which confirms its promising biological activities over standard drugs.

Re-sintering induced ionic conductivity recovery for air-exposed Li5.4PS4.4Cl1.6 argyrodite sulfide electrolyte

One of the most common problems with sulfide solid-state electrolytes is weak water stability. We report a re-sintering method to recover the ionic conductivity of argyrodite Li5.4PS4.4Cl1.6 solid-state electrolyte, which has been exposed to moisture for 10 h, from 1.06 to 6.97 mS cm-1.

[Developing traditional medical heritage for further achievements in medical history and literature research-Commemorating the establishment of China Institute for History of Medicine and Medical Literature in the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine]

The Institute of Chinese Medical History and Literature in the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine was officially established on May 28, 1982. Its predecessor was the Medical History Research Office in the Chinese Medicine Institute of the Central Institute of Health, the Editorial Office of the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the Theory and Literature Research Office of the Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion. Before that, the Research Office of Chinese Medical History and Literature in the China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine was established in 1971. It made remarkable achievements in scientific research, personnel training and discipline construction in terms of medical history and literature. It was upgraded to the Institute with the approval of the Ministry of Health in 1980. After its establishment, the institute has benefited from great achievements.

[Medical figures in Wang Ao Ji]

Wang Ao was a famous politician and litterateur in the middle of Ming Dynasty. Wang Ao Ji comprehensively sorts out Wang's works for the first time, and collects all the poems and notes written by himself. A total of 38 physicians were recorded in Wang Ao Ji, among them, Wang Ao had close contacts with many physicians such as Zhou Geng, Zhou Xu'an, Sheng Rubi, Zhang Yangzheng and Chen Chong. Wang Ao and Zhou Geng are both core members of the literary society of Wuzhong, in the capital of Beijing. Wang Ao once wrote an epitaph for Zhou Xu'an, a tablet inscription for Sheng Rubi and a biography for Zhang Yangzheng. And Chen Chong once cured Wang's nephew's diarrhea caused by acne rash.The biographical records of physicians in Wang Ao Ji are highly reliable, and some medical information is the main source of official history and medical history works, which contains important historical value. Relevant contents about medical figures recorded in class of works, local chronicles, genealogy, anthology, notes and other ancient books, to a great extent, enrich biographical data of physicians, which is worth further research.

Optimizing Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 Particle Sizes toward High Ionic Conductivity

NASICON-type Li_1.3Al_0.3Ti_1.7(PO₄)₃ (LATP) has attracted a lot of attention because of its high ionic conductivity and stability to air and moisture. However, the size effect of LATP primary particles on ionic conductivity is ignored. In this study, different sizes of LATP particles are prepared to investigate the morphology, relative density, and ionic conductivity of the LATP solid electrolyte. The influences of particle size and sintering temperature on the microstructure, phase composition, and electrical properties of LATP ceramics were systematically studied. The medium-sized LATP particle (2 μm) presents a great microstructure with a high relative density of over 97%, the highest ionic conductivity of 6.7 × 10^-4 S cm^-1, and an activation energy of 0.418 eV. The Li-Li symmetric cells and Li-LFP batteries delivering good electrochemical performance were fabricated with highly conductive LATP ceramics. These results make significant strides in elucidating the relationship between the particle sizes of LATP and its electrochemical performance.

[Quantitative study of supraspinatus tendon injury grading based on synthetic magnetic resonance imaging]

Objective: To investigate the diagnostic value of quantitative parameters of synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI) in the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury. Methods: Ninety-seven patients with clinical definite of supraspinatus tendon injury from July 2021 to July 2022 in General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University were prospectively collected (case group), including 54 males and 43 females, with an age of 29 to 56 (37.4±9.6) years. According to the results of shoulder arthroscopy, the case group were divided into three subgroups included tendinopathy group (37 cases, grade Ⅱ), partial tear group (34 cases, grade Ⅲ) and complete tear group (26 cases, grade Ⅳ). During the same period, 28 normal rotator cuff volunteers without supraspinatus tendon injury were recruited (control group), including 16 males and 12 females, aged 23 to 49 (36.1±7.2) years, and marked as grade Ⅰ. All the subjects underwent MRI scan of articulatio humeri included T₁-weighted imaging(T₁WI) fast spin echo(FSE) sequences in axial view, T₂-weighted imaging(T₂WI) fat suppression(FS) sequences in axial view, T₂WI FS sequences in oblique coronal view, proton density-weighted (PDW) imaging in oblique sagittal view and SyMRI in oblique coronal view. The supraspinatus tendon was divided into lateral, medial and middle subregions according to its shape in oblique coronal T₂WI view, two radiologists measured the T₁, T₂ and PD values of the supraspinatus tendon. The interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to compare the consistency between and within observers. One-way analysis of variance or Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to compare the differences of quantitative parameters in different grades, the multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the risk factors of supraspinatus tendon injury grade, and the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and area under curve (AUC) was drawn and calculated to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy. The Spearman correlation was used to analyze the correlation between the quantitative values and grades of supraspinatus tendon injury. Results: The ICC values of T₁, T₂ and PD values for the three subregions of the supraspinatus tendon were greater than 0. 700. The differences of T₁ values in the lateral subregion, T₂ values in the lateral and middle subregions were statistically significant in the overall comparison across different grades (all P<0. 001).The differences of T₁ values in the middle and medial subregions, T₂ values in the medial subregion and PD values in the lateral, middle and medial subregions were not statistically significant in the overall comparison of different grades (all P>0. 05). Multiple logistic regression model analysis showed that T₂ values in the lateral and middle subregions were related factors for the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury[ OR (95%CI):1.123 (1.037-1.216), 0.122 (1.151-1.197);all P<0.001 ]. The AUC of the T₂ values in lateral subregion diagnosing grade Ⅰ vs grade Ⅳ, grade Ⅱ vs grade Ⅳ and grade Ⅲ vs grade Ⅳ were 0.891(95%CI: 0.801-0.981), 0.797(95%CI: 0.680-0.914), 0.723(95%CI: 0.594-0.853) (all P<0.001), and the AUC of the T₂ values in middle subregion diagnosing grade Ⅰ vs Ⅳ, grade Ⅱ vs Ⅳ, grade Ⅱ vs Ⅲ, and grade Ⅰ vs Ⅲ were 0.946 (95%CI: 0.849-0.989), 0.886 (95%CI: 0.809-0.962), 0.746 (95%CI: 0.631-0.861), 0.843 (95%CI: 0.745-0.941)(all P<0.001). The T₂ values in the lateral and middle subregions were positively correlated with the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury (r=0.542, 0.615; both P<0.001), while T₁ values and T₂ values in the medial subregions were not significantly correlated with the grade of supraspinatus tendon injury (both P>0.05). Conclusion: SyMRI has high clinical application value in the grading of supraspinatus tendon injury, especially T₂ value can be used as an effective quantitative parameter for the grading of supraspinatus tendon injury.

20 mS cm-1 Li-argyrodite solid electrolyte produced via facile high-speed-mixing

A novel efficient method is proposed to synthesize a large amount of Li_5.4PS_4.4Cl_1.6 precursor in only 5 minutes with a conductivity of 20 mS cm^-1 after sintering, which can replace the common ball-milling method. The ASSBs show excellent electrochemical performance with high loading (20 mg cm^-2) and great capacity retention (80% after 200 cycles). This is important for the industrial production of sulfide solid electrolytes for fabricating Ah-level ASSBs.

Angiogenesis coupled with osteogenesis in a bone tissue engineering scaffold enhances bone repair in osteoporotic bone defects

Increased life expectancy has resulted in an increase in osteoporosis incidence worldwide. The coupling of angiogenesis and osteogenesis is indispensable for bone repair. Although traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) exerts therapeutic effects on osteoporosis, TCM-related scaffolds, which focus on the coupling of angiogenesis and osteogenesis, have not yet been used for the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects.Panax notoginsengsaponin (PNS), the active ingredient ofPanax notoginseng, was added to a poly (_L-lactic acid) (PLLA) matrix. Osteopractic total flavone (OTF), the active ingredient ofRhizoma Drynariae, was encapsulated in nano-hydroxyapatite/collagen (nHAC) and added to the PLLA matrix. Magnesium (Mg) particles were added to the PLLA matrix to overcome the bioinert character of PLLA and neutralize the acidic byproducts generated by PLLA. In this OTF-PNS/nHAC/Mg/PLLA scaffold, PNS was released faster than OTF. The control group had an empty bone tunnel; scaffolds containing OTF:PNS = 100:0, 50:50, and 0:100 were used as the treatment groups. Scaffold groups promoted new vessel and bone formation, increased the osteoid tissue, and suppressed the osteoclast activity around osteoporotic bone defects. Scaffold groups upregulated the expression levels of angiogenic and osteogenic proteins. Among these scaffolds, the OTF-PNS (50:50) scaffold exhibited a better capacity for osteogenesis than the OTF-PNS (100:0 and 0:100) scaffolds. Activation of the bone morphogenic protein (BMP)-2/BMP receptor (BMPR)-1A/runt-related transcription factor (RUNX)-2signaling pathway may be a possible mechanism for the promotion of osteogenesis. Our study demonstrated that the OTF-PNS/nHAC/Mg/PLLA scaffold could promote osteogenesis via the coupling of angiogenesis and osteogenesis in osteoporotic rats with bone defects, and activating theBMP-2/BMPR1A/RUNX2signaling pathway may be an osteogenesis-related mechanism. However, further experiments are necessary to facilitate its practical application in the treatment of osteoporotic bone defects.

Metal-Organic-Framework-Derived 3D Hierarchical Matrixes for High-Performance Flexible Li-S Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have shown exceptional theoretical energy densities, making them a promising candidate for next-generation energy storage systems. However, their practical application is limited by several challenging issues, such as uncontrollable Li dendrite growth, sluggish electrochemical kinetics, and the shuttling effect of lithium polysulfides (LiPSs). To overcome these issues, we designed and synthesized hierarchical matrixes on carbon cloth (CC) by using metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). ZnO nanosheet arrays were used as anode hosts (CC-ZnO) to enable stable Li plating and stripping. The symmetric cell with CC-ZnO@Li was demonstrated to have enhanced cycling stability, with a voltage hysteresis of ∼25 mV for over 800 h at 1 mA cm^-2 and 1 mAh cm^-2. To address the cathode challenges, we developed a multifunctional CC-NC-Co cathode host with physical confinement, chemical anchoring, and excellent electrocatalysis. The full cells with CC-ZnO@Li anodes and CC-NC-Co@S cathodes exhibited excellent electrochemical performance, with long cycling life (0.02% and 0.03% capacity decay per cycle when cycling 900 times at 0.5 C and 600 times at 1 C, respectively) and outstanding rate performance (793 mAh g^-1 at 4 C). Additionally, the pouch cell based on the flexible CC-ZnO@Li anode and CC-NC-Co@S cathode showed good stability in different bending states. Overall, our study presents an effective strategy for preparing flexible Li and S hosts with hierarchical structures derived from MOF, which can pave the way for high-performance Li-S batteries.

H3PO4-Induced Nano-Li3PO4 Pre-reduction Layer to Address Instability between the Nb-Doped Li7La3Zr2O12 Electrolyte and Metallic Li Anode

Solid-state batteries based on a metallic Li anode and nonflammable solid electrolytes (SEs) are anticipated to achieve high energy and power densities with absolute safety. In particular, cubic garnet-type Nb-doped Li₇La₃Zr₂O₁₂ (Nb-LLZO) SEs possess superior ionic conductivity, are feasible to prepare under ambient conditions, have strong thermal stability, and are of low cost. However, the interfacial compatibility with Li metal and Li dendrite hazards still hinder the applications of Nb-LLZO. Herein, a quick and efficient solution was applied to address this issue, generating a nano-Li₃PO₄ pre-reduction layer from the reaction of H₃PO₄ with the ion-exchanged passivation layer (Li₂CO₃/LiOH) on the surface of Nb-LLZO. A lithiophilic, electrically insulating interlayer is in situ created when the Li₃PO₄ modified layer interacts with molten Li, successfully preventing the reduction of Nb⁵⁺. The interlayer, which mostly consists of Li₃P and Li₃PO₄, also has a high shear modulus and relatively high Li⁺ conductivity, which effectively inhibit the growth of Li dendrites. The Li|Li₃PO₄|Nb-LLZO|Li₃PO₄|Li symmetric cells stably cycled for over 5000 h at 0.05 mA cm^-2 and over 1000 h at a high rate of 0.15 mA cm^-2 without any short circuits. The LiFePO₄ and S/C hybrid solid-state batteries using the modified Nb-LLZO electrolyte also demonstrated good electrochemical performances, confirming the practical application of this interfacial engineering in various solid-state battery systems. This work offers an efficient solution to the instability issue between the Nb-LLZO SE and metallic Li anode.

Developing Preparation Craft Platform for Solid Electrolytes Containing Volatile Components: Experimental Study of Competition between Lithium Loss and Densification in Li7La3Zr2O12

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is one of the most promising candidate solid electrolytes for high-safety solid-state batteries. However, similar to other solid electrolytes containing volatile components during high-temperature sintering, the preparation of densified LLZO with high conductivity is challenging involving the complicated gas-liquid-solid sintering mechanism. Further attention on establishing low-cost laborastory-scale preparation craft platform of LLZO ceramic is also required. This work demonstrates a "pellet on gravel" sintering strategy, which is performed in a MgO crucible and box furnace under ambient air without any special equipment or expensive consumables. In addition, the competition between lithium loss from the sintering system and internal grain densification is critically studied, whereas the influences of particle surface energy, Li-loss amount, and initial excess Li2O amount are uncovered. Based on the sintering behavior and mechanism, optimized craft platform for preparing dense LLZO solid electrolytes including mixing, calcination, particle tailoring and sintering is provided. Finally, exemplary Ta-doped LLZO pellets with 2 wt % La2Zr2O7 additives sintered at 1260-1320 °C for 20 min deliver Li+ conductivities of ∼9 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 25 °C, relative densities of >96%, and a dense cross-sectional microstructure. As a practical demonstration, LLZO solid electrolyte with optimized performance is applied in both Li-Li symmetric cells and Li-S batteries. This work sheds light on the practical production of high-quality LLZO ceramics and provides inspiration for sintering ceramics containing volatile compounds.

Expanding the ReS2 Interlayer Promises High-Performance Potassium-Ion Storage

Improving the electrochemical kinetics and the intrinsic poor conductivity of transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) electrodes is meaningful for developing next-generation energy storage systems. As one of the most promising TMD anode materials, ReS₂ shows attractive performance in potassium-ion batteries (PIBs). To overcome the poor kinetic ion diffusion and limited cycling stability of the ReS₂-based electrode, herein, the interlayer distance expanding strategy was employed, and reduced graphene oxide (rGO) was introduced into ReS₂. Few-layered ReS₂ nanosheets were grown on the surface of the rGO with expanded interlayer distance. The prepared ReS₂ nanosheets show an expanded distance (∼0.77 nm). The synthesized EI-ReS₂@rGO composites were used in PIBs as anode materials. The K-ion storage mechanism of the ReS₂-based anode was investigated by in situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) technology, which shows the intercalation and conversion types. The EI-ReS₂@rGO nanocomposites show high specific capacities of 432.5, 316.5, and 241 mAh g^-1 under 0.05, 0.2, and 1.0 A g^-1 current densities and exhibit excellent reversibility at 1.0 A g^-1. Overall, this strategy, which finely tunes the local chemistry and orbital hybridization for high-performance PIBs, will open up a new field for other materials.

Combining Surface Holistic Ge Coating and Subsurface Mg Doping to Enhance the Electrochemical Performance of LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 Cathodes

Nickel-rich layered cathode LiNi_0.8Co_0.1Mn_0.1O₂ (NCM811) is the most promising cathode material due to its high specific capacity and lower cost than lithium cobalt oxides. However, NCM811 suffers from structural instability and capacity degradation during charge-discharge cycles. Herein, we report a strategy to construct a conductive network by employing a holistic Ge coating, which interconnects Mg-doped NCM811 particles. Dopant Mg ions, serving as a "pillar" in the Li slab of NCM811, substantially enhance the structural reversibility. The Ge particles are not only coated on the electrode surface but also enter into the electrode pores to form a multidimensional conductive structure, which improves the conductivity of the electrode and slows down the interface side reaction, thus minimizing the irreversible loss of NCM811 upon long cycling. The modified NCM811 electrode delivers a high discharge capacity (∼204 mAh g^-1 at 0.1C), excellent rate performance (∼155 mAh g^-1 at 10C), and high capacity retention (83% after 200 cycles) even at 4.4 V. Additionally, a cylindrical full battery with graphite/modified NCM811 undergoes 1000 cycles with 86% capacity retention at 2C.

Ni-CeO2 Heterostructures in Li-S Batteries: A Balancing Act between Adsorption and Catalytic Conversion of Polysulfide

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention over the last two decades because of a high energy density and low cost. However, the wide application of Li-S batteries has been severely impeded due to the poor electrical conductivity of S, shuttling effect of soluble lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and sluggish redox kinetics of S species, especially under high S loading. To address all these issues, a Ni-CeO₂ heterostructure-doped carbon nanofiber (Ni-CeO₂ -CNF) is developed as an S host that combines the strong adsorption with the high catalytic activity and the good electrical conductivity, where the LiPSs anchored on the heterostructure surface can directly gain electrons from the current collector and realize a fast conversion between S₈ and Li₂ S. Therefore, Li-S batteries with S@Ni-CeO₂ -CNF cathodes exhibit superior long-term cycling stability, with a capacity decay of 0.046% per cycle over 1000 cycles, even at 2 C. Noteworthy, under a sulfur loading up to 6 mg cm^-2 , a high reversible areal capacity of 5.3 mAh cm^-2 can be achieved after 50 cycles at 0.1 C. The heterostructure-modified S cathode effectively reconciles the thermodynamic and kinetic characteristics of LiPSs for adsorption and conversion, furthering the development of high-performance Li-S batteries.

[Safety and efficacy of left atrial appendage closure combined with patent foramen ovale closure for atrial fibrillation patients with patent foramen ovale]

Objective: To analyze the safety and efficacy of combined left atrial appendage (LAA) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) closure in adult atrial fibrillation (AF) patients complicating with PFO. Methods: This study is a retrospective and cross-sectional study. Seven patients with AF complicated with PFO diagnosed by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) in Zhoupu Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Sciences from June 2017 to October 2020 were selected. Basic data such as age, gender and medical history were collected. The atrial septal defect or PFO occluder and LAA occluder were selected according to the size of PFO, the ostia width and depth of LAA. Four patients underwent left atrial appendage closure(LAAC) and PFO closure at the same time. PFO closure was performed during a one-stop procedure of cryoablation combined with LAAC in 2 patients. One patient underwent PFO closure at 10 weeks after one-stop procedure because of recurrent transient ischemic attack (TIA). All patients continued to take oral anticoagulants. TEE was repeated 8-12 weeks after intervention. In case of device related thrombus(DRT), TEE shall be rechecked 6 months after adjusting anticoagulant and antiplatelet drug treatment. Patients were follow-up at 1, 3, 6, 12, 24 months by telephone call, and the occurrence of cardio-cerebrovascular events was recorded. Results: Among the 7 patients with AF, 2 were male, aged (68.0±9.4) years, and 3 had a history of recurrent cerebral infarction and TIA. Average PFO diameter was (3.5±0.8)mm. Three patients were implanted with Watchman LAA occluder (30, 30, 33 mm) and atrial septal defect occluder (8, 9, 16 mm). 2 patients were implanted with LAmbre LAA occluder (34/38, 18/32 mm) and PFO occluder (PF1825, PF2525). 2 patients were implanted with LACbes LAA occluder (24, 28 mm) and PFO occluder (PF2525, PF1825) respectively. The patients were followed up for 12 (11, 24) months after operation. TEE reexamination showed that the position of LAA occluder and atrial septal defect occluder or PFO occluder was normal in all patients. DRT was detected in 1 patient, and anticoagulant therapy was adjusted in this patient. 6 months later, TEE showed that DRT disappeared. No cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events occurred in all patients with AF during follow-up. Conclusions: In AF patients complicated with PFO, LAAC combined with PFO closure may have good safety and effectiveness.

The Wheat Gene TaVQ14 Confers Salt and Drought Tolerance in Transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana Plants

Wheat is one of the most widely cultivated food crops worldwide, and the safe production of wheat is essential to ensure food security. Soil salinization and drought have severely affected the yield and quality of wheat. Valine-glutamine genes play important roles in abiotic stress response. This study assessed the effect of the gene TaVQ14 on drought and salt stresses resistance. Sequence analysis showed that TaVQ14 encoded a basic unstable hydrophobic protein with 262 amino acids. Subcellular localization showed that TaVQ14 was localized in the nucleus. TaVQ14 was upregulated in wheat seeds under drought and salt stress. Under NaCl and mannitol treatments, the percentage of seed germination was higher in Arabidopsis lines overexpressing TaVQ14 than in wild-type lines, whereas the germination rate was significantly lower in plants with a mutation in the atvq15 gene (a TaVQ14 homolog) than in WT controls, suggesting that TaVQ14 increases resistance to salt and drought stress in Arabidopsis seeds. Moreover, under salt and drought stress, Arabidopsis lines overexpressing TaVQ14 had higher catalase, superoxide dismutase, and proline levels and lower malondialdehyde concentrations than WT controls, suggesting that TaVQ14 improves salt and drought resistance in Arabidopsis by scavenging reactive oxygen species. Expression analysis showed that several genes responsive to salt and drought stress were upregulated in Arabidopsis plants overexpressing TaVQ14. Particularly, salt treatment increased the expression of AtCDPK2 in these plants. Moreover, salt treatment increased Ca²⁺ concentrations in plants overexpressing TaVQ14, suggesting that TaVQ14 enhances salt resistance in Arabidopsis seeds through calcium signaling. In summary, this study demonstrated that the heterologous expression of TaVQ14 increases the resistance of Arabidopsis seeds to salt and drought stress.

Suppressing Li Dendrite Puncture with a Hierarchical h-BN Protective Layer

Lithium metal has been perceived as an extremely attractive anode due to its superior energy density and low redox potential. However, great challenges affiliated with the operating security of Li metal batteries (LMBs) posed by growing Li dendrites hamper the widespread application of rechargeable LMBs. In this study, hierarchical hairball-like boron nitride (h-BN) was fabricated on a Li metal anode using the pulsed laser deposition (PLD) method. The chemically inert and mechanically robust dielectric h-BN coating on the Li anode can act as an interfacial layer conducive to enhancing the stability and extending the battery lifetime of LMBs by suppressing the formation and propagation of dendrites during the recurrent plating and stripping process. Moreover, the h-BN layer favors the drift of Li ions and mitigates electrolyte depletion, therefore demonstrating a reduced polarization in the voltage profiles, which further facilitates the uniform deposition of Li ions during battery operation. As proof, the Li/BN || BN/Li symmetrical cells can circulate steadily for 1800 h with no observable polarization at constant current density. Thus, the three-dimensional h-BN interface layer is efficacious for Li dendrite suppression during the practical application of LMBs, and it may also be promising for tackling dendrite issues in other metal ion battery systems.

Identification and expression analysis of candidate genes related to seed dormancy and germination in the wheat GATA family

GATA transcription factors have been reported to function in plant growth and development and during various biotic/abiotic stresses in Arabidopsis and rice. However, the functions of wheat GATAs, particularly in the regulation of seed dormancy and germination, remain unclear. Here, we identified 78 TaGATAs in wheat and divided them into five subfamilies. Sixty-four paralogous pairs and 52 orthologous pairs were obtained, and Ka/Ks ratios showed that the TaGATAs had undergone strong purifying election during the evolutionary process. Triplet analysis indicated that a high homologue retention rate could explain the large number of TaGATAs in wheat. Gene structure analysis revealed that most members of the same subfamily had similar structures, and subcellular localization prediction indicated that most TaGATAs were located in the nucleus. Gene ontology annotation results showed that most TaGATAs had molecular functions in DNA and zinc binding, and promoter analysis suggested that they may play important roles in growth, development, and biotic/abiotic stress response. We combined three microarray datasets with qRT-PCR expression data from wheat varieties of contrasting dormancy and pre-harvest sprouting resistance levels during imbibition in order to identify ten candidate genes (TaGATA17/-25/-34/-37/-40/-46/-48/-51/-72/-73) that may be involved in the regulation of seed dormancy and germination in wheat. These findings provide valuable information for further dissection of TaGATA functions in the regulation of seed dormancy and germination, thereby enabling the improvement of wheat pre-harvest sprouting resistance by gene pyramiding.

Towards Dendrite-Free Potassium-Metal Batteries: Rational Design of a Multifunctional 3D Polyvinyl Alcohol-Borax Layer

K metal is the optimal anode for K-ion batteries because of its high capacity and low operating potential, but it suffers from fast capacity fading and safety issues due to an unstable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and continuous K-dendrite growth. Herein, to obtain promising potassium-metal batteries, a 3D polyvinyl-alcohol (PVA)-borax layer is designed, which enables a dendrite-free K-plating/stripping process. The protective layer possesses good wettability, high K-ion diffusivity, and good structural stability, which enables a "uniform and underneath plating" behavior, therefore exhibiting a stable electrochemical performance. As a result, Cu current collector with PVA-borax (PVA-borax@Cu) exhibits a stable cycling lifetime for 700 h at 0.5 mA cm^-2 and 500 h at 1 mA cm^-2 at 10 % depth of discharge (DOD) without dendrite formation. Even at a high utilization of 25 % DOD and 50 % DOD, the PVA-borax@Cu shows a stable cycle for 180 h and 100 h, respectively.

Cerium Oxysulfide with O-Ce-S Bindings for Efficient Adsorption and Conversion of Lithium Polysulfide in Li-S Batteries

Understanding of adsorption and kinetic conversion of polysulfide lithium (LiPSs) in Li-S batteries is quite crucial for the design of efficient effective sulfur carriers. Herein, based on the possible interactions with LiPSs, Ce₂O₂S with unique O-Ce-S bindings is proposed to be used as a promising carrier additive and a 2D Ce₂O₂S/C composite is synthesized via a one-facile NaCl-template method and subsequent sulfuration under 700 °C. The 2D Ce₂O₂S/C exhibits a stronger adsorption capability than CeO₂/C through the adsorption test for Li₂S₆. Combined with XPS and DFT results, the superiority is mainly originated from the formation of S-S and Li-S bonds between LiPSs and the lattice S on the surface of Ce₂O₂S. The 2D Ce₂O₂S/C composite also exhibits a better catalytic ability than CeO₂ according to the change of the free energies of the polysulfides during the discharge process, which coincides with the lower oxidation potential for Li₂S₂/Li₂S transition by cyclic voltammetry. Resultantly, the cathodes using the Ce₂O₂S/C composite as a carrier manifest an enhanced rate and cycling performances. Hence, our work paves a phenomenon wherein Ce₂O₂S with O-Ce-S bindings is more beneficial to improve the cycling stability of Li-S batteries than CeO₂ containing single Ce-O bonds, which may be also suitable for other kinds of metallic sulfur oxide compounds.

Porosity Engineering of MXene Membrane towards Polysulfide Inhibition and Fast Lithium Ion Transportation for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Detrimental lithium polysulfide (LiPS) shuttle effects and sluggish electrochemical conversion kinetics in lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries severely hinder their practical application. Separator modification has been extensively investigated as an effective strategy to address above issues. Nevertheless, in the case of functional separators, how to effectively block the LiPSs from diffusion while enabling the rapid Li ion transport remains a challenge. Herein, by using an "oxidation-etching" method, MXene membranes are presented with controllable in-plane pores as interlayer to regulate Li ion transportation and LiPS immobilization. Porous MXene membranes with optimized pore density and size can simultaneously anchor LiPS and ensure fast Li ion diffusion. Consequently, even with pure sulfur cathode, the improved Li-S batteries deliver excellent rate performance up to 2 C with a reversible capacity of 677.6 mAh g^-1 and long-term cyclability over 500 cycles at 1 C with a low capacity decay of 0.07% per cycle. This work sheds new insights into the design of high-performance interlayers with manipulated nanochannels and tailored surface chemistry to regulate LiPSs trapping and Li ion diffusion in Li-S batteries.

[Reanalysis on the Preface of Medical Classics and Classical Prescriptions in Hanshu Yiwenzhi]

Hanshu Yiwenzhi is the earliest comprehensive catalogue of medical books in China, in which FangJi Lue was divided into four categories: "Medical Classics", "Classical Prescriptions", "Fangzhong" and "Shenxian". This paper reanalysed the preface contents of "Medical Classics" and "Classical Prescriptions", and found that the differences between the two sections focused on the definitions of disease treatment and standpoints. "Medical Classics" refers to people who suffered from diseases, but "Classical Prescriptions" refers to the disease which people suffered. This means "Medical Classics" focuses on the human body, but "Classical Prescriptions" centres on diseases.

Ternary Si-SiO-Al Composite Films as High-Performance Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Silicon (Si) is a promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries but has long been suffering from low conductivity, drastic volume change, poor cycling performance, etc. Adding SiO, Al, etc. to form Si-based binary composite films can improve some properties but have to give up others. Here, we prepared a ternary Si-SiO-Al composite film anode by adding SiO and Al together into Si using magnetron sputtering. This film has an extraordinary combination of conductivity, specific capacity, cycling stability, rate performance, etc., when compared with its binary and unary counterparts. While both SiO and Al can separately mitigate anode cracking resulting from the huge volume expansion during the lithiation/delithiation cycling process, the synergetic effect of adding SiO and Al together to form a ternary composite film can produce much better results. This film maintains an island structure that can efficiently buffer the volume expansion during the cycling process, giving rise to superior cycling performance and excellent rate performance. In addition, the cosputtered Al improves the electrical conductivity of the anode at the same time. This unique combination of anode properties, together with the low cost, suggests that the Si-SiO-Al composite film has the potential to be commercialized as a binder-free anode for lithium-ion batteries. This work also provides an efficient means to modulate the anode properties with more degrees of freedom.

Co3 Se4 Quantum Dots as an Ultrastable Host Material for Potassium-Ion Intercalation

Potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) are receiving increased attention due to their cost-effective and similar energy-storage mechanism to lithium-ion batteries. However, the lack of appropriate electrode materials is still hampered for their development, which is mainly caused by the large size of the potassium ions (1.38 Å) including low structural stability and poor electrochemical redox reaction kinetics. Herein, Co₃ Se₄ quantum dots (QD) encapsulated by N-doped carbon (CSC) are reported as an anode material for KIBs, in which a morphology change process occurs. Benefiting from the unique uniform nanostructure reducing the ion-diffusion length, the improved electronic conductivity, and the enhanced protective effect of N-doped carbon (NC) alleviating volume fluctuation, the CSC demonstrates excellent electrochemical performance. The core-shell-like CSC composite demonstrates remarkable discharge capacity (410 mA h g^-1 at 0.1 A g^-1 after 550 cycles, 360 mA h g^-1 at 0.5 A g^-1 after 3200 cycles) and excellent cyclic performance over 10 000 cycles at 1 A g^-1 . Density functional theory calculations show a larger reaction energy of Co₃ Se₄ QD than bulk Co₃ Se₄ , a lower barrier of K atom migration in Co₃ Se₄ QD than bulk Co₃ Se₄ , and also favor the intercalation reaction rather than replacement reaction. In situ X-ray diffraction and ex situ transmission electron microscopy are further used to evaluate potassiation/depotassiation phenomena.

[Artificial intelligence based on images in ophthalmology]

The application of artificial intelligence (AI) in ophthalmology will greatly reduce the workload of ophthalmologists. Machine learning is an important branch of AI, and deep learning is the most important algorithm in machine learning. At present, AI is well applied in the ophthalmic field. This article summarizes the use of AI in ophthalmology and discusses its inadequacy and future to provide reference for clinical practice. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2021, 57: 465-469).

Adsorption and visible-light photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants by functionalized biochar: Role of iodine doping and reactive species

Here we developed the functionalized biochar as low-cost and heavy metal-free photocatalysts via a facile iodine doping method, which exhibit efficient adsorption and visible-light-driven photocatalytic degradation of representative organic pollutants, phenol and tetracycline. On one hand, iodine doping elevates the adsorption via creating extra pores, e.g., the adsorbed amounts of phenol by iodine-doped WSP and OSR biochar are increased by 161.8% and 146.3%, respectively, which in turn facilitates the photocatalytic oxidation of the adsorbed pollutants. On the other hand, iodine doping leads to the strong photo-induced excitation and remarkably reduced charge carrier transfer resistance, boosting the photocatalytic activity of iodine-doped biochar by more than 20 orders towards organic pollutants (e.g., phenol) degradation. The systematic analysis of reactive species reveals the active roles of O₂^-, H₂O₂, ¹O₂, OH, electrons, and holes in photocatalytic process and identifies O₂^- to be the major contributor. This work affords a facile approach to generating porous and visible-light-driven photocatalyst from biomass for efficient adsorbing and degrading organic pollutants, opening up an avenue to turn biowaste into biomaterials for sustainable environmental remediation.

Single-Atom Iron and Doped Sulfur Improve the Catalysis of Polysulfide Conversion for Obtaining High-Performance Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are regarded as promising secondary energy storage devices for their high energy density and low cost. The electrochemical performance of Li-S batteries is mainly determined by the efficient and reversible conversion of lithium-polysulfides to Li₂S when discharging and to S when charging. Herein, a catalytic strategy is proposed to accelerate the reversible conversion of S and the discharge products in Li-S batteries. This reversible transformation is achieved with active sites of single-atom iron on nitrogen- and sulfur-doped porous carbon (FeNSC). We prove that the synergy between atomically dispersed iron and doped sulfur accelerates the reversible electrochemical conversion reactions in Li-S batteries. The FeNSC/S hybrid cathode exhibits superior long-term cycling stability even at a high current density of 1C, with only 0.047% capacity decay per cycle over 1000 cycles. This study demonstrates a novel method for improving the conversion of polysulfides based on electrocatalysis strategies to ultimately obtain high-performance Li-S batteries.

Crosslinked Polyimide and Reduced Graphene Oxide Composites as Long Cycle Life Positive Electrode for Lithium-Ion Cells

Conjugated polymers with electrochemically active redox groups are a promising class of positive electrode material for lithium-ion batteries. However, most polymers, such as polyimides, possess low intrinsic conductivity, which results in low utilization of redox-active sites during charge cycling and, consequently, poor electrochemical performance. Here, it was shown that this limitation can be overcome by synthesizing polyimide composites (PIX) with reduced graphene oxide (rGO) using an in situ polycondensation reaction. The polyimide composites showed increased charge-transfer performance and much larger specific capacities, with PI50, which contains 50 wt % of rGO, showing the largest specific capacity of 172 mAh g-1 at 500 mA g-1 . This corresponds to a high utilization of the redox active sites in the active polyimide (86 %), and this composite retained 80 % of its initial capacity (125 mAh g-1 ) after 9000 cycles at 2000 mA g-1 .

In-Plane Ferroelectric Tin Monosulfide and Its Application in a Ferroelectric Analog Synaptic Device

Two-dimensional ferroelectrics is attractive for synaptic device applications because of its low power consumption and amenability to high-density device integration. Here, we demonstrate that tin monosulfide (SnS) films less than 6 nm thick show optimum performance as a semiconductor channel in an in-plane ferroelectric analogue synaptic device, whereas thicker films have a much poorer ferroelectric response due to screening effects by a higher concentration of charge carriers. The SnS ferroelectric device exhibits synaptic behaviors with highly stable room-temperature operation, high linearity in potentiation/depression, long retention, and low cycle-to-cycle/device-to-device variations. The simulated device based on ferroelectric SnS achieves ∼92.1% pattern recognition accuracy in an artificial neural network simulation. By switching the ferroelectric domains partially, multilevel conductance states and the conductance ratio can be obtained, achieving high pattern recognition accuracy.

Synergistic Effect of Salinized Quinone for Entrapment of Polysulfides for High-Performance Li-S Batteries

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries have attracted considerable attention in the energy storage field due to their high theoretical energy density and low price. However, the dissolution of polysulfides and the "shuttle effect" lead to serious capacity degradation, which greatly hinders the industrial application of Li-S batteries. Herein, we propose a bifunctional quinone-type salt to anchor polysulfides and suppress their dissolution for use in high-performance Li-S batteries. We find that the tetrahydroxy-1,4-benzoquinone disodium salt dimer (TBS-dimer) does not dissolve in organic electrolytes and can be generated at 400 °C. The abundant reactive keto groups and double bonds result in the TBS-dimers having numerous "hot spots" for capturing sulfur (TBS/S-400) in the three-dimensional space of the molecule. The insolubility and abundant active sites of the organic salt remarkably suppress the dissolution of lithium polysulfides. As a result, the TBS/S-400 composite delivers a capacity decay rate of only 0.023% per cycle over 600 cycles at 2 C. The use of organic salts to effectively suppress the dissolution of lithium polysulfides opens a new avenue for the practical applications of high-performance Li-S batteries.

Lithiophilic Silver Coating on Lithium Metal Surface for Inhibiting Lithium Dendrites

Li metal batteries (LMBs) are known as the ideal energy storage candidates for the future rechargeable batteries due to the high energy density. However, uncontrolled Li dendrites growing during charge/discharge process causes extremely low coulombic efficiency and short lifespan. In this work, a thin lithiophilic layer of Ag was coated on the bare Li surface via a thermal evaporation method, which alleviated volume variations and suppressed Li dendrites growth during cycling. As a result, a long lifespan of 250 h at a current density of 1 mA cm-2 was achieved in the symmetric cell when using the Ag-modified Li foil (Ag@Li). The LiFePO4|Li full cell demonstrated an excellent cycling performance with a high specific capacity of 131 mAh g-1 even after 300 cycles at 0.5 C. This study offers a suitable method for stabilizing Li metal anodes in LMBs.

Rechargeable Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries in MgSO4/ZnSO4 Hybrid Electrolytes

MgSO₄ is chosen as an additive to address the capacity fading issue in the rechargeable zinc-ion battery system of Mg_xV₂O₅·nH₂O//ZnSO₄//zinc. Electrolytes with different concentration ratios of ZnSO₄ and MgSO₄ are investigated. The batteries measured in the 1 M ZnSO₄^-1 M MgSO₄ electrolyte outplay other competitors, which deliver a high specific capacity of 374 mAh g^-1 at a current density of 100 mA g^-1 and exhibit a competitive rate performance with the reversible capacity of 175 mAh g^-1 at 5 A g^-1. This study provides a promising route to improve the performance of vanadium-based cathodes for aqueous zinc-ion batteries with electrolyte optimization in cost-effective electrolytes.

Photocatalytic Bacterial Inactivation by a Rape Pollen-MoS2 Biohybrid Catalyst: Synergetic Effects and Inactivation Mechanisms

A novel and efficient 3D biohybrid photocatalyst, defective MoS₂ nanosheets encapsulated carbonized rape pollen, was fabricated and applied to water disinfection. The rape pollen-MoS₂ (PM) biohybrid showed excellent dispersibility, high stability, and efficient charge-carrier separation and migration ability, resulting in the highly enhanced photocatalytic inactivation performance toward various waterborne bacteria under different light sources. The inactivation mechanisms were systematically investigated. Reactive species (RSs), including electrons, holes, and reactive oxygen species (•O₂^- and •OH), played major roles in inactivating bacteria. The antioxidant system of bacteria exhibited a self-protection capacity by eliminating the photogenerated RSs from PM biohybrid at the early stage of inactivation. With the accumulation of RSs, the cell membrane and membrane-associated functions were destroyed, as suggested by the collapse of cell envelope and subsequent loss of cell respiration and ATP synthesis capacity. The microscopic images further confirmed the destruction of the bacterial membrane. After losing the membrane barrier, the oxidation of cytoplasmic proteins and lipids caused by invaded RSs occurred readily. Finally, the leakage of DNA and RNA announced the irreversible death of bacteria. These results indicated that the bacterial inactivation began with the membrane rupture, followed by the oxidation and leakage of intracellular substances. This work not only provided a new insight into the combination of semiconductors with earth-abundant biomaterials for fabricating high-performance photocatalysts, but also revealed the underlying mechanisms of photocatalytic bacterial inactivation in depth.

Hermetically encapsulating sulfur by FePS3 flakes for high-performance lithium sulfur batteries

FePS₃ flakes could encapsulate hollow sulfur spheres and trap lithium polysulfides, which will be beneficial to high-performance lithium sulfur batteries.

Direct Observation of Band Gap Renormalization in Layered Indium Selenide

Manipulation of intrinsic electronic structures by electron or hole doping in a controlled manner in van der Waals layered materials is the key to control their electrical and optical properties. Two-dimensional indium selenide (InSe) semiconductor has attracted attention due to its direct band gap and ultrahigh mobility as a promising material for optoelectronic devices. In this work, we manipulate the electronic structure of InSe by in situ surface electron doping and obtain a significant band gap renormalization of ∼120 meV directly observed by high-resolution angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy. This moderate doping level (carrier concentration of 8.1 × 10¹² cm^-2) can be achieved by electrical gating in field effect transistors, demonstrating the potential to design of broad spectral response devices.

Post-Treatment of CH3 NH3 PbI3 /PbI2 Composite Films with Methylamine to Realize High-Performance Photoconductor Devices

Organometallic halide perovskites have attracted great research interest as light-active materials for use in optoelectronics. Here, we report a high-performance photoconductor based on a methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI₃ ) film that was prepared from a methylamine-treated MAPbI₃ /PbI₂ perovskite film. An ultrahigh responsivity of 3.6 A W^-1 and detectivity of 5.4×10¹²  Jones were obtained for the film under 0.5 mW cm^-2 white-light illumination. In addition, under 420 nm light irradiation, the film exhibited its highest responsivity and detectivity of 30 A W^-1 and 2.4×10¹⁴  Jones, respectively. The excellent photo-response performance results from the improved electronic quality and suppressed nonradiative recombination channels of the treated perovskite thin film.

Emergence and complete genome of Senecavirus A in pigs of Henan Province in China, 2017

Senecavirus A (SVA) the only member of the Senecavirus genus within the Picornaviridae family, is an emerging pathogen causing swine idiopathic vesicular disease and epidemic transient neonatal losses. Here, SVA strain (CH-HNKZ-2017) was isolated from a swine farm exhibiting vesicular disease in Henan Province of Central China. A phylogenetic analysis based on complete genome sequence indicated that CH-HNKZ-2017 was closely related to US-15-40381IA, indica- ting that a new SVA isolate had emerged in China.

Surveillance of Unruptured Intracranial Saccular Aneurysms Using Noncontrast 3D-Black-Blood MRI: Comparison of 3D-TOF and Contrast-Enhanced MRA with 3D-DSA

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysms routinely undergo surveillance imaging to monitor growth. Angiography is the criterion standard for aneurysm diagnosis, but it is invasive. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of a 3D noncontrast black-blood MR imaging technique for unruptured intracranial aneurysm measurement in comparison with 3D-TOF and contrast-enhanced MRA, using 3D rotational angiography as a reference standard.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Sixty-four patients (57.3 ± 10.9 years of age, 41 women) with 68 saccular unruptured intracranial aneurysms were recruited. Patients underwent 3T MR imaging with 3D-TOF-MRA, 3D black-blood MR imaging, and contrast-enhanced MRA, and they underwent 3D rotational angiography within 2 weeks. The neck, width, and height of the unruptured intracranial aneurysms were measured by 2 radiologists independently on 3D rotational angiography and 3 MR imaging sequences. The accuracy and reproducibility were evaluated by Bland-Altman plots, the coefficient of variance, and the intraclass correlation coefficient.

RESULTS

3D black-blood MR imaging demonstrates the best agreement with DSA, with the smallest limits of agreement and measurement error (coefficients of variance range, 5.87%-7.04%). 3D-TOF-MRA had the largest limits of agreement and measurement error (coefficients of variance range, 12.73%-15.78%). The average coefficient of variance was 6.26% for 3D black-blood MR imaging, 7.03% for contrast-enhanced MRA, and 15.54% for TOF-MRA. No bias was found among 3 MR imaging sequences compared with 3D rotational angiography. All 3 MR imaging sequences had excellent interreader agreement (intraclass correlation coefficient, >0.95). 3D black-blood MR imaging performed the best for patients with intraluminal thrombus (n = 10).

CONCLUSIONS

3D black-blood MR imaging achieves better accuracy for aneurysm size measurements compared with 3D-TOF, using 3D rotational angiography as a criterion standard. This noncontrast technique is promising for surveillance of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.

[Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a foldable capsular vitreous body in the treatment of severe retinal detachment]

Objective: To determine the efficacy and safety of vitrectomy combined with implantation of a foldable capsular vitreous body in the treatment of severe retinal detachment with early ocular atrophy in human eyes. Methods: This study was a prospective, multicenter, and one-arm phase Ⅱ clinical trial. Patients with severe retinal detachment and early eyeball atrophy attending Beijing Tongren Eye Center from April 2011 to July 2012 were included. A standard three-port pars plana vitrectomy was performed, and a foldable capsular vitreous body was folded and sent into the vitreous cavity; silicone oil was injected into the capsule. Measurement of visual acuity and intraocular pressure, corneal endothelium count, color fundus photography, optical coherence tomography, and ocular ultrasonography were performed to observe retinal reattachment and adverse reactions after surgery. Wilcoxon signed rank test was performed to compare the baseline and postoperative visual acuity, intraocular pressure and corneal endothelium count. Results: A total of 26 patients were enrolled, including 23 males and 3 females. The age was (37.5±11.5) years, with an average follow-up of 33 months. For each patient, only the left or right eye was included (13 left eyes and 13 right eyes). Retinal reattachment was found in all 24 eyes, and the eyeball atrophy was controlled in all patients. Visual acuity was improved in 4 patients (15.4%) and unchanged in 5 patients (19.2%). The mean intraocular pressure [(14.4±3.9) mmHg(1 mmHg=0.133 kPa)] at the last follow-up was higher than the baseline intraocular pressure [(12.0±6.5) mmHg], but the difference was not statistically significant (Z=-1.859, P=0.063). For the 16 patients with ocular atrophy at baseline, the last follow-up intraocular pressure [(14.6±3.9) mmHg] was significantly higher than the preoperative intraocular pressure [(8.5±2.4) mmHg] (t=-5.326, P<0.001). No obvious adverse reactions were observed. Conclusions: Implantation of a foldable capsular vitreous body is an effective way to treat severe retinal detachment with early eyeball atrophy. It can help to reattach the retina, control eyeball atrophy, maintain the eye shape and intraocular pressure, while visual acuity improvement is limited. (Chin J Ophthalmol, 2019, 55: 259-266).

Oxygen-Functionalized Ultrathin Ti3 C2 Tx MXene for Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution

Two-dimensional (2D) transition-metal carbides (MXenes) are widely adopted as potential electrocatalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) owing to their metallic conductivity, rich tunable surface chemistry, and atomic thickness with highly exposed active sites. Previously published theoretical results indicate that MXenes functionalized entirely with oxygen have lower ΔG_H* for HER. However, MXenes contain many terminal F groups on the basal plane, which is detrimental to the HER. Herein, the development of an ultrathin Ti₃ C₂ MXene nanosheet fully functionalized with oxygen is reported for the HER. The obtained oxygen-functionalized Ti₃ C₂ (Ti₃ C₂ O_x ) exhibits a much higher HER activity (190 mV at 10 mA cm^-2 ) than that of Ti₃ C₂ T_x (T=F, OH, and O). The improved HER performance is attributed to the highly active O sites on the basal plane of Ti₃ C₂ T_x MXenes. This study paves way for electrocatalytic applications of MXene materials by tuning their surface functional groups.

[Survey of current status of prevention of venous thromboembolism after thoracic surgery in China]

Objective: To investigate the current status of prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after thoracic surgery in China. Method: Chinese thoracic surgeons were investigated by the online questionnaire which was based on the Chinese version of International VTE questionnaire added with 6 extra questions with Chinese characteristics. Results: A total of 1 150 valid questionnaires were retrieved, accounting for about 20% of all the Chinese thoracic surgeons. The surgeons participating in this survey came from all over the country, most of whom were experienced professionals with high academic titles.For lung cancer patients, 66.96% (770/1 150) of the surgeons suggested that VTE prophylaxis should start 1 day after lung cancer resection, and 64.61% (743/1 150) of the surgeons suggested extending after discharge. For esophagestomy patients, and 48.35% (514/1 063) of the surgeons suggested that there was no need for patients to extend VTE prophylaxis after discharge. More than half of the surgeons participating in this survey made decision of the method and duration of VTE prophylaxis after lung cancer resection (53.91% (620/1 150)) or esophagectomy (52.49% (558/1 063)) depending on the clinical experience.Low molecular weight heparin was the common choice of most surgeons in VTE prophylaxis. More than half of the surgeons thought that previous history of VTE, advanced age, complicated with thrombophilia, obesity (body mass index>30 kg/m²), duration of surgery longer than 6 hours and family history of VTE were key risk factors of the occurrence of postoperative VTE. Conclusions: The results of this survey are highly credible and are a good reflection of the current status of VTE prevention and treatment after thoracic surgery in China. This survey will play an important role in promoting VTE prevention and treatment in Chinese thoracic surgery department, it will also provide data support for government setting new policies, hospital construction of VTE prevention and control as well as raising physicians' awareness.

Band Gap Renormalization, Carrier Multiplication, and Stark Broadening in Photoexcited Black Phosphorus

We investigate black phosphorus by time- and angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. The electrons excited by 1.57 eV photons relax down to a conduction band minimum within 1 ps. Despite the low band gap value, no relevant amount of carrier multiplication could be detected at an excitation density 3-6 × 10¹⁹ cm^-3. In the thermalized state, the band gap renormalization is negligible up to a photoexcitation density that fills the conduction band by 150 meV. Astonishingly, a Stark broadening of the valence band takes place at an early delay time. We argue that electrons and holes with a high excess energy lead to inhomogeneous screening of near surface fields. As a consequence, the chemical potential is no longer pinned in a narrow impurity band.